+52% more revenue from Google Ads with customer data and Performance Max
From loyal customers to European growth
A Danish clothing brand with over 110 years of history and customers who return time and time again. But how do you reach those who have never heard the name? The answer was customer data, two tracks in Performance Max, and a test shop that proves demand first.
Four figures that show loyalty can be scaled
Revenue through Google Ads
Higher ROAS
More conversions
More brand searches
Customers love the brand. The rest of Europe just doesn't know it yet.
The goal was to reach buyers searching for categories like organic merino wool and base layers, who had never heard of DILLING. At the same time, the marketing effort was spread across different setups and agencies, focused on standard PPC and without a unified overview across channels.
The question wasn't whether DILLING could sell. It was how the budget could go towards new customers rather than taking credit for those who were already coming.
years of clothing with Danish roots. The last ten years sold directly to consumers online.
of customers return and buy again. A strong foundation — but repeat purchases alone don't build a European brand.
The starting point: loyal customers and big ambitions
DILLING has been making clothing with Danish roots for over 110 years and has sold exclusively direct-to-consumer online for the past decade. Over 60% of customers return and buy again, so the foundation was solid.
But European expansion requires more than repeat purchases from customers who already know the name. The goal was to reach buyers searching for categories like organic merino wool and base layers who had never heard of DILLING. At the same time, marketing efforts were split across different setups and agencies, with no unified overview across channels.
The strategy: new and loyal customers on separate tracks
The task was to build an engine that could introduce DILLING to new customers across Europe without spending the budget on customers who already knew the brand.
First-party data in the campaign structure
Searchmind and DILLING began by integrating DILLING's own customer data directly into the campaigns. This made it possible for Performance Max to distinguish between a new customer and a loyal customer.
New customers and retention on separate tracks
The effort was divided into two separate tracks. One targets high-intent non-brand searches where new customers are found. The other reactivates previous customers.
All markets at once
The setup was launched across all international accounts at the same time rather than through slow tests in one market at a time. This quickly provided an overview by market and showed that the budget was going towards genuine new customers rather than simply searches for the brand name.
Paid and organic search moving in the same direction
Google Ads was coordinated with the SEO roadmap around the same relevant non-brand searches. This increased relevance, lowered click prices and improved the click-through rate. At the same time, DILLING's own team worked on increasing the conversion rate on the site.
First-party data
New customers
High-intent non-brand searches
Retention
Reactivates previous customers
The mechanism: the test shop proves demand before investment
New markets normally require localised websites and dedicated campaigns before you know whether there is any demand at all. DILLING reversed the order.
One English-language test shop in euros serves 13 potential European markets as a single audience. An automated model allocates the budget according to three objectives: lowest CPA, highest ROAS and highest order volume.
If customers show strong demand even though the shop is not localised, the market is worth pursuing. Only then is investment made in a local webshop and a dedicated Google account. The method was used, among other things, for the expansion into Poland.
One test shop
Demand has been proven
Then a local webshop and dedicated Google account are launched, for example in Poland
But we weren't trying to build immediate brand loyalty; we were fishing for intent.
Kasper Kjærgaard Nielsen, Chief Commercial Officer, DILLING
From strong customer loyalty to broader growth
By separating new customers from loyal customers and scaling non-branded searches through Performance Max, DILLING demonstrated that strong customer loyalty can drive broader growth. The better the data and the more deliberate the audience segmentation, the more effective Performance Max becomes.
The next step is to scale on two fronts. In established markets such as Germany, an overarching brand layer will be added to increase the share of branded searches. And the test-shop method provides a simple template for evaluating new markets with low risk.
Three things you can take away
Separate new and loyal customers
Data makes Performance Max smarter
Test before you invest
Do you also want to grow beyond your loyal customers?
Tell us where you want to go, and we'll show you where the potential lies in your data.
Book a meeting
Let's have an honest talk about your business
We skip the big agency gestures and look at your real data instead — to see whether a collaboration would actually make sense.
- 30 minutes, no obligation. The meeting is free, and you commit to nothing.
- We start from your data. We look at where you are today, and where we see the biggest opportunities.
- Online or at our office. You choose — and you don't need to prepare anything.
Who will you talk to?
One of our advisors, who knows your channels and can give an honest picture of where the potential lies. No sales pitch — just a conversation about your opportunities.
How it works
- 1 Pick a time that suits you
- 2 Get a confirmation email with a link to the meeting
- 3 We meet and talk through your opportunities
