When optimizing for value-based bidding in an e-commerce campaign, what data point does the Facebook Pixel need beyond basic purchase conversion tracking to maximize the strategy's effectiveness?

To maximize the effectiveness of value-based bidding, the Facebook Pixel needs 'purchase value' data in addition to basic purchase conversion tracking. Value-based bidding is a strategy where the algorithm optimizes ad delivery to target users most likely to make purchases with the highest monetary value, not just the highest number of purchases. To enable this, the pixel must be configured to pass the actual revenue generated from each transaction back to Facebook. Instead of just knowing that a purchase occurred, the system learns the specific amount of money each purchase brings in. This allows the algorithm to identify audience attributes, behaviors, and ad placements that lead to high-value conversions. Without purchase value data, the bidding optimization can only aim for more purchases overall, potentially prioritizing low-value transactions over fewer, but more profitable, ones. For example, if two users convert, one buying a $10 item and the other a $100 item, value-based bidding, when properly configured with purchase value, prioritizes similar users to the second buyer, significantly improving return on ad spend (ROAS) for e-commerce businesses.