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E-commerce PPC

Google Ads for Australian DTC & Online Retailers

Profitable ROAS after GST, returns, and shipping — not just gross revenue.

We run Google Ads for Australian DTC brands, online retailers, and ecommerce operators on Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. Our focus is on net-margin-positive ROAS after GST, returns, and Australia-specific shipping costs — not the flattering top-line number.

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10+ yrs
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500+
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E-commerce-specific playbooks
What breaks

Why E-commerce Google Ads fail.

01

Small market, high CPCs, thin margins after GST

Australian ecommerce competes on a much smaller market than US/UK at similar or higher CPCs. Once you back out 10% GST, shipping (often unsubsidised), and returns, reported ROAS figures mask real unit economics. Many brands 'hitting target ROAS' are actually unprofitable per order.

02

Google Merchant Center feeds are the hidden ceiling

Most Australian ecommerce accounts run poor-quality feeds — missing GTINs, weak titles, wrong product categories. PMax and Shopping campaigns cannot outperform the feed beneath them. Agencies focus on bidding while ignoring the feed that actually gates results.

03

Amazon AU, eBay AU, and Catch intercept category searches

Amazon AU is growing fast on category terms. eBay AU still dominates in certain categories. Catch and Kogan bid aggressively on generic ecommerce queries. Australian DTC brands have to be selective about which category terms are worth fighting for vs where marketplaces always win.

What works

E-commerce PPC tactics that actually produce revenue.

Tactic 01

Google Merchant Center feed optimisation first

Before any campaign work: clean the feed. Title rewrites with primary keyword in first 70 chars, GTINs populated, custom labels for margin tiers and seasonality, image quality hygiene. This alone typically lifts Australian Shopping and PMax performance 20-40%.

Tactic 02

Performance Max with margin-tier asset groups

Run PMax — it works for Australian ecommerce — but split asset groups by margin tier, product category, or seasonal relevance. One giant asset group is how accounts lose visibility. Use custom feed labels to power asset group segmentation.

Tactic 03

Branded vs non-branded campaign separation

Branded Search ('YourBrand') gets its own campaign with separate budget from non-branded ('running shoes Australia'). Mixing them hides non-branded underperformance. Australian-specific: bid defensively on brand terms against Amazon AU and eBay AU listings.

Tactic 04

Margin-adjusted conversion values (not GST-inclusive revenue)

Pass contribution-margin values into Google Ads, not order total with GST. A A$140 order with 45% margin contributes A$63 of margin, not A$140 of revenue. Smart Bidding optimises toward whatever value you pass — send the real net number via GA4 or Shopify apps.

Tactic 05

Customer Match for Australian LTV-based bidding

Upload high-LTV Australian customer lists as Customer Match audiences. Bid up for matches to high-value segments, bid down for returns-heavy or discount-only segments. Google cannot see this without your first-party data — Australian ecommerce brands running without Customer Match leave compounding efficiency on the table.

Our playbook

How we run E-commerce campaigns.

01

Week 1: Feed audit + Australian unit economics mapping

Audit Google Merchant Center feed for errors and quality issues. Map actual contribution margin per product category — after GST, returns, and Australian fulfilment costs — so optimisation targets real profit, not reported gross revenue.

02

Week 2: Feed optimisation + PMax restructure

Feed cleaned, titles rewritten, GTINs populated, custom labels set. Performance Max asset groups split by margin tier. Branded vs non-branded Search campaigns separated.

03

Week 3: Launch + Customer Match integration

Campaigns live with margin-adjusted conversion values. Customer Match audiences uploaded. First optimisation cycle on day 7 with focus on cross-campaign attribution cleanup.

04

Month 2+: Scale on new-customer acquisition

Once new-customer data accumulates, shift optimisation from blended ROAS to new-customer acquisition cost. This is how Australian DTC brands break the retargeting-is-working illusion and find real growth channels that acquire new buyers at sustainable CAC.

Frequently asked

Questions about E-commerce Google Ads.

What is a realistic ROAS target for Australian ecommerce Google Ads?

Depends entirely on margin. A 40% gross margin Australian product needs at minimum 2.8x gross ROAS to break even after GST, shipping, and payment processing. Premium Australian DTC with 60%+ margins can target 4-6x. Low-margin categories (electronics, homewares) need 8x+ to be sustainably profitable on paid traffic after unit economics.

How does GST affect Google Ads reporting for Australian ecommerce?

Google Ads conversion values typically include GST. If you're optimising on those numbers, you're optimising on revenue that isn't yours to keep. Configure conversion tracking to pass net-of-GST or net-of-margin values. Shopify Australia stores and WooCommerce can both be configured to fire net-of-GST values to GA4 and Google Ads.

Should Australian ecommerce use Performance Max?

Yes, as a primary channel — but only with clean feed data, correct conversion values, and disciplined asset group segmentation. PMax punishes bad setup by silently wasting spend on low-quality Display and YouTube inventory. With good setup, PMax typically outperforms standalone Shopping + Search for Australian ecommerce.

How do you compete against Amazon AU and eBay AU?

Selectively. Amazon AU outbids on generic category terms and eBay AU dominates certain categories. Compete on brand terms (always), on long-tail product-specific terms where you have differentiation, and on content-led traffic where marketplaces don't rank. Generic category bidding against marketplaces is usually a losing economic proposition for smaller Australian DTC brands.

What's the minimum ad spend for Australian ecommerce Google Ads?

A$1,800-A$3,500/month for niche DTC with strong feed quality. A$5,000-A$15,000/month is common for mid-market Australian DTC scaling on paid. A$25,000+/month for larger ecommerce. Below A$1,800/month, Smart Bidding cannot accumulate conversion data fast enough to optimise effectively in the smaller Australian market.

Google Ads vs Meta Ads for Australian DTC?

Both, typically. Google captures high-intent demand (active searches). Meta creates demand and handles discovery and remarketing. Running both with unified attribution (Triple Whale, Northbeam, or GA4+BigQuery) consistently outperforms either alone above A$35K/month total Australian ad spend. Below that, concentrate Google first for intent capture.
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