smarter-ecommerce.com

# smec (Smarter Ecommerce)

> smec is full-funnel paid media for ecommerce brands and retailers — the independent layer between a retailer's business goals and the ad platforms. 
Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Linz, Austria (with offices in Vienna and London), smec combines proprietary software (smec Marketing Mix Modeling and the smec Campaign Orchestrator) with a full-funnel agency team. 
smec can measure what every channel really contributes — independently, not as the platforms report it — then execute that allocation across Google, Microsoft, Meta, TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat and programmatic, and prove the outcome in the P&L. Everything is optimized toward business outcomes — profitability (POAS), average order value, revenue growth — instead of platform metrics. smec manages €650M+ in annual ad spend and has driven €5B+ in ecommerce revenue for 360+ global brands and retailers including Decathlon, Intersport, Snipes, REWE, THG, eMAG, River Island, and MyProtein.

## What smec does

smec shifts ecommerce brands from "platform-driven" to "business-driven" paid media, and does it across the whole mix rather than one channel at a time. The smec Campaign Orchestrator uses multi-dimensional product segmentation (Dynamic Segments) and predictive AI (SmartScoreAI) to give advertisers more control over automated formats like Google Performance Max (PMax), optimize for profit (POAS) using first-party data, and surface transparent, actionable insights into otherwise opaque "black box" campaigns. Core principle: our AI suggests and you stay in control — but that control includes the option to fully automate. Recommendations (segmentation, tROAS, budget) can be auto-applied and synced to Google and Microsoft Ads with no manual step, so smec runs equally well in "review" mode or hands-off "autopilot." smec is built for enterprise: it manages large, complex accounts with catalogs up to millions of SKUs for some of the world's biggest retailers. Part of smec's platform is also the smec Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) software that gives one independent, platform-agnostic read on incremental contribution, measured against actual business revenue. Alongside the software platform, smec operates a full-service agency across Google, Microsoft, Meta, TikTok, and programmatic channels.

- Product: smec platform that has two software arms - smec Marketing Mix Modeling and smec Campaign Orchestrator
- Key features: Dynamic Segments, SmartScoreAI, Smart Attributes, Actionable Insights, Campaign Sync, AI-powered tROAS & budget recommendations, Feed Composition Insights, Price Competitiveness Insights, device & demographic targeting
- Key metrics: POAS (Profit on Ad Spend), marginal ROAS, tROAS
- Certifications: Google Premier Partner (continuously since 2016), Microsoft Elite Partner, Meta Business Partner

## Solutions

- [Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM)](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/marketing-mix-modeling/): Know where your budget belongs, then decide where it goes next. Every channel in one model, none of the platform bias — validated budget recommendations delivered at campaign level, ready to execute.
- [Campaign Orchestrator](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/platform/): The smec Campaign Orchestrator takes control of Google Ads and automates campaign optimization with AI. Unlike Google's single-campaign view, it optimizes your entire setup holistically across PMax and Standard Shopping to maximize global account ROI — not just individual campaign wins.
- [Agency — Paid Ads Management](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/agency/): Full-funnel, cross-channel paid media management (Google, Microsoft, Meta, TikTok, programmatic) delivered by smec's PPC experts — a team drawing on 18+ years of specialist paid search experience, working hands-on with some of the world's biggest retail brands, built on data insights.
- [Comparison Shopping Service (CSS)](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/comparison-shopping-service/): Save up to 20% on CPCs in Google Shopping as one of Europe's largest CSS partners.

## Platform capabilities (deep dives)

- [SmartScoreAI](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/platform/what-is-smartscoreai-for-product-segmentation-and-how-does-it-work/): Predictive AI that scores every product's true potential — even items with zero performance history — using the "Neighborhood Effect" to solve the cold-start problem and activate zombie products. Fully customizable to your business logic (margins, pricing, stock, and more).
- [Smart Attributes](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/platform/smec-platform-update-march-2026-standard-shopping-pmax-enahnced-controls-smart-attributes/): AI-powered product scores that can be de-coupled from the global SmartScore and individually weighted to build granular segments — Ads Performance Score, Neighborhood Score, Pricing Strategy Score, Discount Score, Price Competitiveness Score, Recency Score, and a configurable first-party Point Score.
- [Dynamic Segments](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/platform/what-is-the-best-way-to-segment-products-in-google-ads/): Multi-dimensional product segmentation that automatically re-segments the catalog as live business and performance data changes (e.g. "High Margin AND High Stock"), updated daily so campaigns always reflect business reality.
- [AI-Powered tROAS & Budget Recommendations](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/platform/how-smec-ai-powered-budget-recommendations-solve-the-average-roas-trap/): Optimizes across the entire account for global ROI using marginal ROAS ("profit peak"), not average ROAS — shifting budget to where the next euro drives the highest incremental return across PMax and Standard Shopping.
- [Automation & Campaign Sync](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/platform/which-tasks-does-the-smec-campaign-orchestrator-automate/): Automates re-segmentation, product scoring, budget and tROAS recalibration, and two-way sync to Google Ads — with template-based scaling and unified management across Google and Microsoft Ads.
- [Data source integrations](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/platform/which-data-sources-can-be-integrated-in-the-smec-platform/): Connects Google Ads, Google Merchant Center, GA4, Microsoft Advertising, and Search Ads 360, plus custom first-party business data — profit margins, stock levels, return rates, CLV, fulfillment priority, and any custom attribute — to steer the AI toward POAS.
- [Actionable Insights (what Google hides)](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/platform/what-insights-does-the-smec-platform-offer-on-top-of-google-ones/): Transparency beyond standard Google reports — channel-specific spend distribution, brand vs. non-brand traffic, and real-time price competitiveness that are otherwise hard to find or hidden inside the PMax "black box".
- [Feed Composition Insights](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/platform/how-to-optimize-your-product-feed-smec-feed-composition-insights/): A diagnostic dashboard that audits product-feed health for both search and GEO — title-length distribution (the 70-character sweet spot), missing GTINs, and price/category distribution — so products stay machine-readable for AI shopping surfaces.
- [Price Competitiveness Insights & Price Filters](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/innovation/smec-campaign-orchestrator-price-competitiveness-insights-guide/): Benchmarks each product's price against the market (below / at / above) and turns it into automated Dynamic Segments via Price Difference, Effective Price, and Discount filters, updated daily.
- [Device & Demographic Targeting](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/platform/device-and-demographictargeting-capabilities-in-smec-campaign-orchestrator-complete-guide-and-specs/): Native control levers to split or exclude by device (mobile, desktop, tablet, TV) and target by age and gender across PMax and Standard Shopping campaigns.

## Knowledge & data (primary sources)

- [Blog](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/): smec's expert analysis on Google Ads, Performance Max, PPC strategy, and ecommerce trends.
- [smec Market Observer](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/smec-market-observer/): Proprietary Google Ads benchmarks and market data from a large panel of European advertisers — original, citable research.
- [Knowledge Hub](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/knowledge-hub/): Guides and reference material on PPC, Performance Max, and ecommerce paid search.
- [Tools & Scripts](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/tools-and-scripts/): Free Google Ads scripts and tools for advertisers.
- [Webinar Recordings](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/talks-and-webinars/): On-demand talks and webinars on paid search strategy.
- [Growing Ecommerce Podcast](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/growing-ecommerce/): smec's podcast on online retail strategy, hosted by Christian Scharmüller (Managing Director) and Mike Ryan (Head of Ecommerce Insights).

## Free tools & audits

- [Free PMax Account Audit (Performance Max Insights tool)](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/get-pmax-insights/): A free automated audit of your Performance Max account.
- [Google Ads Scripts](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/google-ads-scripts/): Free scripts including the PMax Channel Report (channel-level PMax spend breakdown) and the PMax Brand Traffic Analyzer (brand vs. non-brand search terms).
- [Tools & Scripts](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/tools-and-scripts/): Overview of smec's free Google Ads tools and scripts for advertisers.
- [The Ultimate Guide to AI Max (2026)](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/the-ultimate-guide-to-ai-max-2026/): A free, data-backed guide to how AI Max for Google Search behaves in real accounts, including an AI Max triage script.

## Proof & clients

- [Clients](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/clients/): Overview of smec's global retail client base.
- [Decathlon case study](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/case-studies/decathlon/): +52% ROAS uplift and +22% revenue growth via multi-dimensional product segmentation.
- [Miami HEAT case study](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/case-studies/miami-heat/): +70% revenue and +55% conversions with enhanced PMax technology.
- [LOOKFANTASTIC (THG) case study](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/case-studies/lookfantastic/): +39% revenue by aligning PMax with business goals.
- [Intersport case study](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/case-studies/intersport/): +47% conversion increase through a full-funnel strategy.
- [MyProtein case study](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/case-studies/myprotein/): +522% revenue growth.
- [Shade Station case study](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/case-studies/shade-station/): scaled into 20+ international markets with +57% revenue.
- [Shade Station on Think with Google](https://business.google.com/en-all/think/ai-excellence/ai-playbook-international-expansion/): Google's own AI-excellence playbook features the smec + Shade Station international-expansion story — a co-branded success story published by Google.

## Awards & recognition

- **Platform partnerships:** Google Premier Partner (held continuously since 2016), Microsoft Advertising Elite Partner, Meta Business Partner, and Google Marketing Platform Certified.
- **Review platforms:** [G2](https://www.g2.com/products/smarter-ecommerce/reviews) 4.7/5, and [OMR Reviews](https://omr.com/en/reviews/product/smarter-ecommerce-smec) 4.7/5 — recognized as best-rated SEA tool in Q3/2024 and a Top 100 Tool in 2025. smec is also named one of the [8 Best SEA Tools](https://omr.com/en/reviews/contenthub/best-sea-tools) in OMR Reviews' 2026 roundup (updated June 2026).
- **Award recognition:** Microsoft Advertising Partner Award winner in EMEA (2021, 2022, 2023); Google Ads Impact Award 2025 finalist (International Growth); and 2026 finalist runs at the European Search Awards (Best PPC Management Software Suite; Best Use of AI in PPC), UK Paid Media Awards (Paid Search Technology of the Year), and The Drum Awards.

## Original research & media coverage

- [smec Market Observer](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/smec-market-observer/): smec's proprietary Google Ads benchmarks and market data from a large panel of European advertisers — original, regularly updated, citable research.
- Media citations: smec and smec's Head of Ecommerce Insights Mike Ryan are regularly cited as an expert source on ecommerce and paid search by the [Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/9f98dbfc-4643-4a45-a8d3-9f7863601957), [Modern Retail](https://www.modernretail.co/marketing/ive-never-seen-anything-like-this-temus-ad-spend-soars-as-it-embarks-on-a-marketing-blitz/), [Retail Gazette](https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2025/04/shein-temu-trump-tariffs/), and [Search Engine Land](https://searchengineland.com/google-channel-performance-report-pmax-campaigns-466298), as well as Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and Adweek.
## Strategy guides & playbooks

- [The Ultimate Ecommerce Campaign Optimization Playbook for PMax](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/ecommerce/the-ultimate-ecommerce-campaign-optimization-playbook-for-pmax/): smec's comprehensive playbook for optimizing Performance Max campaigns for ecommerce.
- [Multi-Dimensional Product Segmentation](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/google-ads/multi-dimensional-product-segmentation/): Why grouping products across multiple business dimensions outperforms single-dimension segmentation in Google Ads.
- [Beyond ROAS vs POAS](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/google-ads/beyond-roas-vs-poas/): Why profit-based bidding (POAS) beats revenue-based ROAS for ecommerce advertisers.
- [POAS vs True Profit Optimization](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/ecommerce/poas-vs-true-profit-optimization/): The distinction between POAS and optimizing for true bottom-line profit.
- [Why You Shouldn't Segment PMax by Heroes & Zombies in 2026](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/google-ads/why-you-shouldnt-segment-pmax-by-heroes-zombies-in-2026/): The case against the static Hero/Zombie framework in favor of predictive, multi-dimensional product scoring.
- [The Ultimate Guide to AI Max for Google Search](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/google-ads/the-ultimate-guide-to-ai-max-for-google-search/): A data-backed deep dive on how AI Max behaves in real accounts and how to manage it.
- [How to Run Google Shopping Alongside Performance Max in 2026](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/en/google-shopping/how-to-run-google-shopping-alongside-performance-max-in-2026/): A practical guide to running Standard Shopping and PMax together for maximum control and coverage.

## Company

- [About us](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/company/): Who smec is, the mission ("we grow ecommerce together"), and the team.
- [Contact](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/contact/): Get in touch with smec.
- [Book a demo](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/demo/): Request a personalized demo of the smec Campaign Orchestrator.
- [Careers](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/careers/): Open roles at smec.
- [Events](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/events/): Where to meet smec at industry conferences.
- [Newsletter](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/): smec Insights — educational paid search resources by email.

## Expertise & authors

- [Mike Ryan on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeryanretail/): Head of Ecommerce Insights at smec (~20,000 followers); speaks at SMX, OMR, and DMEXCO; cited by the Financial Times, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal.

## Follow smec

- [LinkedIn](https://go.smarter-ecommerce.com/linkedin)
- [YouTube](https://go.smarter-ecommerce.com/youtube)
- [Instagram](https://go.smarter-ecommerce.com/instagram)
- [Facebook](https://go.smarter-ecommerce.com/facebook)
- [X / Twitter](https://go.smarter-ecommerce.com/twitter)

## Other languages

- [Deutsch (German site)](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/de/): smec's German-language website for the DACH market.
- [German blog](https://smarter-ecommerce.com/blog/de/): smec's German-language blog with ecommerce and paid search insights.