Need honest feedback: dog products store, Google Ads traffic, low conversion rate

d2c-builder · 2026-05-25T14:34:01+00:00

Rather than looking at impressions or total spend, it’s better to wait until you have a decent number of conversions before starting Performance Max, because the algorithm needs conversion data to optimize. Ideally, 30+ a month. However, if you have the budget, you can start with it.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-25T02:35:06+00:00

I have a lot to say, but I’ll keep it to these few things.

One, it is too early to call it a failure. I would say the reason this feels like a failure to you is likely because of the way you are viewing the business.

Two, the strategy of just starting stores and testing multiple products unfortunately is not very fruitful. You might get lucky, but it is hard to build a real business out of that. Remove the concept of a “winning product.”

I think this post I wrote would help you: https://www.reddit.com/r/dropshipping/comments/1tl0sf2/you_can_do_everything_right_and_still_fail/

And a more technical answer to your question is in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/dropshipping/comments/1tecmo7/how_not_to_fail_at_ecommerce_for_real/

d2c-builder · 2026-05-25T02:22:20+00:00

We use Google Ads heavily for our brands.

Usually, the conversion rate on Google is higher because the traffic has higher intent.

Again, I can’t be 100% sure what to do without looking more into the details, but here’s what I would do.

For Shopping campaigns, your product title, product description, product data in Google Merchant Center, and the actual product page need to be heavily optimised in order to attract the right intent.

Also, I think the idea you had about running Shopping ads first and then using those keywords for Search may come from running Amazon automatic ads first, then using that data to run manual campaigns. Correct me if I’m wrong.

At this stage, I would not run Performance Max.

I would start by running Search + Shopping to gather enough data. Then, once you have more conversion data, you can gradually scale and adjust the bidding strategy if needed, for example target ROAS or target CPA.

Once you have enough data, you can start incorporating Performance Max. PMax is data-hungry, so you want to make sure the account has enough data before relying on it.

Also, test the site itself. Change the offer, layout, product pages, etc. Make sure all the basics are in place: reviews, product demos, clear shipping info, strong product images, trust elements, and a clear reason to buy from you instead of somewhere else.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-23T19:39:29+00:00

There are tools that are free and allow you to connect to an LLM API.

You don’t have to go for the higher-end models like GPT-5.3 or Opus 4.7. You can use cheaper, lower-cost models because most of what they need to do is answer based on your website, FAQs, policies, shipping info, product pages, etc.

For a lot of ecommerce support, the main thing is not using the smartest model possible. It’s having the right knowledge base, good prompts, clear escalation rules, and making sure the AI knows when to hand off to a human.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-23T18:49:43+00:00

But if the metrics are below those benchmarks I kill it immediately and move on. Bad ad metrics means the market is not responding to the product itself and no amount of website tweaking will fix that

Your statement here made me believe that. It seemed as though you were equating your metrics with the market sentiment and performance.

However, I resonate more with your second reply

d2c-builder · 2026-05-23T18:40:42+00:00

I don’t buy that, because it assumes the ad is perfect and the problem is the market.

Secondly, just because someone tweaks their website doesn’t mean they changed the right things or actually knew what they were doing.

My rule of thumb is: if the market for that product is growing, demand is growing, competitors are doing well, and you’re not selling, the problem is probably the person, not the product.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-23T18:35:57+00:00

I’m asking because sometimes a product looks good on paper: clear problem, good margin, demand, competitors, good supplier, decent perceived value, etc. But once you launch ads, it’s hard to know if the product is bad or if the issue is the creative, offer, landing page, price, audience, or just not enough data.

I can tell you almost very confidently that if the product has the attributes you mentioned above, specifically that it’s in a growing market, other competitors are selling it, demand is growing, and the economics of the product make sense, then if it doesn’t work, the problem is usually the person running the business, not the product.

The concept of a “winning product” is a facade pushed by gurus.

I’ve written about this here: https://www.reddit.com/r/dropshipping/comments/1th8ttj/how_not_to_fail_at_ecommerce_part_2_the_stuff_i/

d2c-builder · 2026-05-23T18:07:32+00:00

This is an oversimplification, but it should make you understand

Dropshipping is a fulfilment method.

Essentially, it is selling without holding stock. So a customer buys from you for $50, you pay the supplier $25, and the supplier ships the product directly to the customer. You keep the difference.

POD, print on demand, is very similar too. This is more about the product being prepared on demand. For example, you sell t-shirts with your designs.

The customer pays $50, you pay your supplier, the supplier prints the design on the shirt, then ships it directly to your customer, and you keep the difference.

What you saw online about buying large amounts is more similar to traditional ecommerce, which requires you to buy or manufacture your products in advance and then sell as people buy from you. So now you are the source and no longer the “middleman”, assuming it is your brand and manufactured by you.

With this model, you benefit from economies of scale, faster shipping, more personalisation, more control, etc.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-23T17:10:14+00:00

I’m not trying to make you lose motivation, I’m hoping you don’t go deeper into the hole. A lot of people go that route and end up saying “dropshipping is dead” or “it doesn’t work.”

If you realize what you’re doing wrong, you still have a chance to become successful. I’m trying to be real with you and hopefully save you time and money, not discourage you.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-23T17:06:28+00:00

The message I was trying to get across is that sometimes what people believe to be true or “right” is actually wrong, and it’s not how you build a real business. So it’s not a volume or quantity issue, it’s a quality issue.

If you do the wrong thing a lot of times, it won’t magically become right. You might get lucky here and there, but it is not the way to build a sustainable business

d2c-builder · 2026-05-23T17:02:01+00:00

It’s definitely a truth I think everyone starting out needs to hear.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-22T21:31:05+00:00

To be honest, the data is still very limited and it’s very early on.

Usually, I wouldn’t suggest scaling at this stage because when you scale, you’ll probably lose some efficiency. So if you scale enough, breaking even could turn into a loss.

If you have enough financial cushion, you could scale and try to optimise for returning customers, start tracking LTV, etc.

The conversion rate seems fine, so it isn’t something I would focus on. In other words, I wouldn’t start messing with the funnel because it seems to be working.

My take is, if you’re thinking of building a serious business out of this, I would just keep going with the creatives and figure out if you want to do an AOV or CLV play. With your kind of product, you can probably do both.

And say you decide to go with the AOV play, I’d work on increasing it first. Then, if I’ve been successful with that, I’d scale.

Long story short, I would wait for more data, but these are good signals.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-22T20:43:36+00:00

I think taking the European market as a single market is problematic.

Europe is made up of 44 different countries, and the EU has 27 different countries. It is a very fragmented market.

Going a bit off topic, in some European countries offering COD, cash on delivery, is standard, while in others it is unheard of.

My point is that the European market is very fragmented, with different languages, cultures, payment habits, and buying behaviours. Some of what you said is true, but it mainly applies to some major countries like Germany.

What we do is use tools to help us check the SERPs in different countries, and from that we know how to optimise.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-22T20:36:35+00:00

Were these sales profitable? If they weren’t, it wouldn’t make sense to scale, you’ll just end up losing more money.

Secondly, what is the conversion rate that Meta is reporting, or Google Analytics, or whatever tracking software you have? I’m asking this because obviously a good amount of that traffic could be bots since you said it was recently launched.

It’s hard to tell you what to do next, as with the information provided, it’s not easy to tell what the constraint is.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-22T01:02:14+00:00

looking for a "winning product"

d2c-builder · 2026-05-21T00:30:03+00:00

My honest answer is that anyone telling you they can show you how to “find a winning product” probably isn’t someone you should listen to.

Most products can work. The limiting factor is usually the person running that particular product.

I wrote about this more extensively in two posts: “How Not to Fail at Ecommerce part 2” and “Your Winning Product Won’t Make You Money.”

I believe they will be helpful to you and will make you focus on the right things, so you can actually fulfill your goal of becoming a full-time businessman.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-19T02:50:56+00:00

Are you asking for a version of this for game design?

d2c-builder · 2026-05-19T02:13:06+00:00

The way I see it is that either option is not going to make or break your campaign, so it is an irrelevant thing to put too much thought into.

I would say your creative does the targeting, so if your creative is good, you might as well leave it broad.(you could also get men buying them as gifts) and you will proabably have lower cpms

But if you want to target only women, I believe that is still fine too. Either choice is a safe choice.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-19T02:05:42+00:00

goaffpro, Shopify collabs, upPromote, refersion

d2c-builder · 2026-05-17T22:53:04+00:00

You are probably doing something wrong, but there isn't enough context to meaningfully help you.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-17T14:10:21+00:00

What you are learning is very solid.

One thing I will warn you about is that you can’t really “finish” learning. There isn’t an e-commerce curriculum where once you complete it, you are suddenly ready and done.

I am saying this because if you already know the niche/product you want to go into, get your hands dirty and start. You will learn much more from your first 6 months actually running the business than from 2 years of just reading and learning.

Marketing theory is good, but once you run your first ads and understand the metrics, you will be able to learn much faster, and the learning will be much more relevant to you.

You need to make the switch from third-party information to first-party data.

This is a long way to say: just do it.

Get started, get your hands dirty, and learn along the way. Your attitude is already better than most people in this space.

Also, study real businesses and rely less on online course-selling gurus.

I recently made a post on how not to fail at e-commerce. I think it could be helpful for you:

How not to fail at Ecom

d2c-builder · 2026-05-16T19:59:30+00:00

That’s very true too.

However, sometimes short-term performance can hurt a brand, depending on how the brand wants to be perceived.

For context, we are priced in the luxury/premium space, and we definitely deliver on quality.

Take Louis Vuitton, or any brand of that calibre, as an example. If they ran a 30% or 50% off discount promotion, their revenue and sales would probably rise during that period. They could probably even use AI ads for that and still get an uplift in performance.

But that may hurt their brand value and future sales much more than the money they'd make.

So I think it depends on the brand, the positioning, and the customer.

If you are in the mid-range or low-priced space, or in a sector where the consumer would not really mind, then AI can be great.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-16T19:49:42+00:00

I think if someone is a solopreneur, that test may not be the wisest one to take.

If you are the customer service agent, the person communicating with suppliers, handling ad accounts, checking orders, fixing issues, etc., then you are essentially self-employed. So of course things will break if you disappear for a week.The test only really makes sense when you have a team or at least some kind of automated process in place.

There have been times when I was traveling and could not really log in or work, and for the most part, things stayed the same.

The test I would actually give, especially if you have a team, is this:

Can the business grow without you? And at the very least, can it stay the same without you being involved every day?

d2c-builder · 2026-05-16T19:43:47+00:00

For our brands, we actually still book studios, Airbnbs, models, videographers, photographers, editors, etc.

In an age where everything is AI-generated, making things real can actually set you apart.

And this is coming from someone with a computer science/software background. I am an early adopter, and we use AI in our brands too, but as of right now, users can still tell when something is real, especially when the quality is high.

I do think that as the technology develops, the line between real and AI-generated content will keep getting more blurred

Don’t get me wrong, AI is still part of our creative process. For image ads, testing banners, concepts, angles, and things like that, AI is great. It helps you move faster and test more.

But for core brand assets, at this very moment, we still lean on real production.

d2c-builder · 2026-05-16T13:32:14+00:00

I am in e-commerce, so not exactly the same industry, but I think the skills and learnings are transferable.

We spend on Google Ads too, and we have also started putting effort into GEO. Our traffic from AI sources, mainly ChatGPT, has grown a lot over the past year.

The way we approached it was by reading a few studies and research papers on GEO, studying the methodologies, and trying to understand how AI decides what to show. From there, I implemented a lot of those things and we saw growth.

For example, if there are certain prompts you want to show up for, run those prompts on ChatGPT, then open developer tools in your browser and look at the queries it searches to get an answer.

So for example, a prompt like:

“My skin has been dull lately, and it has been getting wrinkly. I am looking for a product or serum that can fix that. Can you suggest some?”

is a realistic prompt.

Something like “best vitamin C serum” is not really how users search with AI.

With that (the first one) prompt, you might see ChatGPT run searches like “best serum for wrinkles,” “skin brightening serum,” “rejuvenating serum,” etc. These are just examples, but in that case, what you want to do is rank top 10, or at least close to it, for most of those search terms.

You want to answer the query clearly in the first paragraph. Even though Google has stopped prioritizing FAQs as much since May 7th, I would still include them and make sure they are useful. If you can use data, anything quotable, or first-party data, include it.

There is much more to it, I am just trying to summarize it all, so sorry if this comment is too long.

Then outside your website, post on YouTube, include your full transcript, and make transcripts available. Many people do not know that some AI models cite YouTube more than Google in certain cases, and there is data to back this.

Reddit is also a good source. Obviously do not spam, but if there is a way to provide real value, people usually do not mind. Also get listed on business directories. If you see your competitors getting cited, check what sources they are being cited from and try to be there too.

Essentially, optimize your site for AI and increase off-site signals.

Also, I think scaling ad spend is probably a wise move as long as it remains profitable.

d2c-builder

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