Results

Real results from real accounts, anonymised.

Every result here comes from an account we ran or advised: our own venues and online brands, and clients’ businesses. We keep the reports on file. Each one shows what happened alongside a change, with the numbers.

From client accounts and our own venues and online brands, anonymised. Individual results vary. Results disclaimer

  • From our own accounts our own venues and online brands (10 results)
  • From a client’s account clients’ businesses, anonymised (17 results)

Online stores on Meta

Client stores first, then lessons from our own online brands. Most are about the inputs Meta’s AI learns from: budget, structure, offer and what you measure.

From a client's account

Several ad sets folded into one

A client's online store consolidated several ad sets into one, at similar spend.

Several ad sets folded into one: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Ad spend A$6,540A$6,840
Purchases 131205
Cost per purchase A$49.92A$33.37
ROAS 2.44x3.81x
From a client's account

Looking past Meta's reported ROAS

A client's online store judged its ads on whole-store numbers. Meta's reported ROAS fell while the store's own numbers rose.

Looking past Meta's reported ROAS: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Meta's reported ROAS 4.93x4.09x
Whole-store revenue A$59,000A$65,940
MER (store revenue ÷ ad spend) 3.51x3.93x
First-time customers 193269
Returning buyers in prospecting purchases 64%31%
Total paid-media spend was A$16,800 in both periods. ROAS and MER measure different things, so the gap alone does not prove either number wrong. ROAS vs MER, explained
From a client's account

Fixing the offer before adding spend

A client's online store improved its offer and kept Meta spend exactly the same.

Fixing the offer before adding spend: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Meta spend A$5,660A$5,660
Average order value A$85A$104
Purchases 156182
Cost per purchase A$36.28A$31.10
MER (store revenue ÷ ad spend) 3.85x4.87x
From a client's account

Meta's recommendations, then a reset

A client's online store acted on recommendations that raised its Meta spend, then reset.

Meta's recommendations, then a reset: Original compared with After recommendations compared with After reset
OriginalAfter recommendationsAfter reset
Meta spend A$7,560A$11,340A$8,190
Cost per purchase A$40.65A$51.31A$38.45
Whole-store revenue A$49,320A$51,150A$52,740
MER (store revenue ÷ ad spend) 5.22x3.87x5.23x
ROAS vs MER, explained
From a client's account

A second-piece offer

A client's fashion store ran a second-piece offer.

A second-piece offer: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Ad spend A$8,190A$8,820
Average order value A$113A$139
Purchases 203235
Cost per purchase A$40.34A$37.53
ROAS 2.80x3.70x
From a client's account

Moving budget from past buyers to new customers

A client's beauty store moved budget from its past-buyer campaign to its new-customer campaign.

Moving budget from past buyers to new customers: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
New-customer campaign spend A$3,240A$5,130
Past-buyer campaign spend A$3,570A$2,110
First-time purchases 74129
Cost per first-time purchase A$43.78A$39.77
Overall account ROAS 3.65x3.53x
Headline ROAS dipped slightly while first-time purchases rose.
From a client's account

A free-delivery threshold

A client's homewares store set a free-delivery threshold and kept ad spend flat.

A free-delivery threshold: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Ad spend A$5,070A$5,070
Average order value A$99A$126
Purchases 127147
Cost per purchase A$39.92A$34.49
ROAS 2.48x3.65x
Free delivery has a cost: the subsidy comes out of the margin on every qualifying order.
From a client's account

Still images against video, same weeks

A client's jewellery store ran still-image ads and video ads side by side, with the same spend behind each.

Still images against video, same weeks: Video ads compared with Still-image ads
Video adsStill-image ads
Ad spend A$3,810A$3,810
Purchases 7398
Cost per purchase A$52.19A$38.88
ROAS 3.14x4.22x
Outbound click-through rate 1.16%1.47%
From our own accounts

Optimising for purchases with no purchase history

One of our own online brands was new, with no purchase history, and optimised for purchases anyway. Delivery drifted to people aged 45+ in the Facebook feed.

Optimising for purchases with no purchase history: Result
Spent optimising for purchases ~A$1,300
Purchase events Meta received 0
Real add-to-carts in 18 days ~5
The lesson we now build into every plan: pick an event your budget can actually reach. Learning limited, explained
From our own accounts

Meta's count against ours

One of our own online brands ran retargeting ads with short films, then compared Meta's clicks with the page views its own site recorded.

Meta's count against ours: Result
Link clicks (Meta) 74
Landing page views 35
Reels, Stories and in-stream: clicks → page views 14 → 1
From our own accounts

Ads that ran in a format nobody chose

One of our own online brands had single-image ads shown as catalogue carousels of about 40 cards before it was caught.

Ads that ran in a format nobody chose: Result
Spent in the wrong format ~A$59
Impressions ~1,600
From our own accounts

A video-only ad set

One of our own online brands ran a video-only ad set, then moved its next ad set to still images.

A video-only ad set: Result
Spent in 7 days ~A$133
Add-to-carts 0

Online stores on Google

Client stores on Google Shopping and Search, judged on purchases and first-time customers.

From a client's account · Google Ads

Homewares through Google Shopping

A client's homewares store ran Google Shopping.

Homewares through Google Shopping: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Spend A$8,890A$9,540
Purchases 183219
Average order value A$153A$163
Cost per purchase A$48.58A$43.56
ROAS 3.15x3.74x
From a client's account · Google Ads

Brand and non-brand Search, separated

A client's business split its brand and non-brand Search spend.

Brand and non-brand Search, separated: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Total spend A$7,410A$8,050
Brand spend A$2,970A$1,910
Non-brand spend A$4,440A$6,140
First-time customers from Search 82142
Search spend per first-time customer A$90.37A$56.69
Combined ROAS 4.84x4.80x
From a client's account · Google Ads

Fashion through Google Shopping

A client's fashion store ran Google Shopping.

Fashion through Google Shopping: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Spend A$6,570A$6,990
Purchases 164195
Average order value A$118A$142
Cost per purchase A$40.06A$35.85
ROAS 2.95x3.96x

Hospitality and accommodation

Venue results are counted in covers and bookings from the venue’s own systems. Total covers include guests who didn’t come from ads.

From a client's account

Direct-booking packages

A client's accommodation business advertised direct-booking packages and tracked direct share from its own systems.

Direct-booking packages: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Ad spend A$2,240A$3,810
Meta-attributed direct bookings 2251
Cost per attributed booking A$101.82A$74.71
Direct share of all bookings 24.68%35.44%
Attributed booking value A$12,430A$30,345
Booking value, not profit.
From a client's account

A set-menu night, judged on covers

A client's venue advertised a set-menu night and judged it on covers in its own booking records, over two 28-day periods.

A set-menu night, judged on covers: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Ad spend A$345A$810
Paid-tagged covers 2899
Cost per paid-tagged cover A$12.32A$8.18
Total attended covers (four services) 156269
Total covers include diners who did not come from ads.
From a client's account

A Thursday offer

A client's venue promoted a single-day Thursday offer and counted the covers its ads booked, over two 28-day periods.

A Thursday offer: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Ad spend A$445A$725
Paid-tagged covers 3384
Cost per paid-tagged cover A$13.48A$8.63
Total attended covers (four Thursdays) 143237
Total covers include diners who did not come from ads.
From our own accounts

Filling midweek, then moving spend to Saturday

One of our own venues raised midweek spend until midweek was near capacity, then moved the money to Saturday. 28-day periods.

Filling midweek, then moving spend to Saturday: Before compared with Midweek near capacity compared with Spend moved to Saturday
BeforeMidweek near capacitySpend moved to Saturday
Total ad spend A$740A$1,040A$1,040
Midweek covers 182320315
Saturday covers 207216291
Combined covers 389536606
Covers are all attended diners, not only those from ads.
From a client's account

A set-menu ad rewritten to show what the price covers

A client's restaurant rewrote its set-menu ad to show everything the price included, with the same spend in each 28-day period.

A set-menu ad rewritten to show what the price covers: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Ad spend A$575A$575
Outbound click-through rate 0.92%1.56%
Paid-tagged covers 4172
Cost per paid-tagged cover A$14.02A$7.99
From our own accounts

Fixing an offer guests couldn't book

One of our own venues advertised an offer its booking system would not take. 21 days with the fault, then 21 days after the repair.

Fixing an offer guests couldn't book: With the fault compared with After the fix
With the faultAfter the fix
Ad spend A$670A$670
Offer bookings (all contact routes) 421
Ad spend per offer booking A$167.50A$31.90
Attended offer covers 1684
From our own accounts

Christmas functions, judged past cost per enquiry

One of our own venues ran Christmas function ads on Meta a few years ago, over two 28-day periods.

Christmas functions, judged past cost per enquiry: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Ad spend A$1,910A$2,340
Cost per enquiry A$29.84A$30.00
Qualified enquiries 2742
Deposit-backed bookings 914
Cost per confirmed booking A$212.22A$167.14
From our own accounts

Bookings Ads Manager never saw

One of our own venues tracked where every booking came from. Over four months, the share arriving through Google rose, and none of it showed in Ads Manager.

Bookings Ads Manager never saw: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Share of all bookings coming through Google 3%17%
From our own accounts

A bar offer run on landing page views

One of our own bars ran a Traffic campaign optimised for landing page views, with five offer ads, for about five and a half weeks.

A bar offer run on landing page views: Result
Spent A$1,307
Link click-through rate 3.15%
Cost per landing page view A$0.29
From our own accounts

A supplier-funded partnership ad

One of our own bars had a spirits supplier fund its menu-launch ads, run as a partnership ad on the venue's own Reel.

A supplier-funded partnership ad: Result
Ad spend funded by the supplier ~A$1,500

Salons and gyms

Both judged on paying customers, not enquiries.

From a client's account

Enquiries followed through to attended appointments

A client's salon judged its ads on attended first appointments, not enquiries.

Enquiries followed through to attended appointments: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Ad spend A$1,590A$1,910
Enquiries 8186
Qualified enquiries 4663
Attended first appointments 2539
Cost per attended first appointment A$63.60A$48.97
From a client's account

Fewer leads, more paying starters

A client's gym got fewer enquiries and more paying customers.

Fewer leads, more paying starters: Before compared with After
BeforeAfter
Ad spend A$2,530A$2,860
Enquiries 139126
Qualified enquiries 5977
Paying starter-programme customers 2034
Cost per paying starter A$126.50A$84.12

How to read these results

  • They’re real and anonymised. Own results come from our own venues and online brands. Client results are supplied from clients’ accounts and reports, which we keep on file. We never name a business.
  • Before and after isn’t cause and effect. Seasons, prices, competitors and word of mouth move numbers too. Each result shows what moved alongside a change.
  • They aren’t typical, and they aren’t a promise. Your results depend on your product, offer, website, budget, market and how closely you follow your plan.
  • Revenue isn’t profit. Attributed revenue, booking value, contract value and potential commission are before costs. Your plan judges ads on what you keep.
  • Meta’s numbers and yours differ. ROAS is Meta’s count of the sales it credits to your ads. MER is your store’s revenue divided by total ad spend. They measure different things.

Read the full results disclaimer.

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