Smart+ with creator content vs manual campaigns: purchase CPA −94%
Commentary byROASArchiveOur analysis, not theirsMarks & Spencer moved from manual TikTok campaigns to Smart+ with creator-led content and dynamic catalog ads, and purchase CPA fell 94%.
Conversion rate rose 44%, CTR rose 28% and CPC fell 56%.
TikTok published the result with M&S's agency, Incubeta.
- Purchase CPA: −94%. Each purchase cost a small fraction of what it did under the manual setup.
- Conversion rate: +44%. More of the people who clicked went on to buy.
- CTR: +28%. More people tapped the ads.
- CPC: −56%. Each click cost less than half as much. No absolute values, spend or purchase counts are shared.
The change
Before
Manually built TikTok campaigns using repurposed, highly produced studio assets.
After
Smart+, TikTok's automated campaign type, ran creator and ambassador content in native formats like try-on hauls, outfit-of-the-day videos and styling tips. Dynamic Catalog Ads from M&S's product feed served personalised Carousel Ads of items people had viewed.
Our reading: why it likely worked
Our interpretation, not the advertiser's claim.
- Try-on hauls and styling videos look like normal TikTok posts, so they likely held attention better than polished studio ads.
- Catalog carousels showing items people had already viewed act as retargeting, which usually converts at a lower cost.
- A 94% CPA drop is far larger than the click-level gains, which suggests the catalog retargeting and automation did much of the work. Creative, structure and format all changed at once, though.
Caveats: Vendor-reported: TikTok published this about its own Smart+ product. The page says Smart+ was tested against manual campaigns, but creative, campaign type and ad format all changed together, and spend, conversions and test length are not shared.
How to run this in your account
- Hypothesis
- If we move from manual campaigns with studio assets to Smart+ with creator content and catalog ads, then purchase CPA will fall because native content and product-feed retargeting convert more cheaply.
- Primary metric
- Purchase CPA
- Guardrails
- New vs returning customer share
- Conversion rate
- Spend share going to retargeting
- Who should try it
- Retailers with a product feed and access to creators or ambassadors. It will tell you less if you change only the campaign type and keep studio creative, since this test changed both.
Who got the result
TikTok for Business · Marks & Spencer with Incubeta published this result (Platform success story). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Questions
Is TikTok Smart+ better than manual campaigns?
For Marks & Spencer, Smart+ with creator content and catalog ads cut purchase CPA by 94% compared with manual campaigns.
The creative also changed, so the gain isn't from Smart+ alone.
What creative works for fashion brands on TikTok?
M&S swapped studio assets for creator content in familiar formats: try-on hauls, outfit-of-the-day videos and styling tips.
Can you run catalog ads inside Smart+?
Yes. M&S connected its product feed so Smart+ served personalised Carousel Ads of items people had viewed or shown interest in.