Performance Max & Shopping Ads: Trends I’m Seeing this BFCM

If you’ve been in e-commerce for a while, you know how much the game keeps shifting.

What worked 2 years ago? Manual shopping campaigns, endless keyword tweaking, and split-testing audiences.

Fast forward to 2025 — Performance Max and Shopping Ads have taken over.

And honestly? I’ve seen them do wonders for some brands and burn cash for others.
So here’s what I’m noticing this year, especially as we’re heading into Q4 (yes, Black Friday chaos).

1. Google’s AI is running the show now

Performance Max isn’t really a campaign “type” anymore — it’s Google saying:
“Hand us your creative, feed us your data, and let us do the heavy lifting.”

That means less keyword micromanagement and more focus on signals, conversion tracking, and first-party data. The brands that win? They’re the ones giving Google’s AI enough fuel to actually optimize.

2. Creative is your targeting

Since you don’t fully control placements, your creative is the difference-maker.

Product photos, lifestyle shots, even quick UGC-style videos — that’s what drives clicks now.
In fact, some of the best PMax campaigns I’ve seen this year had simple, raw product videos outperforming polished brand commercials.

So if you’re thinking about Q4, don’t just ask “Where will my ads show up?”
Ask “What story am I showing?”

3. Feeds still decide winners

I know it’s boring, but product feeds can quietly crush your performance if they’re sloppy.
Titles, attributes, custom labels — they matter more than most e-com owners think.

Optimized feeds = better relevance.
Better relevance = higher CTR and ROAS.

It’s not sexy, but this is where I’ve seen brands unlock hidden growth.

4. Measurement is messy (but improving)

Tracking conversions across devices and channels isn’t getting any easier.
With third-party cookies fading, Google is pushing hard on data-driven attribution.

What this means for e-com brands:

If you’re not connecting your GA4, CRM, and offline data back into Google…you’re only seeing half the picture.

And half the picture in Q4 is dangerous.

5. Shopping Ads aren’t dead

Everyone’s hyping up PMax, but good old Standard Shopping still has its place.

Some of the sharpest media buyers I know are running hybrid setups:

• PMax for scale

• Standard Shopping for control over best-sellers

It’s not either/or — it’s both.

My take for Q4 2025

CPCs will climb, competition will spike, and lazy advertisers will complain about Google “not working.”
But the brands that:

• prep creative early,

• keep feeds sharp,

• and let PMax + Shopping work together…

…will ride the wave instead of drowning in it.