With their pragmatic, hands-on collaboration, Granular feels like an extension of our own team—continuously driving improvements, expanding our reach across core categories, and keeping Planeta Sport a step ahead of the competition.
Client
Planeta Sport
Expertise
Google Ads
Performance Analysis
Campaign Development
Conversion Optimization
Budget Management
Year
2023 - Present
Planeta Sport is a leading sports retail brand in Serbia, offering a wide range of sportswear, footwear, and equipment from renowned global brands. With both an extensive physical store network and a strong online presence, Planeta Sport caters to a diverse customer base, ranging from professional athletes to casual sports enthusiasts. As an established brand with significant SEO and organic capital, Planeta Sport draws substantial monthly traffic and enjoys high visibility in the competitive sports retail market.
Client words
For the past three years, Granular Group has been our strategic partner in scaling Planeta Sport’s digital presence. They transformed SEO into our fastest-growing channel, delivering year-over-year organic growth. Their deep market insights and tailored content—from expert buying guides to seasonal trend features—helped us engage both seasoned athletes and casual fans, while they provide our teams instant clarity to act on every opportunity. With their pragmatic, hands-on collaboration, Granular feels like an extension of our own team—continuously driving improvements, expanding our reach across core categories, and keeping Planeta Sport a step ahead of the competition.
Branimir Kulašević, Chief Ecommerce Officer
Challenges
Rising Competition and CPC Costs
With inflation impacting consumer spending power and the Serbian ecommerce market projected to grow significantly, more competitors entered the sports retail space, driving up Google Ads costs and making it harder to maintain profitable ROAS while scaling campaigns.
Economic Uncertainty Affecting Consumer Behavior
High inflation and cost of living challenges kept retail spending cautious throughout 2024, requiring more sophisticated audience targeting and messaging to convert price-sensitive consumers in the sports retail category.
Limited Google Shopping/Merchant Center Support
Serbia faces ongoing limitations with Google Merchant Center and Shopping campaigns availability, forcing reliance primarily on Search and Display campaigns without the full ecommerce advertising suite available in other markets.
Seasonal Demand Fluctuations
Sports retail faces intense seasonality (winter sports gear, summer equipment, back-to-school periods), requiring dynamic budget allocation and campaign optimization to capture peak demand periods while maintaining year-round visibility.
Expanding Beyond Brand Recognition
While Planeta Sport benefited from strong branded search performance with high conversion rates and low CPCs, over-reliance on brand traffic limited growth potential. The challenge was strategically scaling non-branded campaigns for competitive keywords to capture new audiences, while managing significantly higher costs and competition from both local and international retailers in the Serbian market.
Solution
Smart Bidding and Budget Optimization
We tested various automated bidding strategies to identify optimal performance approaches. We also implemented separate budget allocation for brand vs. non-brand campaigns to maintain profitability while scaling reach across different campaign objectives.
Audience Segmentation and Value-Driven Messaging
We developed sophisticated audience segments based on purchase behavior and price sensitivity, utilizing custom audiences and in-market segments. Then, we created tailored ad copy with compelling value propositions emphasizing promotions, discounts, and product benefits to effectively convert cautious consumers.
Campaign Development
We launched a robust mix of Search, Display, and Performance Max campaigns, focusing on Planeta Sport’s top categories (e.g., sneakers, activewear). Search campaigns leveraged extensive keyword coverage to capture high-intent traffic, while Display campaigns expanded brand visibility for important promotions.
Dynamic Seasonal Campaign Architecture
We created flexible campaign structures with automated budget reallocation based on seasonal performance data and sport-specific demand patterns. We also implemented category-specific ad groups that could be scaled up during peak seasons like winter sports, summer activities, and back-to-school periods, ensuring optimal budget distribution throughout the year.
Strategic Non-Brand Expansion
We developed a comprehensive campaign structure organized with theme-based keyword ad groups and competitor targeting. This architecture was strategically segmented by high and low performing product categories, enabling precise budget control and allocation based on real-time performance data.
Results
- 15.% Increase in total revenue from Google Ads campaigns (Y-O-Y)
- 18% Increase in purchase conversion rate across all campaigns
- 9% Growth in average order value, demonstrating higher quality traffic acquisition
