Meta ads · Shopify and WooCommerce stores · Australia
Meta ads for Australian ecommerce stores, run by one senior specialist.
I’m Mark Tran, founder of Step Digital in Melbourne. I manage Facebook and Instagram advertising for Australian online stores, with creative testing, acquisition costs and the limits of platform attribution built into the decisions.
If your account is already running and unprofitable, that’s usually where I start: an audit of where the spend is going, and what your real break-even actually is once margin and management are in the maths. I’m based in Melbourne and work with stores across Australia, and the person you talk to is the person in the account.
Who this is for
Stores with a product that sells, and an account that should be doing more with it.
- Australian ecommerce stores selling physical products on Shopify, WooCommerce or similar
- Brands whose reported ROAS looks fine while sales stay flat
- Accounts that have grown past what the founder can run at night
- Stores spending too much on Meta for what comes back, and unsure which half
- Founders who want the person running the account on the call
Fashion and lifestyle brands, supplements, homewares, hardware and functional products all run through the same account logic. What I don’t take on: pre-revenue stores, products without a real market yet, and anything in gambling or get-rich-quick.
How I run it
Structure that fits the account
I distinguish acquisition, retargeting and returning-customer activity where the data and budget support it. Purchaser exclusions and separate campaigns are tools to use deliberately, not a fixed structure for every store.
Retargeting in context
People who already know your store may convert without another ad. I review audience size, frequency, customer mix and the offer before deciding how much budget belongs in retargeting.
Creative tests with a purpose
Each test starts with an angle and a decision to make. I choose a structure that limits disruption to established campaigns while giving the test enough budget and time to be useful.
Spend limits and review triggers
I agree a test budget and a review point. A spend threshold prompts a check of purchase delay, tracking and sample size before a pause or further investment. A reporting delay should not become permission to overspend.
Deliberate budget changes
I adjust budgets with attention to recent performance, conversion volume and the test plan. The size and timing of a change depend on the account rather than one universal percentage.
Creative with a job
I compare creative against the intended outcome, including sales and acquisition cost. Strong engagement can help explain a result, but it does not establish profitable demand on its own.
The first 90 days
Tracking first, structure second, scale third.
Days 1 to 10
Audit and tracking first. I work out the margin available for advertising on a consistent tax basis, with management included separately. I check purchase events, values and Pixel/Conversions API deduplication, allowing for attribution differences. Access is by partner access, so the ad account, pixel and data stay yours.
Weeks 2 to 4
Agree the campaign structure and first creative test around your budget and available data. Allow for purchase delay and reporting time before routine optimisation. Tracking faults, overspend or a reached test limit need attention sooner; there is no universal ten-day waiting rule.
Month 2
Review the test against acquisition cost, contribution margin and its agreed budget. Expand promising activity when the evidence supports it, and revise or stop weak tests. Choose discount audiences according to the offer and customer behaviour.
Month 3 and on
The account is judged against your revenue and break-even, with the attribution gap shown rather than hidden. You get a short weekly update and a full monthly report, and with a newer account I favour a call every fortnight in the first three months, so decisions do not wait for the report.
Freelancer, agency or in-house
Who should run your Meta ads?
An agency can bring several disciplines and team cover. An independent specialist can offer direct access to the person managing the campaigns. An in-house hire can build deep knowledge of your business. Compare the actual people, scope, measurement and total cost of each option.
I run the account myself, from strategy and build through to the monthly report, with the structure an agency would use and none of the handoffs. It is a deliberate choice to stay small and senior rather than grow into the model I left. If your spend outgrows one operator, I will tell you before you notice.
From a real account
An Australian bedding brand came to me with cold and warm blended into one structure and no purchaser exclusions at all.
I rebuilt the campaign structure, addressed checkout friction and tested creative. The source summary reports a 3.62x Meta ROAS average across 15 months, but does not record the averaging method or attribution settings. It is a platform-reported figure, not a measure of incremental sales.
Read the full case study→Questions about Meta ads management.
What is a good ROAS for an Australian ecommerce store?+
There is no universal number. Start with contribution margin after product and other variable costs, use a consistent tax basis, and include ad spend and management in your break-even calculation. Then assess customer mix, attribution and total business results. A platform ROAS alone does not establish profit or incremental sales.
Should I hire a freelancer, an agency, or someone in-house for Meta ads?+
An agency can provide several disciplines and cover; an independent specialist can offer direct access to the operator; an in-house hire can build deep day-to-day business knowledge. Ask who does the work, what is included, how performance is measured and what the commitment is. At Step Digital, I manage the account personally, month to month.
Do you work with Shopify and WooCommerce?+
Yes, both, and other platforms with suitable tracking and product feeds. I review the existing catalogue and purchase tracking first. Building a pixel, ad account or catalogue can require a setup fee; configuration and rebuild work is scoped before it starts.
How much do I need to spend on Meta ads to start?+
There is no fixed minimum ad spend. The budget needs to support a useful test after allowing for your margins and management cost. I usually start on one platform and add a second when it can justify its place. The quoted spend percentage applies across the platforms I manage.
Who owns the ad account and the data?+
You do. You grant Step Digital partner access to your Business Portfolio rather than handing over logins, so the ad account, pixel, catalogue and history stay with you if we ever part ways.
What does it cost?+
Management is quoted as a monthly base plus an agreed percentage of total ad spend across the platforms I manage. The percentage applies to spend excluding GST. Your quote sets out the base, percentage, scope and a worked example; fees are quoted excluding GST, which is added to the invoice. I give you the exact quote on the audit call.
How do you report?+
Against your revenue, not Meta's attribution. A short weekly note on what changed and why, and a monthly report that shows spend, sales, cost per sale, break-even and the gap between Meta's claim and what the store recorded. No vanity metrics.
Who supplies the creative?+
Ad copy, creative direction and recommendations are included. You supply the creative assets. Video, photography, UGC and design are supplied by you or quoted separately, with the scope agreed before work starts.
Is there a setup fee?+
A one-off setup fee applies where the pixel, ad account or catalogue needs building. It is not charged when those are already in place. Eligible setup fees can be waived with a three-month commitment. The quote confirms what is needed and its cost; any tracking rebuild, feed repair or landing-page build is scoped before work begins.
What is the commitment and cancellation notice?+
Management is month to month with 30 days' written notice, unless you choose the three-month commitment to waive eligible setup fees. A billing month that has started is non-refundable. Your quote and agreement set out the billing and cancellation terms.
Work through the numbers.
Practical guides to the decisions behind an ecommerce ad account.
- Break-even ROAS for Australian ecommerce
Calculate the return your costs require, and the extra return needed to recover a management fee.
- Why Meta, Google and Shopify revenue differs
Separate attribution rules from tracking faults before drawing conclusions about your ads.
- Google Ads or Meta Ads for a small ecommerce budget?
Choose the first channel using demand, creative capacity, margins and a test you can afford.
Get a straight answer on your Meta account.
Fifteen minutes, screen shared, on your live campaigns. We will identify reporting risks and the first change worth investigating.
Free, on your real account, no obligation.