Some advertisers in Facebook Ads have received a new category in Detailed Targeting — In-market categories. Meta includes users here who are currently actively interested in certain products or services and are presumably already close to making a purchase.
The idea is similar to In-market audiences in Google Ads. The difference from regular interests is that this is not simply about users who like a certain topic, but about those who already show signs of purchase intent.
The test includes categories such as:
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automotive;
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electronics;
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clothing;
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food;
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health;
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education;
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entertainment;
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home goods and others.
How Meta Identifies the Audience
Exactly how Meta determines that a user is «in-market» is still unclear. The company does not disclose the full list of signals it uses to build these audiences. Therefore, it is still too early to talk about direct analysis of search queries or browser history.
The new category is currently available only to some advertisers. Meta has also limited the test period: In-market categories can be tested until November 2, 2026.
For affiliate marketers, this is a good reason to compare the new audience with the familiar Broad, interests, and Lookalike. For example, to see whether targeting users with strong purchase intent delivers a higher CR and a cheaper lead or purchase.
For now, In-market categories is still in the testing stage, so only real campaign launches will show how well it works in practice.
