Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth

Most ecommerce brands have two big “moments” on their marketing calendar. Most ecommerce brands are getting it wrong. On this episode, Taylor & Richard break down what it looks like to create big revenue peaks in “offseason” moments. Show Notes: Need help building your marketing calendar? Our strategy team is putting together 12-month audit packages here: https://bit.ly/3ZLKfjw The Ecommerce P...

New year, new ecommerce landscape: In this episode, Taylor and Richard make 6 resolutions for the ecommerce industry, breaking down the strategies your business will need to thrive in the coming year. Show Notes: Need help making your New Year’s resolutions happen? Sign up for our online membership, Admission, right here: https://bit.ly/3Qx29C8 The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at...

In this special two part series Taylor and Richard explore the current state of the ecommerce fundraising environment from two distinct points of view. In this first episode we talk with a founder, Dave Charne of Fyrn, who’s currently working on raising a bridge round for his DTC furniture brand Fyrn. Dave provides a view into what the experience has been like at this moment versus his previous ro...

As 2022 comes to a close, those of us in the ecommerce industry have more questions than answers: Where can you find hope in the midst of failure? What are the constants in a deeply unpredictable world? And is there really such a thing as being a failure? This week, Richard, Taylor, and former Ecommerce Playbook Podcast host Andrew Faris look back on a difficult year and reflect on what they’ve le...

There’s three layers of revenue for any business: New customers, owned audiences, and existing customers. Maintaining the correct balance between these three tiers is crucial to sustainable growth. This week, Taylor and Richard explain how the “layer cake” metaphor helps ecommerce businesses focus on building a foundation of predictable revenue first. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is...

With consumer confidence at record-low levels, only one thing’s for sure: you’ll have to pay more to acquire new customers. But how do you forecast this all-important metric heading into the uncertainty of 2023? This week, Richard and (mostly) Taylor talk with CTC Ecommerce Data Analyst Steve Rekuc about building — and outperforming — your 2023 CAC forecast. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mail...

Black Friday/Cyber Monday was bigger than ever this year. Inflation is also at its highest level in four decades. So what does this seeming paradox mean for your ecommerce business moving forward? In this episode, Taylor and Richard break down what went well, what didn’t, and the why you should still be vigilant even after the biggest shopping weekend in history. Show notes: The Ecommerce Playbook...

It’s tempting to try to get more out of your existing customers when CAC is rising. But is it worth it? In this episode, Richard and Taylor discuss the second principle of the Enterprise Scaling Guide: the concept of the shrinking sponge. “You need to keep your active customer file growing as you grow the business.” Show notes: - Visit getparker.com to learn more about the card designed specifical...

To win this Black Friday, you need to understand what went well last year, and what needs to improve. In this episode, we take a break from our regular content and revisit our post-Black Friday recap from 2021. “We’ll tell you how it went for each of our brands, and the lessons we learned.”

What kind of business wins despite the volatility that surrounds them? In this episode, Taylor and Richard discuss Taylor and 4x400’s decision to sell skincare brand Bambu Earth, and the macroeconomic factors that caused the deal to fall through. “There are deeper business-level things that you need to be focusing on as an ecommerce business in order to weather the storm — it's not all about marke...

With just 3 weeks until Black Friday, now is not the time to pull back. In this episode, Taylor and Richard debunk common arguments for pulling back spend ahead of Black Friday. “We are here to affirm your commitment of making the most out of this moment, because it’s necessary.” Show Notes: Get a $200 credit with Insense when you book by Nov. 18, 2022: https://bit.ly/CTCxInsenseNovember

The solution to $50M+ growth might not be what you think it is. In this episode, Richard and Taylor talk about Part 1 of the Ecommerce Enterprise Scaling Guide, which focuses on building a hierarchy of metrics to provide context around your business targets. “Once you hit the $50M mark, the things you’ve been doing stop working, and yet, there’s still going to be pressure on you to run the busines...

How customer-centric are you? In this episode, Richard and Taylor propose an interesting solution to the acquisition problem, and it has almost nothing to do with the quality of your Facebook ads. “If we accept that the cost to acquire the next customer has a certain gravitational element to it — meaning the cost to acquire a customer always will rise — then how do we win this game?” Show Notes: G...

Choice is sometimes an illusion. In this episode, Richard and Taylor talk about Facebook’s move toward the Advantage+ model, which shifts away from human decision making and toward artificial intelligence. “They will say Advantage+ is a way to build campaigns with fewer inputs. But the secondary implication is Facebook has a performance problem. In order to solve for that, they’re attempting to re...

What if you could see future results in the now? In this episode, Richard and Taylor talk about Common Thread’s unique relationship with Retina.ai, an AI platform that allows you to predict the future value of your customers. “You’re getting an instant view into the value of your customer within 96% accuracy.” Show Notes: Learn why Retina.ai is ecommerce’s magic 8-ball: https://bit.ly/3CzXGZ4

The latest Consumer Confidence Index paints a bleak picture of the economy at large. How does that affect DTC, ROAS, and forecasting for Q4? “It’s going to take more marketing resources to sell products. The practical output of that is less efficient advertising. You have to do more to get less action.” Show Notes: - Try Freshmarketer: https://bit.ly/3S5wXcH - Taylor’s tweet on CCI vs. MER: https:...

In Andrew’s farewell episode, he passes the torch over to CTC’s Taylor Holiday and Richard Gaffin. Andrew reflects on his time hosting the podcast, and what’s next for the show. “Moving forward, what you can expect from us is a conversation about frameworks, about large-scale thinking, and interesting things happening in the DTC space and what they mean for you.” Show Notes: - Try Freshmarketer: h...

Using your resources as effectively as possible is essential for growing your business at any pace. In this episode, Andrew talks about two ways to manage people well. “It’s not easy to be a great manager — and it’s not in the realm of tactics for growth — but it is an important part of building a great company.” Show notes: - Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewjfaris - Try Freshm...

Brands that are trying to grow really fast often try the next most tempting “shiny object” to get there. In this episode, Andrew talks about the importance of taking time to align your behaviors to your goals. “Where are you trying to go, how clear can you get on that goal as quickly as possible, and how much can you put your focus toward it?” Show notes: Try Freshmarketer: https://bit.ly/3S5wXcH

The right tools don’t change the fundamentals of running your business — they allow you to think about your business in a new way. In this episode, Andrew talks with Obvi Founder & CEO Ron Shah about their plans for upcoming growth, and how they plan to finance that growth. “Because we’re bootstrapped, it’s hard to make that fuel last long. When you have opportunities to scale, it actually costs m...

Not all customers are alike. In this episode, Andrew talks about the importance of meeting customers at different points in their customer journey. “It’s really what your whole business comes down to, in terms of your marketing, customer acquisition, and reacquistion.” Show Notes: - Get net 60 terms on every transaction. Visit getparker.com to learn more about the credit card built exclusively for...

It’s a foundational question for any business: What exactly are you selling, and how is your marketing approach optimized for it? In this episode, Andrew cautions against using one-size-fits-all business advice, particularly for how you market your product. “How your product is sold may be fundamentally different than the way other products are sold.”

Is your business set up to withstand hardship? In this episode, we revisit a conversation with Common Thread Collective CEO Taylor Holiday about how businesses can remain resilient amid uncertainty. “Who are the businesses that will thrive even if the current situation does become a net negative?” Show Notes: - Visit getparker.com to learn more about the credit card built exclusively for ecommerce...

There's a lot of information on the internet about how to grow an ecommerce business, but none exists at this caliber of high-level strategy and detailed execution. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Common Thread Collective VP of Marketing Aaron Orendorff where he unveils the most significant piece of public-facing content CTC has ever produced: The Enterprise Scaling Guide. “It's without hyper...

Email is an 80/20 game: 80% of the value comes from 20% of what you put into it. In this episode, Andrew shares his thoughts on the current state of email marketing. “The number one thing that generates more value out of email is to send more email. It’s almost annoying how simple that advice is, but it’s true.” Show Notes: - Subscribe to the Data Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3btYXqM - Get a free em...