Google Shopping Optimisation vs Amazon Pricing With Bookshop UK

Bookshop UK is an online bookseller that champions independent bookshops, offering an alternative to major online marketplaces.

Client

Bookshop UK

Date

February 11th, 2026

All work

+20%

Conversion rate

−20%

Cost Per Click

+34%

Return on Ad Spend

Client overview

Bookshop UK is an online bookseller created to support independent bookshops through a more ethical ecommerce model. Rather than competing solely on heavy discounting, the platform focuses on community impact, curated discovery, and sustainable retail partnerships. Operating within a highly competitive Shopping landscape dominated by large marketplaces, Bookshop.org UK needed its paid media strategy to reflect its value-led positioning while still driving efficient commercial growth. To achieve this, we implemented a value-led feed exclusions Google Shopping strategy to reduce exposure to heavily price-driven auctions.

The challenge

Bookshop UK operates in a highly competitive retail landscape where major marketplaces, particularly Amazon, frequently apply aggressive discounting.

While Bookshop’s value proposition is ethical and community-driven rather than price-led, Standard Shopping campaigns were still capturing users whose primary purchase driver was price comparison.

This created inefficiencies within Google Shopping auctions where Bookshop.org could not realistically compete on heavily discounted products.

To improve efficiency without compromising positioning, a value-led feed exclusions Google Shopping strategy was introduced to reduce exposure to heavily price-driven auctions.

Our Approach: Value-Led Feed Exclusions in Google Shopping

A dynamic feed exclusion logic was implemented within Google Ads Standard Shopping campaigns. Products were automatically excluded from the feed when the same ISBNs are deeply discounted on Amazon.

The objective was to improve efficiency by avoiding auctions dominated by extreme price sensitivity and refocusing spend on users aligned with Bookshop’s values rather than purely price-led intent.

This optimisation allowed Shopping campaigns to prioritise:

Users motivated by ethical purchasing decisions
Products with stronger commercial competitiveness
Search queries where Bookshop’s proposition was relevant and credible

No changes were made to budgets, bidding strategies, or creative assets. The improvement was driven entirely by feed management and campaign hygiene within Google Ads.

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates that Shopping performance improves when product eligibility is aligned with brand values and user intent. By choosing not to compete in heavily discounted auctions, Bookshop UK protected both its media efficiency and its ethical positioning.

The dynamic exclusion framework is now a core optimisation lever within Google Ads Shopping, ensuring that investment remains focused on qualified demand rather than low-value price comparison traffic.

Our Work

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