Catalog Ads: the psychological levers that boost your conversions

What if your visuals didn't just sell a product... but an emotion?

In e-commerce, the best ads aren't the ones that explain. They are the ones that trigger. A desire. A projection. A purchase.

Welcome to the world of e-commerce advertising psychology, where each badge, each color, each word can influence the decision — often in less than 2 seconds.

In this article, we show you how to activate the right cognitive mechanisms in your Catalog Ads, combining emotional design, social signals and intelligent enrichment.

Why psychology is an underexploited tool... but highly profitable

💡 95% of buying decisions are made based on emotion. The rational comes later, to justify.

So your Catalog Ads should not only present a product. They must elicit an immediate reaction. And psychological levers are there for that: FOMO, social proof, visual storytelling, colors, authority... used together, they transform a visual product into a conversion engine.

1. FOMO + Emergency: the fear of missing the offer

It is one of the most powerful triggers.

What works:

“Last coins” or “Flash offer” badges: -40% until midnight”
Dynamic counters in the visuals
Price crossed out + promotion highlighted

🔁 Result: +45% conversions in the last hours of a countdown promo.

With Feed Enrich, these elements can be automated throughout your catalog as soon as a promo is activated.

2. Social proof: validating the decision by others

When others love it, you want to try it. Simple, but powerful.

To be integrated into your rich Catalog Ads:

Average rating + number of reviews (“★ 4.8/5 — 1,203 reviews”)
“Bestseller” or “Seen on Instagram” mention
UGC (customer photos, unboxing videos)

📈 Visuals with social proof embedded in the image generate +30% of clicks.

3. Emotion: triggering the emotional trigger

A visual, an atmosphere, a desire.

What creates the connection:

Lifestyle backgrounds
Short videos or GIFs for product use
Warm colors, faces, smiles, emotions

🧠 Our brain remembers what it feels better than what it reads. A Catalog Ad enriched with product video can lead to +48% conversions, especially among those under 30.

4. Authority & credibility: inspiring trust

Your visual should be as reassuring as it is appealing.

To anchor credibility right from the scroll:

Press logos or awards (“Elected Innovation of the Year”)
Professional, consistent design, without overload
Charter respected + HD visuals

Poor, misaligned, or unclear visual content can destroy trust in under a second.

5. Colors: your subconscious weapon

Colors don't decorate. They guide emotion and action.

Examples:

Red: emergency, action (“-50% today”)
Blue: reliability, tech, secure payment
Green: economy, sustainability
Orange: energy, enthusiasm

🟥 Changing a CTA button from green to red can improve clicks by +21%

6. Persuasive design: structure, simplify, guide

The eye follows logic. Your design too.

Pillars of a good visual:

Clear visual hierarchy (product ➝ info ➝ action)
Well contrasted button
Readable and limited text (no more than 20% of the visual)
A single strong message

🎯 In Catalog Ads, an overloaded template is detrimental to conversion. Better a simple and clear enriched visual than an illegible promotional patchwork.