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Macfarlane Packaging

Scaling e-commerce revenue by expanding beyond brand search

  • Paid Media
  • Strategy
  • Brand-reliant spend replaced with high-performing campaigns
  • Profitable reach and new customer engagement

The Diagnosis

Breaking through the glass ceiling of brand-led PPC growth

Macfarlane Packaging, a market-leading distributor of protective packaging, had reached a growth ceiling with its paid media. Heavy dependence on brand search meant they were primarily reaching existing customers, keeping pipeline expansion limited. At the same time, fluctuating order values and recent website changes left conversion rates unpredictable, making campaign optimisation difficult.

The business needed a strategy that could bring in new e-commerce customers and boost revenue from paid media, whilst also maintaining strict efficiency and return-on-ad-spend targets.

The Approach

Expanding non-brand PPC for sustainable revenue growth

Our team collaborated closely with Macfarlane, using weekly check-ins and transparent reporting to ensure everyone was fully engaged and that there were no surprises.

We set out clear commercial goals: grow revenue by expanding into non-brand and shopping campaigns, focus budget on performance tiers, and maintain profitability. Drawing on experience with high-value B2B ecommerce, we fine-tuned structure, prioritised new user acquisition, and used data-informed insights to drive campaign decisions. Our approach kept the client involved in every key milestone and move.

The Execution

Staged delivery, hands-on management, and ongoing partnership

We delivered the new paid search strategy in phases, testing new budget splits and building a ‘performance bucket’ structure. Regular performance reviews meant we could act quickly—tweaking campaigns if key metrics like ROAS or order value dipped.

Rather than defaulting to bigger ad spend, we combined CRO recommendations with paid media changes to combat website-related conversion drops. Consistent, collaborative communication, including weekly calls and quarterly strategy sessions, meant Macfarlane always understood not only what actions were happening, but why.

The Success Criteria

Clear results measured on revenue and efficiency

Success was measured against targets for overall paid media revenue, reduction in reliance on brand search, and improved ROAS. We tracked brand vs. non-brand spend, total revenue, and efficiency week-on-week.

The primary aim was to fuel significant growth by engaging new e-commerce customers, not just repeat buyers, while protecting cost-effectiveness. Macfarlane and Door4 agreed on these KPIs together and checked progress regularly via detailed reporting and direct calls.

The Conclusion

570% revenue growth, lasting acquisition impact, and an ongoing partnership

The shift created a step-change in Macfarlane’s digital performance: a 570% increase in paid media revenue and a 106% boost in efficiency. With a new pipeline of e-commerce customers, the business now spends smarter and supports its ambitious growth.

The client continues to benefit from transparent insight and collaborative strategy sessions, allowing further optimisation, and now sees paid media as a true revenue engine, not just a cost line.

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