talabat Scales Google Ads with Smartly to lower CPA by 15%
Objective
talabat needed to scale creative production through automation and reduce manual workload, all while keeping acquisition costs efficient and performance strong. Operating across multiple markets and languages, the team needed to streamline asset creation for different Google Ads campaign types without compromising quality or relevance.
Solution
To overcome the operational strain of managing creatives across several markets and campaign types, talabat leveraged Smartly - the AI-powered advertising platform - to manage their Google Ads. Smartly enabled the team to replace isolated, manual workflows with dynamic, feed-based automation for both App Campaigns and PerformanceMax, creating a scalable system for activation across eight markets and multiple languages.
For App Campaigns, talabat streamlined their campaigns setup using Automation Feeds to populate everything from headlines to ad group names and deep links, allowing new ads to launch instantly as the feed data updated, helping avoid production bottlenecks.
For Performance Max, talabat refreshed their “always-on” assets leveraging Smartly’s Creative Templates. Vendors were grouped by cuisine type and paired with relevant visuals enhanced by Smartly AI, showcasing the top 100 vendors with a “Free Delivery on First Order” message with language-based customization for local accuracy. The structure was designed once and replicated seamlessly across markets, enabling rapid expansion into limited-time offers and seasonal promotions without adding manual effort.
As a result, set up time required for App Campaigns dropped by 90%, going from 10 minutes to just 1 minute per asset, freeing time for strategy and analysis. In parallel, Smartly generated more than 600 PerformanceMax asset groups and thousands of creative variations, helping talabat scale UAE ad spend while simultaneously improving cost-per-acquisition (CPA) by 15%. Together, these outcomes transformed creative automation from an efficiency play into a scalable growth engine, redefining how talabat leveraged Google campaigns for acquisition.
“We turned creative automation into a growth engine with Smartly. We have been able to launch creatives fast, scale across markets, and spend more time on strategy and messaging while improving performance. Smartly’s AI-powered automation freed our team to focus on performance insights and creative strategy rather than repetitive operations."
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talabat Scales Google Ads with Smartly to lower CPA by 15%
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talabat, the Middle Eastern subsidiary of Delivery Hero, is the leading everyday app in MENA, connecting customers with food, groceries, and everyday essentials from restaurants and retailers. Founded in Kuwait in 2004 and headquartered in Dubai, talabat operates across eight markets and served over seven million monthly active customers as of December 2025.
Objective
talabat needed to scale creative production through automation and reduce manual workload, all while keeping acquisition costs efficient and performance strong. Operating across multiple markets and languages, the team needed to streamline asset creation for different Google Ads campaign types without compromising quality or relevance.
Solution
To overcome the operational strain of managing creatives across several markets and campaign types, talabat leveraged Smartly - the AI-powered advertising platform - to manage their Google Ads. Smartly enabled the team to replace isolated, manual workflows with dynamic, feed-based automation for both App Campaigns and PerformanceMax, creating a scalable system for activation across eight markets and multiple languages.
For App Campaigns, talabat streamlined their campaigns setup using Automation Feeds to populate everything from headlines to ad group names and deep links, allowing new ads to launch instantly as the feed data updated, helping avoid production bottlenecks.
For Performance Max, talabat refreshed their “always-on” assets leveraging Smartly’s Creative Templates. Vendors were grouped by cuisine type and paired with relevant visuals enhanced by Smartly AI, showcasing the top 100 vendors with a “Free Delivery on First Order” message with language-based customization for local accuracy. The structure was designed once and replicated seamlessly across markets, enabling rapid expansion into limited-time offers and seasonal promotions without adding manual effort.
As a result, set up time required for App Campaigns dropped by 90%, going from 10 minutes to just 1 minute per asset, freeing time for strategy and analysis. In parallel, Smartly generated more than 600 PerformanceMax asset groups and thousands of creative variations, helping talabat scale UAE ad spend while simultaneously improving cost-per-acquisition (CPA) by 15%. Together, these outcomes transformed creative automation from an efficiency play into a scalable growth engine, redefining how talabat leveraged Google campaigns for acquisition.
“We turned creative automation into a growth engine with Smartly. We have been able to launch creatives fast, scale across markets, and spend more time on strategy and messaging while improving performance. Smartly’s AI-powered automation freed our team to focus on performance insights and creative strategy rather than repetitive operations."
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