Top 5 Paid Campaign Strategies for UK E-Commerce in 2024: Tips and Insights

As UK e-commerce continues to thrive, paid campaigns have become vital tools for driving traffic, increasing conversions, and staying ahead in a competitive market. In 2024, well-optimised, data-driven paid strategies will be key to maximising returns. UK e-commerce sales are projected to reach £265 billion in 2024, indicating a strong growth trajectory that underscores the importance of effective marketing strategies. Moreover, the online retail market is expected to grow by 12% annually, making it crucial for brands to refine their marketing efforts. Whether you’re starting out or looking to fine-tune your approach, this guide covers five essential paid campaign strategies with actionable tips and insights tailored for UK e-commerce brands.

QUICK FIND

1. Google Search Ads: Leveraging Customer Intent

2. Google Shopping Ads: Maximising Product Visibility

3. Performance Max Ads: Unlocking Comprehensive Reach

4. Facebook & Instagram Ads: Driving Engagement and Sales

5. LinkedIn Ads: Targeting B2B E-commerce

6. How 8th Dial Can Help You Grow Your E-commerce Business

1. Google Search Ads: Leveraging Customer Intent

Google Search Ads remain a powerful tool for e-commerce businesses, helping brands reach customers who are actively searching for products or services. The platform’s intent-based targeting can yield a strong ROI, making it a crucial channel for driving conversions.

Key Trends for 2024

- AI-powered automation: Google is increasingly using AI to optimise bids, targeting, and placements across its network, driving more conversions with less manual input.

- Voice search optimisation: As more UK consumers use voice-activated devices, optimising your keywords for natural, conversational queries will be essential.

Tips for Success

- Refine your keyword strategy: Utilise negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic and ensure you’re focusing on high-intent searches.

- Prioritise mobile experience: With over 60% of UK e-commerce traffic coming from mobile devices, ensure your ads lead to fast, mobile-optimised landing pages.

In the UK, businesses that use Google Search Ads experience an average conversion rate of 6.5%, significantly higher than the average across other digital channels.

For our client Rathfinny Wine Estate, our comprehensive Google Search Ads strategy resulted in a remarkable 203% increase in new users and a 66.67% rise in conversions from Paid Search, while Paid Social saw new users surge by 100.96% and conversions climb by 82.35%, significantly exceeding their initial revenue goals.

2. Google Shopping Ads: Maximising Product Visibility

For product-based e-commerce businesses, Google Shopping Ads are a must. These visually driven ads show up directly in Google search results, offering customers a convenient way to compare products and prices at a glance. They typically lead to higher conversion rates than text-based ads.

Key Trends for 2024

- Smart Shopping: Google’s Smart Shopping campaigns combine AI with user data to automatically optimise bids and placements, ensuring that your products appear in front of the right audiences.

- Local inventory ads: Perfect for e-commerce businesses with physical locations, these ads showcase products available at nearby stores.

Tips for Success

- Optimise your product feed: Ensure that your product titles, descriptions, and images are detailed and relevant to improve your ad performance.

- Leverage Smart Shopping campaigns: Use AI to maximise visibility and automate much of the bid management.

- Monitor price competitiveness: E-commerce shoppers are increasingly price-conscious, with 68% of UK consumers stating that price is the most critical factor influencing their purchasing decisions.

Google Shopping ads now account for 63% of paid search clicks in the UK retail sector.

3. Performance Max Ads: Unlocking Comprehensive Reach

Performance Max Ads are designed to simplify and optimise your advertising efforts across Google's entire inventory. By leveraging machine learning, these campaigns allow businesses to reach customers across various channels—search, display, YouTube, and more—using a single campaign.

Key Trends for 2024

- Automated creative optimisation: With AI, Performance Max can automatically test and optimise various creative assets to find the best combinations for performance.

- Cross-channel capabilities: These campaigns allow businesses to engage with customers wherever they are, seamlessly transitioning across Google’s diverse platforms.

Tips for Success

- Provide a variety of creative assets: Use multiple headlines, descriptions, images, and videos to give the algorithm plenty of options to work with.

- Set clear conversion goals: Define what success looks like for your campaigns, whether it's sales, leads, or other key performance indicators.

- Regularly monitor performance: Review the insights provided by Performance Max to adjust your strategy as needed and maximise ROI.

Performance Max campaigns drive a 13% higher conversion rate compared to standard search campaigns.

4. Facebook & Instagram Ads: Driving Engagement and Sales

Facebook and Instagram Ads remain some of the most versatile and effective platforms for reaching UK e-commerce audiences in 2024. With advanced targeting options, including demographics, interests, and retargeting, businesses can reach highly specific segments of their audience.

Key Trends for 2024

- Video ad dominance: Short-form video content, particularly Instagram Reels and Facebook Video Ads, continues to capture attention, leading to higher engagement rates.

- In-app shopping: Instagram’s in-app shopping experience lets users browse and buy products without leaving the app, streamlining the customer journey.

Tips for Success

- Invest in video ads: Create engaging, bite-sized videos that showcase your products in action or highlight your brand’s story.

- Use dynamic product ads: Retarget users who have visited your site with personalised product recommendations based on their browsing behaviour.

- A/B test ad formats: Continuously test different formats—carousel, video, or static ads—to find what resonates best with your target audience.

Video ads on Facebook and Instagram can increase conversion rates by up to 80%, with 90% of consumers reporting that video helps them make purchasing decisions.

For our client Jo Gordon, we ran paid social media campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest focused on customer acquisition, lead generation, and retargeting, resulting in a threefold increase in online sales within a year.

5. LinkedIn Ads: Targeting B2B E-commerce

LinkedIn is a valuable platform for reaching B2B audiences, and its highly detailed targeting options can be beneficial for e-commerce brands selling to other businesses or professionals. With features like Sponsored Content and Lead Gen Forms, LinkedIn is a powerful channel for driving leads and sales in the B2B space.

Key Trends for 2024

- Lead Gen Forms: These forms make it easier to capture leads directly on LinkedIn without the user leaving the platform, resulting in higher conversion rates.

- Video ads: Video continues to drive higher engagement on LinkedIn, making it an ideal format for showcasing products or offering thought leadership in the e-commerce space.

Tips for Success

- Utilise job title and industry targeting: LinkedIn’s targeting allows you to reach key decision-makers within specific industries, making it a valuable tool for B2B e-commerce.

- Test Sponsored InMail: Deliver personalised messages directly to your target audience’s inbox, improving engagement and lead generation.

LinkedIn ads generate a 2.5x higher conversion rate than other social media platforms, making it one of the most effective channels for B2B lead generation.

How 8th Dial Can Help You Grow Your E-commerce Business

At 8th Dial, we specialise in creating tailored web design and digital marketing solutions that empower e-commerce businesses to thrive. Whether you’re a start-up or an established brand, we have a proven track record of running high-converting paid campaigns across platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon, driving measurable results and helping businesses of all sizes boost their online presence.

Our team of experts works closely with you to understand your unique business goals, allowing us to refine your campaign strategy and ensure every pound of your marketing budget is invested wisely. We’re committed to delivering results that matter—whether it’s improving traffic, increasing conversions, or driving brand visibility.

Want to see what we’ve achieved for other businesses? Check out our case studies to learn how we’ve helped e-commerce brands unlock growth and improve their ROI with data-driven, optimised paid campaigns.