How to prepare your PPC strategy for retail peak

The upcoming retail peak season isn’t a short sprint; it’s a four-month marathon stretching from October to January. To succeed during this time, retailers need a comprehensive PPC strategy that spans the entire period, focusing on measurement, a full-funnel approach, optimised feeds, and the effective use of AI and Smart Bidding.

Measurement: The cornerstone of success

Before launching any campaigns, you need to ensure your measurement foundation is solid – this is especially crucial in a privacy-first world where first-party data is king. You can do this by:

• Implementing durable tagging & optimising conversion tracking: Align your conversion tracking setup with your campaign goals, whether it’s purchases, leads, or website visits and set  campaign-specific conversion goals to better drive machine learning and cost control.
• Embracing full-funnel measurement: It’s important to move beyond last-click attribution and understand how your campaigns impact the entire customer journey. Tools like YouTube Full Funnel, cross-network reports, and attribution reports can provide a holistic view of performance.

Stage 1: Planting seeds (October-November)

During stage 1, early shoppers are in ‘inspiration’ mode, researching products and comparing brands. Your goal during this stage is to capture their attention and establish your brand as a top contender. Key tactics to implement in stage 1:

Use YouTube for awareness and consideration:

• • Video reach campaigns (VRC 2.0): By creating engaging video content you’re able to maximise reach and brand awareness. You can utilise AI to optimise ad delivery across formats like Skippable In-Stream, Bumpers, In-Feed, and Shorts for the most efficient CPMs.
  • Video view campaigns (VVC): Drive views and deeper engagement cost-effectively by utilising CPV bidding. Here you can focus on delivering your brand message and guiding users to product pages.
  • Demand Gen campaigns: It’s important that you start early when utilising Demand Gen campaigns. Demand Gen campaigns that feature immersive visual experiences across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail, are proven to drive consideration and engagement.

Create high-quality blog posts:

Publish informative and engaging content such as gift guides, how-to articles, and product comparisons to cater to the research needs of early shoppers. Make sure you optimise for informational and commercial intent keywords to capture users seeking valuable information.

Stage 2: Cyber Week frenzy

Cyber Week (Black Friday to Cyber Monday) is a high-stakes period with customers having a heightened purchase intent. During this time, your goal is to maximise conversions and effectively manage your budget in a hyper-competitive landscape. Key tactics to implement in stage 2:

AI-Powered bidding for efficiency:

• • Smart Bidding: Ensure your tCPA, tROAS, Max Conversions, or Max Clicks strategies are optimised for real-time bid adjustments, driving conversions without overspending.
  • Break-even ROAS: Understand your break-even ROAS to avoid setting targets that could limit profitable sales volume. A flexible approach to target ROAS is crucial during peak periods, adjusting based on product margins and profitability.

Performance Max for conversion domination:

• • Optimise product feeds: Ensure your product feeds are comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date to fuel Performance Max’s AI-powered optimisation. Increase approvals, serving, and product quality to maximise visibility and conversions.
  • Group products by profitability: Structure your Performance Max campaigns by grouping products based on their profit margins rather than traditional categories. This allows AI to allocate budget more efficiently, prioritising high-margin products.

Budget management:

• • Avoid constrained budgets: Monitor your budgets closely and be prepared to increase spending to avoid missing out on valuable conversions. Uncapping budgets gives Google’s AI more flexibility to optimise throughout the day, supporting expected query growth and capturing valuable auctions.
  • Use budget simulators: Leverage tools such as Target and budget simulators to forecast performance and optimise budget allocation.

Stage 3: Last-minute shoppers

The final weeks leading up to Christmas is when you will see a surge in last-minute shoppers with a high purchase intent but limited time. Your goal during this stage is to capture these impulsive buyers with a sense of urgency and convenience. Key tactics to implement in stage 3:

• Create urgency and scarcity: Update your ad copy to highlight limited-time offers, last-minute deals, and dwindling stock to encourage immediate action.
• Promote gift cards: Position gift cards as the perfect solution for procrastinators, highlighting their ease of purchase and flexible redemption.
• Consider local inventory ads: If your clients have physical stores, explore using Local Inventory Ads to showcase product availability and drive in-store traffic.

Optimised feeds: Fuelling AI with accurate data

Throughout the entire peak season, the quality of your product feed directly impacts your campaign performance, especially for AI-driven campaigns like Performance Max. It is important that you:

•  Include all relevant product attributes such as title, description, price, images, and availability.
• Regularly update your feed to reflect changes in inventory, pricing, and promotions.
• Use clear, high-resolution images that showcase your products in their best light.

Creative excellence: Making your ads stand out

It’s also crucial to have compelling creative assets that capture attention and drive conversions. You can do this by:

•  Using at least three descriptions, three headlines, and all relevant aspect ratios for both image and video ads to maximise reach and engagement across platforms.
• Following the ABCD framework (Attention, Branding, Connection, Direction) for engaging video content on YouTube and other platforms.
• Continuously A/B testing different creative variations to identify what resonates best with your audience and drives the highest performance.

Conclusion

The retail peak season is a crucial period, so it’s important to align your PPC strategies with other marketing channels for a cohesive brand experience whilst also monitoring campaign performance closely. It’s important that you’re prepared to adjust budgets, bids, and creative elements in response to changing trends and competitive dynamics.

Watch: C3’s Bart Orduño and Subhash Herur break down exactly what you need to do at each stage to prepare your PPC account: