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EOFY is here, and with it comes a flood of shopper intent and competitor activity. But here’s the thing: if your Google Ads don’t look like they’re part of a sale - visually, instantly, and convincingly - you’re missing out on clicks. This blog isn’t about bidding strategy or campaign structure. It’s about the aesthetic side of sale period optimisation: how your ads should appear on Google during EOFY to actually get attention, build trust, and drive conversions.

What Optimised Google Ads Look Like

You need your Google Ads, both search and shopping, to look like they’re part of a sale. That means ensuring your ads visually communicate urgency, value, and trust at a glance. Blend has a built in feed management and will automatically optimise your listings but if you’re not a user just yet, here's what an optimised ad should look like during a sale period as well as some of the key things to get right for full eligibility.

1. Sale Price Formatting in Shopping Ads

If you’re using Google Shopping (via Performance Max or Standard Shopping), Google will automatically show your product’s original price crossed out and the new sale price as well as a sale badge over the product image - but only if you’ve set things up correctly. For your ad to visually reflect the discount:

• You must include both the original price and a lower sale price in your product feed
• This can also be done simply through shopify, using the ‘compare at price’ feature as long as you have a feed management app like Simprosys or use Blend AI.
• The product must have been listed at the original price for at least 30 consecutive days before the discount and will only show for up to 30 days until it needs to be reset
• Your product landing page must also clearly show the original and sale price in a way that matches the feed

When all these conditions are met, your Shopping ad will display with a strikethrough on the old price, the highlighted new price and the sale badge - one of the strongest visual cues for urgency and savings in Google’s ad formats but one that needs to be prepared for. Here’s what you can expect to see:

2. Visual Sale Badges & Promotions

If you’re eligible for Google’s Merchant Promotions, you can attach extra promotional callouts to your Shopping ads, such as:

• “Free Shipping”
• “Spend $150, Save $30”
• “Free Gift with Purchase”

These show as “special offer” tags under your Shopping ad and expand to show more details when clicked. They don’t require price drops, but must be submitted through the Promotions feed or manually in Google Merchant Center and be backed up on your site.

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3. What Won’t Show

If your EOFY offer is only available via a promo code at checkout, and your feed doesn’t reflect an actual price drop, Google Shopping ads will not show a crossed-out price or sale badge. This is crucial. Even if your site says “25% off with EOFY25”, your ad will just look like a regular listing unless:

• The discounted price is reflected directly in your product feed
• OR you apply a Merchant Promotion with the code clearly stated

To make sure your discount looks like a discount in Google Shopping, feed data is key. The takeaway: a visible price change works harder than a hidden one.

4. Ad Copy for Search Text Ads

While Shopping ads rely on visual formatting, Search ads are text-based - so the pressure is on your copy to convey urgency. Some best practice EOFY ad copy is:

• Clear messaging around the sale: “EOFY Sale”, “End of Financial Year Deals”
• Specific Offer Messaging: “Up to 40% Off”, “Extra 20% Off Sale Items”
• Urgency: “Ends June 30”, “Final Days”, “Limited Stock”

Use structured snippets and callouts to reinforce value - “Free Returns”, “Shop Bestsellers”, “Sale Ends Soon” and make sure you mirror this language in your headlines. This it the time to Sell, Sell, Sell! If you’re a Blend user, reach out to the team and we’ll help you create ads with your unique sale messaging to maximise this opportunity.

5. Landing Page Consistency

Even though it's not part of the ad itself, Google checks that your product pages match what you're advertising. If your ad shows a sale price, the landing page must visually support that with the same pricing, clear visibility, and no misleading conditions. If there’s a discrepancy, Google may disapprove your ad or suppress the visual enhancements and you don’t want this during one of the biggest sale periods of the year.

In summary, if you want to compete during EOFY, these are our key tips to leverage Google’s visual features. Don’t forget it’s not all about the ad, make sure your feed and website reflect your offer, and avoid relying only on promo codes unless you’re supporting them with a Merchant Promotion…or simply just use Blend!

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EOFY sales are already in full swing, with brands across Australia jumping in early to drive revenue, move inventory, and hit end-of-financial-year targets. If you haven’t launched your EOFY campaign yet, it’s not too late at all. There’s still time to plan, go live, and make the most of one of the biggest sales events in the ecommerce calendar. You can get catalogue ads live instantly but If you’re looking to get some ad creative live now and make the most of the remaining EOFY period, here are 5 ecommerce ad strategies & formats we love, that you can create today in beginner friendly software like Canva to boost your performance and maximise sales leading into the EOFY.

1. Previous Winners

No examples here but the quickest way to get effective creative live is to repurpose some of your previous winners. Edit the messaging to show your offer and consider adding some extra CRO design features like a clear before-and-after price, an urgency statement like “48 Hours Only” or a direct call-to-action.

If you’re a Blend user, Blend automatically shifts spend towards winning channels, audiences and ad creatives. So in your campaign view you can look which creatives are generating orders at a profitable cost. Remember that the customer journey involves multiple touchpoints, so an ad without direct sales may still contribute value through other actions like add-to-carts and checkout starts. Consider both direct sales metrics and engagement metrics when evaluating creative performance.

If you aren’t using Blend, look at some key stats in your ad accounts that signal strong performance, this could be Link-CTR, add to carts or even CPA. It’s important to consider that platforms attribute in their favour so this data is generally messy and not exactly accurate due to potential view through attributions or double attribution to inflate their impact on your brand.

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2. Product Flatlay + Offer

For brands with smaller products, you can create a flat lay image or even use generative AI tools like ChatGPT to feed it product photos and come up with a flatlay image that has enough whitespace for content.

Showing your products is important but what’s ever more critical during sale periods is showing your offer. Consumers see the word SALE and stop in their tracks, keen to see what sort of bargain they can grab - partner that with a strong campaign offer and consumers will click through, perfect for filling the funnel.

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3. SMS about the Sale

At first glance, this ad isn’t an ad, it’s just a screenshot of someone’s messages. It’s definitely not the most attractive ad but it piques curiosity, is a little humourous and clearly outlines the details of the sale. It’s not the best for the top of the funnel but for consumers who are brand aware and in the consideration phase of the purchasing journey, this ad could serve as a really quick win for your brand and create cut through via a refreshing break from the standard ad designs they’re used to seeing. Sale periods like EOFY are also a great opportunity to test new ad formats as well!

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4. PR Sale Announcement

This is great for your brand on so many levels. If you’ve prepared well for this sale, you might have engaged in some PR! Aside from this being great awareness, you need to maximise this opportunity for social proofing in your sale creative. It takes 30 minutes to get a screenshot of the article and upload that across all of your campaigns and channels (15 seconds if you use Blend AI 😉).

If you didn’t use PR but have previously, you can still utilise the social proofing by including an ‘as seen on’ component to your ad creative. Don’t underestimate the power of borrowing brand equity from media outlets.

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5. Cart Screenshot: Show the Discount

As mentioned before, EOFY is a great opportunity to test different ways to display your offer & discounts. The cart screenshot is an awesome way to do so, by giving consumers the satisfaction of the discounts prior to them even visiting the website. Although ‘Up to X% Off Sitewide’ messaging works well, I think there is something to say in consumers trust with this messaging. By showing some popular products and their discount in cart, consumers know what they can get up front, this might lead to lower CTRs but yield more sales, give it a test and make sure you’re looking at the metrics that matter when scaling spend.

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EOFY sales don’t have to mean stress and long lead times, take some of these quick winning static ad creatives launch them into all channels across the entire funnel within 15 seconds with Blend AI. If you’re feeling behind, don’t worry - you’ve still got time to plan, launch, and scale your EOFY sales strategy. Let us help you capture the end-of-financial-year demand and turn June into your biggest month yet.

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When you're scaling your ecommerce brand, it’s natural to keep a close eye on metrics that signal efficiency. One of those is MER - your Marketing Efficiency Ratio - and it can be tempting to panic when you see that number drop. But here’s why a reduction in MER might actually be a good sign for your business.

What Is MER?

MER = Revenue / Ad Spend

At a glance, MER looks a lot like ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), but there’s an important distinction: MER looks at the performance of your marketing spend across all channels, not just isolated ones. It's a zoomed-out view that tells you how your total marketing investment is converting into revenue.

For example:

• A MER of 30 means that for every $1 you spend on marketing, you’re generating $30 in revenue.
• A MER of 15 means you’re making $15 per $1 spent.

On the surface, that drop from 30 to 15 seems like a step backward. But let’s dig deeper.

High MER, Low Profit: The Hidden Catch

Say your MER is 30 - incredibly efficient, your marketing is really effective. But your profit margin is just 6%. Here’s what might be happening:

• You’re running hyper-efficient ads that’s delivering strong results - but only at a small scale.
• Your fixed costs are high and your revenue isn’t high enough to cover these and allow for widened margins. (e.g. once fixed costs are covered, you’re left with more profit per order)
• Your variable costs could also be too high, look at your COGS, Shipping or even pricing strategy to understand why such a high MER isn’t yielding a strong profit

So while your MER looks impressive, your actual net profit is small, and you may not be building a scalable revenue engine. As you scale your marketing spend, it’s common for your MER to decrease as you target a wider audience so creating these efficiencies are key to setting yourself up for scale.

Lower MER, Higher Profit: The Scaling Sweet Spot

Now imagine your MER drops to 15. You’re less “efficient” per dollar spent - but your profit margin jumps to 20%. What changed?

• You’ve increased your ad spend, growing your revenue to a point where your fixed costs don’t weigh you down as much.
• Your cost per acquisition likely rose - but so did your overall revenue and profit.

In this scenario, you’ve traded a small, super-efficient setup for a larger, more profitable business. There is a sweet spot where you can maximise your revenue and profitability before your profit margin begins to decrease again. As you grow, run the numbers, set targets & goals and make decisions based on your goals. For some businesses like subscription businesses, it might be more beneficial in the long term to acquire as many customers as you can at a low net profit margin to then see rapid future growth, make sure your decisions are informed by both your scaling goals and key business metrics.

Why a Lower MER Can Be a Smart Move

Let’s break it down:

MER going down while profit goes up? That’s a green light for sustainable growth.

It shows you have room to move and continue scaling.

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What Is LTV, Really?

Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) is the total amount of money a customer is expected to spend with your brand over the course of their relationship with you. Not just what they spend today. Not what they might spend if they say, really loved your Valentine’s Day sale, but instead their full lifetime value.

Why LTV Is the Metric That Matters

Most ecommerce brands are laser-focused on ROAS which can be a reflection of just the first conversion: get the click, get the sale, high-five the team. But if you’re only measuring success by the first purchase, you’re only seeing one chapter of the story and you’re limiting your growth and profitability.

LTV zooms out. It shows you how valuable a customer actually is over time - and that’s the number you want to build your strategy around.

For starters, it helps you set realistic Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) targets. If your LTV is $350, you can afford to spend $100 or even $150 to acquire a customer and still come out ahead. But if your LTV is only $60 and you’re dropping $90 on paid ads? That’s not a business - that’s a bonfire.

Short-Term ROAS vs Long-Term Profit (LTV at Work)

You sell a product with an average Lifetime Value (LTV) of $350.

You spend $100 on ads to acquire a new customer.

On the first purchase, the customer buys a product worth $70.

Your initial Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is:

$70 ÷ $100 = 0.7x

(You’re losing money on the first sale.)

At first glance, that looks like a bad deal.

But here’s the bigger picture:

• That same customer receives your welcome email flow.
• A week later, they return and buy a bundle worth $120 (email cost: $0.01).
• After a few weeks they see a retargeting ad for $10 and they spend another $160. Blend customers don’t need to worry about this.
• Over 3 months, they’ve spent $350 and you’ve spent only $110 to get and keep them.

Your true blended ROAS over time becomes:

$350 ÷ $110 = 3.18x

Now you’re profitable and scaling smart.

Some subscription heavy brands even opt out of first order profitability in the name of aggressive new customer acquisition. In the example above their CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) is $100, at first glance you might hear alarm bells, but after realising that the new customer has returned to purchase again from you, that $100 CAC is actually healthy and quite profitable.

LTV also tells you where your leaks are. Low LTV often points to a retention problem, a lack of repeat purchases, site conversion issues, poor email flows or perhaps post sale service.

Where to Find the Numbers

To calculate LTV, you’ll need a few data points - most of which you already have.

Start with your Average Order Value, which your ecommerce platform (like Shopify) likely shows right on your dashboard. Purchase frequency can be calculated by dividing the number of orders by the number of unique customers over a time period - say, the past 12 months. For customer lifespan, you can look at historical purchasing data to see the average time between a customer's first and last order. If you're a newer brand, make an educated estimate based on your category - consumables like skincare or pet food usually have higher lifespans than big-ticket items like mattresses.

You can also export your raw orders - and use an LLM like ChatGPT “Using this export of my customers from my ecommerce store calculate the lifetime value per customer”.

You can also try more purpose built SaaS tools like Lifetimely.io.

Pro tip: If you're just getting started and don’t have a ton of data, start simple and refine as you grow. LTV is a living metric - it should evolve as your business does.

How to Grow Your LTV (Without Working Twice as Hard)

The good news? LTV isn’t fixed. It’s something you can improve. And when you do, every customer becomes more valuable - without increasing your ad spend.

Start by improving the post-purchase experience. Make sure customers feel appreciated, informed, and excited to buy again. A thoughtful email flow, fast shipping, or even a small surprise in the box can go a long way.

Next, look for ways to increase repeat purchases or increase AOV. Offer bundles, subscriptions, or reorder nudges based on past behaviour. Think like Amazon’s “buy again” button - but smarter and more personal.

Segment your audience. High-value customers might warrant a VIP experience, while new customers might need a little extra love before they’re ready to commit.

Talk to your customers. We always say it isn’t just about the ads. The best brands are talking to their customers constantly via all of their social channels.

And most importantly - plug the holes. If customers are churning after one purchase, find out why. Poor product experience? Shipping issues? Confusing returns? Call them - ask them, you’ll be surprised by the results. Every fix adds up.

In a world of vanity metrics - likes, impressions, 5x ROAS screenshots - LTV is one metric that really matters. It gives you clarity, direction, and confidence to grow a business that lasts.

The ecommerce brands that scale sustainably aren’t just the ones who win the first sale. They’re the ones who make every customer count - again and again.

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If you’re running an ecommerce brand, chances are you’re juggling a lot -  product, fulfillment, customer support, creative, and of course, marketing.

But when it comes to performance marketing, too many brands obsess over the wrong metrics. Vanity metrics like ROAS might make you feel good, but they won’t help you grow profitably & sustainably.

At BlendAI, we believe in data that drives decisions. In this blog, we break down 5 of the most important performance marketing metrics ecommerce founders should track - so you can scale profitably, confidently, and with clarity.

1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

What it is: How much you’re spending to acquire one customer.

Formula:

CAC = Total Marketing Spend / Number of New Customers

Why it matters: If you don’t know your CAC, you don’t know how much you can afford to spend to grow. It’s your north star for sustainable scaling.

💡 Pro tip: Monitor CAC across channels - Facebook, Google, TikTok - to spot what’s working and what’s burning cash.

2. MER (Marketing Efficiency Ratio)

What it is: A holistic view of your marketing efficiency across all channels.

Formula:

MER = Total Revenue / Total Marketing Spend

Why it matters: MER shows you how efficiently your entire marketing budget is driving revenue. Unlike platform-specific metrics or ROAS, it reflects real-world performance and takes all channels into account.

📊 Blend AI tip: We love MER for its simplicity and honesty. It cuts through attribution noise and shows real business impact. We recommend you measure it closely and consider it heavily when scaling.

3. Lifetime Value (LTV)

What it is: How much a customer spends with you over their lifetime.

Formula:

LTV - Average Order Value × Purchase Frequency × Retention Period

Why it matters: If your CAC is $60 but your LTV is $300, that’s a great trade. If your CAC is higher than LTV - you’re losing money and need to re-evaluate immediately. A high LTV means you can afford to outspend competitors to acquire customers and increase your brand’s profitability by influencing repeat purchases.

💭 Remember: You did all of that hard work acquiring the customer, make it easier for yourself and influence repeat purchases.

4. Conversion Rate (CVR)

What it is: The percentage of users who purchase after visiting your website or clicking on your ad.

Formula:

CVR = (Conversions / Sessions or Clicks)

Why it matters: You can have a great Link Click Through Rate (CTR) on your ads, but if your landing page or checkout is leaky, your funnel will underperform. By looking at your CVR and ad performance metrics separately you’ll be able to figure out where the improvement is needed. Either your ads are poor, your website is poor or your targeting is way off.

🛠️ Fix the funnel: Use heatmaps, A/B tests, and Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) tools to plug the leaks in your path to purchase. For a great free heatmap and screenrecording tool, try Microsoft Clarity.

5. Contribution Margin

What it is: The percentage of revenue that remains after covering variable costs, which contributes to covering fixed costs and generating profit.

Formula:

Contribution Margin (%) = [(Revenue – Variable Costs) / Revenue]

Why it matters: A healthy contribution margin is crucial for profitable growth. It shows how efficiently your business turns sales into actual profit, beyond just covering production and delivery costs. A strong contribution margin gives you more breathing room to invest in marketing, operations, and growth initiatives without sacrificing financial health.

💸 Efficiency matters: Focus on optimizing product pricing, reducing variable costs, and improving operational efficiency to maximize your contribution margin.

Examples of variable costs:

• Product costs (ingredients, packaging, manufacturing)
• Shipping and fulfillment costs
• Credit card/payment processing fees
• Customer discounts and refunds
• Commissions paid per sale

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Tracking the right performance metrics isn’t just about reporting - it’s about making smarter, faster decisions that actually grow your ecommerce business and being able to spot the areas of weakness along the customer journey. With tools like Blend AI, the guesswork is gone and the attribution is clean.