Case Study

Proteinmax - Win Story

How we achieved +36% revenue with only +4% orders for one of Greece’s largest sports nutrition e-shops, without changing prices, by shifting the product mix toward large-format bundles.

Google AdsMeta AdsE-commerceSEOOther

+36.2%

Revenue YoY

+31.1%

AOV

+146.8%

Google CPC Revenue

The Challenge

Increase revenue. Do not significantly increase orders.

proteinmax.gr is one of the leading Greek sports nutrition e-shops, with a complete portfolio of proteins, creatines, vitamins, bundles, and food products. After a period of continuous growth, the e-shop team entered Q1 2026 with a brief that, on the surface, sounded contradictory: achieve significant revenue growth without a proportional increase in order volume. The reason was operational. The e-shop’s logistics systems could not support a proportional increase in order volume relative to the revenue target. In practice, this meant that the official KPI was +20% YoY revenue, but the real KPI was AOV growth. AOV had to increase without changing prices, because pricing pressure in a saturated, competitive market would push demand toward competing brands. **This was not a revenue problem. It was a mix problem.** In a sports nutrition e-shop, a customer who buys a 2x or 4x pack can be worth up to 3× more than a single-pack buyer, while carrying the same acquisition cost. Whether the average basket increases does not depend on the user’s willingness to spend more. It depends on whether large-format SKUs exist, appear, and are actively promoted at the point of decision. In other words, AOV was a merchandising and distribution problem. Not a pricing problem.

The Approach

Format Upgrade as a Growth Engine — the same customer, with a larger order.

We built the entire strategy around one principle: instead of investing in new customers to increase revenue — with the familiar pressure on CPA and logistics — we reversed the question. The same user who refilled 1kg every month could be upgraded to 2kg or 4×500gr. This created a new purchasing occasion for an existing audience, with clear value for the user — better unit price, fewer orders — and clear value for the brand — lower cost-to-serve per gram and reduced logistics pressure. For this shift to work at scale, two things had to happen simultaneously. First, a new anchor SKU was needed at the top end of the category. The 4x Iso Whey Zero 2000gr was introduced as a new high-value SKU that raised the “ceiling” of the portfolio and made the 2x option feel psychologically more reasonable compared to the 1x option. Second, we needed a complete three-layer system that would carry the bundle logic across every user touchpoint, from search to retention email, without inconsistencies in messaging. The real bottleneck was not the product itself. It was its coordinated presence at every point of the funnel.

Phase 01 · Demand Mapping + AI-Driven Visibility

Three layers: visibility, paid activation, lifecycle

Phase 01

Demand Mapping + AI-Driven Visibility

Using a custom AI script, we analyzed thousands of search queries around ingredients, dosages, and monthly consumption. The goal was not to guess which products made sense as bundles, but to identify demand signals at SKU level. We ended up with a set of products where large-format demand was clear and supply was unmet. At the same time, we optimized the e-shop for Calculator Intent: searches such as “how much protein do I need per month,” “how long does one kilo last,” and “which size is better value.” We created structured content that feeds AI snippets and Google AI Overviews with calculator-style answers, positioning the e-shop as a source of truth both in ChatGPT and SGE results, exactly where search intent naturally leads to large-format purchases. Finally, using AI sentiment analysis across thousands of reviews, we automatically incorporated the most frequently mentioned positive attributes into Meta Descriptions and FAQ Schemas. Organic CTR was strengthened by social proof that, until then, existed only on product pages.

Phase 02

Bundle-First Paid Activation

In Google Shopping and Performance Max campaigns, the default behavior of algorithms pushes cheaper SKUs that convert easily. That was exactly the opposite of what was needed. We rebuilt feeds and campaign hierarchies so that bundle SKUs gained priority in asset routing and bidding signals, without sacrificing efficiency on single packs, which continued to function as entry points. In Demand Gen for acquisition, the messaging was bundle-first from the very first impression. Not “discover the brand” and then upsell, but from the beginning: “See why 2x or 4x is the right choice for your monthly consumption.” The new user is not educated around the single pack only to be asked to upgrade later. They are educated from the start around the format we want to promote. In Demand Gen for retention, we designed an upgrade ladder: 1x → 2x, 2x → 4x. This does not work as a generic cross-sell. It works as a specific format upgrade for a specific user state, with audience segmentation based on last purchase, cadence, and LTV bucket.

Phase 03

Lifecycle Engineering

The email layer completed the loop on two fronts. Refill triggers identify, based on estimated consumption rate, the moment when the product is about to run out and recommend upgrading to a larger format as “fewer orders, better unit price” — not as a discount. Cross-sell flows for lower-AOV segments aimed to increase the number of categories per basket, not necessarily through bundles, but through complementary SKUs that build deeper engagement with the brand. Phases 1 and 2 build the top-of-funnel shift. Phase 3 ensures that the shift is not a one-off campaign effect, but the new baseline of the business.

The Results

+36.2%

YoY Revenue

For the first time in the history of the project, proteinmax.gr reached seven-figure revenue in a single quarter. The lift did not come from traffic expansion — sessions increased by only +7% overall. It came from revenue per session.

+31.1%

AOV without changing prices

A clear mix shift toward large-format SKUs, without any pricing move. The shift was a structural change in what the same visitor buys.

+3.9%

Transactions

Revenue grew 9× faster than orders. The logistics constraint was respected. The business goal was achieved. This is the clearest indication that the strategy solved the real problem, not a different one.

+146.8%

Google CPC Revenue

Revenue per session increased by +97% in Google CPC, with sessions up by only +25%. In Facebook CPC, revenue increased by +108.7%. Bundle-first messaging almost doubled the value of every paid click — not by increasing spend, but by increasing value per click.

Ready to unlock AOV growth without touching your prices?

Let’s audit your product mix and identify the format upgrades that can move your average basket upward, without adding pressure to logistics or damaging your competitive positioning.

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