In many ways, $1M to $20M is the most exciting growth stage for any ecommerce business — you know you have a business that works, but you’re small enough that you have the freedom to innovate without being held back by bureaucracy. On this episode, Richard talks with ecommerce growth expert (and former Ecommerce Playbook host!) Andrew Faris about the keys to success for brands at this crucial growth stage. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.c...
Jul 13, 2023•45 min
Over the past several weeks, CTC Growth Strategist Luke Austin’s been conducting an experiment across a number of our clients to answer a simple question: are third-party attribution tools like Rockerbox and Triple Whale actually more accurate than native platforms like Facebook and Google? On this episode, Taylor and Richard talk with Luke about the results of the experiment, why CTC is skeptical about third party attribution tools, and the steps you should take to test your own attribution too...
Jun 28, 2023•42 min
Every brand has a mission statement. Every brand should have a clear business philosophy. But how do you take those ideas and create a framework for your people to actually put them into action? On this episode of the podcast, Taylor and Richard discuss how CTC is taking our core philosophies and turning them into repeatable behaviors across the entire agency. Show Notes: The ADmission All-Access Sale is on until the end of the month — go to commonthreadco.com/allaccess to get all of our produc...
Jun 22, 2023•48 min
On this episode, Taylor talks to CTC’s Senior Ecommerce Data Analyst Steve Rekuc and Kno Commerce CEO Jeremiah Prummer about the launch of the Direct-to-Consumer Confidence Index (DTCCI) — a real-time view of the macroeconomic sentiment of your customers. Learn about the origins of the DTCCI and how to use it to help grow your ecommerce business. Show Notes: Want Custom Insights On Your Customers? Sign up for the Direct to Consumer Confidence Index - DTCCI.co The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is o...
Jun 15, 2023•32 min
On this episode, Taylor reports back from his trip to the Second Annual Meta Performance Marketing Summit, revealing new insights on Advantage +, Measurement360, and just how good Meta is at telling a brand narrative. Plus, he shares his thoughts with Richard on the steps you should take to anticipate upcoming changes to Meta ad products. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm...
Jun 08, 2023•28 min
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu says: “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” It’s crucial to focus on the big picture first. But what about the day-to-day? What tactics can you use to accelerate victory? In this episode, Taylor and Richard introduce the 3 P’s — Plot, Pivot and Profit — and break down how this system transforms the way you execute on a daily basis. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us ...
May 31, 2023•32 min
In this episode, Taylor and Richard dive deep into Bambu Earth’s Growth Quotient score — what stories do the numbers tell? How do you interpret your Growth Quotient score? How do you transform the knowledge gained from the Diagnostic tool into action? Join us for the first episode in a three-part series on the Growth Quotient — what it means, how to affect it, and how to use it to form a strategic basis for growth. Show Notes: Get the Ecommerce Diagnostic Toolkit for free when you join Admissi...
May 25, 2023•41 min
With returning customer revenue plateauing, the ecomm world is in for a rough ride — in Taylor’s words, “I thought ecommerce was through its worst period but I was wrong. There are some REALLY hard days upcoming and brands have not made the hard decisions to prepare.” In this episode, Taylor and Richard discuss the upcoming ecommerce drought, the importance of cost management, and the key indicators of success in the next three months. Show Notes: Get the Ecommerce Diagnostic Toolkit for free w...
May 17, 2023•36 min
The 2020-21 COVID boom set unrealistic expectations for year-over-year growth. So, when brands saw 2022 YoY revenue figures start to drop, they started “squeezing the sponge” — wringing every last bit of revenue out of their existing customer base without acquiring new customers. Now, that’s coming around to bite most brands: returning customer revenue growth is almost nil, and efficiency is about to take a nosedive. On this episode, Richard talks with CTC Growth Strategy Manager Luke Austin abo...
May 10, 2023•35 min
Ever find yourself scrambling to make up a deficit in the last couple weeks of each month? We’ve all been there. Fortunately, there’s a solution — it just requires a major mindset shift. On this episode of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, Taylor and Richard discuss the true value of forecasting and the key behavior that can get you to your revenue goals: spending your time, effort, and money at the very beginning of the month, not at the end. Show Notes: Early bird pricing is still available on...
May 04, 2023•18 min
Early Bird Pricing (one week only) (30% off regular price) Get the Toolkit: https://commonthreadco.com/products/ecommerce-diagnostic “We see too many business owners, marketing managers, and CMOs make the same mistake over and over: Solving problems they don’t actually have. Most often, this looks like attempting to solve poor Facebook ROAS by pumping the account full of new creative or using the latest media buying “hack”. But what if the COGS on your product mix is so high, you’ll never turn a...
Apr 26, 2023•45 min
It’s an age-old dilemma — do I focus on what’s right in front of me, or do I step back and look at the larger picture? On this episode, Taylor and Richard make the argument that establishing the “why” is much more important than the “how” — especially in a world where AI is making operational excellence less and less of an important differentiator. Show Notes: Explore how SegMetrics can help you tackle ecommerce marketing challenges at https://bit.ly/3AdTrl2 . Effortlessly connect all your marke...
Apr 19, 2023•28 min
How do two guys who have never worked together before come together to build a successful influencer agency? On this episode, Taylor sits down with Kynship co-founder Taylor Lagace to discuss building a business around your values, how to find authenticity in your influencer content, and key tactics to build an ROI-focused micro-influencer network. Show Notes: Explore how SegMetrics can help you tackle ecommerce marketing challenges at https://segmetrics.io/solutions/ecommerce Effortlessly conne...
Apr 13, 2023•40 min
Inventory management is the bane of many ecommerce brands’ existence — balancing lead times and cash outlay with demand can feel like an unsolvable issue. But with the right data, it can become much easier. In this episode, Taylor sits down with Braden Larsen, Head of Marketing at CTC client Sparkle in Pink, to discuss the tool he uses to keep ahead of per-SKU sales velocity, how he manages Sparkle in Pink’s massive number of SKUs, and how to use data to streamline your inventory management. Sho...
Apr 05, 2023•29 min
“Brand is the bridge between how much your product costs and how much your customer is willing to pay.” But what if you could measure that “bridge” objectively? In this episode, Richard and Taylor talk about Taylor’s controversial new formula for quantifying the value of your brand. Then, Richard has a conversation with Jules Vertrees, CTC client and founder of Verve Culture, a brand that sources beautiful home goods & gourmet foods from artisans around the world. Learn More About SegMetrics...
Mar 30, 2023•46 min
For most of us, ecommerce is still a new phenomenon. For Smart Marketer founder Ezra Firestone, driving sales online has been his main pursuit since the days when you had to fax customer orders to the manufacturer. In this episode, Taylor and Ezra discuss his life in ecommerce, how it’s developed in the 15 years since, and how that experience gives him a unique perspective on what you need to do to thrive in the current environment. Show Notes: For more content from Ezra, check out his LinkedIn ...
Mar 22, 2023•40 min
Here at CTC we talk a lot about how ROAS is a poor guiding metric for ad account decisionmaking. That’s because it doesn’t take into account your ad spend’s impact on your entire business. So what should you use instead? In this episode, Richard and Taylor break down a new way to think about profit in an environment where capital isn’t cheap. Show Notes: Get a $200 credit to Insense’s all-in-one creator platform here: insense.pro/lp/ctc Watch Taylor’s video: How to Media Buy Like an Investor The...
Mar 15, 2023•24 min
Influencers, staged unboxing videos, paid posts — at this point, even people outside of the ecomm business know that most UGC isn’t actually user-generated. On this episode, Richard and Taylor go deep on the history of bullsh*t in advertising, the ethics of “fake UGC,” and Taylor’s barometer for determining how much BS is too much. Show Notes: Want an easier way to source the good kind of UGC? Streamline your process with SARAL’s chrome extension: http://getsaral.com/champions/ctc Need help buil...
Mar 08, 2023•39 min
In this episode of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, Taylor chats with Connor Rolain, Head of Growth at HexClad, and Richie Mashikov, Head of Growth at Birdie. They discuss forecasting, unit economics, and the rules for growth amidst uncertainty. 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 Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you ...
Mar 01, 2023•41 min
How do I make paid search work for my business? In this episode, we go straight to the source as Taylor sits down with Ben Kruger, Senior Ecommerce Growth Consultant at Google, to discuss how to scale your online store profitably using Google Ads. 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 Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions y...
Feb 23, 2023•48 min
Though AI (via media buying algorithms) has always played a role in ecommerce, tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E have brought the conversation about AI and work into the mainstream. In this episode, Richard and Taylor dive into the relationship between AI and margin efficiency, the unique ways we’ve used AI to speed productivity, and the role humans play in a world where computers can do everything better than we can. Show Notes: Need help building your marketing calendar? Our strategy team is putti...
Feb 15, 2023•32 min
his episode features Jordan West, an entrepreneur and owner of Canada-based ecommerce agency Upgrowth Commerce. Richard, Taylor, and Jordan discuss his transition from paramedic to full-time business builder, as well as Jordan’s ideal business model, doing business in Canada v. the States, and where they think ecommerce is headed in 2023. Show Notes: Check out Jordan’s podcast, Secrets to Scaling Your Ecommerce Business: https://bit.ly/3JMYC1k Need help building your marketing calendar? Our stra...
Feb 08, 2023•31 min
Success on Facebook is as much about what you sell as it is about how you sell it. In this episode, Richard and Taylor talk about an overlooked aspect of paid social success: merchandising your ad account. Then, they dip into the podcast mailbag and give some advice to a listener who runs a high-SKU online retail business. Show Notes: Taylor’s video on ad account merchandising: https://bit.ly/3DxveIC Richard’s article on creative, featuring the product Venn diagram: https://bit.ly/3HNNQ9t CTC Ar...
Feb 01, 2023•36 min
In part 2 of our two-part series on investing, Taylor talks with Jason Bornstein, Principal at Forerunner, the San Francisco-based venture capital firm behind DTC juggernauts like Away, Warby Parker, and Glossier. Listen as Jason breaks down current industry trends, the kinds of businesses he’s still excited about in 2023, and how to impress him on a pitch call. Show Notes: Have a business you want to pitch to Forerunner? As Jason mentioned on the pod, Forerunner responds to every inquiry email....
Jan 25, 2023•53 min
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 Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might h...
Jan 18, 2023•24 min
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 podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm....
Jan 11, 2023•36 min
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 round a year ago. Next week we’ll speak with Jason Bornstein of Forerunner Ventures on the view from t...
Jan 04, 2023•36 min
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 learned from it. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthread...
Dec 28, 2022•39 min
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 open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world...
Dec 21, 2022•27 min
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 mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about th...
Dec 14, 2022•31 min
