Smarter Ecommerce (smec)

Performance Max rewards what gets clicked, but what if the product getting clicked 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁? Shoppers are out here clicking on entry-level items, then splurging on premium upgrades. And guess what? Your ad data probably isn’t capturing that journey. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 > 𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗦 ROAS is a volume metric – it tells you what’s selling, but not what’s working. So if you want to actually optimize for profits, you need to focus on what matters most: • 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀: Not all sales are created equal. • 𝗕𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 & 𝗨𝗽𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀: Those unclicked items that quietly crush it in carts. • 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: Long-term growth over short-term wins. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗢𝗔𝗦 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿: POAS (Profit on Ad Spend) might seem like the answer—it has PROFIT in his name after all, right? Wrong. 𝗣𝗢𝗔𝗦 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰. It only tells you how profitable an ad-driven sale is 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭. It won’t reveal whether those sales are actually 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻? 💡 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Use offline conversion imports to sync ad clicks with full cart data. This unlocks a profit-first view of performance. 💡 𝗦𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿: Focus on product profitability, not just clicks. 💡 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Are you boosting top sellers that cannibalize profit or promoting hidden champions with better margins? In the end, it's detrimental to flip the script on “volume at all costs” and dress your campaigns for profitability success. Because 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆—𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆.

Should Google 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 for you? It's easy to believe segmenting products yourself based on Google Ads performance is redundant– after all, Google already adjusts CPCs based on performance.. Well, it's not that simple. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀. What it doesn’t know are key business insights—like •margins, • stock levels, • seasonality, or • all other strategic business priorities. That’s where you can 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲! Relying solely on 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝟭-𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 (like "high volume vs. high efficiency") will push you and your marketing venture to the limits. Instead, bringing in off-channel data will help guide Google's algorithm toward what truly matters for the business. A smarter approach combines Google’s automation with the high-quality business-centric insights only you have. This is how you create a segmentation strategy that works.

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗠𝗮𝘅-𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Is it time to eat your words? Because, like it or not, Google is throwing you a bit of a curveball— Performance Max has come a long way since its inception. So whether you're cheering for Google's updates or still holding back, you can’t deny that—slowly but surely—𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀: • From 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 that factors in COGS, • the long-awaited 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘀, and • 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 that give you a better glimpse into Google's black box —2025 is shaping up to be the biggest year in Performance Max yet. 𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Which big PMax update are you most excited about?Cast your vote and tell us why in the comments below! 🤔 Or are we completely off track? Or did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments why this year’s updates have you pumped—or skeptical!

Heya PPC managers! How's the new year going for you so far? Are you rested, or are you 🔥ROASted🔥? If you are looking to get common-day PPC BS getting trashed on, then this is the video series for you! In our first episode of ROASted, we'll tear down one of the biggest myths in digital marketing: advertising with an open budget. Will it ruin your campaigns? Might it unlock greatness? Or is it just a whole bunch of meh? Maybe? Episode 1 drops Thursday, January 30th. So head on over to YouTube now and subscribe to our channel! Link in the comment ⤵️

Wonder what 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱? Then this webinar can't be missed: After years of updates, promises, and challenges, 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. But what does that mean for your campaigns in the year ahead? WEBINAR: 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆? This webinar with Mike Ryan is your chance to get the answers and prepare your ecommerce strategy for the next big shift. • 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀, from profit bidding to advanced reporting tools. • 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘀 and updated integrations with Standard Shopping. • 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁, including price benchmarks and New Customer CAC tracking. 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡: January 22, 3:00pm (Vienna) | 9:00pm (London) 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘: https://lnkd.in/dEne5Fg4 Whether you’re skeptical or curious, this event is packed with practical insights to turn PMax into your competitive advantage. 🚀 Don’t miss out on the biggest updates coming to Performance Max—secure your spot today: https://lnkd.in/dEne5Fg4 #GoogleAds #PerformanceMax #Ecommerce #Webinar #DigitalAdvertising #OnlineMarketing #OnlineRetail

What’s next for 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱? Your inside scoop 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟰 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀:

When PMax rolled out in 2022, many advertisers complained that the product seemed half-baked. However, our Head of Ecommerce Insights, Mike Ryan, predicted that Google would get busy shipping features and enhancements. The one caveat: These updates would be *on Google's terms* Since then we've seen: • Search term reports, but without cost data • PMax placements, but with only impression data • Search Partner data, but with no labels • Negative keywords, but with strong limitations In his latest webinar, 𝗣𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, Mike will explain why PMax is bigger and better than ever – and why that's not enough. Catch him live on January 22nd: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d_GMzz5r

18 months ago, Google started encouraging advertisers to upgrade their Dynamic Search and Google Display campaigns to – you guessed it! – PMax. They promised conversion uplifts of 15% and 20% respectively, and now they're asking you to put it to the test. But wait, how does testing actually work in an AI environment? Let's have a look. 𝗣𝗠𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Since the launch of PMax three years ago, Google has been swallowing legacy campaign types alive. First there were involuntary migrations of Smart Shopping and Local campaigns. And later followed announcements for DSA, GDA, and Smart campaigns. Google has even focus-grouped the idea of migrating keyword Search campaigns to PMax. We call this "PMaxification." It's a strategy of incubating PMax as a new AI ad platform within the old one. It helps cement PMax as the future of Google Ads. 𝗱𝗔𝘁𝗔-𝗱𝗥𝗶𝗩𝗲𝗡 𝗱𝗘𝗰𝗜𝘀𝗜𝗼𝗡𝘀 Google has long used testing and experiments to help sell their technology. In the age of data-driven decision making, it seems like a perfectly fair approach – perhaps even unquestionable to some. However, not all tests are created equal, and we should not permit data to become an "article of faith" that overrules our critical thinking. Google's Performance Max Experiments tool is an owned, blackbox testing environment with labeled tests. Without sounding too conspiratorial, just thinking critically: there is a conflict of interest, the means to unobservably cheat are given, and it cannot be ruled out that the testing environment is not stacked. This is why we prefer to use tools like Google's Matched Markets python library. It has the robustness of Google data science, but the code is open-source and visible, and Google is agnostic to the test. 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 "𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆" A recent article by the American Marketing Association highlighted a phenomenon called divergent delivery. This is when the distribution of user types becomes uneven across different test groups, leading to wrong inferences and outcomes. It is exacerbated in AI advertising, where AI can dynamically alter the creative AND algorithmically select the audience. Moreover, AI also decides the bids and placements. This is executed independently and with minimal to no reporting. Even in a case where the test design is fair – and let's please assume it is 🫶 – the modern ad platforms are so multivariate, so non-deterministic, and so confounded, that it's just very hard to be data-driven and not "dAtA-dRiVeN." 𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁? We're not saying "don't test." We are asking, reminding, imploring you to be please be mindful about testing. It's 2025. Set testing conditions that are robust and transparent. Speak openly about conflicts and incentives. Be aware that testing was never perfect. Be aware that testing is even less perfect in AI environments. Don't forget your brain, your judgement, your experience.

New Year, 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘅? Here's how you can make the most out of 2025's 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀! 👇 Join Mike Ryan for an exclusive webinar on the hottest new features coming to PMax, and discover: • 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: Get the inside scoop on beta features like Profit Bidding, High-Value Customer Acquisition, and Customer Retention. • 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Learn how to leverage tools like Search Impression Share and Conversions with Cart-Data APIs for deeper insights. • 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘀: Master campaign-level negative keywords, format-level brand exclusions, and device signals for better control. • 𝗣𝗠𝗮𝘅 + 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴: Tap into updated integrations to drive cross-campaign success. • 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱: Explore Price Benchmarks, Search Themes, and next-gen reporting tools like Repeat Purchases and New Customer CAC. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽-𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. 🗓️ When: January 22, 3:00 PM (CEST) 🔗 Where: https://lnkd.in/dqyUPixw 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 – 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆! #PerformanceMax #GoogleAds #PPC #EcommerceGrowth #DigitalAdvertising

If you are not strategic about your ads,  𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝗯𝗲? Performance Max is a super powerful tool. But there’s still a lot it simply can’t do—like understand your business goals or think strategically. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻. • PMax is data-driven, but it struggles with nuance—like pushing new products without historical data or balancing short-term wins with long-term growth. • Automated campaigns will only ever work as good as the inputs you are providing them. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘀, 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂. It's really that simple. Let’s rethink how we work with automation, not against it. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿? Check out our blog for insights on guiding AI in your ecommerce strategy. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dKB7xfkb 📩 Got a myth you’ve run into? Share it in the comments—we’d love to hear! #PerformanceMax #DigitalAdvertising #GoogleAds #AIinAdvertising #Automation