It seems logical to put more of your advertising budget behind the products that make you the most money.
That was the approach we had taken with one Melbourne ecommerce brand. Google Shopping activity was weighted towards higher-margin products, helping protect profitability and avoid spending too much budget attracting lower-value orders.
But there was a potential downside. By deciding which products were most valuable before customers had even started shopping, were we limiting the ways new customers could discover and buy from the brand?
We decided to test what would happen if we gave a broader range of products the opportunity to compete.
What did we test?
We widened the range of products eligible to receive Google Shopping visibility instead of concentrating the activity so heavily on higher-margin products.
The goal was not to drive more low-value orders.
It was to give Google more relevant products to match to different buyers, while still focusing on stronger overall revenue, basket value and new-customer growth.
That matters because customers do not all enter a brand in the same way. Some are ready to buy a premium product immediately. Others start with a lower-risk purchase, compare different options or need to build trust before spending more.
In a highly competitive ecommerce market, brand loyalty is critical to long-term growth. But protecting the brand does not necessarily mean only advertising the most premium products.
What happened ?
After the broader product approach went live, Google Paid revenue increased 39.6%, while sessions grew just 3.7%.
Revenue per session improved 34.6%.
New customer orders increased 37.2%.
commercially effective rather than simply larger.
The result challenged the assumption that concentrating visibility on the highest-margin products would always produce the strongest commercial outcome.
What drove the improvement?
The product mix became part of the acquisition strategy, not just a campaign setting.
Different products can play different roles.
Some protect margin.
Some give new customers an easier way into the brand.
Some help shoppers compare and build confidence.
Some create repeat-purchase opportunities.
The strongest ecommerce strategy does not judge every product only by the margin on that individual transaction. It also considers what role the product plays in winning and growing the customer relationship.
That does not mean giving Google free rein to chase every cheap order.
The aim is still commercial quality. The difference is giving the platform a broader range of relevant products to work with while measuring whether that flexibility is improving revenue, customer acquisition and overall value.
- Strong brands still need flexibility. Premium positioning matters, but paid activity can miss valuable demand if it only supports the highest-margin products.
- Not every valuable customer starts with the premium purchase. Lower-risk products can sometimes be the first step into a longer and more profitable customer relationship.
- Revenue per session can tell a clearer story than traffic alone. Sessions increased only 3.7%, while revenue per session improved 34.6%.
- Product visibility should be judged by its commercial role, not just the margin attached to each individual item.
- Brand loyalty and customer acquisition matter in competitive ecommerce. A broader product strategy can support both without turning the brand into a discount-led business.
A strong brand is an advantage, but ecommerce growth also depends on giving customers relevant ways into that brand.
The question is not simply which products have the highest margin.
It is which products help the brand win the right customers, build trust and generate more value over the customer relationship.
In this case, broader product visibility helped Google Paid revenue increase 39.6% with only a 3.7% increase in sessions.
The brand did not need to become less premium. It needed a more flexible way to capture demand.
What next?
If ecommerce traffic is already there but revenue is not growing at the same rate, it may be worth reviewing which products are being prioritised and what role each one plays in the buying journey. You can also see how small website changes increased sales by 28% for another example of getting more value from existing traffic.
About the Author: Chris Clarke
