What we set out to test
Can e-commerce players unlock incremental sales and boost brand interest by serving online video ads?
The background
SHEIN is an international e-commerce retailer that offers stylish clothes and accessories to shoppers all over the world. The brand typically uses display ads to bring shoppers to its website, but it was eager to see whether complementing its display campaign with online video ads could increase incremental sales and brand interest.
How we set the experiment up
SHEIN created TrueView for action ads that encouraged viewers to shop on its website. The brand then used Geo Experiments to conduct matched market analysis and determine two comparable groups of cities in the United States.
- Control group (eight cities): served display ads only
- Test group (eight cities): served display ads and Trueview for action ads
The brand tapped into advanced audience solutions such as in-market, affinity, and custom intent across both its display and online video campaigns. After running the experiment for two and a half weeks, SHEIN compared the campaigns’ performance in the control and test groups to see whether online video encouraged more shoppers to make a purchase.
Solutions we used
What we learned
Running display and online video campaigns simultaneously can boost both sales and brand interest. By serving display ads and Trueview for action ads at the same time, SHEIN drove 5% incremental sales at approximately 50% lower cost per acquisition (CPA) than its target. The brand also saw more than 50X organic searches with online video in its media mix.
“We’re planning to invest in using online video in specific regions to connect with even more global shoppers. Moving forward, we’ll also continue using comprehensive measurement methods to accurately assess our performance.” — Leonie Xu, Marketing Director, SHEIN
This case study is part of the Experiment with Google Ads program.
