Meta and Google ads for a luxury retailer in Dubai, UAE: Google return up from 2.2x to 8.7x
LUMINA runs the performance marketing for a luxury retailer in Dubai. Some customers buy on the website. Many more ask on WhatsApp first, so the ads do both jobs.
From March to September 2026, every $1 spent on Google ads brought back $8.70 in website orders, an 8.7x return. In the same months of 2025 it was 2.2x. Website orders from Google ads rose 2.6 times, and the average order was about $4,300. Most of this brand's sales close on WhatsApp and in person, and those are not counted here. We keep the client's name private. Every figure comes straight from the ad accounts we manage.
- Client
- A luxury retailer. We keep the name private.
- Sells
- Bags, shoes, watches, sunglasses, clothing and accessories
- Market
- Dubai, UAE
- Channels
- Google Shopping, Performance Max and Search, Instagram and WhatsApp ads on Meta
- How customers buy
- On the website, on WhatsApp and in person
- LUMINA's role
- Performance marketing: strategy, campaign build and day-to-day management
- Source of figures
- Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager, as each platform reports them
Why do website orders tell only part of the story?
Nobody buys a rare watch on impulse. A customer sees the piece, asks questions on WhatsApp, and often pays outside the website. The website orders on this page are the part that can be counted. Sales closed on WhatsApp and in person are not included.
The range is also wide. A pair of sunglasses and a collector's handbag need different ads, different budgets and a different idea of what counts as a result.
Performance marketing, from strategy to daily management
LUMINA plans, builds and manages the brand's Meta and Google ads, and tells the client which creatives are working.
What did LUMINA set up?
How the campaigns are organised on Google and on Meta.
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A campaign for every category
Bags, shoes, watches, sunglasses, clothing and accessories each have their own campaign on Meta and on Google. Budget moves to the category that is selling.
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Price and stock decide the bid
On Google Shopping, items in stock between about $270 and $5,400 run apart from items above $5,400. Pieces sourced on request run in a third group. Each group has its own target.
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Hero pieces as single ads
A rare watch or a sought-after bag is promoted on its own on Instagram, to bring collectors to that one piece. The fashion house customers search for most also has its own Google campaign, so it never competes with the rest of the catalogue for budget.
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WhatsApp counted as a result
The “Ask on WhatsApp” button on the website is tracked, and Meta runs campaigns that open a WhatsApp chat directly. The ads are judged on conversations as well as orders.
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Both sides of the business
The brand buys from customers as well as selling to them. Separate Search campaigns reach people who want to sell an item and people looking for a personal shopper.
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Video first, then the product
Short videos introduce the brand to new audiences. People who watch or visit then see the products.
What were the results on Google?
| Measure | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on Google Ads, website orders | 2.2x | 8.7x | 3.9x higher |
| Website orders from Google ads (index) | 100 | 263 | 2.6x |
| Website sales from Google ads (index) | 100 | 607 | 6.1x |
| Ad cost for every $100 of website orders | $45 | $11 | −74% |
| Average website order | About $1,900 | About $4,300 | 2.3x |
| Visits to the website, all sources (index) | 100 | 162 | +62% |
Source: Google Ads, March to September of each year, as the platform reports it, and Google Analytics for visits. Website orders only: sales closed on WhatsApp and in person are not included. Orders, sales and visits are shown as an index, with 2025 set to 100. The Google Ads account is in UAE dirhams, converted at 3.6725 to the dollar.
What did Meta ads add?
On Meta, this brand's customers ask before they buy, so the campaigns are judged on conversations and visits. Campaigns that open a WhatsApp chat started almost 2,000 conversations at about $4 each. Website visits from Meta ads rose 1.8 times, and each visit cost 40% less.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| WhatsApp conversations started from Meta ads | Almost 2,000, at about $4 each |
| Website visits from Meta ads | 1.8x, each 40% cheaper ($1.53 to $0.92) |
| Complete video views | 83,624, at $0.10 each |
Source: Meta Ads Manager, as the platform reports it. Website visits compare the first three months of the current campaign structure with the latest three. A conversation is an enquiry, not a sale. The Meta ad account is in UAE dirhams, converted at 3.6725 to the dollar.
Selling luxury pieces in Dubai?
Tell us what you sell and how your customers like to buy.
What made the difference?
Counting the whole sale. In luxury the website order is only part of it, so the WhatsApp conversation is tracked and bid toward as well. Price decides what each ad should do: pieces in stock sell online, and rare pieces start a chat with a collector. And every category, and each side of the business, has its own campaign and its own target, so budget goes where the return is.
Questions brands ask before they start
We track website orders and the steps before a WhatsApp sale: taps on the “Ask on WhatsApp” button and chats opened from an ad. A tap or a chat is an enquiry, not a sale, so the website figures on this page are only part of what the brand sells.
They did here, once the campaigns were split by price and by stock. The return on website orders went from 2.2x to 8.7x between the same months of 2025 and 2026.
It depends on your margins and on how much you sell outside the website. Here, website orders alone returned 8.7x on Google. The average order was about $4,300, and the ad cost was about $11 for every $100 sold online.
Yes. We are based in Dubai and run performance marketing for luxury, fashion and beauty brands in the UAE and across the Gulf, in English, Arabic and French.
Everything from strategy to campaign management and optimization. We also tell you which creatives are working and what we need from you next. Every client gets an account manager and a digital marketing specialist.
The performance figures belong to the client, so we keep the name private. The numbers come straight from Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager for the periods shown.
Selling luxury pieces in Dubai?
Tell us what you sell and how your customers like to buy.