Rakuten Advertising Boosts CVR by 40% and ROI by 31% with Skai’s AI-driven Paid Search Insights
Challenge
Working with a premier provider of party supplies, decorations, and costume accessories, Rakuten Advertising was enlisted to optimize paid search efforts. With a growing inventory of unique products and a rising volume of search queries, the task of maintaining efficiency in paid search campaigns became increasingly challenging. Regularly reviewing search query reports was time-consuming. Catching problematic queries early or preventing them from happening on a large scale was difficult and optimizing relevant insights frequently proved even harder for the team constantly bogged down in spreadsheets. With the goal to better understand ad engagement and improve the customer journey, Rakuten Advertising partnered with Skai to leverage AI and gather insights faster. The team conducted a three-week Pre/Post test focusing on CVR and CTR improvements as key success metrics using Skai Experiments.
Solution
Skai’s Search Term Analysis (STA) did the heavy lifting. This solution employs sophisticated machine learning algorithms to process and analyze search query data at scale, providing the agency with actionable insights via an easy-to-use, intuitive dashboard. The team refined their keyword strategy and, with a single click, added underperforming search terms as negative keywords across multiple campaigns and ad groups. Simultaneously, Skai’s Intent-Driven Messaging (IDM) tool identified high-intent keywords missing from search ads. Using IDM, the Rakuten Advertising team updated ad copy to align with user intent, higher relevance scores, and higher campaign performance.
Results
Adopting Skai’s AI-powered tools enabled Rakuten Advertising to shift from focusing solely on bid and budget adjustments to a strategy centered on understanding customer intent and engagement signals. This strategic pivot led to notable performance improvements across all Google Search Campaigns:
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) increased by 30%
- Conversion Rate (CVR) improved by 40%
- Return on Investment (ROI) grew by 31%
These results highlight the profound impact of integrating advanced AI analytics into campaign management processes, delivering substantial gains in efficiency and effectiveness.
“Skai’s optimization tools have revolutionized the way we improve our campaigns, enabling us to unlock additional potential for our marketing efforts. With Skai’s advanced algorithms and data-driven insights across search terms and landing pages, we have been able to increase engagement and conversion rates across campaigns for our client”
Mary Schaller
Senior Account Manager, Rakuten Advertising
About Rakuten Advertising
Rakuten Advertising delivers performance-driven, brand-driven, and people-driven ad solutions that help the world’s top brands connect with unique, highly engaged audiences – from first impression to final sale. Backed by industry-leading technology, global media properties, and the largest partner network, Rakuten Advertising taps into decades of consumer data and experience to develop the strategies and ad experiences that will drive engagement, sales, loyalty, and beyond.
A leader in the industry since its beginnings, Rakuten Advertising is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world’s leading internet service companies. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices throughout EMEA, APAC, LATAM, and North America. Learn more at www.RakutenAdvertising.com.
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