Step 2 of 5: Configure your lifecycle goals

Having a "Purchase" conversion goal is required to optimize campaigns to all lifecycle goals, except New Customer Only Mode which can be used with non-Purchase conversion goals:

Depending on what type of conversion goals you have, there are 2 options:

• Configure lifecycle goals using purchase conversion goals
• Configure New Customer Only Mode

Option 1: Configure lifecycle goals using purchase conversions

If applicable, you can set up a new "Purchase" conversion action or if you’ve already set up your conversion action, ensure that you set the goal type to "Purchase" with Website as the conversion source and the conversion action set to Primary.

If you haven’t configured your lifecycle goal yet, use the following steps to set it up. If you use cross-account conversion tracking, configure your lifecycle goal from the main account where conversion tracking is set up.

1. Go to Summary within the Goals menu .
2. Under the “Customer acquisition” panel, select Set Up.
3. Depending on which modes you have access to (some modes are still in beta) you’ll find one or more of the following options:
   • New customers
   • New customers (high value)
   • Lapsed customers - Beta
   • Lapsed customers (high value) - Beta
4. For each mode you wish to use, add the relevant audience lists as detailed in the table in Step 1. Your audience lists may include:
   • Existing customers
   • High value customers
   • Lapsed customers

The definitions for each customer segment are business specific, so use your own definitions to organize your first-party data into each of these customer segments.

5. Set the value assigned to your customer segment. This is used in the New customer value mode. This is used in the New Customer Value Mode, High-Value New Customer Mode, Re-engagement Mode, and High-Value Re-engagement Mode. It is added to a customer's purchase conversion if they fall into one of your defined segments, which is reflected in reporting, but also helps Smart Bidding to optimize towards your desired customer segments. The higher this value is, the more the campaign will be optimized towards your specified customers. This value will be used by default in all campaigns that optimize to new customer acquisition or retention goals. Review the table below for our value-setting guidance.
   • If you’re unsure what your customer value should be, you can use the recommended value that’s suggested when you select the lifecycle goal. This recommended value is based on your average order value across your prior campaigns. Or, use the value-setting guidelines below.
6. Proceed to the next step.

We recommend setting values for your customer segments according to the guidelines below as a starting point and adjusting as needed based on performance.

The values set for each customer segment are business specific, so the above guidance is directional to help you set the right values for your business.

Option 2: Configure New Customer Only Mode

If you're tracking conversions other than Purchases, you can enable New Customer Only Mode to optimize towards new customers. If you use cross-account conversion tracking, configure your new customer acquisition goal from the main account where conversion tracking is set up.

1. Go to Summary within the Goals menu .
2. Under the "Customer acquisition" panel, select Set Up.
3. Define your existing customers by choosing one or more audience lists that include your existing customers. This will be used to identify which customers are new.