CAI - Catalog Activation Insights

Gaining Product Catalog Insights

Catalog Activation Insights (CAI) is a powerful tool for analyzing product catalog performance on Google Shopping across various campaigns. It provides valuable insights that help optimize product performance by answering key strategic questions:

Are low-performing products (ROAS < 1) consuming too much of your budget?
How dependent is your performance on a handful of top-performing products?
Are there "zombie" products that could generate more revenue with proper adjustments?

How to set up and use CAI

Create your dashboard

To get started with Catalog Activation Insights (CAI), follow these steps:

1. Add the relevant Google Ads Account

Navigate to settings (bottom left) > Company Account > Link an account > Google Ads. Ensure that your Google Ads account is linked.

2. Choose or Create a Product Flow

Select an existing Product Flow or create a new one, especially if you’re working with a prospect.
At least one import and one export are required to activate the Insights section.

3. Access the Insights Section

In the middle column, locate the Performance Toolkit and select Insights.
If prompted with "This section is empty. Please configure your settings to start," proceed to the next step.

4. Go to the Settings Tab

Click on the Settings tab to set up your dashboard.
Ensure the correct Google Ads account is selected (already linked earlier).
Define thresholds for:
- High Potential ROAS: Identify high-performing products.
- Zombie Products: Set a click threshold to flag underperforming products.

5. Activate the Dashboard

Once thresholds are configured, the Create button will become active. Click Create to generate your dashboard.

6. Wait for Data

Allow 5–10 minutes for the data to load. Your insights will then be ready for analysis.

Use your Dashboard

Configuration Options:

Time Range: Select the period you want to analyze.
High Potential ROAS: This threshold, configured in the settings, identifies high-performing products.
Zombie Products Threshold: This threshold, also from your settings, flags underperforming products (e.g., products with zero clicks or less than 20 clicks).

Using the Insights:

You can explore the insights using the pre-configured thresholds (set in the settings). To further refine your analysis, you can also adjust the Time Range on the fly.

The report will display performance metrics such as ROAS, spend, and clicks for each product cluster based on your selected time range.

Key Insights and Analysis

This tool is especially crucial for consultants managing client relationships or strategizing campaigns, and this report is designed for different stages of campaign management:

Media expert: It helps demonstrate the potential of the Advanced license to prospects.
Segmentation Projects: It supports analysis before and after segmentation in SmartFeeds.
Campaign Evaluation: It assists in assessing ongoing campaign performance by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs).

Overall Performance by Cluster

Clusters based on defined thresholds
Overall performance by cluster over the defined period
Detailed analysis by cluster over the defined period
Detailed analysis by cluster compared to the previous year

The report compares the performance of products across various clusters, showing metrics like ROAS, spend, and clicks. For each cluster, you can track:

ROAS: Return on Ad Spend, indicating how much revenue is generated for each unit of spend.
Spend: The total amount spent on each product cluster.
Clicks: The number of clicks each product receives.

Product Distribution by Cluster

Each product is grouped into clusters based on specific criteria, such as:

Low Performer Products: Products with ROAS < 1.
Zombie Products: Products with minimal clicks (e.g., Clicks = 0 or Clicks < 20).
High Potential Products: Products with ROAS >= 5 (based on the threshold you configured)

These clusters are compared with previous periods or the same time frame from the previous year to assess:

Zombie Product Percentage: How many products have very low or no clicks.
High Potential Product Percentage: The share of products showing strong ROAS.
Spend on Non-Profitable Products: The amount of budget spent on products that are not performing well.

Example Use Case

An AS working with a prospect may use CAI to highlight the potential for increasing revenue by focusing more on high-potential products (ROAS >= 5) and reducing spend on zombie products (Clicks = 0).
An SEA consultant can use the report to identify low performers, adjust bids or product visibility, and improve ROAS by prioritizing products that show better performance.

KPI Evolution and Comparison

The report offers graphs to track KPIs over time:

ROAS and Spend Evolution: Monthly comparisons to see how performance has evolved and to identify any seasonal trends.
Cluster Performance: The evolution of product volume and spend within each cluster helps evaluate the effectiveness of different strategies.

Quick Answers to Common Issues

Can the report be customized for a client?

The report is standardized for all clients. Customization is only possible for adjusting the thresholds for zombie and high-potential products based on clicks and ROAS.

Is the report retroactive?

Yes, the report is retroactive up to January of the previous year, ensuring accurate Year-on-Year comparisons.

Does it incur an additional cost?

No, the report is free and included in all SmartFeeds licenses.

How long does it take to create the dashboard?

Setting up the dashboard is quick, and the initial data loading takes 5 to 10 minutes. Afterward, the page is instantly accessible without any further delay.

How to configure this dashboard for a prospect without a SmartFeeds account?

Request access to a demo account from the SmartFeeds team. Then, ensure to create an import and channel to access the Insights section.

For further assistance with SmartFeeds, consider reviewing these articles:

For additional help, feel free to reach out via our Contact Us page.