%20copy.png)
How Canny Crystals made low-AOV paid ads profitable with a £9.46 breakeven CPA
Canny Crystals is a UK wellness and spirituality brand case study showing how low-AOV e-commerce brands can make paid acquisition profitable by building campaigns around a strict CPA ceiling and using email to increase customer lifetime value. Generate Agency kept Meta and Google Ads profitable from week one and used Klaviyo flows to turn first-time buyers into repeat customers.
OUR RESULTS
THE PROBLEM
When Canny Crystals came to us, the brand had strong products and a loyal audience, but paid ads had very little room for error. With an average order value of around £27 and a 35% margin, the breakeven CPA was just £9.46. That meant ads needed to stay efficient from the start to be commercially viable. On top of that, this is a category where repeat purchases matter. A single order does not create much margin on its own, so the brand needed a system that could acquire customers profitably and then increase lifetime value through email.
WHAT WE DID
1. Built paid campaigns around the CPA ceiling
Started from the maximum profitable CPA of £9.46 rather than a spend target. Meta launched at £50 per day and Google at £35 per day so both channels could learn efficiently without risking CPA blowout. In week one, Meta delivered a CPA of £3.93 and Google delivered £4.22, keeping the account profitable from the start.
2. Used Meta for discovery and Google for intent
Positioned Meta as the discovery channel for audiences interested in crystals, spirituality, mindfulness and wellness, with creative built around product story, ethical sourcing, community, and founder personality. Used Google Shopping and Search to capture high-intent searches such as crystals, tarot, divination, and related purchase-ready product terms.
3. Built Klaviyo email flows to increase customer lifetime value
Created lifecycle flows across welcome and onboarding, abandoned cart, checkout recovery, browse abandonment, and post-purchase sequences. This allowed first-time buyers to convert into second and third purchases without requiring more acquisition spend, which is essential in a low-AOV category.
4. Used the ROAS gap to measure email impact
Compared platform-reported ROAS with Shopify ROAS to show the value of email in recovering and converting post-click visitors. On Meta, platform ROAS was 1.92x while Shopify showed 5.25x. On Google, platform ROAS was 2.80x while Shopify showed 7.52x. The consistent 2.7x gap showed that email was capturing conversions platform attribution could not fully see.
THE RESULTS
Revenue and return
- 3.09x true blended ROAS based on Shopify revenue and total ad spend
- 2.86x breakeven ROAS at 35% margin, with both channels exceeding it every week
- £2,809 Shopify revenue from £690 combined ad spend in week one
Paid efficiency
- Meta CPA: £3.93 in week one, less than half the £9.46 breakeven threshold
- Google CPA: £4.22 in week one
- Google CPA: £3.81 in week two, the lowest of the period
- Meta CPA: £6.99 in week two, still 26% below the breakeven ceiling after spend more than doubled
Channel performance
- Meta Shopify ROAS: 5.25x versus 1.92x on-platform
- Google Shopify ROAS: 7.52x versus 2.80x on-platform
- 236 total purchases across both channels
Email contribution
- The gap between platform ROAS and Shopify ROAS was 2.7x on both channels
- That gap showed the commercial impact of Klaviyo flows converting ad-driven traffic after the initial click, especially through welcome, browse abandonment, and abandoned cart sequences
"Throw all my money at Google, the ROAS are always good!"
FAQs
How do you make paid ads work when AOV is low and the CPA ceiling is tight?
By starting from the maximum profitable CPA and working backwards. For Canny Crystals, every campaign decision was evaluated against a £9.46 breakeven CPA rather than against generic performance benchmarks or spend targets.
Why is email so important for a low-AOV brand?
Because a single £27 order does not carry enough margin on its own. The commercial value comes from second, third and fourth purchases, and Klaviyo flows help generate those repeat orders without requiring further acquisition spend.
What does the gap between platform ROAS and Shopify ROAS mean?
It shows that email is doing meaningful conversion work after the ad click. On Canny Crystals, Meta reported 1.92x ROAS while Shopify showed 5.25x, and Google reported 2.80x while Shopify showed 7.52x, revealing a consistent 2.7x gap driven by post-click email conversion.
How did you keep CPA profitable while scaling Meta spend?
Meta spend more than doubled from week one to week two, and CPA rose from £3.93 to £6.99. The important point is that £6.99 remained below the £9.46 breakeven threshold, which meant scale was achieved without breaking profitability.
What made Google effective in this account?
Google captured high-intent searches from people already looking for crystals, tarot products, and related terms. That gave the account a stable performance base while Meta handled audience discovery and broader demand creation.
READY FOR PREDICTABLE, PROFITABLE GROWTH?
VIEW MORE CASE STUDIES
.png)
