Pinterest Ads success story · Department store retailer

How JCPenney earned 116% higher return on ad spend with Pinterest Top of Search ads.

Name: Overtop Media Digital Marketing
Address: 933 Louise Ave Suite 101-18, Charlotte, NC, 28204, US
Telephone: (704) 237-0707
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During the 2025 holidays, JCPenney put its products in the first slots shoppers see when they search Pinterest for fashion and gift ideas. Against its usual campaigns, the ads drew more than two times the click-through rate and a far higher return.

Business: JCPenney
Market: United States
Goal: Reach holiday shoppers at the moment they search

Red, white and brown paper shopping bags filled with tissue paper and holiday gift tags

The results.

Compared with JCPenney’s business-as-usual Consideration campaigns on Pinterest.

116%higher return on ad spend
More than 2Xhigher click-through rate

Pinterest’s own data, comparing Top of Search ads campaigns with business-as-usual Consideration campaigns, United States, November 2025, 7-day click attribution window.

The challenge.

For a department store, the buying decision often happens before a shopper ever reaches a product page. People search, scroll and form opinions in real time, and the store that shows up first while they are looking has the best chance of the sale.

For the 2025 holiday season, JCPenney wanted to test more ways to reach high-intent shoppers who were actively searching for fashion and gift inspiration. The goal was simple: get its products in front of the right people at the exact moment they were ready to discover something new.

Pinterest example of shoppable product Pins for sunglasses with a Shop button

What they did.

Top of Search ads · Catalog sales campaigns · Holiday season timing

The top search slots: Top of Search ads placed JCPenney products in the search gallery and in the top ten slots of search results and Related Pins, where browsing turns into buying.
Run from the product catalog: The ads ran through the Catalog sales objective, so they drew straight from JCPenney’s product feed, the same system behind shopping on Pinterest.
Timed for the holidays: Pinterest’s own global data from May 2025 shows 45% of clicks happen within the top ten search results. Owning those slots in the busiest season put JCPenney at the front of the line.
Compared with the usual: Results were measured against the brand’s regular Consideration campaigns, one of the standard Pinterest ad campaign types, so the gain shows what the placement itself was worth.

Why it worked.

Our read on the decisions behind the numbers, and what any business can take from them.

A search is a signal: Someone typing “gifts for her” or “holiday party outfit” has told you what they want. Ads that answer the search feel like results, not interruptions.
Products, not just pictures: Catalog ads show the actual item with its details, so the click comes from someone who already likes what they see.
First place gets the click: With so many clicks going to the top ten results, being there matters more than being anywhere else on the page.
Holidays reward the prepared: The feed, the budget and the placements were ready before the peak, so the campaign could capture demand the moment it arrived.

How we would run this play for your business.

You do not need a national budget to use the same ideas. This is how Overtop Media Digital Marketing puts them to work in our pinterest ads management.

Get your feed in shape: Clear titles, sharp images, correct prices and stock. A clean catalog is what lets your products appear in shopping placements at all.
Own the searches that sell: We find the searches your buyers use on Pinterest and make sure your products show up at the top for them.
Plan peak season early: We set up and test well before the holidays, so the account is learning and ready when shoppers arrive. Our ecommerce marketing plans start there.
Cover the same search on Google: Shoppers compare across platforms. Our Google Ads management and Pinterest ads management run as one plan.