Scaling Beauty: DTC Skincare Brand Success Story

The Problem

A skincare brand was spending $2,000/month on ads with zero predictability. One week: 40 orders. Next week: 6 orders. Same budget, wildly different results. They couldn’t forecast revenue, couldn’t confidently order inventory, and were considering shutting down paid ads entirely.

What We Found

• Google Ads: 65% of budget on broad match keywords attracting researchers instead of buyers. No conversion tracking beyond pageviews.
• Meta Ads: Campaigns optimized for clicks, not purchases. Weak retargeting strategy.
• Real Issue: No SKU-level tracking, meaning ad budget was distributed evenly across unprofitable and profitable products.

The Solution

We rebuilt the brand’s ad ecosystem from the ground up — focusing on accurate tracking, targeted campaigns, and profitability-driven optimization.

Step 1: Fix Tracking Infrastructure

• Installed Meta Pixel with event parameters (ViewContent, AddToCart, Purchase)
• Configured GA4 enhanced eCommerce
• Added server-side tracking to recover iOS 14.5+ attribution loss

Step 2: Rebuild Campaign Architecture

• Google Ads: Killed broad match, created intent-based ad groups with dedicated landing pages.
• Meta Ads: Shifted to problem-first creative testing across segmented audiences.

Step 3: Retargeting System

• Hot audience: Viewed product 3+ times → urgency ads within 48 hours
• Warm audience: Visited 2+ pages → testimonial-based ads
• Cool audience: Educated with value-driven content

Step 4: Conversion Optimization

Heatmap analysis revealed 61% of mobile users never scrolled past the hero section. We redesigned the above-the-fold layout to show value instantly and improve conversion rate by 34%.

Results (75 Days)

• ROAS: 1.4× → 3.2×
• Revenue: +67% on same ad spend
• CAC: $64 → $41
• Repeat Purchases: 12% → 39%

Why This Worked

• Traffic quality over traffic volume: We prioritized buyers, not browsers.
• Retargeting as a system: Multi-stage nurturing instead of random reminders.
• SKU-level profit analysis: Promoted only profitable products, cutting wasted spend.

When you can predict next month’s revenue within 15%, you’re no longer running ads — you’re operating a growth system.