Right, so here’s something interesting that landed in my inbox this week. Google’s been setting up emergency strategy sessions with their agency partners about peak season performance. And when Google starts calling meetings about “crowd control” during the Christmas rush, you know something’s up.
Let me tell you what’s happening and why it matters to your business right now.
Google’s Peak Season Panic Mode Is Actually Good News
Google’s running what they’re calling “EOY Peak Season Strategy Review” sessions with partners like me. Now, this might sound like routine corporate stuff, but it’s not. When Google dedicates time to discussing crowd control strategies and how to handle the Christmas shopping surge, they’re essentially admitting something important: this peak season is going to be massive, competitive, and potentially messy.
What does this mean for your online store? Simple. Google knows their platform is about to get absolutely hammered with advertisers all fighting for the same customers. They’re proactively trying to help their partners (that’s agencies like me) understand how to navigate the chaos.
Think about it. If you’re selling products online right now, you’re not just competing with your usual competitors. You’re competing with every single business that’s decided to have a go at Google Ads for Christmas. And Google knows that without proper strategy, a lot of advertisers are going to waste a lot of money.
Performance Max Under Pressure
The focus of these sessions is heavily weighted towards Performance Max campaigns, which tells me something important about where Google sees the biggest challenges coming. Performance Max is Google’s AI-driven campaign type that automatically spreads your ads across all their platforms – Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, the lot.
During normal times, Performance Max works rather well. The AI learns what works and optimises accordingly. But during peak season? That’s when things get interesting. The AI is suddenly dealing with massive spikes in search volume, changing customer behaviour, competitors outbidding each other like it’s an auction for the last PS5, and conversion patterns that look nothing like October.
Here’s what I’m watching closely: how Performance Max campaigns handle the volatility. In my experience with accounts during previous peak periods, the AI can sometimes get a bit… enthusiastic. It sees increased traffic and wants to spend your entire monthly budget in three days. Or it gets conservative because the data looks weird compared to its training period, and you miss opportunities.
Google discussing “crowd control” strategies suggests they’re aware of these challenges and have recommendations for how to manage Performance Max when everyone’s fighting for attention.
Search Intent Changes Everything in December
One of the key topics in these strategy reviews is search intent during peak season, and this is crucial for understanding what’s about to happen to your campaigns. The way people search in December is completely different from how they search in July.
In July, someone searching for “men’s watches” is probably browsing, researching, maybe thinking about treating themselves. In December, that same search is likely from someone who needs a present for their dad and they need it by Friday. Same keywords, completely different intent, totally different urgency.
This shift in intent affects everything. Your ad copy that worked beautifully in September might miss the mark entirely in December. Your landing pages need to address different concerns. Price points that seemed too high before suddenly become acceptable because it’s a gift. Delivery information becomes more important than detailed product specifications.
What does this mean for you practically? If you’re running Google Ads right now, you should be thinking about how your messaging matches the gift-buying, time-sensitive, “I need this sorted” mindset that dominates December searches. Your campaigns need to speak to that urgency and gift-giving context.
AI Mode and Conversion Optimisation When Everything’s Bonkers
Google’s also focusing on conversion optimisation strategies during peak season, which is interesting timing. They’ve been pushing their AI and automation tools heavily this year, but peak season is where those tools face their biggest test.
Here’s the challenge: AI and machine learning need stable data to work effectively. They learn patterns and optimise based on those patterns. But peak season throws all those patterns out the window. You might normally get 50 orders a day, and suddenly you’re getting 300. Your average order value might jump because of gift purchases. Products that rarely sold are flying off the digital shelves.
The AI has to figure out if these are real patterns to optimise towards or just temporary noise. Get it right, and you maximise your best trading period of the year. Get it wrong, and you’re either overspending on the wrong things or being too cautious and missing opportunities.
I’m particularly interested to see how Google’s recommending we handle bid strategies during this volatility. Do you let the AI run and trust it to adapt? Do you apply some manual controls? There’s a balance to strike, and getting Google’s perspective on it will be valuable.
What You Should Actually Do About This
If you’re running an online store and you’re in the Google Ads game right now, here’s what all this means for you going forward:
First, expect your Google Ads performance to look different over the next few weeks. That’s normal. Don’t panic if your metrics go a bit wonky – peak season is inherently volatile. What matters is overall performance and profitability across the period, not day-to-day fluctuations.
Second, make sure your messaging matches the moment. Gift guides, delivery guarantees, Christmas-specific offers – these aren’t just nice-to-haves, they’re addressing the actual intent behind the searches. Your ads need to speak to someone who’s shopping with a purpose and a deadline.
Third, watch your budgets like a hawk. Performance Max campaigns in particular can get quite aggressive during peak season. That’s not necessarily bad – you want to capitalise on demand – but you need to ensure the spending makes sense for your business. I’ll be keeping close tabs on this across the accounts I manage.
Finally, trust the process but stay engaged. Google’s AI tools are sophisticated, but they’re not magic. They work best when someone who understands your business (whether that’s you or someone like me) is watching what’s happening and making sure things stay on track.
Looking Forward
The fact that Google’s prioritising these peak season strategy discussions tells me they’re taking this seriously. They want their advertising platform to deliver results during the most critical trading period of the year, because if it works well now, advertisers stick around for January and beyond.
For your business, that’s actually positive. It means Google’s thinking about how to help advertisers navigate the chaos rather than just letting everyone fight it out. Whether you’re working with an agency like mine or managing your own campaigns, understanding these dynamics helps you make smarter decisions during the rush.
Peak season is here, it’s going to be busy, and it’s going to be competitive. But with the right approach and realistic expectations, it’s also going to be your best opportunity of the year to reach customers who are actively looking to buy what you’re selling.
I’ll keep you posted on what comes out of these Google strategy sessions and what it means for how we should be approaching the next few weeks. In the meantime, if your campaigns are looking a bit wild, that’s probably normal. Just make sure the wildness is trending in the right direction.