Most Shopify brands use Google Ads to drive sales. The fastest-growing brands use it to build a DTC brand.

Google Ads has become one of the most powerful ways for ecommerce brands to find new customers - but many Shopify stores are still optimising for short-term ROAS instead of long-term growth.

In this episode, Nick explains why most Shopify brands get Google Ads wrong and how successful DTC brands use paid search, Shopping ads and customer data to build a scalable acquisition engine.

Want some help with profitably scaling your Google Ads? Reach out to Nick's agency: team@spec.digital

You’ll learn:

• Why chasing ROAS alone can limit Shopify growth
• The difference between buying clicks and building customers
• How Google Shopping acts as your digital storefront
• Why product feeds, creative and offers matter more than ever
• How leading brands measure profitable customer acquisition
• Why Google Ads and retention need to work together

Nick also shares the biggest mistakes Shopify brands make with Google Ads, why better data leads to better automation and how to build a paid acquisition strategy designed for long-term brand growth.

In this episode:
(00:00) Why Good ROAS Doesn't Always Mean Profit(01:14) Stop Using Google Ads Just to Generate Sales(03:00) ROAS vs Customer Lifetime Value(05:12) The Snowball Effect of Repeat Customers(06:31) The 4 Metrics Shopify Brands Should Track(08:02) Fix Your Google Shopping Customer Journey(11:59) Why Product Feeds Matter So Much(14:04) How to Set a Profitable Google Ads Target(16:09) How to Increase Repeat Purchases & LTV(20:00) How AI Is Changing Google Ads(22:14) 5 Things Scaling Brands Do Differently(25:09) The Key to Profitable Google Ads Scaling

Follow Winning With Shopify for practical ecommerce growth advice every Tuesday and Friday.

Exclusive listener offers:
Ships-A-Lot - Improve fulfilment costs and find hidden shipping margin leaks.
Inventory Planner - Free seven-day inventory bootcamp.
Omnisend - 30% off paid plans for three months with code WINNINGWITHOMNISEND.
Yoast - 15% off Shopify and WordPress with code WWS15.
506 - Extended 30-day free trial on any of their three Shopify apps with code WWS.

About Winning With Shopify
Winning With Shopify is powered by Spec Digital, a PPC & SEO agency helping ecommerce brands grow through performance marketing.

When customers can buy the same products from dozens of retailers, your Shopify store needs to give them a reason to choose you.

In this episode, Nick is joined by Alan Dowell from Escentual, an online beauty retailer specialising in fragrance, skincare and cosmetics, to discuss how brands can differentiate in crowded markets, build customer trust and turn more first-time buyers into loyal customers.

Learn more about Escentual:
https://escentual.com/

Connect with Alan Dowell on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dowell-alan/

They reveal why many ecommerce brands struggle despite selling great products, how removing friction can improve conversion rates and why the best brands focus on customer experience rather than competing purely on price.

You’ll learn:

• How to differentiate when competitors sell the same products
• Why customer education, reviews and trust signals drive conversions
• How removing unnecessary friction can improve the buying journey
• Why having too many Shopify apps could be slowing your store down
• How testing, personalisation and retention create long-term growth
• Why mobile-first experiences are essential for ecommerce success

The episode also covers how removing 70+ Shopify apps improved conversion rates, why brands should test instead of assume, and how better customer communication can create stronger loyalty and repeat purchases.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Competing when everyone sells the same products
(01:21) - How Essential differentiates its ecommerce experience
(02:42) - Removing friction from the customer journey
(05:48) - Why A/B testing beats assumptions
(08:47) - The 70+ Shopify apps problem
(11:41) - Why too many improvements made performance worse
(12:20) - From 3.8% to 5.5% conversion rate
(15:50) - Testing your store like a real customer
(20:02) - Turning first-time buyers into loyal customers
(25:00) - Customer data, loyalty and segmentation
(30:00) - Revenue vs vanity metrics
(32:28) - Turning winning tests into growth
(40:13) - Final takeaways

Follow Winning With Shopify for practical ecommerce growth advice every Tuesday and Friday.

Exclusive listener offers:

Ships-A-Lot - Improve fulfilment costs and find hidden shipping margin leaks.
https://info.shipsalot.com/winning-with-shopify

Inventory Planner - Free seven-day inventory bootcamp.
https://info.brightpearl.com/winning-with-shopify-holiday-planning-bootcamp

Omnisend - 30% off paid plans for three months with code WINNINGWITHOMNISEND.
https://www.omnisend.com/wws/

Yoast - 15% off Shopify and WordPress with code WWS15.
https://yoast.com/product/yoast-seo-shopify/

506 - Extended 30-day free trial on any of their three Shopify apps with code WWS.
https://www.506.io/wws

About Winning With Shopify

Winning With Shopify is powered by Spec Digital, a PPC & SEO agency helping ecommerce brands grow through performance marketing.

https://spec.digital/

Most Shopify brands don't have a traffic problem. They have a conversion problem.

After auditing 50 Shopify stores and analysing hundreds of ecommerce experiences, Nick reveals the biggest mistakes that stop visitors from becoming customers.

In this episode, you'll discover the product page, trust, UX and conversion issues that could be costing your Shopify store sales - and the changes successful DTC brands make to turn more visitors into buyers.

You’ll learn:

• The product page mistakes making customers hesitate before buying
• Why great products fail without trust, proof and clear positioning
• How reviews, content and social proof influence purchase decisions
• Why your mobile experience could be losing potential customers
• The biggest friction points stopping visitors from converting
• How successful Shopify brands continuously improve conversion rates

Nick shares real examples from Shopify stores, explaining how brands can remove buying friction, improve customer confidence and turn more of their existing traffic into revenue.

In this episode:
(00:00) - Why Shopify stores lose sales
(01:42) - The 4 questions every customer needs answered
(02:37) - Mistake #1: Product pages that don't help customers buy
(05:05) - Mistake #2: Lack of trust and price justification
(07:38) - Mistake #3: Poor product photography
(11:21) - Mistake #4: No clear differentiation
(12:00) - Mistake #5: Website friction killing conversions
(13:09) - Mistake #6: Ignoring mobile-first shopping
(15:36) - Mistake #7: Not A/B testing your Shopify store
(21:04) - Final Shopify conversion takeaways

Follow Winning With Shopify for practical ecommerce growth advice every Tuesday and Friday.

Exclusive listener offers:
Ships-A-Lot - Improve fulfilment costs and find hidden shipping margin leaks.
Inventory Planner - Free seven-day inventory bootcamp.
Omnisend - 30% off paid plans for three months with code WINNINGWITHOMNISEND.
Yoast - 15% off Shopify and WordPress with code WWS15.
506 - Extended 30-day free trial on any of their three Shopify apps with code WWS.

About Winning With Shopify
Winning With Shopify is powered by Spec Digital, a PPC & SEO agency helping ecommerce brands grow through performance marketing.