How to optimise your campaigns with cart data conversions in Google Ads

In an increasingly competitive advertising environment, the ability to leverage detailed customer data is a key advantage for advertisers. Google Ads has responded to this need with cart data conversions, a tool that goes beyond traditional metrics to provide in-depth analysis of advertising performance.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What are conversions with cart data in Google Ads?

• How do conversions work with cart data in Google Ads?

• Key benefits of using cart data in Google Ads

• Boosting conversions with cart data through product feeds

What are conversions with cart data in Google Ads?

Conversions with cart data in Google Ads is an advanced feature that allows advertisers to gain detailed insights into users' shopping behaviour by linking ad interactions with shopping cart metrics on a website or app. This approach provides richer information than standard conversions, helping to optimise campaigns based on data such as revenue, specific products purchased and other key cart parameters.

How do conversions work with cart data in Google Ads?

These types of conversions require website or app integration with Google Ads using advanced conversion tags or APIs. Unlike traditional conversions, where you simply measure whether a specific action was taken (such as completing a form or making a purchase), conversions with cart data collect additional data, such as:

• Total value of purchase: Total amount spent on the transaction.

• Products purchased: Detailed list of products purchased and their quantities.

• Product categories: Information on which types of products have the highest conversion.

• Other relevant parameters: Discounts applied, payment method or geographical location of the buyer.

This data enriches the analysis of campaigns and allows you to identify which products and strategies generate the most revenue, not just clicks.

Key benefits of using cart data in Google Ads

1. More detailed information on transactions

Cart data enriches conversion metrics with key information about purchases made:

• Products purchased: Identifies which products or services generate the most interest and sales.

• Total purchase value: Understand the economic impact of each conversion, beyond counting the total number of sales.

• Additional parameters: Details such as the number of units purchased, promotions applied or even the average time it took the user to complete the purchase.

This depth of data allows you to analyse campaign performance from a more focused perspective on revenue and behavioural patterns, rather than relying solely on general metrics such as clicks or impressions.

2. Optimisation based on revenue data and specific products

With cart data, it is possible to identify which campaigns generate the highest revenue or promote strategic products. Examples include:

• Prioritisation of more profitable products: If certain items have a higher profit margin, you can allocate more budget to campaigns that promote them.

• Opportunity spotting: Analyse which products or categories generate the most sales per campaign and adjust advertising strategies to take advantage of that behaviour.

• Promote fuller carts: Use this information to design ads or remarketing strategies that encourage users to add more products before they checkout.

3. Improved return on advertising spend (ROAS)

ROAS measures the revenue generated per dollar spent on advertising, and the cart data leverages this in several ways:

• Value-based bidding: With access to detailed revenue data, Google Smart Bidding tools can adjust bids in real time to maximise ROAS.

• Identify profitable campaigns: Compare the revenue generated by each ad to determine which offer the best return and focus budget on them.

• Eliminate unnecessary spend: Detect campaigns or products that are not generating significant conversions and adjust your strategy.

4. More precise and personalised segmentation

By capturing specific transaction details, you can segment your audience more intelligently:

• Behavioural audiences: Create segments of users who have purchased products in a specific category, added products to cart but not completed the purchase, or made high-value purchases.

• Personalised campaigns: Design advertising messages that are tailored to the interests and behaviours of each segment. For example, special promotions for customers who abandoned shopping carts with products on offer.

• Loyalty strategies: Identify repeat customers and promote loyalty programmes or personalised incentives to retain them.

In addition, cart data allows Google Ads to dynamically optimise ads by displaying specific products that interest each user based on their purchase history or behaviour on the website.

Boosting conversions with cart data through product feeds

Conversions with cart data not only provide in-depth analysis of ad performance, but, when integrated with Google Ads product feeds, unlock a new level of optimisation for campaigns such as Shopping, Performance Max and dynamic remarketing.

What is cart data integration with product feeds?

This integration combines detailed transaction data from your website with product feed information stored in the Google Merchant Center. This allows Google Ads:

• Identify precisely which products generate the most conversions.

• Adjust advertising strategies based on the performance of each item.

• Display dynamic ads personalised to user behaviour.

Why is it important to connect conversions to the product feed?

Incorporating the product feed into your advertising campaigns significantly improves the reach and accuracy of your campaigns. Some of the benefits include:

1. Product-level optimisation: Analyse performance by SKU and adjust bids to prioritise more profitable products.

2. Detailed ROI tracking: Understand the return on investment for each specific category or product.

3. Advanced automation: Improve campaign effectiveness using machine learning based on detailed conversion data.

4. Personalised Remarketing: Re-target users with ads that show specific products they added to cart but did not purchase.

By combining conversions with cart data and product feeds in Google Ads, you not only optimise campaigns across the board, but also achieve a level of personalisation and precision that is difficult to achieve with traditional strategies. This approach ensures that every click on your ads has a direct impact on your revenue, while allowing you to adjust your strategies in real time to maximise your return on investment.