Peachy
Delivering a 310% increase in attributable revenue alongside a 25% reduction in acquisition costs, through AI-optimised PPC and systematic conversion rate optimisation calibrated to funded loan outcomes.
Headline Results
The Client
Peachy was one of the UK's leading direct lenders in the short-term loans market, offering flexible borrowing from £100 to £1,000 with repayment terms of up to 12 months. Established in 2010 and regulated by the FCA, the London-based business built a reputation for responsible lending, approving only 12% of applications to ensure borrowers could genuinely afford to repay. Recognised by Silicon Review as one of the most trustworthy companies in its sector, Peachy combined a strong consumer brand with a commitment to transparent, ethical lending practices.
They engaged Digiconomy to scale funded loan volume through paid search while simultaneously improving the rate at which website visitors converted into completed applications, maximising the return on every click in a market where traffic costs were rising sharply.
We delivered a focused strategy combining PPC and conversion rate optimisation, augmented by AI-powered bid management and machine learning-driven testing. Within 12 months, this approach generated a 310% increase in attributable revenue alongside a 25% reduction in acquisition costs, delivering an 11x return on investment.
To keep both channels working in lockstep, we built attribution that tracked from ad click through to funded loan, ensuring bid decisions and CRO priorities were always aligned to downstream revenue rather than surface-level metrics.
The Objectives
Scale funded loan volume and maximise conversion efficiency, accounting for a responsible lending model where only 12% of applications were approved.
Accelerate Funded Loan Growth
- Scale the volume of completed, funded loans generated through paid search, capitalising on Peachy's trusted brand and high organic demand to capture a significantly larger share of the short-term lending market.
- Ensure all growth targets were tied to funded loan revenue rather than application starts, reflecting Peachy's responsible lending model where the majority of applications were declined on affordability grounds.
Maximise Conversion Efficiency
- Increase the percentage of paid traffic that completed a full loan application, ensuring that rising click costs were offset by meaningful improvements in on-site conversion performance.
- Build a structured testing programme that identified and removed friction from the application journey, turning more qualified visitors into funded borrowers without compromising the responsible lending checks that underpinned the brand.
The Strategy
A tightly integrated PPC and CRO strategy designed to drive more funded loans from every pound of paid media spend, combining smarter traffic acquisition with systematic improvements to the on-site conversion journey.
Revenue-Aligned Bid Management
Optimise bidding around funded loan value rather than application volume, accounting for Peachy's selective approval model by focusing spend on the keywords and audiences most likely to produce borrowers who met affordability criteria. AI-powered Smart Bidding was trained on funded loan outcomes, not just application starts, enabling the algorithm to factor in Peachy's 12% approval rate and target the applicant profiles most likely to pass affordability checks.
Systematic Conversion Testing
Run a structured programme of landing page, application form, and user journey tests to identify the changes that had the greatest impact on funded loan completions, prioritising high-traffic, high-value pages for maximum commercial return. AI-assisted multivariate testing accelerated the learning cycle, analysing user behaviour patterns across thousands of sessions to surface the layout, copy, and form variations that moved the needle on completions rather than just starts.
Integrated Performance Loop
Ensure PPC and CRO operated as a single, connected system rather than separate disciplines, with conversion data feeding bid strategy and search data informing testing priorities in a continuous cycle of improvement. Machine learning models identified which traffic segments responded best to which page variants, enabling dynamic alignment between acquisition targeting and on-site experience for maximum funded loan yield.
The Campaign
Affordability-aligned PPC, systematic conversion testing, and compounding integration, all measured against funded loan outcomes in a market with a 12% approval rate.
Affordability-Aligned PPC
PPC campaigns were restructured around funded loan profitability, with bid strategies weighted toward keywords and audiences that consistently produced borrowers meeting Peachy's strict affordability criteria. AI-powered Smart Bidding models were trained on completed, funded loan data, which was critically important for a lender approving only 12% of applications. This allowed the algorithm to look beyond click-through and application start rates, identifying the search signals that predicted genuine affordability-passing applicants and concentrating spend accordingly.
Conversion Rate Optimisation
CRO worked in parallel with paid media, running a structured testing programme targeting landing pages, application forms, and key decision points in the borrower journey. Each test was measured against funded completions rather than form starts, ensuring improvements reflected genuine commercial impact. AI-driven analysis of user session data identified the specific friction points and drop-off triggers in the application flow, allowing tests to be prioritised by predicted revenue impact rather than guesswork.
Compounding Integration
The integrated approach meant conversion gains compounded paid media efficiency in a self-reinforcing cycle. Higher on-site conversion rates improved Quality Scores and reduced cost per click, while smarter bid management delivered higher-quality traffic that converted more readily. Machine learning models connected acquisition signals to on-site behaviour, enabling the system to continuously refine which traffic to buy and which experience to serve for maximum funded loan output per pound spent.
Funded Loan Attribution
Attribution connected every click to a funded outcome, providing the granular data needed to make confident optimisation decisions across both PPC and CRO. Tracking followed each visitor from initial ad interaction through application, approval, and funding, giving clear visibility of which keywords, ads, landing pages, and form variants were generating real revenue. This closed-loop data fed the AI bidding models and informed test prioritisation, ensuring every decision was grounded in downstream commercial reality.
The Outcome
Increase in revenue
Reduction in acquisition costs
Return on investment
Within 12 months, the integrated PPC and CRO strategy delivered a 310% increase in attributable revenue while cutting acquisition costs by 25%. AI-optimised bidding calibrated to Peachy's 12% approval rate, machine learning-driven conversion testing, and funded loan attribution created a compounding system where conversion gains amplified paid media efficiency and every data point sharpened the next decision.
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