Microsoft Advertising: Major Updates for Reporting, Performance Max, and Integrations

Reporting Redefined: Custom Report Builder

The centerpiece of this wave of updates is a complete redesign of how you approach reporting. The new Custom Report Builder lets you quickly create custom reports via drag-and-drop, advanced filtering, multiple breakdowns, and predefined templates. This increased flexibility simplifies analysis, helping you quickly identify issues, accelerate optimizations, and manage large volumes of data without extra complexity.

The idea behind Custom Report Builder was to offer "maximum flexibility with minimum friction," as the Microsoft team states. With automated scheduling and easy sharing of reports, plus automations for cross-channel imports, the tool perfectly meets the needs of modern digital marketing teams, as detailed in this official presentation.

It's important to understand that while this flexibility opens up very detailed analysis possibilities, excessive use of segmentation or filtering can lead to misinterpretations. Microsoft experts recommend maintaining clear discipline in selecting and structuring relevant metrics, as detailed in this SERoundtable analysis.

Performance Max: New Prioritization, Proven Results

Performance Max (PMax) campaigns are becoming the backbone of Microsoft Advertising strategy. The major change is the introduction of Ad Rank-based prioritization instead of the predefined PMax priority when overlapping with Standard Shopping campaigns. This change offers greater control and allows for more nuanced testing strategies. The new prioritization mechanism aims for both transparency and account-level results optimization. The product team mentions, “We expect this change to have a neutral or positive impact on overall performance.”

Microsoft’s internal data confirms PMax efficiency: US advertisers saw 39% more conversions compared to Standard Shopping between February and April 2025 (full details here). Additionally, extended functionalities—support for scripts, automated rules, asset group copy-paste, new customer acquisition goals, and integrated conversion diagnostics—facilitate rapid experimentation and ongoing optimizations.

The main risk? Changing the auction dynamics may generate unexpected results for advertisers used to the old PMax-first rules. For this reason, systematic monitoring and testing remain essential.

Cross-Platform Import and Shopify Integration: Global Expansion

On the import side, improved integration with Google and Meta enables not only fast transfer of image carousels, but also importing native creatives for Microsoft Audience, ensuring visual consistency and easy cross-platform scaling. A new quick detection and recommendation system for import issues will launch soon, with promising results already shown in pilot phases (full presentation).

For Shopify, the Microsoft Channel app is expanding global support (UK, Japan, Australia, key EU markets). Ecommerce businesses can sync catalogs with Bing/MSN Shopping and launch/manage PMax campaigns directly from Shopify, reducing time to first results and enabling local market testing, as recent case studies show.

However, be mindful: success in new territories depends on adapting to consumer behavior and the specifics of each market. Continuous testing and performance monitoring remain critical, as highlighted in recent trend analysis.

Trends: Format Combinations and Early Adoption

Microsoft’s experience and seasonal data show that advertisers who experiment early with new features—integrating Audience with Search or quickly adopting PMax and Shopify tools—achieve significant performance growth. In Q4 2024, Shopping formats dominated Microsoft Advertising’s network for both click-through and conversion, while UK and German retailers who combined Search and Audience saw a 64% increase in conversions and 42% more clicks.

Moreover, implementing automated integrations and proactively adopting the latest tools drives, in the short and medium term, reduced acquisition costs and increased operational efficiency. These insights are detailed in the Holiday 2024 report.

Conclusion

These updates position Microsoft Advertising at the heart of performance marketing innovation, combining granular control, intelligent automation, and cross-platform integration. With the redesigned reporting, enhanced Performance Max, and global Shopify expansion, you can achieve superior results with less manual effort—as long as you remain vigilant and open to experimentation.