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Loops

Loops are short-form sponsored media placements (images, GIFs, or videos) shown across retailer surfaces like Ecommerce menus, apps, and landing pages. They help brands drive awareness and clicks while creating a new monetization channel for retailers.

Updated today

Prerequisites

Required Permissions

Campaigns can be accessed by users with one of the following roles:

  • Marketing

  • Marketing Analyst

  • Operator

  • Owner

⚠️ Note: A/B Testing and Waterfall campaigns are not available for Loops.

How to Create a Loop Campaign 🎬

Step 1: Start a New Campaign

  1. Navigate to Marketing > Campaigns

  2. Click Create Campaign

  3. Select Loops as your channel

  4. Click Next to continue
    ​

Step 2: Upload Loop Creative

On the Content step, upload your Loop asset (image, GIF, short video, etc.)

Creative Requirements

  • Ideal format: 9:16 vertical (portrait)

  • Max display size: ~640h × 480w

    • Typically closer to ~300px tall × 150px wide

  • Duration: Max 30 seconds

  • File size: Aim for ≤7 MB (Max 10 MB)

  • File type: MP4 preferred for best compatibility

Step 3: Configure Campaign Details

Fill out the following campaign settings:

  • Campaign name (internal use)

  • Destination URL

    • For Retailers:
      This is where click events will go

    • For Brands:
      AIQ will automatically send customers to the brand-specific retailer menu URL when available.

    • If unavailable, the Destination URL will be used instead.

Step 4: Set Budget & Targeting

  • Daily ad budget
    Maximum spend per day

    • You may not always spend the full amount if impressions are limited

    • You will never exceed the daily cap

  • Lifetime ad budget
    Total maximum spend across the full campaign

    • Total spend will never exceed this limit

  • Targeting (Placements)
    Select where your Loop should appear

Step 5: Review & Schedule

  1. Click Next to reach Review

  2. Configure:

  • Conversion window

    • Defaults from:
      Settings > Company Account > Account Settings
      (Can be overridden per campaign)

  • Schedule

    • Set start and end dates so budgets cap correctly
      Example: $100/day × 7 days = $700 total

Step 6: Submit for Approval

All Loops must be reviewed by AIQ before appearing in placements.

Approval is only denied for content containing:

  • Hate speech

  • Nudity

  • Explicit imagery

  • Other inappropriate material

Where Loops Appear

Loops can target the following placements (each target show up to 3 Loops):

  • Campaign Emails

  • Campaign Text - Landing Page

  • AIQ Loyalty Apps (Native Mobile Apps + Web Wallets) - Home Page

  • AIQ Ecommerce - Home Page

  • AIQ Ecommerce - Category Page

  • Terpli Widget Icon - icon only, not recommendation flow

FAQs

Who can create Loops?

  • Brands can create Loops that appear on retailer placements

  • Retailers can create Loops for their owned surfaces

    • Retailers earn revenue when brand placements are enabled

Do MP4s work in emails?

Embedded MP4 autoplay is unreliable in most major clients (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo).
For email placements, GIFs are generally recommended.

Is this optional for retailers?

Yes. Retailers control Loop placements under:

Settings > Data & Privacy

Retailers can:

  • Disable all placements

  • Disable specific placements

  • Blocklist specific brands

If I disable Brand Sponsored Loops, can I still run my own Loops?

Yes. Data & Privacy settings only apply to third-party brand placements. Retailers can still run their own Loops.

Why would retailers want Loops?

Retailers earn revenue from brand Loop placements.

Can I move the Loop block in Campaign Builder?

Yes. It appears at the bottom by default but can be moved anywhere for maximum impressions.

How do Loops work in Ongoing campaigns?

Most ongoing campaigns already include Loops. If not:

  • Open the builder (Loops appear at the bottom)

  • Add manually and re-save

What happens if there are more Loops than available slots?

Loops rotate evenly, with priority bias toward the highest daily budget.

Can I run Co-Marketing, A/B Tests, or Waterfall campaigns with Loops?

No. Loops are not available for:

  • Co-marketing campaigns

  • A/B Testing campaigns

  • Waterfall campaigns

What happens when the daily budget is reached?

Once the daily cap is met:

  • Loops stop appearing in new placements for the rest of the day

  • Already-sent campaigns continue functioning normally

Will Loops work in HTML-heavy templates?

Yes. Loops inject HTML into campaigns. If you can see the Loop block in the builder, it should render correctly.

Why is my Loop directing users to the Destination URL instead of the Brand URL?

See Loops Reporting Details documentation.

Why are there multiple links in Link Tracking Breakout?

See Loops Reporting Details documentation.

I see the content block in my campaigns, but what if there are no brands sponsoring ads in my market yet? Will that space be blank?

The Campaign Builder Loops block is dynamic, meaning it can display anywhere from 0 to 3 ad placements, depending on availability.

When a campaign is ready to send, our system checks if there are any ads that meet the requirements to fill the campaign:

  • If Loops are found, up to 3 Loops will automatically be rendered into the campaign.

  • If no Loops are found, the Loops block is completely removed from the template (so you’ll never see empty or blank spaces).

  • 0 Loops: Block is hidden entirely

  • 1 Loop: A single Loop is shown, centered

  • 2 Loops: Two Loops are shown, spaced with an even gap

  • 3 Loops: Three Loops are shown, spaced evenly across

Need Help?

If you need assistance, reach out to AIQ Support anytime via the chat widget within your AIQ Dashboard.

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