In e-commerce, success is often associated with rapid and aggressive scaling. However, the story of the Gourmetkáva e-shop is proof that long-term prosperity rests on entirely different pillars: precise planning and patient reinvestment of profit.
We have been managing Google Ads campaigns for this client since 2016. This decade has allowed us to go through the entire evolution of digital marketing – from manually managing every single click to the current use of advanced automation and AI.
Our main goal has never been growth at all costs, but maintaining a healthy revenue-to-cost ratio. The profit from established markets became the fuel that we systematically reinvested into entering 7 European markets.
Client Introduction: Coffee and Accessories Specialist
Gourmetkáva sells everything for home coffee brewing – from their freshly roasted signature beans to grinders, moka pots, AeroPresses, and coffee machines. In recent years, they have expanded the portfolio by creating their own accessories brand, Kaffia. These products offer high quality at competitive prices, which has proved to be a key factor in increasing margins and capturing new markets.
Key Strategies: From Search Precision to Margin-Based Shopping
During our collaboration, we didn't just follow trends – we bent the tools to serve the business.
Search Campaigns
At a time when we needed maximum control over every cent, we relied on the Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAG) structure. Back then, this was a common best practice; automated strategies were nowhere near today's level.
- What it was about: Each important keyword had its own ad group. Thanks to the website's sophisticated categorization, we were able to deliver highly relevant ads.
- Result: This approach helped us stabilize ROAS, pinpoint high-performing categories (e.g., moka pots), and optimize budget allocation.
With the development of automated bidding strategies, we moved away from the SKAG structure. Currently, we use a setup with multiple keywords in a single ad group, with final URLs assigned at the keyword level. This model provides the algorithm with enough data to learn and is now more efficient than manual segmentation.
Shopping Campaigns
When performance shifted toward Shopping (and later PMax), we stopped focusing solely on revenue and shifted our focus to margin.
- Intentional ROAS reduction: As competition in the Czech and Slovak markets intensified, it became increasingly difficult to grow revenue while maintaining the same ROAS levels. The client sold their own freshly roasted coffee and Kaffia accessories, which carried significantly higher margins than resold brands. We therefore made a strategic decision to adopt a more aggressive approach for Gourmetkáva's own products, allowing for lower ROAS in favor of higher volume and revenue growth.
- The ROAS paradox: We intentionally used a lower target ROAS for these categories. While the campaigns appeared less efficient on paper, they actually delivered stronger overall business results.
- Higher volume, higher net profit: With a lower target ROAS, we generated significantly more conversions. Since these were high-margin products, overall revenue grew, and the company's net profit was higher than if we had tried to maintain a high ROAS at all costs.
Strategic Expansion into 7 Markets
Gourmetkáva's expansion was not driven by aggressive budget spend, but by a patient, data-driven approach. New markets were added gradually, at an average pace of every two years (CZ → SK → HU → RO → BG, HR, SI).
Profit-Funded Expansion
A key pillar of our strategy was a self-financing growth model. Rather than burning through large budgets when entering new markets, we reinvested profits from mature, long-optimized markets (such as CZ and SK) into expansion. Through our approach, Google Ads became far more than just an expense; it became a true driver of international expansion, self-funded entirely by the e-shop's own cash flow.
More Than Just Keyword Analysis
Entering each new market required systematic preparation. As specialists, we did not enter markets blindly. The process included:
- In-depth keyword analysis: A grammatically correct translation often did not match how users actually searched for coffee and accessories.
- Local competition analysis: Before launching campaigns, we thoroughly reviewed local sellers' product range, pricing, and delivery conditions.
- Translation and UX review: We evaluated not only ad copy but also category names directly on the website to better align with local purchasing behavior.
From Caution to Performance
We expanded into new markets with limited budgets, continuously monitoring overall MER across the e-shop. Budget efficiency was critical, as there was no room for waste. We therefore built our go-to-market strategy on the following pillars:
- Shopping and Performance Max (where available): A single, all-product campaign structure. Focus on bestsellers – mainly established coffee accessory brands. This approach helped us build brand trust as a new e-commerce player in each market.
- Margin-based segmentation: Once sufficient conversion data was available, we segmented products by margin. This allowed us to maximize net profit, prioritizing Gourmetkáva's own brands as we had already built a strong market presence and customer trust.
- Search campaigns and DSA: Classic search campaigns based on keyword analysis, complemented by DSA campaigns covering the entire website to capture specific queries.
- Adapting to markets without Shopping: In markets where Shopping was not available, we relied on Search campaigns and tested feedless Performance Max setups, using automation to maintain performance even under constrained conditions.
One Year
Based on 10 years of experience, we gained a key insight: Google Ads typically requires around one year in a new market to reach its full potential. This period is needed to accumulate data, optimize ROAS, and build initial brand awareness. Gourmetkáva's expansion was therefore not focused on immediate returns, but on systematically building a position that becomes a stable profit driver after the first year.
However, this time horizon is highly individual and depends on defined KPIs as well as the overall marketing mix. In the case of Gourmetkáva, Google Ads makes up the majority of the investment, while other channels (e.g., Meta) serve more as supporting channels. Factors such as local competition, the speed of building trust with new customers, and many others can significantly impact how quickly the desired results are achieved.
300% Increase in CPC
Few specialists get the opportunity to witness the evolution of a single account and compare data over such a long time horizon. The evolution of the average cost per click in the Czech Republic clearly illustrates the strong pressure the Czech e-commerce market has faced over the past 10 years. In 2016, the average CPC in the CZ account was CZK 3.32; in 2025, it was CZK 9.92.
Conclusion
The Gourmetkáva story demonstrates that long-term collaboration can bring stability even in the fast-changing e-commerce environment. Over 10 years, we have transformed a local player into an international e-shop operating in 7 markets.
The key to success was not just the technical setup of campaigns, but the ability to connect marketing with business reality. Leveraging margins on Gourmetkáva's own products (Kaffia) and a patient approach to expansion allowed us to grow sustainably and profitably.
As the client himself says: "There is always room for improvement." With this exact mindset, we are heading into the next years of our collaboration.
