Case Study
Devon Heaven
Delivering lower acquisition costs and higher ROAS in a competitive, seasonal market.
Devon Heaven is a well-established eCommerce business specialising in locally sourced cream teas and gift hampers. With a loyal customer base and high volume of repeat orders, the brand had relied heavily on seasonal peak periods for revenue, but a weakening conversion rate, rising CPCs, and intense competition impacted profitability.
Boosted ROAS by
13.4%
over peak season
Reduced ad cost per sale by
48%
during key periods
Increase of
29%
on impressions
Challenges
By early 2025, Devon Heaven was facing clear warning signs:
- A substantial drop in revenue from the previous financial year
- A slow Q4 2024 (Oct–Dec), with sales underperforming despite being a traditionally strong period
- Conversion rate decline across paid and organic channels
- A non-optimised website dragging down potential sales (conversion rate issues acknowledged by client)
- Tracking issues effecting reporting
- Google Merchant Center issues affecting Shopping Ads eligibility
- CPCs rising and cost per conversion was climbing and impression share was being lost to more aggressive competitors
The brand was at risk of an even steeper decline heading into Q1 2025. Our role was to stabilise performance during a crucial seasonal window – and fast.
Before
- High cost per conversion with inefficient campaign structures
- Tracking & Google Merchant Center errors limiting Shopping Ads’ reach
- No strategic reallocation during seasonal peaks
- Declining impression share & missed visibility due to poor optimisation
- Flat or falling ROAS despite peak periods.
After
- Reduced cost per sale by 48% through targeted campaign optimisation
- Fixed Tracking & Merchant Center issues, unlocking +57,000% growth in Shopping conversions
- Aggressive budget shifts and bid strategies during Valentine’s & Mother’s Day to maintain ROAS despite rising CPCs
- +29% increase in impressions thanks to improved ad delivery and campaign health
- Boosted ROAS by over 130% between March and May, making ads far more profitable during key sales windows.
Our Approach & Results:
We took over the account in February 2025, ahead of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Our approach was both technical and strategic:
Step 1: Fixing the Foundations
- Resolved all Google Merchant Center errors, restoring Shopping Ads visibility
- Reorganised product structure and feed to increase eligibility and ranking
- Fix tracking issues for better reporting.
Step 2: Aggressive Campaign Optimisation
- Shifted budget to higher-converting campaigns like Google Shopping Bestsellers
- Implemented tighter targeting and conversion-focused bid strategies
- Closely monitored impression share drops and reallocated spend in real-time.
- Used historical performance mapping to prepare for known seasonal peaks
Step 3: Adaptation Over Automation
- Recognised that poor performance wasn’t just due to budget, but poor use of it
- Rebuilt campaigns with segmented asset groups, reduced wastage and eliminated underperformers
- Set up a testing structure for Performance Max and manual tCPA bidding where effective
The Results
From February to early May 2025, we dramatically improved efficiency and protected the brand during the most competitive months of the year.
Performance Snapshot (Feb–May 2025)
- Conversions: Increased by 12%.
- Impressions: Increased by 29%.
- Clicks: Increased by 4%.
- Conversion Rate: Increased by 7%.
- Cost per Conversion: Decreased by 12%.
- Ad Spend: Decreased by 29%.
Shopping Ads Performance
- Shopping Conversions: Increased by 58%.
- Shopping Impressions: Increased by 30%.
- Conversion Value: Increased by 32%.
- Conversion Rate: Increased by 18%.
- Clicks: Increased by 13%.
Conclusion:
With rising CPCs, tougher competition, and a website underperforming from a UX perspective, Devon Heaven was on track for a rough Q1. By resolving technical issues, tightening the ad funnel, and reallocating spending intelligently, we not only improved performance, but we protected the brand’s bottom line during its highest-risk quarter.
- ROAS increased by over 130% for the 3 month period (This is 2.5x more than the average)
- Cost per sale fell by nearly 48%
- Conversions rose, despite 29% less total spend
- Shopping Ads exploded, becoming the brand’s most profitable channel.
With an additional budget now allocated to a new Shopify site, Devon Heaven is in a strong position to grow further. We’re now in the process of replicating these successful strategies for their sister brand, Cornish Hampers.
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