Overview

Zitcha’s Sponsored Product Ads appear natively within a retailer’s onsite search and category results. They are designed to surface relevant products within high-intent environments, such as search queries and browse pages.

Unlike fixed banner placements, Sponsored Products are performance-oriented placements sold on a CPM basis. Delivery is informed by real-time relevancy signals and contextual logic generated by Zitcha’s intent-driven search engine.

Sponsored Products are integrated directly into the organic results environment, meaning placement decisions are tied to contextual fit rather than static positioning.

The Engine Behind Sponsored Products

Sponsored Products are powered by Zitcha’s intent-driven discovery model.

Traditional retail search engines rely heavily on exact keyword matching. If a shopper’s query does not closely match the words in a product title or description, relevant items may not surface.

Zitcha’s model moves beyond literal matching. Using existing catalogue data such as:

• Product titles
• Descriptions
• Categories
• Product attributes
• Behavioural and contextual signals

The system builds relationships between products based on meaning and usage context.

Instead of evaluating only word similarity, the engine interprets what the shopper is trying to achieve. Sponsored placements are then evaluated against that contextual intent.

Relevance Controls

Sponsored Product eligibility is filtered through contextual relevance checks. Advertisers cannot pay to appear in placements that do not meet relevance thresholds. This ensures:

• Alignment between search intent and promoted products
• Protection of shopper experience
• Consistency between organic and sponsored ranking logic

Bid and pacing logic operate within these relevance parameters.

Why Sponsored Products Are Used

For Retailers

• Monetise high-intent search and browse traffic
• Maintain predictable revenue through a fixed CPM structure
• Expand discoverability across catalogue inventory

Because placements are evaluated through intent logic, monetisation can occur within search environments without relying solely on exact keyword targeting.

For Advertisers

• Gain visibility within high-intent search and category environments
• Support product launches, promotions, or always-on activity
• Avoid heavy reliance on rigid keyword mapping
• Rotate SKUs within an ad set across the campaign lifecycle

Sponsored Products are evaluated against contextual signals before serving, which influences impression quality.

Understanding Intent in Onsite Search

The Limitation of Traditional Keyword Search

Conventional retail search systems often rely on literal keyword matching. This can create challenges such as:

• Products not appearing due to missing or imperfect keywords
• Manual cross-sell rules that are difficult to maintain
• Poor handling of short or vague queries
• Limited discovery beyond the exact searched phrase

This impacts both organic discovery and sponsored inventory expansion.

Zitcha’s Intent-Driven Model

Zitcha’s search engine uses existing retailer catalogue data to build a semantic understanding of product relationships.

The model:

• Interprets shopper queries based on meaning rather than exact phrasing
• Identifies related or compatible products
• Aligns results to the likely goal of the shopper

This approach does not require retailers to introduce new metadata structures or manual rule sets. It operates using data already available within the catalogue.

Intent logic informs both organic ranking and Sponsored Product eligibility.

Implications for Retail Media Networks

Intent-based search impacts Sponsored Product performance in several ways:

Contextual Placement Expansion

Products may become eligible for placements beyond exact keyword matches when semantic relevance is established.

Long-Tail Discoverability

Items that previously struggled to appear under strict keyword logic may surface through contextual relationships.

Relevance Safeguards

Sponsored placements must meet contextual criteria before bidding logic is applied.

Monetisation Without Excess Clutter

Because placement is filtered through intent, additional monetised inventory can be introduced while maintaining contextual alignment.

Example: “Power Cord”

Traditional Keyword Search
A search for “power cord” returns products containing that exact phrase.

Intent-Driven Search
The same search may return:

• Relevant power cords
• Compatible adapters
• Related accessories that logically support the use case

Sponsored Products within this environment must align with the contextual intent of the query.

Summary

Zitcha’s Sponsored Products operate within an intent-driven onsite search model.

Rather than relying solely on keyword matching, the system evaluates meaning, context, and product relationships. Sponsored placements are filtered through relevance safeguards before bidding and pacing logic apply.

This framework supports contextual discovery while enabling monetisation within search and category environments.