Who should read this:
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eCommerce Marketing Managers preparing for next year’s strategy
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Digital Marketing Managers & Directors overseeing performance and budgets
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Paid Media Specialists reviewing ROAS and platform effectiveness
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SEO & Content Managers measuring organic growth and content ROI
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Social Media Managers tracking year-over-year engagement and audience shifts
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CMOs & Marketing Leads planning annual goals and budgets
Why you should read this:
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Understand exactly which numbers matter before planning next year’s strategy
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Identify your biggest wins from 2025
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Pinpoint small but critical fixes in email, website performance, and checkout
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Set data-backed goals that align your team and drive measurable growth
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Start January with a sharper, smarter, more strategic marketing plan
As the year comes to a close, many eCommerce brands are focused on holiday sales and festive campaigns. But before January arrives, it’s essential to take a step back and evaluate your digital marketing year in review. Why? Because the insights you gather now will shape your strategy for next year, helping you identify what worked, what didn’t, and where to focus your time and budget.
Think of it as your annual performance check-up: a chance to celebrate wins, diagnose challenges, and start the new year with clarity. Here’s what to review before January 👇
📈 Analyse Your Analytics
Your website and campaign analytics are a treasure trove of insights. Start by diving into the basics:
- Traffic sources: Where did your customers come from…organic, paid, or referrals?
- Top-performing pages: Which products, blogs, or landing pages attracted the most visitors?
- Conversion rates: Which pages actually turned traffic into sales?
This data helps you understand what drove results and highlights areas to optimise. Compare year-over-year performance to see whether you’re growing steadily or just coasting.
💰 Review Your ROAS
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is one of the most important metrics for eCommerce marketers. It shows whether your paid campaigns were profitable or just eating into your budget. Break it down by platform:
📱 Meta Ads: How did Facebook and Instagram perform compared to previous years?
🔎 Google Ads: Which campaigns delivered the strongest ROAS?
🎥 TikTok Ads: Did short-form content drive measurable returns?
Understanding which platforms deliver the highest returns helps you refine your budget allocation for the year ahead.
📊 Platform Performance: Paid vs. Organic
It’s easy to focus on paid campaigns during the busy season, but don’t forget about your organic growth. Social media algorithms and SEO take time to pay off, so a year-end review is the perfect time to measure progress. Check for:
📈 Growth in followers and engagement on social media
🔍 Organic search traffic increases
📰 Content performance (blogs, reels, carousels, etc.)
The key is balance: your strongest digital marketing strategies combine the immediate wins of paid campaigns with the long-term value of organic growth.
👥 Audience Insights
Who are your customers today compared to last year? Reviewing demographic and behavioural data can reveal whether your audience is shifting — and whether your marketing is still aligned with them. Questions to ask:
- Did your average order value increase or decrease?
- Which customer segments were most profitable?
- Are you seeing growth in new audiences (e.g., Gen Z on TikTok)
Use these insights to refresh your buyer personas for the new year.
🛠️ Don’t Forget the Details
Sometimes the smallest details make the biggest difference. In your year-end review, look at:
- Email performance: Which campaigns had the highest open and click rates?
- Abandoned cart recovery: Was your strategy effective?
- Website performance: Did your site speed or checkout process hurt conversions?
Think of this as your digital “spring cleaning”, clearing out what’s not working and doubling down on what is.
🎯 Set Goals for Next Year
A year-end review isn’t just about looking back — it’s about setting up for success. Once you’ve reviewed your metrics, set clear and measurable goals for the year ahead. Examples:
- Increase ROAS by 20% on Meta Ads
- Double organic traffic through SEO and content marketing
- Launch a new loyalty or referral program to boost retention
Tie your goals to real metrics (like conversion rate or revenue growth) so you can measure success throughout the year.
Final Thoughts
Your digital marketing year in review is more than a box to tick — it’s your chance to learn, adjust, and grow. By analysing analytics, ROAS, platform performance, and audience insights, you’ll enter the new year with a stronger strategy and a clearer sense of direction.
Remember: marketing isn’t just about chasing the next trend. It’s about building on what you’ve learned so your brand grows smarter, not just bigger.
🎯 Ready to start your review? At CDA, we help eCommerce brands turn insights into strategies that drive measurable results. Get in touch with our team today to plan your best year yet.
