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Google ads in 2026 for e-commerce. Shopping, Search, Perf-Max?
Posted by on January 25, 2026 at 8:36 pmEvery year, the trends are changing, and we are pretty much here for that.
If you had to choose between Shopping, Search, and Perf-Max campaign for an expensive clothing e-commerce that targets EU customers, which one would you choose and why? Or if you would say should run multiple, don't be shy to share your whys.
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1 Reply
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A typical ecom structure is going to be a mix of these with pmax doing a lot of the lifting for shopping ads. You’d make search campaign(s) for any high traffic, high converting themes so you’d have more control over what pmax does with search, or to bid on brand with impression share bidding. Then a shopping campaign for brand terms.
Lots of ways to skin a cat in my experience but I wouldn’t have just one campaign (or campaign type) on Google unless your budget was super low.
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All things equal, shopping ads do best for ecom brands. If you are going to get 30+ conversions a month then look at using PMax. Otherwise, look at standard shopping. Once that is in place, you can follow up with search campaigns. It should not be one or other but both when it makes sense for the brand.
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Probably a Mix of Shopping & Performance Max.
(and use Search for the Branded terms)Eg you can use Standard Shopping with query sculpting on the top performer keywords & products and leave the rest to PMAX to try to find the right audience for you.
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Try a display campaign, demand gen and YouTube campaign in isolation and see how many conversions you get from each. Then ask yourself is performance max a good idea?!
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I’d run Performance Max as the main driver, with Shopping and Search supporting it. PMax is best for scale and discovery, Shopping gives control over products and margins, and Search captures high-intent buyers and protects brand traffic.
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