Launching a new shopping campaign in a different country often feels straightforward—set the budget, choose a bid strategy, and let it run. But many businesses hit a wall when their new campaigns don’t grow profitably, especially in unfamiliar markets.
The challenge isn’t usually technical. It’s often in the offer, funnel, or strategy. You might be pouring money into ads, but if your offer doesn’t match local buying behavior or your funnel isn’t optimized, results will suffer. Understanding the core issues helps you fix them faster, rather than throwing more budget at a problem that’s rooted elsewhere.
Why This Problem Matters
If your new country campaigns aren’t generating a profit, it impacts overall growth. Rinsing through your budget without conversions means wasted spend. Even with a high target ROAS, if your campaign isn’t aligned with local demand, those metrics won’t mean much. It’s essential to diagnose whether the issue is in your targeting, offer, or bidding—then adjust accordingly.
How to Approach and Fix It
The goal isn’t just to get conversions but to do so profitably. That requires a strategic review of your entire approach. Starting with the fundamentals can reveal the real pain points. Are your ads appealing to the local market? Is your offer relevant and compelling? Is your funnel optimized for local behaviors? And are your bids competitive enough without overspending?
Actionable Tips
- Respect Local Market Dynamics: Research local search intent, buying habits, and price expectations before adjusting bids or budgets.
- Switch Bidding Strategies Wisely: Don’t rush to switch to tROAS just because you’re not seeing immediate conversions. Let the campaign gather enough data—usually 30+ conversions—before switching.
- Refine Your Offer: Ensure your product messaging and pricing are aligned with local expectations. What works in the UK might need tweaking in Australia.
- Optimize Your Funnel for Local Needs: Consider if your landing pages and checkout process are tailored to local preferences, currencies, and language nuances.
- Maintain Negative Keyword Hygiene: Keep filtering out irrelevant searches as you gather more data. This helps reduce wasted spend and improve conversion quality.
- Monitor and Adjust: Check campaign performance daily at first. Once you have enough conversions, evaluate whether your ROAS targets are realistic or need calibration.
- Test Small, Measure Big: Run small tests with different bids, ad copy, and offers. Use these learnings to scale confidently.
Here’s the bottom line: be patient enough to gather the right data, but strategic enough to adjust your approach based on what that data tells you. Your new market won’t grow profitably by chance—plan for it and optimize as you go.