Meta Ads for Retailers: 5 Proven Strategies to Increase Foot Traffic and Revenue

If your in-store traffic is slowing or you’re unsure whether your digital ads are doing more than generating clicks, you’re not alone. Most retailers today struggle to connect their Meta ad spend (on Facebook and Instagram) to actual sales, and they’re leaving serious revenue on the table.

At Omni Digital Group, we’ve worked with retailers across industries to turn Meta ads into a measurable in-store sales channel. These aren't theoretical tips, they’re the exact strategies our clients have used to generate tens of millions in local revenue.

In this article, you’ll learn five Meta ad strategies to help you:

Bring in new customers who look like your best buyers
Use Facebook’s detailed targeting to find new customers
Re-engage past customers who haven’t returned
Win back dormant shoppers who forgot about you
Track which ads are actually driving revenue

TL;DR — Quick Summary

Use your POS data to build Custom and Lookalike Audiences

Narrow targeting = lower ad costs

Retarget your own customers on Meta

Bring back customers who haven’t shopped in 12+ months

Use tech to track in-store sales from Meta ads

Strategy #1: Create Lookalike Audiences Using Your POS Data

What is a Lookalike Audience on Meta?
It’s a group of people who “look like” your existing customers based on real purchase behavior, not just guesses.

This strategy is pretty simple to execute. You’ll want to download the customer list from your POS system. Do a CSV file with customer name, phone number, email, and city, state, and zip code if you have it. Don’t worry if you’re missing a few fields; more is just better.

Make sure each piece of information is in its own column. Then upload that CSV to Meta as a Custom Audience.

Once it’s uploaded, click “Create Lookalike.” This will build a new audience based on people in your area who are most like your current customers.

Example:
One retailer we worked with uploaded a list of 96,800 customers (see below). With an average order value of $150, that’s over $14 million in customer revenue. This audience can be used to re-target and Meta’s Lookalike feature found even more people like them.

The takeaway: Let Meta find new customers by mirroring the ones already buying from you.

Strategy #2: Use Facebook’s Detailed Targeting to Find New Customers (and Save Money)

Why should you use detailed targeting instead of broad reach?
Because showing ads to everyone in your city costs way more and performs way worse.

Let’s use an example, Tuscaloosa, AL. If you wanted to reach every person there with an ad, it would cost you roughly $11,440 ($65 per 1,000 unique people). And that’s just to show them your ad once!

There’s got to be a better way, right? Yes.

With detailed targeting, you can drill down and reach the exact kind of customer you want.

Example 1: A Shoe Retailer
This business sells Brooks running shoes. Using Meta’s interest targeting, they selected “Brooks Running” as an interest in Tuscaloosa; the audience was 8,500 people.

Cost to reach them? Just $520.

Even if they sell 5–6 pairs of shoes, they’ll break even but realistically, they’ll sell much more than that.

*Facebook Ads Detailed Targeting Example*

Example 2: A Jewelry Retailer
This store targeted people who are single or in a relationship (engagement ads). That gave them a smaller, focused audience of 37,900 people, at a much lower cost than a city-wide ad.

*Facebook Ads Detailed Targeting Example for Jewelry*

The takeaway: Focused ads = less wasted money and better results.

Strategy #3: Retarget Your Existing Customers on Meta

How can you reach people who already bought from you?
By uploading your POS data and using it as a custom audience in Meta.

Remember Strategy #1? You can use that same audience to show ads directly to your existing customers and it’s incredibly effective.

Here’s the truth: 59% of your customers have only shopped with you once. That’s it. They came, they bought, and they’re gone.

Pull up your POS data; it’s probably true for your store, too. Most retailers don’t have a strategy beyond email to bring people back in. That’s where Meta ads come in.

Ideas for ads to your existing customers:

“Haven’t seen you in a while” promos
New arrivals based on past purchases
Exclusive offers for return customers

*Facebook ad targeting past customers - 96,800*

The takeaway: You’ve already paid to get these people once. Make sure they come back.

Strategy #4: Win Back Dormant Customers (12+ Months Since Last Visit)

What if someone hasn’t shopped in 12 months or more?
Most retailers forget about these people, but with the right message, they’ll come back.

Using your POS, segment out anyone who hasn’t purchased in over a year. Upload that list to Meta as its own audience. Then run a “win back” campaign.

Example:
One retailer we worked with had 16,000 dormant customers from just one store. By running low-budget reminder ads, they were able to bring many of them back in-store.

Great win-back messages:

“We miss you!”
“It’s been a while — take 15% off your next visit”
“Let’s reconnect — come see what’s new”

The takeaway: Dormant customers already chose you once. Help them do it again.

Strategy #5: Track Your In-Store Revenue from Meta Ads

Can you really track which ads drive in-store sales?
Yes! But only if you set it up the right way.

Most ad strategies fall short here. You’re spending money, but have no idea which ads are working. That’s where our software Omni Lightning comes in.

We built it to solve this exact problem, and it integrates with your POS system.

Here’s how it works:

We connect to your POS via API
Pull sales data and customer history
Build audiences automatically
Run ads to them via Meta
Track purchases when they come back in-store

You can do all this manually, but it requires uploading POS data daily and making sure formatting is perfect.

Want to save time and headaches? Book a free demo at OmniLightning.com

The takeaway: If you can’t track it, you can’t grow it. Stop guessing and wasting ad dollars.

Conclusion: Let Meta Ads Drive Real In-Store Sales

If you’re running Meta ads and not tracking what happens in-store, you’re flying blind.

These five strategies will help you:

Reach more new customers who actually convert
Spend less with smarter, more focused targeting
Bring back old customers and win over new ones
Know exactly which ads drive real revenue

Ready to get more foot traffic, higher revenue, and better ROI from your Meta ads?

Schedule your demo with Omni Digital Group and we’ll show you how simple it can be to turn digital ads into real in-store dollars.