Since Apple introduced new tracking limitations in iOS 14.5 on April 26, 2021, the population size of Facebook’s “Engaged Shoppers” audience seems to be largely unaffected. It remains near the highest level of the past 12 months.

We highlight this finding in our Facebook Audience Size Report (July 2021), which helps advertisers understand how Facebook’s addressable audience size changes over time.

Business as usual

When Apple introduced App Tracking Transparency (ATT) in iOS 14.5 on April 26, 2021, the population size of Engaged Shoppers in Facebook was sitting at the highest level recorded in the past 12 months.

After a small decline of 5% from May to June, the audience size shot back up to a similar strong level as the last few months. Based on the data, it appears that ATT hasn’t caused a steady decline that some advertisers had feared. And that indicates that Facebook may remain an effective mechanism for brands to target audiences based on shopping propensity.

The “Engaged Shoppers” audience is popular among retail advertisers because it can improve revenue and return-on-investment by targeting people who have recently shown a propensity for shopping. For example, it reaches reaches people who recently clicked on the Shop Now button on a Facebook page. 

Why it matters

Audience-based advertising is a hot topic as marketers reinvent their targeting strategies for a privacy-forward world. With millions of iPhone users opting to “Ask App Not to Track,” since Apple rolled out its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, some brands are witnessing a decline in the population size of remarketing audiences – with audience sizes sometimes even falling below the minimum required to serve ads. As a result, marketers are looking for alternative opportunities to invest budgets to reach their target audiences.

But there’s reason to believe Facebook’s built-in demographic and behavioral targeting segments may be more resilient in a privacy-forward world. Since they rely largely on Facebook’s rich internal data — such as interactions within the platform — Facebook’s built-in audience segments have a chance to remain an attractive way for brands to reach their target audiences.

Get the rest of the story

Our new Facebook Audience Size Report provides a unique view into how audience populations change over time — from behavioral audiences like “Engaged Shoppers,” to demographic audiences like “Parents with Toddlers.”

Using insights from the report, you can:

• Understand how audience populations change over time
• Put your own performance into perspective
• Discover the impact of iOS 14.5 on audience targeting

View the full report for free: Facebook Audience Size Report