Shopping Bidding Strategy

What AdGradr checks

AdGradr evaluates whether your Shopping bidding strategy has enough data to function. Running Target ROAS with fewer than 20 conversions in 30 days is flagged as a significant finding.

Why this matters

Automated bidding on Microsoft Shopping has a higher data threshold than Google. Target ROAS on Bing needs at least 20 conversions in the past 30 days to optimize effectively. Google’s equivalent threshold is around 15. Running Target ROAS below this threshold means the algorithm is guessing, not optimizing.

This is the single most common bidding mistake on Bing Shopping. Accounts get imported from Google with Target ROAS active, but Bing’s lower traffic volume means the conversion count drops below the threshold. The strategy that worked on Google now underperforms on Bing because there is not enough signal for the algorithm.

Note

Manual CPC on Microsoft Shopping is perfectly fine. Unlike search campaigns, where automated bidding has clear advantages at scale, Shopping campaigns often perform well with manual bids, especially at lower volumes.

What good looks like

• Target ROAS campaigns have 20+ conversions in the trailing 30-day window
• Campaigns below the threshold use Manual CPC or Enhanced CPC instead
• Bidding strategy matches the actual data volume, not the Google account’s strategy
• Regular checks that conversion volume still supports the chosen strategy

Common mistakes

1. Importing Target ROAS from Google without checking conversion volume. Google might give you 40 conversions per month on a campaign. Bing might give you 8. Same strategy, completely different data foundation.
2. Treating Manual CPC as a problem to fix. On Bing Shopping, Manual CPC is a legitimate long-term strategy, not just a stepping stone to automation. If your volume does not support Target ROAS, Manual CPC is the correct choice.
3. Switching to Target ROAS too early. Advertisers see 15 conversions and assume that is close enough. It is not. The algorithm needs the full 20 to build reliable bid models.

How to fix it

1. Check each Shopping campaign’s conversion count for the past 30 days.
2. If a campaign has fewer than 20 conversions, switch to Manual CPC or Enhanced CPC.
3. Set manual bids based on product group profitability. Higher bids for high-margin products, lower bids for low-margin ones.
4. Revisit monthly. Once a campaign consistently hits 20+ conversions per month, test Target ROAS with a conservative target (start 10-20% below your actual ROAS to give the algorithm room).
5. Monitor for two weeks after any bidding strategy change. Do not judge results in the first 7 days while the algorithm recalibrates.

When to ignore this check

If your Target ROAS campaign is performing well despite being below the 20-conversion threshold, you may be in a stable niche where the algorithm has enough signal from fewer data points. Performance trumps rules of thumb. Check the data, and if CPA and ROAS are where you need them, leave it alone.

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