Reddit has announced that it is testing carousel ads — which show AI-selected products related to the query — in its search results.
In an example search provided by Reddit, a query about noise-cancelling headphones is met with answers from various subreddits but also a carousel of ads for noise-cancelling headphones from its Dynamic Product Ads partner catalogs. The ads include prices, images, and direct links to vendors, and clicking on the ads opens a more detailed description of the product, as well as that same buying link.
A study published in the International Journal of Advertising this month found that carousel ads are ‘high-impact, low-risk’ choices for advertisers on social media, thanks to what researchers labelled ‘the carousel effect’.
The study tracked social media users’ eye movement as they looked at different kinds of ads.
Explaining the effectiveness of carousel ads, lead author Professor Stefan Rohrbach said: ‘When users opt in by swiping, the format can create a deeper attention episode. We also find that activation is more likely when brand attitudes are already favorable, which clarifies an important boundary condition.’
Whether this effect will make these carousel ads a success for Reddit is another question. Rohrbach explained that the study had focused on scrolling based platforms where interacting with a carousel represents a significant departure from typical behaviour. On Reddit, where users are already searching for something and expecting to click a link, this might not be the case.
‘Different platforms foster different interaction rhythms,’ Rohrback said, although he added that a similar effect on Reddit is ‘plausible’ as it is a feed-based platform.
Reddit’s new ad format is limited to a test group of users based in the USA, and during this phase will be available to sellers of electronic products only.