[Case Study] Scaling eCommerce: $833K in Sales and 20-30% ROI

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Even though the eCommerce niche is rather competitive, campaigns executed with precision can bring headspinning results. And in this case study, we’ll uncover how one agency turned PropellerAds’ Push traffic and dynamic CPA bidding into a consistent profit engine.

The results were $833,000 in sales, tens of millions of impressions, and a systemized scaling strategy that consistently delivered 20-30% ROI, with peaks of over 225% ROI in a single month. How did they do it? Let’s find out.

Background: How the Campaigns Were Set Up

Before diving into the numbers, let’s examine some of the foundations that made these campaigns work:

• Conversion type: sale (purchases counted as conversions);
• Payout model: commission-based with new users triggering higher payouts.
• Tracking: S2S postback integration with affiliate portals and API sync.
• Postback setup: dynamic CPA model using the ‘price’ parameter. This allowed the system to assign accurate payouts to each conversion and adjust bids automatically.
• Main traffic format: PropellerAds Push notifications, which delivered the best mix of volume and conversion quality. Later, the team also explored Survey Exit and In-Page Push to diversify traffic.

This solid technical background gave the campaigns flexibility and scalability, making real-time optimization possible.

Campaign Lifecycle: From Launch to Scaling

The media buying team has two projects – a fast-fashion retailer and a global marketplace – each followed a structured lifecycle suggested by PropellerAds account strategist Sotos Charalambous:

1. Warm-up (pre-launch): campaigns were launched at least a week before seasonal events (Singles’ Day, Ramadan, or Black Friday). This warm-up period helped algorithms gather early data before peak demand.
2. Testing phase (days 1-7): intensive A/B testing of GEOs, creatives, ad formats, and landing pages. Conversion delays of 4-5 days were common, so patience was key before making decisions.
3. Scaling phase (days 8-20): Gradual budget increases on campaigns that showed promising early ROI. Optimization on this stage was light but consistent (you’ll find the details below).
4. Ongoing optimization (continuous):
   The team excluded underperforming zoneIDs every two weeks and removed sources with high order cancellation rates.

As their account strategist, Sotos Charalambous, put it:

“It’s not plug-and-play. The first few days are just about watching. Day 8 to 20 – that’s when things really move.”

Case A: Global Marketplace Campaign 

This campaign promoted a large international online marketplace, known for its wide product catalog, strong mobile adoption, and flash deals. The audience was primarily price-sensitive mobile users in emerging markets.

Key Results

• Duration: 1+ year
• Total Sales: $833K
• Total Spend: $687K
• ROI (average): 21.22%
• Top Ad Format: Push
• Top GEOs: MX, FR, ES, IL, IT, CL, DE, BR, SA, KR, CO, PE, GH, NL
• Platform: Android, matching the user base’s shopping habits.

Monthly Performance (Case A)

Highlights

• April 2025: 225% ROI ($98K revenue from $30K spend).
• July 2024: 108% ROI – a breakthrough month showing potential to double returns.
• December 2024: $80K revenue with 25% ROI, boosted by holiday shopping.

Case B: Fast-Fashion Platform

This campaign focused on a mobile-first fast-fashion retailer, popular among Gen Z and millennials. The brand leveraged influencer buzz, seasonal drops, and trend-driven sales to maintain momentum.

Key Results

• Duration: 4-5 months
• Total Conversions: 292,150
• Total Spend: $836K
• Average ROI: 39.7%
• Ad Formats: In-Page Push (iOS), Push, Survey Exit
• Top GEOs: Tier-1 Western countries
• Platform: mostly iOS, with higher CRs in premium markets.

Monthly Performance (Case B)

Optimization Tactics That Drove Results

These optimization moves were applied to both campaigns described above, while PropellerAds account strategist insists that they can be used for most of the eCommerce campaigns: 

ZoneID blacklisting

• Underperforming zones with low CRs or high cancellations were removed every two weeks.
• Data-driven decisions preserved campaign profitability.

Dynamic CPA bidding

• Bids adjusted in real time based on payout value (price= parameter).
• Ensured high-commission conversions justified higher spend.

Trend-driven launches

• Campaigns synced with shopping events: Black Friday, Singles’ Day, Ramadan, etc.
• The warm-up period helped algorithms adapt before peak demand.

Landing Page Testing

Instead of betting on one funnel, multiple types landing pages were rotated to find the winning ones:

• Default product pages
• Seasonal sales pages
• Trending collections

This approach identified regional winners and optimized CR per device and market.

Audience Segmentation

• By device

Android: Higher performance in LATAM, Asia, and Eastern Europe (budget-friendly shoppers).
iOS: Stronger CR in Tier-1 GEOs (premium buyers), works with In-Page Push.

• By region:

Campaign setups adapted per GEO with tailored bids, creatives, and landing pages.

Bonus Insights

Also, PropellerAds account strategist shared some useful insights for everyone working with eCommerce vertical: 

• Use gamification loops: eCommerce platforms increasingly reward repeat engagement with discounts, points, or bonus credits – mirroring apps like Temu.
• Influencer leverage: influencer buzz often primes users, making performance ads more effective. Combining influencer-driven demand with paid traffic creates compounding growth.

See also:

• PropellerAds Review

Conclusion

Even in a crowded eCommerce space, smart tracking, dynamic CPA bidding, and structured optimization can unlock consistent growth.

These two cases prove that success heavily depends on:

• Clean traffic through zone-level management;
• Dynamic adjustments by conversion value;
• And tailoring setups per device and GEO behavior.

Want to replicate results like this? With PropellerAds ad formats and optimization cycles, eCommerce scaling is absolutely within reach! Join now!

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