How to build ROAS-driven campaigns

Why a ROAS-based approach works

Not every product or campaign delivers the same results. Some bring high revenue at a low cost, while others spend their budget without strong returns. A ROAS-focused structure lets you put more budget behind what already works and reduce spend on what doesn’t. This way, your campaigns stay efficient and tied directly to business performance.

Who is it good for:

This strategy is best for ecommerce brands, advertisers with large product catalogs, and marketers who rely on clear performance data to guide budget decisions.

Benefits

Focus on top-performing products that deliver high revenue with lower costs
Uses historical performance to guide strategy instead of guesswork
The structure can easily adapt to changing trends and market conditions
Scalable from small campaigns to large product portfolios

Downsides

Requires enough historical data to effectively set up this structure
Performance can fluctuate due to seasonality or external market shifts
It requires regular monitoring and optimization to stay effective
New or untested products may get less visibility under this structure

How structuring by ROAS look like

When segmenting campaigns by ROAS, the structure should reflect the performance range of your products and align with your overall marketing goals. Before choosing your setup, keep these points in mind:

Each campaign should generate at least 30 conversions per month (we recommend at least 50 for stronger results).
Define your ROAS thresholds and decide how many products each campaign will include. Make sure every campaign has a meaningful volume of products.
Plan your budget allocation carefully. For example, if you assign only €50 to the Low ROAS campaign, it likely won’t reach the minimum conversion volume needed per month.

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Once these factors are considered, you can choose one of three main segmentation approaches:

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Explanation:

High ROAS campaign: For products that consistently deliver strong returns, set a higher ROAS target. This ensures that these products get the majority of the spend.
Low ROAS campaign: Allocate a smaller budget for products that have historically struggled. Set a lower ROAS target to capture any potential conversions without cutting into your profitable campaigns.
Medium ROAS campaign: Include products that perform moderately well. With a balanced ROAS target, this middle tier allows for better experimentation and visibility.
Zombies campaign: For products that are not performing at all, set this campaign to "Maximize Conversion Value" with no specific ROAS target. By allocating a small daily budget, you give these products a chance to gain visibility and potentially rebound without impacting the main campaigns.

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The zombie campaign helps solve one of the most common drawbacks of a ROAS-based structure. To learn how to set it up, read Product Strategy: Zombies.

Google Ads setup

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Microsoft Ads setup

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Meta setup

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(Optional) Setup with GA4 metrics

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Pro tips from the field

We asked PPC and Social Media specialists who work with this campaign structure to share their top tips:

Use longer time ranges. ROAS can fluctuate heavily day to day, so base decisions on 30–90 day data windows for more stability.
Adjust the time range. For example, if you ran a 30-day promotion, a 30-day data window may not give accurate results. Instead, expand the window to 60 days to also include non-promotion periods.
Don’t set ROAS targets too high. Unrealistic targets can restrict delivery. Start lower, then raise gradually as campaigns stabilize.
Protect your profitability by setting a minimum ROAS target for campaigns with the lowest-performing products.
Run a “catch-all” campaign. Keep a small-budget campaign (like your Zombie setup) for new or untested products to gather data without hurting main campaigns.
Test cross-channel attribution. Compare ROAS from Google Ads with GA4 or blended data to make sure you’re not over-optimizing for one channel.