The Client
Pole Threads is an Australian online store for pole and aerial dance wear, bringing international brands such as Poledancerka, Bad Kitty, Creatures of XIX and Sway to dancers across Australia. We built and ran their Google Ads from May 2019 to April 2021, and on about A$150 a month our campaigns brought in A$12K+ in ad revenue from 150+ orders at about 3.3x.
The range covers the gear a pole dancer actually needs: grip leggings, shorts, bodysuits, tops and, above all, knee pads, which were the account's best sellers.
"About A$150 a month in ad spend. A$12K+ in ad revenue from 150+ orders."
The Challenge
Google Ads for a pole dance wear store is a small, specialist market:
- A niche audience. The people who search for "pole wear" or "Poledancerka knee pads" are a small, dedicated community. There is no room to waste clicks on general activewear shoppers.
- A small budget. At about A$5 a day, every dollar had to go to products that sell.
- International brands, local buyers. Dancers can order from overseas brand sites directly. The Australian store has to show up first, with the product and price.
- Many sizes and colours. Every legging and knee pad comes in several variants, and the feed has to carry them all.
What We Built
1. A Smart Shopping campaign on the full catalog
Smart Shopping Campaign - LPA launched in May 2019, bid to maximize conversion value against real purchases, covering every product and variant in the store's feed across Australia.
2. A Search campaign per product line
In January 2021 we added Search Campaign - LPA alongside Shopping, with ad groups for knee pads, bottoms, bodysuits, the store's main pole wear keywords and its brand name, on Maximize Conversions.
3. A category-split Shopping test
At the same time we set up Standard Shopping campaign - LPA, split into Tops, Bottoms, Bodysuits, Knee Pads and Gecko Grip product groups, as a small test next to Smart Shopping.
4. Purchase tracking through the Shopify Google channel
Every campaign was optimized to purchases with order value from the store's Shopify Google sales channel. Add-to-carts, checkouts and page views were tracked but never counted as results.
5. Daily Optimization via Ad Campaign Concierge™
The campaigns were reviewed through our proprietary Ad Campaign Concierge™ system: search terms, product performance, bids and budget pacing.
The Results
The figures below are purchase revenue from Google Ads, our campaigns only, in Australian dollars.
- Total, June 2019 to April 2021: A$12K+ in ad revenue from 150+ orders, at about 3.3x on A$3.7K of ad spend.
- Smart Shopping: A$10K+ from 130+ orders, about 3.1x.
- Search: about 4.7x since its launch in 2021.
- 2019 (June to December): A$3.4K+ in ad revenue.
- 2020: A$6.1K+ in ad revenue.
- 2021 (January to April): A$2.9K+ in four months, nearly as much as the seven months of 2019.
- After Search was added: February and March 2021 brought in A$2.6K+ from 30+ orders at about 4.3x.
Key Takeaways
- A small budget can still pay. About A$5 a day returned about A$3.30 for every A$1, month after month, for nearly two years.
- Lead with the hero product. Knee pads were the best sellers in Shopping, and they got their own ad group in Search.
- Build on the data. Two years of Shopping sales showed which product lines sell. A Search campaign built around those lines returned about 4.7x and lifted the account to about 4.3x.
- Count only purchases. Optimizing to orders, not page views or add-to-carts, kept a tiny budget pointed at real revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Google Ads work for a small online store on A$150 a month?
It did for Pole Threads. On about A$150 a month our campaigns brought in A$12K+ in ad revenue from 150+ orders between June 2019 and April 2021, about A$3.30 back for every A$1 spent.
Is Google Shopping worth it for a niche activewear store?
Here it carried the account. Our Smart Shopping campaign brought in A$10K+ from 130+ orders at about 3.1x, led by knee pads and grip leggings that pole dancers search for by brand and product.
Should a small store add Search to Google Shopping?
For Pole Threads it paid. In January 2021 we added a Search campaign with an ad group per product line next to Shopping. Search returned about 4.7x, and February and March 2021 brought in A$2.6K+ from 30+ orders at about 4.3x, the account's best stretch.
About This Campaign
Google Ads for a dancewear store, built and managed with our proprietary Ad Campaign Concierge™ optimization system. The engagement has ended.
Industry: E-Commerce (Dancewear & Activewear) Platforms: Google Ads (Smart Shopping, Standard Shopping, Search) Location: Australia, online store Account Duration: May 2019 to April 2021
Revenue and orders are Google Ads purchase conversions from the store's Shopify Google sales channel, our campaigns (named LPA) only, rounded down. Add-to-carts, checkouts and page views are not counted. All amounts are in Australian dollars (A$). The client website link goes to an archived copy from 2020.