When setting up advertising, it’s essential to follow the platform’s advertising policies. Google Ads places certain restrictions on the promotion of military-related products. These restrictions are regulated by the Google Ads policy on dangerous products and services. For example, some medical items may require advertiser certification and compliance with local legal requirements. Dual-use products such as optical devices or communication tools, which can be used for both military and civilian purposes may also face limitations in terms of ad visibility.
Google Ads policies may change over time, so it’s important to always check the latest information on the official Google Ads website. We’re already familiar with promoting tactical gear, this is our second case in this niche. This time, however, the advertising was set up via the Google network.
About the Client
The client is a tactical gear store offering a wide selection of original products from the US and Europe. This includes clothing and equipment from well-known brands, as well as authentic U.S. Army surplus items.
The store’s assortment includes:
- tactical clothing
- bivouac and camping gear
- tactical equipment
- tactical medical supplies
- MREs and freeze-dried rations
- freeze-dried meals
- energy bars and chocolate
Store Advantages:
- exclusive products (the client is the exclusive distributor of certain items in Ukraine)
- professional consultation and assistance with product selection
- discounts for bulk orders
- orders are shipped daily
- delivery via Nova Post, with in-store pickup available in central Kyiv
Google Ads setup for tactical gear store
The client first reached out to ITForce in September 2021.
The tasks and goals set for the agency’s team were as follows:
- Task: promote the product range of the tactical gear store through advertising campaigns
- Goal: increase the number of product sales.
As of September 2021, the client had active Smart campaigns that were set up independently. However, proper conversion tracking and e-commerce setup were missing.
Campaign performance before the start of our optimization efforts (July-November 2021, nearly 6 months of campaign activity):
- 113,788 impressions
- 11,453 interactions
- 358 conversions
- 22.7 UAH cost per conversion
The client’s configured campaigns were relatively successful. Around 10% of all impressions resulted in user interactions (click-throughs). The cost per conversion stood at 22.7 UAH, which is considered relatively low and indicates efficient budget use. On average, the ads were generating nearly 60 conversions per month.
ITForce project implementation following the client’s request in November 2021:
- Creation of Google Analytics 4 (GA4): for tracking and analyzing the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
- Types of ad campaigns: search, display remarketing, DSA (Dynamic Search Ads).
- Analytics and conversion tracking setup: to optimize campaigns and achieve set goals (without enabling the eCommerce module).
- Keywords: selection of target and negative keywords in two languages to reach a broader audience.
- Categories/Services: all priority product categories are promoted, except for a specific group.
- Geography: Ukraine.
- Ad schedule: 24/7.
- Devices: mobile phones and desktops.
In July 2022, the client reached out to us again, and the collaboration has continued since then.
Examples of client ads:
Performance of the campaigns we configured from November 2021 (the initial request) to July 2022 (a total of 8 months of activity):
- 903,793 ad impressions
- 35,708 interactions
- 1,858 conversions
- 12.96 UAH cost per conversion
3.95% of all ad impressions resulted in user interactions, and we managed to reduce the cost per conversion by 57%. The campaigns were generating approximately 232 conversions per month, with a 387% increase in the number of target actions during the period of optimized campaign settings compared to the time before ITForce made adjustments.
Work completed in July-August 2022 included:
- e-commerce setup
- Merchant Center account creation
- Google Ads transaction import
- setup of Shopping and Performance Max campaigns.
The client had a specific requirement for cost per conversion - it was not to exceed 40–45 UAH.
Ongoing campaign optimization efforts throughout the entire collaboration period included:
- Updating account conversion goals (active goals: Order Placed and Add to Cart; the rest were marked as secondary. Later, “Purchase Ads” was set as the primary transaction event in the account).
- Search query analysis (non-targeted queries were added to the negative keyword list; relevant ones were added to the keyword list).
- Reviewing system recommendations (applying relevant ones, dismissing irrelevant suggestions).
- Checking product performance in Shopping and PMax campaigns.
- Adding responsive ads and improving their quality.
- Adding audiences for observation.
- Changing conversion attribution models.
- Adjusting bidding strategies and budgets.
- Reviewing product status in Merchant Center and submitting appeals for disapproved items.
- Gathering new keywords and adding groups to search campaigns for new products.
- Pausing expensive ad groups with no conversions.
- Segmenting campaigns by product categories.
- Regenerating product feeds to include new products.
- Adding new ad extensions (including “Logo” and “Image”) at the account level.
- Adding broad match keywords to search campaigns.
- Adding landing page URLs at the keyword level for certain search terms.
- Setting up enhanced conversion tracking.
- Implementing a script to review placement channels and group-level stats in PMax campaigns.
- Adding a remarketing tag.
- Reviewing PMax placements and excluding irrelevant websites.
The list of campaign optimization tasks reflects an ongoing process within the account.
Market specifics in military and tactical gear sales
Running an effective advertising campaign for military gear during wartime is a complex task - but entirely achievable with the right approach. This niche has three key characteristics.
- High demand: the war has caused a sharp increase in demand for military products - from clothing and gear to tactical medical supplies and communication equipment.
- Intense competition: due to high demand, the market has seen an influx of sellers, significantly increasing competition.
- Regulations and restrictions: the sale of certain types of military goods may require licensing or be subject to other restrictions, which must be taken into account when running ad campaigns..
Achieving positive results requires a combination of understanding the specific needs of the target audience and complying with the regulatory restrictions set by Google Ads for the promotion of military-related products.
The key success factors in advertising setup include:
- a comprehensive approach to planning and execution at every stage
- systematic and detailed analysis of market trends and consumer behavior
- continuous performance monitoring and a readiness to quickly adapt the paid advertising strategy.
Together, these factors form the foundation for ongoing improvement and growth in advertising effectiveness.
Deliverables
Campaign performance for the period 01.08.2022 – 31.12.2024, since the resumption of collaboration:
- 959,268 ad interactions
- 35,720 conversions
- 24,006 transactions
- 5,238% average return on ad spend (ROAS) for the account
- 57.13 UAH average cost per conversion in the account (this includes Add to Cart conversions, which are no longer in use, as well as local actions such as clicks, calls, and directions)
The transaction rate stands at 2.5%, meaning roughly every 40th ad interaction resulted in a transaction. On average, the campaigns generated around 828 transactions per month.
An ROAS metric of 5,238% indicates that paid advertising is highly effective. Every 1 UAH invested brought the client 52.38 UAH in revenue.
It’s important to note that the data provided comes with certain limitations. For instance, Google Analytics 4 was implemented on the client’s website in February 2023. Additionally, the Google Ads data above includes conversions that are no longer active in the account.
Therefore, for a more accurate analysis, it is appropriate to consider the period after GA4 was installed from 01.02.2023 to 31.12.2024. We will filter the account data by the number of key events.
Over 23 months, the website received 2,207,814 visits. The paid advertising channel (Paid Search, Cross Network, Paid Shopping) generated 871,233 sessions, accounting for 39.5% of the total traffic. This makes paid advertising the top-performing traffic source among all those tracked in Google Analytics.
In terms of conversions, 22,210 key events were attributed to Google Ads, representing 55.3% of all such events in the account. This means that paid advertising is also the most effective in driving target actions, especially paid search, which alone accounts for 11,952 events (29.7%).
The next section of this case study will focus on data from the past 4 months (September–December 2024, based on Google Ads data):
- 150,580 ad clicks in the account
- 4,350.05 conversions
- 3,807.05 transactions
- 4,199% average ROAS for the account
- 115.25 UAH average cost per conversion in the account
The conversion rate is approximately 2.89% of total ad clicks. This means that out of every 100 ad clicks, about 2–3 result in a conversion. The ratio between clicks and transactions suggests there is still room to optimize the conversion process.
On average, the campaigns generate 952 transactions per month. The average cost to acquire a single purchase is 131.6 UAH, which is acceptable for the client. 87.5% of all conversions resulted in actual purchases, which indicates both effective lead generation and solid website performance. Overall ad performance remains high, as evidenced by the strong ROAS of 4,199%.
The client’s KPI, increasing the number of sales, has been achieved. Work on further campaign optimization and performance improvement is ongoing.
