If you’re advertising on Google Shopping, you’re either actively running or have considered running Smart Shopping campaigns. The campaigns are growing rapidly in popularity, and at first glance it’s easy to see why. Google bills Smart Shopping as a simple, hands-off way to advertise your products. Setup is incredibly straightforward, and supposedly these campaigns are set-it-and-forget-it: just choose a ROAS target and watch the revenue roll in. Retailers see them as a way to cut costs by reducing management fees. 

All is not what it seems, though. Despite an easy setup and “smart” optimizations, Smart Shopping campaigns are not immune to performance problems. It’s true that retailers can set up and manage these in-house: but this strategy often comes at the cost of long-term growth. Continuous growth in a Smart Shopping program requires an expert hand and a profit-driven focus: and in most cases, that’s best accomplished by partnering with a trustworthy, knowledgeable agency. 

We’re here to make the case for a management component in Smart Shopping.