Zalando SE

Successful lead generation with LinkedIn Ads

Home » Case Studies » More leads through LinkedIn

0 +

qualified leads

- 0 %

cost per lead (CPL)

> 1 x

higher conversion rate

About Zalando

Founded in 2008 in Berlin, Zalando SE is now Europe’s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle. The company connects millions of customers with brands and partners across 17 markets and aims to become the “operating system for fashion.” In addition to fashion and beauty products, Zalando Gift Cards are part of the portfolio — a flexible solution for both B2B and B2C customers that makes digital gifting easy and scalable.

Step 1

The Challenge

When we began managing Zalando Gift Cards at the start of 2020, it quickly became clear: The foundation was there, but several issues were holding the LinkedIn campaigns back from reaching their full potential.

Unclear lead quality

Although the first LinkedIn-generated leads were numerous, they were not always relevant or conversion-ready.

Targeting too broad

Ads were reaching users without decision-making authority — wasting valuable budget.

High cost per lead (CPL)

The CPL was significantly above the desired level.

Limited conversion rate

The ratio of generated leads to actual inquiries fell short of expectations.

Step 2

Our Approach

To solve these challenges for Zalando Gift Cards, we optimized the LinkedIn campaigns on two levels starting in early 2020: lead quality and performance efficiency.

Focus on high-quality leads

Precise targeting of relevant functions such as Marketing, Sales, Business Development, and HR, combined with seniority filters.
Optimized lead form, reduced to essential fields and enhanced with the question “How many gift cards do you need?” to pre-qualify leads.
Clear value in creatives so decision-makers could immediately see why reaching out was worthwhile.

Continuous performance improvement

A/B testing of creatives and copy to identify the strongest messaging and formats.
Ongoing optimization of campaign settings (targeting, ad formats, funnel structure).
Improved CPL efficiency by shifting budget toward the highest-performing ad variants.

We Create Digital Leaders

Step 3

WEVENTURE delivers Results

Clear improvements emerged within a short time. Through the combination of precise targeting, optimized forms, and continuous performance tuning, we elevated lead generation for Zalando Gift Cards to a new level. (Status: January 2021)

Leads

Within the first months after campaign launch, we successfully reached the target audience and generated numerous high-quality contacts.

Cost per Lead

Thanks to optimized ads and smarter budget allocation, CPL decreased significantly, making the campaigns scalable long-term.

Conversion Rate

The conversion rate increased from 1.73% to 3.69% — clear proof of the improved quality of inbound leads.

Learnings

Key Insights

Precise targeting is essential: Speak to decision-makers, not the masses.
Lead forms filter for quality: Fewer, but more relevant inquiries thanks to targeted qualifying questions.
Clear value communication increases relevance and boosts conversion likelihood.
Consistent testing and optimization are crucial to lowering CPL and increasing conversion rates.
Quality over quantity: Fewer leads can be more valuable when properly pre-qualified.