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Paid media for ecommerce
Find out what your ad spend is actually returning. Then scale the part that works.
Google Ads and Meta for brands selling online, with the measurement to tell platform-reported ROAS from real incremental revenue. We've run this across a wide range of product categories and price points, from single-product stores to large catalogues.
Ecommerce brands we have worked with
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The problem
The number in the dashboard is not the number in the bank.
In the ecommerce accounts we've audited, the platform's ROAS, the attribution tool's read and the margin math rarely agree on the same channel. Budget tends to follow whichever number is easiest to see, which is usually the platform's.
Platform ROAS
What Google or Meta reports
Counts every sale the channel touched, including the ones that would have happened anyway. Useful for optimising inside a campaign, not for deciding its budget.
Attribution
What a multi-touch tool reports
Closer to the truth because it sees every channel at once, but still a model. It needs checking against a real test now and then.
Break-even
What your margin requires
Margin, fixed costs and the return each channel has to clear. Below this line a channel loses money no matter what either dashboard says.
Our job is to get all three in front of you, then test the gap between them before budget moves.
What we run
Four things, connected.
Google Ads
Search, Shopping and PMAX, with brand split from non-brand so the reports say something. Feeds, bidding targets and budgets managed against real margin.
Meta Ads
Prospecting and retargeting with creative testing on a schedule, run by a dedicated Meta specialist, not the Google person on their off hours.
Measurement
Conversion tracking, GA4, and attribution (Northbeam or equivalent) set up so platform numbers can be compared to your own revenue and MER.
Incrementality and MMM
Geo holdouts and budget tests to find each channel's real return, and a media mix model (Google Meridian) once there is enough history to feed it.
Those are the four we run most. They aren't the limit.
Microsoft Ads, ChatGPT Ads, Amazon, TikTok, Pinterest, affiliate, or whatever is next. If it has a budget, we can run it, and we can measure it against the same break-even line as everything else.
How it works
Audit first. Fix the measurement. Then manage. Then test.
The same four steps, in the same order, for every account. Audits start at $3,500 USD and management at $3,000 USD a month.
01
Audit
Every conversion action, what bidding is pointed at, change history, brand versus non-brand, lost impression share.
02
Fix the measurement
Tracking rebuilt, attribution connected, a baseline you can test against.
03
Manage
Google and Meta against the targets from the audit. Weekly reporting where every number is labelled.
04
Test
Holdouts and budget tests, designed and stop rules written before they start.
Who this is for
Brands with enough spend that the wrong read costs real money.
A good fit
Spending $10,000 USD a month or more across channels, or earlier than that with a plan and budget to get there
Shopify, BigCommerce or a custom store with order data you can share
A founder or marketing lead who can make the budget call
Wants to manage to MER and margin, not platform ROAS
Not a fit
No plan to grow the spend and no budget for the audit
Want management without an audit first
Judging the engagement on in-platform ROAS alone
Proof
One account in detail, and a tool you can use today.
Case study, automotive accessories
MER up 25% after multi-touch attribution replaced platform ROAS as the budget signal.
Audit, then measurement rebuilt with Northbeam’s multi-touch attribution alongside GA4, then budget moved between channels on the unified read instead of each platform’s own number.
Read the case studyFree tool
Ecommerce MER Calculator
Enter margin, fixed costs and revenue to find your break-even MER and the ROAS each channel actually needs to clear. The same math we use to set each channel’s break-even line.
Open the calculator“We’ve worked with Grayvault Consulting since 2019 and have nothing but great things to say. ... They quickly identified areas where our account was underperforming and provided actionable recommendations that made an immediate difference.”
Bryan Simpson
Co-Founder and CEO, Big Blanket Co
See it on your own numbers.
A 30-minute discovery call to look at your accounts, your margin and whether the audit will pay for itself.
Grayvault Consulting Inc.
Paid media and attribution for e-commerce, lead gen, and healthcare brands.
Serving organizations across North America
Based in Victoria, BC.
Founded by Craig Graham
Enterprise Paid Media Strategist
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