Advertising

What is promoted advertising?

When you advertise a product on Ratch, it gets boosted to a priority position in search results and category pages — ahead of non-advertised listings. Think of it as a spotlight for your best products.

• Advertised products appear higher in search results and browse pages.
• If enabled by Ratch, advertised products can also be marked as Featured on the storefront.
• You only pay a one-off listing fee per product — there are no per-click charges.
• Your product must be published (Live) before you can advertise it.

How to advertise a product

You can start advertising directly from your product list — no need to go into the full product editor.

1. Go to Dashboard → Products.
2. Find the product you want to promote and click the Advertise button in the Advertise column.
3. A confirmation window will appear showing the advertising fee and duration.
4. Confirm to either complete a quick checkout (paid) or activate the ad for free if a free slot is available.
5. The product is now boosted — you'll see an expiry date in the Advertise column.

You can also advertise from inside a product by scrolling to the Advertise Product section at the bottom of the editor.

Cost, slots & duration

Advertising availability and pricing is controlled by Ratch. Here's how it works:

• Advertising slots — Ratch limits the total number of advertised products to keep the feed valuable. When slots are available, you can advertise.
• Cost — a flat fee is charged per product per advertising period. The exact amount is shown in the confirmation window before you commit.
• Duration — each ad runs for a set number of days shown at checkout. Once it expires, you can renew it.
• Free slots — Ratch may include free advertising slots as part of a subscription plan. If you have a free slot, the confirmation will show £0.
• Subscription plans — some vendor subscription tiers include a set number of advertising slots per period.

Checking your active ads

You can see which products are currently being advertised from your product list.

• Go to Dashboard → Products. The Advertise column shows each product's ad status.
• A product currently being advertised shows the expiry date instead of the Advertise button.
• Once an ad expires, the button reappears so you can renew it.
• You cannot cancel an active ad — it will run until the expiry date.

Choosing which products to advertise

Not every product benefits equally from advertising. Here's how to pick wisely:

• Best sellers first — advertise products that already have reviews and a sales history. Social proof converts browsers into buyers.
• Seasonal & gifting items — boost listings before key dates (Christmas, Mother's Day, etc.) when demand spikes.
• New listings — advertising a brand-new product can give it the early visibility it needs to pick up its first few sales.
• High-margin items — prioritise products where the ad cost is a small percentage of the sale price.
• Avoid advertising out-of-stock or low-inventory products — if you run out mid-campaign, you're paying for traffic you can't convert.

Can I advertise a draft or pending product?

No. Your product must be set to Live (published) before you can advertise it. Finish and publish the listing first, then come back to advertise it.

What happens when my ad expires?

The product returns to its standard position in search results. The Advertise button reappears in your product list so you can renew it whenever you're ready.

Can I cancel an ad early?

No — once an advertisement is active it runs until its expiry date. Choose products carefully before committing to an ad slot.

There are no slots available — what do I do?

Advertising slots across the marketplace are limited. If no slots are available, contact us and we'll let you know when the next availability opens up.

How many products can I advertise at once?

That depends on the number of slots available on the platform and, if you have a subscription plan, how many ad slots your plan includes. The confirmation window will always show your remaining available slots before you commit.