FIRST STARS: “Our USP for customer loyalty”
FIRST STARS has been using Label Up for over a year, gaining not only increased visibility at lower prices, but also massive advantages in customer loyalty.
FIRST STARS sets new standards for performance marketing agencies
Today, a successful Google Shopping setup requires far more than just the pure management of campaigns, it demands an exclusive technological infrastructure that makes you incomparable as an agency and satisfies clients in the long term.
The Berlin-based agency FIRST STARS has been one of the absolute top addresses in digital marketing since 1998 and has established itself as a true pioneer in AI performance marketing. While many players in the market struggle with high comparability and interchangeable setups, the team at FIRST STARS master highly complex e-commerce dynamics sovereignly. For leading e-commerce brands and well-known online shops, the agency manages significant ad spends on Google and Meta and reliably translates these into above-average, profitable growth.
In this demanding market environment, top agencies in the Google Shopping sector face decisive strategic challenges if they want to win new brands or secure existing client relationships for years to come:
The risk of interchangeability: For many agencies, it has now become standard practice to recommend a third-party CSS to their Google Shopping clients in order to save costs. Offering a CSS is therefore no longer a real competitive advantage in itself. Having your own agency CSS, exclusive to your clients and branded with your agency name, not only delivers the same cost savings but also creates a clear head start over other agencies and can win over new clients.
The challenge of long-term client retention: In e-commerce, client relationships are often volatile. Pure optimisation achievements are quickly taken for granted. To bind clients emotionally and operationally to the agency in the long term, unique added value and services are needed that the client cannot get anywhere else.
Continuous margin pressure: Online shops are constantly calling for efficiency improvements. Once the pure adjustment options in the advertising account have been exhausted, you as an agency require structural levers to further improve the profitability of client budgets in a sustainable manner.
This is exactly where the team at FIRST STARS stepped in. Instead of relying exclusively on interchangeable strategies in pitches and existing client business, the agency looked for a long-term asset that would set them apart from competitors in the long run. The goal was clear: to establish a service that brings immediate cost advantages to clients, anchors FIRST STARS as an indispensable partner and takes client retention to a new level.
Your own agency CSS as an exclusive service advantage
An agency CSS refers to a dedicated, Google-certified Comparison Shopping Service (price comparison site) operated on behalf of the agency by Label Up. Instead of serving customers' Google Shopping ads via the conventional default network Google Shopping Europe or invisibly via third-party providers, the agency itself becomes the technical infrastructure service provider in the Google Shopping ecosystem.
For FIRST STARS, the move to a white-label CSS solution from Label Up meant a fundamental shift from pure campaign manager to provider of an all-encompassing advertising infrastructure. From a technical and operational perspective, this setup already brings clear advantages that optimise the efficiency of Google Shopping:
Direct elimination of the Google margin: When serving ads via the standard Google Shopping Europe network, Google charges an internal margin of up to 20% on the cost per click (CPC). By switching to your own agency CSS, this margin is completely eliminated. For FIRST STARS clients, this means that the identical budget achieves up to 20% higher purchasing power in the bidding process.
Increased scalability for Google campaigns: Since modern e-commerce campaigns are highly data-driven, the reduced CPC barrier leads to more clicks and faster learning signals within the Google algorithm. Budgets convert more profitably.
Free additional traffic: If a user clicks at the CSS level, they are redirected to a price comparison page. These clicks are absolutely free for the agency and the client, directing interested users straight to the pre-listed products.
Full data sovereignty and independence: Since FIRST STARS provides the technological platform itself, any dependency on unreliable third-party CSS models is eliminated. The agency retains full control over all product data.
The real USP: branding, new client acquisition and maximum client retention
The purely technical advantages, however, are only part of the CSS benefits. What makes the agency CSS a truly unbeatable asset for FIRST STARS are the branding advantages, the edge in sales and the lever for long-term client retention.
As soon as the setup by Label Up is live, the presence in the Google frontend and the entire line of argument in client acquisitions change fundamentally:
The exclusive branding "By FIRST STARS": The name of an anonymous third party or Google no longer appears under the clients' shopping ads, but instead the fixed addition "By FIRST STARS". This projects the agency's brand presence directly into the most valuable advertising spaces on the Google search results pages.
The unbeatable USP in the sales pitch: In sales conversations, the agency CSS secures an advantage that other agencies cannot offer. You show the client a direct path to more performance that makes immediate sense: simply by switching to FIRST STARS, their budget gains back up to 20% in true purchasing power. That is a tangible head start from the very first second.
The psychological incentive for new clients: When potential new clients or competing online shops see the phrase "By FIRST STARS" under the ads, this creates immediate curiosity and a strong signal of trust in the market ("This agency has its own shopping technology").
Maximum, long-term client retention: Since the shopping campaigns run via FIRST STARS' exclusive infrastructure, the agency is no longer an interchangeable service provider. It becomes the technological backbone of client success.
How profound this effect is in practice is confirmed by Anne Gradler, Head of Performance Marketing at FIRST STARS, after more than a year of working with Label Up:
“We have been working with Label Up for over a year and have been thrilled since the beginning. Our own CSS is a real USP for our customer loyalty.”
Anne Gradler
Head of Performance Marketing @FIRST STARS
Conclusion: Structural Advantage and Reliable Partnership
FIRST STARS clearly demonstrates: The agency CSS is the decisive lever to deliver an unassailable argument in new business acquisition with e-commerce brands and to retain clients with the agency in the long term. Without having to increase the clients' media budget, the switch immediately releases up to 20% more reach and power. This brings advantages in new client pitches and secures a clear, measurable market advantage for agencies. Having your own Google CSS is therefore a standout USP for agencies.
That this technological transition runs completely smoothly in practice is emphasised by Anne Gradler: “The onboarding was very straightforward, the team is always reachable and helps with any challenges. We feel very comfortable and highly appreciate the professional collaboration!”
About
Established in the market since 1998, the Berlin-based agency FIRST STARS is regarded as a true hidden champion for success-based growth. The team relies on AI-powered performance marketing to sustainably increase their clients' efficiency and revenue. Rather than focusing on short-term effects, the agency concentrates on measurable results and the long-term, strategic growth of e-commerce brands.
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