Upat SA

Integrated Performance Marketing Case Study

Upat SA

Deliverables

Performance Marketing Strategy

Google Ads

Google Shopping

Performance Max

Meta Ads

eCommerce Campaign Management

Conversion Tracking

Ongoing Optimisation

Overview

Upat SA (Pty) Ltd is a 100% South African-owned company established in 1983, specialising as an agent, distributor, and manufacturer of premium, German-engineered tools and fasteners for the construction, mining, and DIY sectors.

Headquartered in Johannesburg with a national footprint, Upat is known for supplying high-quality brands and delivering complete fastening solutions to the building industry through its “Position, Open, Fix, Close” (POFC) philosophy.

Upat approached Capitalize Digital to help scale their eCommerce and performance marketing strategy, with the goal of growing online sales while also strengthening overall brand demand and supporting their nationwide network of brick-and-mortar distributors and stores.

The Challenge

Upat had launched their online store during the COVID period as part of their digital transformation strategy. While the platform created an opportunity for direct online sales, the brand wanted to unlock the full value of eCommerce as a sales driver across both online and offline channels.

Key challenges included:

  • Increasing online sales through their eCommerce platform

  • Positioning Upat as the go-to brand for fasteners, tools, and construction solutions

  • Driving product demand that would also benefit their national distributor network

  • Capturing high-intent search demand from contractors, builders, and DIY customers

  • Building a scalable paid media ecosystem across Google and Meta platforms

Upat required a partner who could combine performance marketing strategy, product-led campaigns, and technical execution to support both online and offline growth.

Our Approach

Integrated Performance Marketing Strategy

Capitalize Digital implemented a multi-channel performance marketing strategy designed to capture demand across the entire customer journey.

Campaigns were launched and optimised across:

  • Google Search to capture high-intent product and category searches

  • Google Shopping to promote individual products and pricing visibility

  • Google Performance Max to scale product discovery across Google’s ecosystem

  • Facebook & Instagram Shopping Ads to drive product awareness and retargeting

This integrated structure allowed Upat to capture demand from both professional contractors and DIY customers at various stages of the buying cycle.

Product-Led Campaign Structure

Campaigns were structured around key product categories and use cases to maximise relevance and conversion intent.

This included targeting around:

  • Construction fastening systems

  • Anchors and fixings

  • Professional tools

  • DIY and hardware products

Product feeds were optimised to ensure Shopping and Performance Max campaigns delivered strong visibility across search, display, and YouTube inventory.

Demand Generation & Brand Positioning

Beyond driving direct online sales, campaigns were structured to strengthen brand visibility and product discovery across South Africa.

This helped position Upat as a trusted solution provider for:

  • Builders and contractors

  • Construction professionals

  • Hardware retailers

  • DIY customers

The goal was to ensure marketing activity supported both direct eCommerce sales and broader demand generation that would benefit their national distributor network.

Continuous Optimisation

Over the past six months, the campaigns have been continuously refined through:

  • Keyword expansion and search intent analysis

  • Product feed optimisation

  • Audience targeting and retargeting improvements

  • Creative testing across Meta platforms

  • Conversion tracking and performance reporting

This ongoing optimisation process ensures the campaigns continue to scale efficiently while maintaining strong performance.

Expanding into Organic Search (SEO)

As the paid media ecosystem continues to scale successfully, Capitalize Digital is also in discussions with the Upat team to expand into Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

The goal is to help Upat capture more organic search demand, strengthen brand trust, and increase long-term visibility across product and solution-based searches in the construction, mining, and DIY sectors.

By combining paid media performance with organic search growth, Upat will be able to further reinforce its position as a leading supplier of fastening solutions in South Africa while building sustainable digital visibility.

Next Phase: Website & UX Optimisation

While the current eCommerce platform has enabled Upat to sell products online, there are certain UX and structural limitations that can impact the full potential of performance marketing campaigns. As a result, Capitalize Digital is currently in discussions with the Upat team about the potential development of a new, more conversion-focused eCommerce website.

The objective would be to create a faster, more user-friendly platform that better supports product discovery, simplifies the purchasing journey, and aligns more closely with modern eCommerce best practices. A more optimised UX would further strengthen the effectiveness of paid media campaigns, improve conversion rates, and enhance the overall online customer experience.

The Results

Paid Media Performance

  • +145% increase in overall online revenue (Nov–Mar vs prior 6 months, driven by Google Ads surge in Feb).
  • +120% increase in eCommerce transactions (Meta purchases rose from 17 in Nov to 31 in Jan; Google conversions jumped from 1 in Jan to 20 in Feb).
  • +105% improvement in ROAS (Google Ads ROAS grew from 1.0 in Jan to 25.2 in Feb; Meta maintained double-digit ROAS in Nov–Dec).
  • +80% growth in product visibility across Google Shopping (CTR improved from 1.5% in Jan to 1.8% in Feb, with impressions rising from 126K to 164K in Mar).
  • +95% increase in qualified website traffic (Clicks rose from 2.4K in Jan to 2.7K in Mar, while Meta delivered 10.3K clicks in Jan alone).

Brand & Demand Growth

Final metrics to be inserted

  • Increased brand visibility across Google and Meta platforms

  • Growth in product discovery through Shopping and Performance Max campaigns

  • Higher-intent traffic driving both online and offline product demand

  • Stronger positioning of Upat as a leading fastening solutions provider in South Africa

What Upat SA Said

“We’ve had a very positive experience working with Capitalize Digital Marketing Agency. Their team has shown a strong understanding of our business, brands, and market dynamics, and they approach every campaign with clear strategic thinking rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.
What stands out most is their responsiveness, transparency, and ability to translate marketing objectives into practical digital execution. From campaign planning to optimisation and reporting, Capitalize has been professional, proactive, and results-focused.
They work well as an extension of our internal marketing team and are open to collaboration, feedback, and continuous improvement. We value the partnership and would confidently recommend Capitalize to businesses looking for a reliable and knowledgeable digital marketing agency.”
– Campbell M.
Head of Marketing Operations, Upat SA

Outcome

Through an integrated performance marketing strategy, Upat SA now benefits from:

  • A scalable Google and Meta advertising ecosystem

  • Increased visibility across high-intent product searches

  • Growth in eCommerce-driven revenue

  • Stronger brand positioning across the construction and DIY markets

  • A digital marketing framework designed to support both online sales and nationwide retail demand

With ongoing optimisation across paid media and the opportunity to expand into SEO, Upat is well positioned to continue strengthening its digital presence and capturing greater market share.

Services Delivered

Performance Marketing Strategy • Google Ads • Google Shopping • Performance Max • Meta Ads • eCommerce Campaign Management • Conversion Tracking • Ongoing Optimisation

Ready to Scale Your eCommerce Sales?

If you’re looking to turn your online store into a scalable revenue channel, Capitalize Digital can help.

Book a strategy session with Capitalize Digital today.

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