Retention Edge E23: What 35,000 Shopify Stores Taught Us About Profitable Meta and Google Ads

We’re back with another episode of The Retention Edge Podcast.

On this episode, Pavlo Matviienko sat down to talk to us about how Shopify brands can run profitable Meta and Google ads without hiring an agency or building an in-house team - and where automation fits (and doesn’t fit) in paid acquisition.

Pavlo is the CEO and co-founder of Adwisely, a hybrid between software and an agency, priced for SMB and mid-market brands who aren’t keen on huge agency fees and minimum spend thresholds.

We got into some really useful topics in this episode, particularly valuable for any brand that’s trying to get past the hump and start scaling towards the 8-figure mark.

Here are the key takeaways from our chat with Pavlo:

Don’t Run Meta Ads Too Early

One of the biggest mistakes brands make is jumping into Meta ads before they’re ready.

If you don’t have enough purchase data, you’re not “testing” - you’re paying Meta to learn.

Rule of thumb:

• Meta product catalog ads need ~100 purchases in the last 30 days

• Below that, performance will be inefficient and expensive

If you’re earlier than that:

• Start with Google (clearer intent)

• Use partnerships, influencers, or niche channels

• Prove demand first, then scale with Meta

Evergreen Campaigns Beat Short-Term Promos

High-performing brands don’t constantly spin up new campaigns.

Instead, they rely on:

• Always-on product catalog campaigns

• Gradual optimization over months, not weeks

• Letting Meta and Google AI learn who converts and why

Short-lived campaigns (flash sales, 2-3 week promos) often:

• never exit learning

• reset performance

• waste budget

Stability compounds. Constant resets don’t.

Scale Slowly — Faster Is Usually Worse

Aggressive budget increases are one of the fastest ways to kill ROAS.

What works better:

• Start small

• Increase budgets by 10-25% at a time

• Let performance stabilize before the next increase

If you jump 50-100% at once, you’ll likely:

• re-enter learning

• lose efficiency

• spend more to get the same results

Prepare for BFCM Months in Advance (Not Weeks)

One of the strongest insights from the episode, and pertinent info for anyone wishing their BFCM went better.

Black Friday success is built in Q2 and Q3 - not November.

Best practices:

• Have evergreen campaigns live 6+ months before BFCM

• Gradually scale budgets through late summer / early fall

• Use earlier moments (Halloween, pre-BFCM promos) to build retargeting pools

• Modify messaging inside existing campaigns — don’t launch new ones during BFCM

New campaigns during BFCM = expensive learning at the worst possible time.

Keep this in mind as you start thinking about how you’re going to win BFCM 2026.

Small Setup Details Matter More Than You Think

A few tactical mistakes that quietly hurt performance:

• Too many product variants in your catalog (merge them where possible)

• Starting campaigns with high daily budgets

• Weak or unclear ad copy (you still need a clear value prop)

• Ignoring hero imagery - even catalog ads need strong visuals

These aren’t “advanced tactics,” but they consistently separate efficient accounts from unprofitable ones.

The Big Picture

The throughline of the episode was simple:

Profitable paid acquisition isn’t about clever hacks. It’s about patience, data maturity, and not fighting the algorithms.

Ads work best when you stop forcing outcomes - and start building systems that compound.

Watch or listen to the episode below:

You can also find it on Spotify. Wherever you listen, don’t forget to like, rate, review, comment, subscribe. Each interaction helps us bring more experts on to share their wisdom (always free, btw).

You can find and connect with Pavlo here, and check out his company Adwisely here.

I’ll be back later in the week with the latest from around the ecom world, plus our regular deep dives into retention and sustainable growth strategies.

Talk soon,

Pietro and The Retention Edge Team

PS: thinking about launching your own app? Go to our website to get a preview of your app for free, or shoot me a DM on LinkedIn to talk about it.