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Smarter Ecommerce (smec) proudly announces it has been named a Finalist for the Google Ads Impact Award 2025 in the highly competitive International Growth category. The award, which recognizes partners who drive world-class business outcomes for clients using innovative Google Ads strategies, celebrates smec’s work with the UK’s luxury eyewear retailer Shade Station.
The case study highlights a powerful collaboration that enabled Shade Station to scale profitably across over 80 international markets, achieving a monumental +57% revenue increase.
“Being nominated as a Finalist for the Google Ads Impact Award for International Growth is a tremendous honor and a testament to the power of aligning AI-driven technology with expert strategic direction,” said Christian Scharmüller, Managing Director at Smarter Ecommerce (smec). “This recognition belongs not only to our team but also to our visionary client, Shade Station, whose ambition matched our own. We deeply value their partnership and the trust they placed in our proprietary smec platform.”
Scaling with precision: profitable growth across 80+ markets
The partnership focused on unlocking scalable growth for Shade Station by leveraging the smec Campaign Orchestrator, smec’s proprietary AI platform for managing Google Ads campaigns. It dynamically integrated Shade Station’s live stock and profit margin data directly into the bidding engine. This profit-first approach ensured that Google’s algorithm only spent money to push the most profitable, in-stock items, guaranteeing that the market expansion was also profitable.
The results validated the strategy:
- +57% Year-over-Year Revenue Growth
- +42% Increase in Conversion Volume
- +10% Increase in Average Order Value (AOV)
Jon Walden, COO of Shade Station, commented on the success: “The team at smec have been incredibly helpful, proactive, and insightful throughout our partnership. smec’s AI-driven software has allowed us to scale efficiently across markets and products. The results speak for themselves, we’ve seen strong growth across revenue, conversions, and AOV. A truly innovative partner.”
The strategy behind the nomination
Taking Control with Data The strategy moved beyond simple automation by giving the business true control. Smarter Ecommerce enabled the dynamic alignment of campaigns with business goals by using first-party data to constantly and intelligently direct the Google algorithm. This innovative strategy rested on four core pillars:
- Dynamic Profit Alignment: The smec Campaign Orchestrator was used to dynamically integrate Shade Station’s live stock and margin data into the bidding engine. This ensured Google’s budget was always steering toward the most profitable, in-stock products, maximizing business impact in real time.
- Global Customization: The team went beyond a “one-size-fits-all” approach by creating distinct, customized campaigns for over 80 international markets, allowing the strategy to perfectly match local customer behaviors and trends.
- Funnel Optimization: The team strategically combined Performance Max campaigns for conversion with Demand Gen campaigns for brand awareness, successfully driving high-intent engagement earlier in the sales funnel and expanding reach for designer and specialty products.
- Human + AI Power: smec’s expert team provided the strategic human steering and creativity, while AI and automation handled the massive volume of daily optimization across 80 countries.
Read the full case study here: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/case-studies/shade-station/
About Smarter Ecommerce (smec)
Smarter Ecommerce (smec) specialises in elevating Search Engine Marketing, offering online retailers intelligent software paired with expert services to align advertising strategies with core business objectives for better performance.
The smec Platform puts businesses in control by aligning their unique business goals with paid search tactics. Whether it is enhancing ROAS, promoting key product lines, or increasing profitability, the software tailors ad campaigns to match these goals, while predictive AI ensures maximum efficiency and effectiveness. With smart automation, the platform reduces manual and repetitive tasks, and actionable insights enable smarter decision-making.
Smarter Ecommerce is more than just a software provider — it is a strategic partner, providing expert guidance and consultation to enhance every aspect of paid search advertising.
Recognized as a Google Premier Partner and a three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, the company manages over €500M in ad spend and generates over €5B in annual revenue for global clients like THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport.
