Parkinson’s UK is a national charity dedicated to improving the lives of people living with Parkinson’s. They campaign for better health and care, research new treatments, and develop life-changing support services.
They run an online shop selling charity merchandise and a curated range of Christmas cards and gifts each year. All profits go directly to continue their work supporting everyone living with Parkinson’s and their families, friends and carers.
Competitive Christmas period needed better results from same budget
The festive period is crucial for Parkinson’s UK’s retail team to generate income. It’s also the most competitive time of year in the charity marketing space.
They’d made significant investment in developing an excellent product offering, expanding into new areas alongside fresh designs for their Christmas cards. However, with ever-increasing Google Ads costs, they needed super effective campaigns within budget.
A small budget needed to cover both the main Christmas campaign and a clearance sale period afterwards. This clearance period was essential to sell through leftover stock and make way for the new 2025 range.
We optimised the campaign structure for key shopping moments
We created a comprehensive Google Ads strategy focused on maximising efficiency from their existing budget, building on the most successful past campaigns.
We developed a careful budget plan for each phase of the campaign, making sure there was enough to maintain visibility during key shopping moments. We set aside a strict budget for the clearance sale to guarantee ads would run during this crucial period.
We worked closely with the retail team to create refreshed messaging that aligned with 2024’s Christmas themes. We also supported their production of appealing image assets showcasing their hero products for Performance Max campaigns.
We monitored budget spend twice weekly and provided weekly performance updates to keep the team informed of our decisions.
42% increase in revenue
Our optimised approach delivered strong results despite the challenging budget constraints:
- Revenue increased by 42% compared to 2023
- Cost per click decreased by 33% year on year
- Each campaign drove 40% higher return on ad spend than in 2023
- Cost per conversion reduced by 52% – much more efficient spending
- 75% of engaged users were new customers – successfully reached fresh audiences
The campaign proved that strategic optimisation could deliver significant improvements even with a flat budget. The charity gained valuable insights into popular products and peak shopping trends.
What’s more, the results helped to secure the budget for 2025, helping make the case internally that the online shop remains a cost-effective channel for generating income despite rising advertising costs.
“Platypus helped us to achieve a strong return on ad spend for our Christmas shop campaign, with a clear improvement on the previous year’s results,” said Sophie Boaks, Digital Marketing Manager at Parkinson’s UK.
“It was particularly valuable to learn more about Performance Max campaigns and see the impact this format had across the campaign. A big thank you to Jamie and the team for all their support and expertise throughout.”
