After the pace of Q4, Q1 often feels a bit different. Quieter. Slower. Less urgent. And honestly, that’s usually a good thing.
It’s often the first point in the year where there’s space to step back and look at how things are really performing, without the pressure of peak trading influencing every decision. Not to rip everything up or point out what went wrong, but to sense-check direction, tidy up loose ends, and make sure paid activity is still doing what it’s meant to do.
For ecommerce teams, Q1 is less about big swings and more about getting the foundations right and making sure strategy is aligned with business goals. These are some of the areas that tend to matter most at this point in the year.
1. Take a proper look at paid media performance
Q4 doesn’t always leave much room for refinement, with the focus usually on momentum rather than fine-tuning. At times, decisions are made to keep things moving, and are revised later.
Q1 is a good opportunity to review accounts more calmly and see where efficiency can be improved. That might mean looking at campaign structures, ad groups, or product feeds and spotting things that didn’t quite get the attention they deserved during peak.
It’s also worth checking ad copy and messaging carefully. Seasonal references have a habit of lingering longer than intended, especially after busy periods, and can quietly undermine performance if they’re left unchecked.
2. Clean up tracking and data (the unglamorous but important bit)
Tracking issues don’t always shout about themselves. Often they just sit there, slightly skewing results.
Q1 is one of the better times to review conversion tracking, consent mode, and feeds properly, because there’s usually enough breathing space to fix things without rushing. Small discrepancies that were patched over in Q4 can often be resolved more thoroughly now.
A useful question to ask here is: “Was anything temporarily “good enough” during peak that really needs a proper fix?” If the answer’s yes, now’s the time to deal with it.
3. Make better use of first-party data
Most teams are collecting first-party data in some form, the challenge is often how effectively it’s being used.
Q1 is a sensible point to review customer lists, audience segments and how they’re feeding into paid activity. Retargeting, suppression, and lookalike audiences tend to work best when they’re kept fresh and relevant, rather than left to run indefinitely.
With ongoing privacy changes and cookies becoming less reliable, using first-party data thoughtfully is less of a “nice to have” and more of a long-term necessity.
4. Look back at last year with a bit of distance
Once the dust has settled, Q1 is a good time to reflect on what actually drove value, not just what drove traffic.
Rather than focusing purely on top-line metrics, it can be helpful to look at which channels, campaigns or audiences contributed to revenue, repeat purchases or stronger margins. These insights are often more useful for planning than anything learned during peak itself.
This doesn’t need to be an overcomplicated exercise. Even a simple review can help shape more realistic priorities for the months ahead.
5. Refresh creative and messaging where needed
If ads have been running for a long time, fatigue can creep in quietly. Now is a good moment to test new messaging, formats or creative ideas, especially while competition and CPCs can be a little less intense than later in the year. Small tests here can pay off later when volumes and budgets increase again.
6. Stay curious about platform changes
Paid media platforms are always changing! New features, formats and automation updates continue to roll out, and Q1 is often when teams have the headspace to explore them properly. This might mean testing something small, or simply understanding how changes could affect accounts later in the year.
It’s a good practice to stay informed on the latest features of any paid media platform you’re utilising. It doesn’t mean you have to adopt every new feature going, but you might find things that are useful and you want to use going forward.
7. Re-align paid media with wider business goals
It’s easy for paid activity to drift into focusing on channel-level metrics alone, especially after a busy period. Q1 is often a good moment to zoom out and check that performance is still being measured against what actually matters to the business.
Whether the focus is profitability, sustainable growth, customer retention or long-term value, revisiting those goals can help put paid media back into context. This is also a good time to have conversations across teams, making sure everyone is working towards the same outcomes rather than optimising in isolation.
8. Plan with flexibility, not rigid certainty
Early-year plans don’t need to be set in stone. Leaving room to adjust budgets, scale what’s working, or pull back where needed tends to be more effective than trying to predict everything upfront. Q1 works best when it sets direction for the rest of the year.
To wrap it all up
Q1 is rarely about dramatic change. More often, it’s about giving yourself the time to look properly at what’s already in place. Tidying up what got rushed during peak, checking that data and tracking still make sense, and making sure paid activity is aligned with the wider business.
Used well, this quieter quarter can remove a lot of friction from the rest of the year. Small, sensible improvements made now tend to make everything else feel easier later on.
If you feel your Q1 is in a slump, and don’t know where to start in finding your direction for 2026, get in touch today with our team, and we’d be happy to help you.
January 27, 2026
