Use Case: Competitive Benchmarking with Google Ads monitoring, transforms Digital Strategy for a Local Supermarket Chain

Client Background

A large supermarket chain has a growing e-commerce platform for online grocery shopping. As part of its growth strategy, the chain wanted to strengthen its digital presence and increase its share of online orders, particularly in the highly competitive "Food and Groceries" category.

The Challenge

Despite investing in Google Ads for several years, the supermarket struggled to achieve strong engagement and conversions compared to its main competitors. Management suspected their competitors were outpacing them in both advertising spend and strategic targeting but lacked the data to confirm these suspicions. They needed actionable insights to optimize their campaigns, increase visibility, and attract more customers.

CommRadar’s Solution

Using CommRadar’s Google Ads monitoring and analytics service, the supermarket gained access to detailed advertising data, including competitor impressions, ad formats, and seasonal trends. The analysis revealed several critical findings:

1. Competitor Dominance: A primary competitor consistently led in monthly impressions for text-based search ads targeting high-traffic keywords such as "weekly grocery deals" and "discounted fresh produce."

2. Underutilized Ad Formats: While the supermarket focused on generic text ads, its competitors were investing heavily in dynamic search ads that displayed real-time inventory and pricing information.

3. Seasonal Spending Patterns: Data showed that the competitor significantly increased ad spend during the first week of each month, coinciding with salary payments and heightened consumer spending.

The Strategy

With these insights, the supermarket chain implemented a multi-step plan to revamp its digital advertising strategy:

1. Keyword Targeting: They bid aggressively on high-traffic keywords identified in the analysis, ensuring their ads appeared alongside their competitor’s during critical consumer searches.

2. Dynamic Search Ads: The supermarket adopted dynamic search ads to showcase updated inventory and competitive pricing directly in search results, increasing the relevance and attractiveness of their ads.

3. Seasonal Budgeting: They reallocated their monthly advertising budget to focus on the first and last weeks of the month, aligning with consumer spending peaks identified in the analysis.

4. Custom Campaigns: Using insights into their competitor’s creative strategies, the supermarket introduced tailored campaigns highlighting unique offerings such as free delivery, loyalty rewards, and exclusive discounts.

The Results

Within three months of implementing these changes, the supermarket achieved impressive results:

• 15% Increase in Website Traffic: Targeted search ads significantly improved visibility, driving more users to the e-commerce platform.

• 10% Growth in Online Orders: Enhanced ad relevance and competitive pricing led to a higher conversion rate among online shoppers.

• Improved ROI: The supermarket reported a 20% improvement in return on advertising spend (ROAS) due to the optimized campaigns and better budget allocation.

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates how competitor benchmarking can empower businesses to refine their strategies, outperform competitors, and achieve measurable growth in a competitive market.