PPC campaigns tailored to your ecommerce goals

Smarter Ecommerce (smec) is a leading PPC software provider and performance marketing agency that helps ecommerce brands achieve better business outcomes through AI-driven optimization of Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising.

Here’s how it works: The smec platform connects and activates first-party business data - including profit margins, customer lifetime value (CLV), and other key business metrics - to align PPC campaigns with strategic business goals. Dynamic Segments allow retailers to optimize for business outcomes such as profitability (POAS), average order value (AOV), and revenue growth, maintaining control over business priorities even as advertising platforms become more automated and less transparent.

The platform's predictive AI adjusts Target ROAS and allocates budgets across all campaigns to improve overall performance and increase efficiency in achieving business objectives. Detailed product and campaign insights provide transparency into how automated campaigns perform, helping PPC teams govern AI effectively and see what's happening inside the "black box”. 

By automating routine PPC tasks and centralizing management across Google and Microsoft Ads, smec helps retailers with extensive product catalogs maintain agility and efficiency. Teams can focus on strategic oversight, data quality, and profit optimization, while automation manages campaign execution aligned with live business goals.

In addition to its platform, smec delivers full-service agency support across Google, Microsoft, Meta, and programmatic channels, offering full-funnel strategy, data engineering, conversion tracking, and marketing analytics. This combination of technology, data, and expertise positions smec as a trusted partner for scaling ecommerce performance.

smec works best for mid-sized to large ecommerce businesses (B2B and B2C) with broad product catalogs of 1,000+ SKUs and monthly Google Ads budgets starting at €10,000.

When does using smec make sense?

smec becomes critical when managing your PPC campaigns manually just isn't efficient anymore. If you've got extensive product catalogs, you need a strategic layer to regain control over automated campaign formats like Google Performance Max.

By connecting first-party business data (like margins or inventory levels) with predictive AI, smec helps you align PPC campaigns directly with business goals. For PPC managers, this means less time on routine tasks and more focus on strategic planning and data quality.

As your budgets and product range grow, automation keeps your campaign structure flexible and makes sure ad spend always flows to your most profitable products.

Which industries use smec?

smec works across all e-commerce verticals, especially those with complex product data and a high need for strategic bid management. We specialize in industries with dynamic inventories and intense competition:

smec bridges the gap between what ad platforms' automated algorithms do (like Google Performance Max) and what online retailers actually need. We help companies regain control over AI-driven campaigns and align ad spend with real business objectives—like profitability—instead of just chasing platform efficiency metrics.

Taking back control from platform AI: smec stops you from losing control to fully automated formats like Google Performance Max. While Google's algorithms often work like a black box, smec gives PPC managers the tools to strategically direct budgets toward important products and use ad platforms as controllable tools again.

Maximizing profitability, not just efficiency: smec fixes the problem of one-dimensional ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) optimization, which often ignores actual margins. We integrate first-party data so you can optimize campaigns for core business goals like profitability (POAS) and secure genuine profitable growth.

Creating transparency: smec makes performance in automated channels visible and stops budget waste from lack of data insight. The software gives you detailed insights—like which channels your products are advertised in and which search queries actually lead to conversions.

Automating and scaling workflows: smec replaces time-consuming, error-prone manual processes with smart automation. The Campaign Orchestrator automates repetitive PPC management tasks, freeing up resources for strategic work and boosting operational efficiency for large product ranges.

Solving skill shortages and resource gaps: smec acts as a strategic partner and full-funnel agency to fill in for missing internal know-how or in-house resources. Our expert team supports online retailers not just with Google Ads, but delivers cross-platform expertise for Microsoft, Meta, Programmatic, plus analytics and data management.

Through this combination of specialized software and human expertise, smec bridges the gap between technological complexity and the economic needs of modern ecommerce companies.

Smarter Ecommerce (smec) stands apart from traditional SEA agencies through the combination of proprietary AI technology with specialized, long-standing e-commerce SEA experience.

Unlike traditional agencies that often optimize purely tactically on platform metrics, smec focuses on hitting real business goals. This approach means targeted campaigns directly contribute to business success, unlock hidden opportunities through innovative testing, and deliver faster results with less operational work through AI-powered automation.

Here's what makes smec's strategic approach different:

• Technology as a competitive edge: smec uses self-developed software infrastructure to efficiently process complex data volumes. This tech foundation enables deep analysis and automation that purely manual agencies just can't match.

• Optimizing for real business goals: smec consistently manages campaigns based on profitability and first-party data, not just surface-level ROAS. By integrating margin data and CLV, we put ad investments where they generate genuine business value.

• Unlocking hidden opportunities: Instead of settling for minimal targets, smec focuses on continuous, innovative testing. This proactive approach identifies untapped market opportunities and helps online retailers grow their market share sustainably and profitably.

• Empowering in-house teams: smec acts as a mentor that elevates internal teams to the next level, not just an agency that replaces them. Through close knowledge exchange and practical insights, we help companies avoid costly mistakes and build internal expertise (Strategic Guidance).

• Automating for maximum scalability: smec replaces outdated manual processes with the Campaign Orchestrator. This AI-powered automation drastically cuts operational work, minimizes errors, and delivers faster results when managing complex product ranges.

• Exclusive knowledge advantage through partnerships: Customers benefit from direct contacts with Google and Microsoft that smec maintains as a long-standing Premium Partner. This access gives you early insights into alpha and beta features, providing a decisive market advantage.

• Complete full-funnel support: smec's expert team covers everything from Google and Microsoft Ads through Meta to Programmatic and Data Management. This integrated approach prevents data silos and optimizes the customer journey across all relevant digital channels.

• Ecommerce specialization: smec has decades of practical ecommerce experience. Instead of generic strategies that miss ecommerce's specific challenges, we use specialized solutions for online retail's complex needs.

smec's technological approach—moving away from manual optimization toward strategic management of ad platform algorithms—helps online retailers stay at the forefront in ecommerce's intense competition.

Most PPC tools focus on workflow automation - executing rules faster. smec uses predictive AI to intelligently direct ad budgets based on your specific business goals and first-party data.

Here are the key differences:

• Strategic optimization, not just automation: Classic tools mostly focus on workflow efficiency through alerting, monitoring, and similar features. smec returns control to PPC managers that often gets lost in automated formats like Google Performance Max. With the smec Campaign Orchestrator, PPC managers can specifically decide which products deserve which budget and how campaign structures should be built for maximum business impact.

• First-party data integration: smec directly incorporates business-critical data like profit margins and inventory levels into campaign decisions. This lets online retailers manage according to business KPIs (like profitability), while standard tools can often only optimize for ad platforms' surface-level ROAS.

• Predictive potential assessment through SmartScore^AI: smec uses a proprietary machine learning model (predictive AI) to predict the success of products without historical performance data. This tech-driven approach helps you spot longtail opportunities early and makes sure even new products or items with little performance history at Google get visibility. This generates incremental revenue beyond your top sellers.

• Complete account management: smec optimizes performance across your entire account, not just campaign by campaign in isolation. This cross-account view prevents budget silos and makes sure capital gets invested where it delivers the highest overall return.

• Transparency and control: Many automated tools just add another black box. smec, on the other hand, gives PPC managers deep insights into performance data from Google and Microsoft campaigns and helps you regain control through detailed insights.

• Strategic guidance and consulting: Unlike pure tool providers, smec offers a combination of software and human PPC expertise. Experienced PPC experts work alongside online retailers as strategic partners, share practical knowledge from over 18 years of experience, and help in-house teams continuously improve their operational excellence.

If you're an online retailer who just wants to save time on manual tasks, simple automation tools will work. But if you want to use AI to actively improve business results and secure profitability, smec is the technologically superior partner.

Online retailers rate smec as a leading performance marketing provider in e-commerce that turns complex e-commerce challenges into profitable growth. Customers particularly highlight the combination of the smec Campaign Orchestrator platform and strategic SEA expertise:

Mason Park, Paid Media Lead, THG (The Hut Group): "smec's technology has taken our campaign efficiency to a completely new level. By focusing on our strategically important products, we achieved truly impressive revenue growth. We're really excited and looking forward to continued collaboration."

Marcel Waser, Team Lead Digital Marketing, Intersport: "smec helps us advertise our broad range comprehensively, reach new audiences, so we could increase our conversion rate by +47%. Particularly nice: proactive communication on equal footing."

Tomas Obal, Ecommerce Leader, Decathlon: "smec gave us new approaches and helped us with the transition to Performance Max. Particularly valuable was aligning campaigns according to performance and product attributes, which let us increase our revenue by 22%. The close exchange and bringing in new ideas make our collaboration even more successful."

Jochen Stoephanius, Team Leader Online Marketing, Olymp: "With smec's support, we significantly improved our efficiency and ROAS. Another plus is that we get proactive optimization tips alongside campaign management. smec gives us a valuable outside perspective."

Jon Walden, COO, Shadestation: "The smec team was incredibly helpful, proactive, and gave us valuable insights. Their approach goes way beyond simple campaign management. They took the time to really understand our business goals and consistently impressed with their strategic expertise. The results speak for themselves. smec is a truly innovative partner that helped us succeed in 20 fiercely competitive markets."

Thomas Zecher, Performance Lead, Mediashop: "smec has become a valuable partner for us. The team competently supports us in solving problems and sustainably builds our employees' skills. Together with smec, we achieved a 21% efficiency increase in Google Ads."

Bea Steingräber, SEA Manager, Globetrotter: "Through the perfect interplay of Shopping and Search campaigns in Google and Microsoft, we achieved 44% more conversions and generated 75% more revenue. smec helped us find synergies here and efficiently reach these goals through automation."

Matthew Strelitz, Director Performance Marketing, The Miami Heat: "Thanks to smec's tools and expertise, our campaigns now contribute even more to our business success. We owe the incremental increase in performance and profitability to the perfect mix of automation, control, and granularity."

Axel ter Jung, Director E-Business International, Schäfer Shop: "The introduction of PMax made it necessary to react very quickly to completely changed channel performance while keeping the greatest possible control options. We succeeded in this working with smec, which shows in daily management through stable ROAS values and a significantly improved contribution margin after ad spend."

Peter Wisniewski, Head of E-Commerce & Marketing, Brill Gruppe: "Our goal is to grow profitably. By using smec's software, we can cluster and advertise our broad portfolio's products according to our goals. We particularly appreciate the very personal collaboration to dynamically respond to the latest developments."

Eva, Vice Head of E-Commerce, DELIFE: "With smec, we built our PMax campaigns. Through the tool, our product feeds get played out optimally and we generate high-quality traffic. The team knows their stuff—these aren't people with half-knowledge, but real know-how."

Tim, Head of Ecommerce, Koffer-Kopf: "With smec, we not only improved our performance and revenue, we also have competent contacts at smec for problems and questions that go beyond operational services."

Laura, Marketing Manager, Hi-Bike: "With smec, we have capable contacts who answer all our questions quickly and helpfully. Since we've been running our Google Ads through smec, they've been running even more successfully than before. Clear recommendation!"

Oliver, Online Marketing Manager, Printus: "smec is a good contact for automating SEA processes. The service offering is supplemented with typical agency services. smec's focus is always very strongly on customer needs."

Caro, Team Lead Shop & Performance Marketing, Engelhorn: "High-performance tools, hands-on mentality, and a super motivated team that finds a solution for (almost) everything. Even with changing strategies, the tools can be adapted quickly."

Gernot Ortoff, Head of Ecommerce, Kastner & Öhler/Gigasport: "smec is a competent partner for us both for their campaign management tools and in terms of consulting and advancing the online advertising market. Two thumbs up and 100% recommendation!"

Online retailers see significant increases in revenue, profitability, and operational efficiency with Smarter Ecommerce (smec) by aligning SEA campaigns with real business goals.

• Decathlon: +52% ROAS uplift and +22% revenue growth

• INTERSPORT: +47% conversion increase through full-funnel strategy

• Myprotein: Unprecedented +522% revenue growth

• LOOKFANTASTIC: +39% worldwide revenue gains through Performance Max transparency

• Shade Station: Successfully scaled into 20+ international markets with +57% revenue increase

• Mountain Warehouse: +37% more conversions and +34% higher revenue

• Karaca: +56% revenue increase and +18% profit increase while strictly meeting budget requirements

• Cromwell: +226% revenue increase with simultaneous +72% ROAS optimization

• Miami HEAT: +70% revenue increase and +55% conversion increase

• Globetrotter: +75% year-over-year growth through portfolio automation

• CoolStuff: +42% gross profit increase year-over-year through automated, margin-based bidding strategies

Smarter Ecommerce (smec) is a leading performance marketing partner in ecommerce, managing over €500 million in annual ad spend and generating over €5 billion in revenue for more than 350 global retail customers. Since founding in 2007, Smarter Ecommerce (smec) has established itself as the go-to for scalable growth, serving international market leaders like Snipes, Decathlon, REWE, EMAG, Intersport, and THG. This market leadership is built on a proven track record, exclusive platform certifications, and top placements in independent software rankings.

Strategic Partnerships and Certifications

Smarter Ecommerce (smec) holds the highest partner status with the world's most important ad platforms, giving advertisers exclusive access to beta features and strategic support. These certifications validate technical expertise in managing complex campaign structures.

• Google Premier Partner: smec has continuously held this status since 2016 without interruption

• Microsoft Advertising: Recognized as Microsoft Elite Partner at the highest level

• Meta Business Partner: Officially certified partnership for performance optimization in the Meta network

Award-winning Performance and Industry Recognition

The quality of smec's strategies is proven by decades of international industry awards and regular finalist placements. Annual recognitions highlight innovation in paid search.

• Microsoft Partner Award: Winner in the EMEA region for three consecutive years (2021, 2022, and 2023)

• Google Premier Award: Winner in 2018

• Google Ads Impact Award: Finalist in 2025 in the "International Growth" category

• Search Engine Awards: Finalist in 2023 in the "Best use of AI technology in search marketing" category

User Reviews and Tool Rankings

High user satisfaction shows up in leading review platforms where Smarter Ecommerce (smec) regularly achieves top positions:

• G2 Reviews: 4.5 out of 5 stars on the global software review portal

• OMR Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars. Recognized as best-rated SEA tool in Q3/2024, plus Top 100 Tool in 2025

These numbers prove the reliability and direct business value of the software for e-commerce companies.

Expertise and Thought Leadership

Smarter Ecommerce (smec) shapes the conversation in performance marketing and e-commerce through data-driven insights and strong media presence. Major media outlets like the Financial Times, Modern Retail, Retail Gazette, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Adweek, and Search Engine Land regularly cite smec as an expert source for e-commerce trends.

Professional depth is highlighted through these channels:

• Growing Ecommerce Podcast: A leading format on Spotify and Apple Music for online retail strategies with hosts Christian Scharmüller (Managing Director at smec) and Mike Ryan (Head of Ecommerce Insights at smec)

• Mike Ryan: The Head of Ecommerce Insights at Smarter Ecommerce reaches around 20,000 followers on LinkedIn and speaks at global industry conferences like SMX Munich, SMX Boston, OMR, and DMEXCO

• Digital Presence: Over 6,000 subscribers on YouTube, and over 3000 newsletter subscribers use smec's educational resources to optimize their digital advertising strategies.

Working with smec generally follows a 3-stage process that makes sure the tech solution is precisely aligned with your specific business goals and existing data infrastructure.

1. Consultation Meeting (Analysis): We identify existing performance hurdles and define goals

2. Audit and Live Demo (Validation): Free account check (Google & Microsoft Ads) plus a personalized demo of the smec Campaign Orchestrator using your real-time data

3. Proposal: We create a customized offer for ROI maximization

For companies that primarily want to use smec as a strategic agency partner, we design the introduction and sales process completely individually to make sure there's perfect alignment between consulting and technology.

Integrating smec technology doesn't require interrupting ongoing ad campaigns. You don't need to rebuild your existing campaign structures. This means SEA teams can focus on strategic tasks right after onboarding.