When setting up a Google Ads campaign, you'll be asked to define your audience. Two of the most powerful options are affinity audiences and in-market audiences — and the distinction between them matters more than most advertisers initially realize. Use the wrong one and you'll reach the right people at the wrong moment in their journey, or the wrong people at the right moment.

This guide explains what affinity audiences are, how they differ from in-market audiences, and how e-commerce brands should use each type.

What Are Affinity Audiences?

Affinity audiences are groups of people who have demonstrated sustained interest in a topic, category, or lifestyle over time. Google builds these audiences by analyzing browsing history, app usage, location data, and other behavioral signals to identify people whose ongoing patterns align with specific interest categories.

Think of affinity audiences as reaching people based on who they are, not what they're actively doing right now. Someone who consistently reads fitness content, follows health brands, and visits nutrition websites will be categorized in fitness-related affinity segments — regardless of whether they're currently shopping for anything.

Google offers hundreds of predefined affinity audience segments (Health & Fitness enthusiasts, Travel Buffs, Outdoor Enthusiasts, etc.), and advertisers can also create custom affinity audiences based on specific URLs or interests relevant to their brand.

What Are In-Market Audiences?

In-market audiences are groups of people who are actively researching and considering purchasing a specific product or service. Google identifies these users based on recent search queries, product comparisons, website visits, and other signals that indicate purchase intent — not just general interest.

The key difference: in-market audiences capture current intent. An in-market audience for "running shoes" includes people who have been searching for running shoe reviews, comparing prices, and visiting product pages in recent days or weeks. Once they make a purchase, they typically exit the segment.

In-market audiences are lower in the purchase funnel than affinity audiences. They've already moved past general interest into active consideration.

Affinity vs. In-Market: Key Differences

Targeting basis: Affinity targets long-term interests and behavioral patterns. In-market targets recent purchase intent signals.

Funnel position: Affinity is upper-funnel — best for awareness and brand building. In-market is mid-to-lower funnel — best for conversion campaigns.

Audience behavior: Affinity audiences don't leave the segment when they buy something. In-market audiences exit when purchase intent signals drop off.

Best for: Affinity works well for introducing a brand to people who match a lifestyle profile. In-market works well for reaching people who are already looking for what you sell.

Benefits of Affinity Audiences for E-Commerce

For Shopify brands and DTC e-commerce, affinity audiences are most valuable for prospecting campaigns — reaching new potential customers who haven't heard of the brand but fit the profile of someone who would be interested in it.

A sustainable outdoor gear brand can target affinity segments like "Outdoor Enthusiasts" or "Eco-conscious Consumers" to introduce the brand to people whose lifestyle aligns with what the company sells. This is more efficient than broad demographic targeting because the interest alignment means higher relevance, even though the person isn't actively shopping yet.

Affinity audiences are also useful for brand awareness campaigns, video ads (YouTube), and Display campaigns where the goal is recognition and consideration rather than immediate conversion.

Benefits of In-Market Audiences for E-Commerce

In-market audiences are higher-intent and generally more efficient for direct response campaigns. A Shopify store selling sports equipment can target the "Sports & Fitness Equipment" in-market segment to reach people who are actively comparing products and ready to buy.

Research from Search Engine Journal found that in-market audiences accounted for approximately 15% of ad clicks in retail campaigns, with those clicks converting at a lower cost per acquisition than broader audiences. The efficiency comes from the intent signal: these users have already done research, which shortens the decision cycle.

In-market audiences work particularly well combined with search campaigns (adding in-market segments as audience layers on keyword campaigns) and Shopping campaigns, where you can bid more aggressively on users who have shown strong purchase intent.

Using Both Together

Affinity and in-market audiences aren't mutually exclusive. A layered approach — using affinity for top-of-funnel awareness and in-market for bottom-of-funnel conversion — creates a full-funnel structure that captures customers at different stages of the purchase journey.

For a new brand without significant remarketing lists, this combination is often the most effective way to build both reach and conversion efficiency simultaneously. Affinity campaigns build brand familiarity; in-market campaigns capture the people already ready to buy.

Setting Up Affinity and In-Market Audiences in Google Ads

Both audience types are found in the Audiences section when creating a campaign or ad group in Google Ads. You can apply them in two ways:

Targeting mode: Your ads only show to people in the selected audience. Use this when you want to restrict reach to a specific segment.

Observation mode: Your ads run normally, but Google tracks performance data for the audience so you can see how that segment performs and adjust bids accordingly. This is the recommended starting point — it lets you gather data without limiting reach.

Monitor performance by segment, adjust bids toward segments that convert well, and over time build a picture of which affinity and in-market categories best match your actual customer base. For more on building effective Shopify ad campaigns, see our guides on e-commerce ad campaigns and Shopify Audiences.