As commerce media continues to mature, marketers are demanding clearer visibility into how advertising influences real purchasing behavior. That demand is shaping the next phase of the MarTech ecosystem and is central to the latest announcement from PayPal Ads. PayPal introduced its Transaction Graph Insights and Measurement program, a new offering designed to give merchants and advertisers a more accurate, full funnel view of shopper behavior and campaign performance grounded in real transaction data.
The launch of PayPal Ads Transaction Graph Insights comes as brands struggle to connect fragmented signals across search, social, retail, and payments. PayPal said its Transaction Graph creates a complete picture of the consumer journey by linking verified purchases with discovery and engagement signals. With more than 430 million consumer accounts and tens of millions of merchants on its platform, PayPal positions itself as uniquely able to deliver sales signal integrity and accuracy at scale.
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marketers are increasingly focused on understanding how commerce is changing and how to identify their next best customer. PayPal Transaction Graph Insights and Measurement uses the company’s transaction graph to surface consumer trends and measure advertising effectiveness across the entire purchase journey. Unlike platforms that only capture activity within closed ecosystems, PayPal connects search, shop, and share signals across its network, enabling brands to identify high intent shoppers earlier and measure real sales lift rather than modeled outcomes.
“The era of the empowered shopper demands advertising solutions built on real commerce data, not modeled intent,” said Mark Grether, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PayPal Ads. “Unlike walled-garden platforms that only see activity within their own ecosystem, or measurement solutions that rely on modeled data, PayPal’s Transaction Graph connects verified purchases across tens of millions of merchants. This means you can see which campaigns actually drive sales, not just clicks or impressions. Combine this with signals from Shop, Search, and Sharing activities across all PayPal brands, we can help advertisers drive meaningful business outcomes—regardless of their budget or scale.”
PayPal illustrated the value of this approach through an example that reflects modern shopping behavior, where consumers research products across multiple digital touchpoints before completing a purchase. While traditional platforms only capture fragments of that journey, PayPal said its transaction graph reveals the complete path, allowing advertisers to understand true category market share and identify customers before they convert elsewhere.
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Early results from brands using PayPal Ads highlight the potential impact. Ulta Beauty used the PayPal Transaction Graph to reach high intent beauty shoppers across the premium web with Offsite Ads. During the campaign, Ulta recorded a 20 percent increase in transaction spend via PayPal compared to prior weeks. The retailer also measured brand lift through Lucid, a Cint company and PayPal Ads measurement partner, and saw brand favorability increase to 136 percent above the Lucid benchmark.
The Transaction Graph Insights and Measurement program combines interactive analytics, first party measurement, and a new partnership framework that allows independent validation through certified third party partners including AppsFlyer, Cint, Experian, iSpot, Kantar, Kochava, and LiveRamp.
“When PayPal Ads showed us their Transaction Graph insights, we immediately saw the potential,” said Monica Austin, CMO at Blizzard Entertainment. “The ability to leverage commerce intelligence across game releases, performance media, and attribution measurement aligns perfectly with how we think about continually improving player engagement.”
For advertisers navigating a crowded commerce media landscape, PayPal Ads Transaction Graph Insights signals a shift toward measurement rooted in verified transactions. By connecting discovery, engagement, and purchase data, PayPal is positioning its ads business as a performance focused alternative for brands seeking more accountable and outcome driven commerce advertising.
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