Podcast
Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Hosted by Common Thread Collective · EN
2020 transformed the world of ecommerce forever.
For the modern DTC brand, the rewards have never been greater. But the waters have also never been choppier, and the way forward has never been more uncertain.
So how do you navigate this dangerous new reality?
No matter how you do it, you’d better not do it alone.
That’s where the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast comes in — join Common Thread Collective’s Taylor Holiday & Richard Gaffin as they bring you guiding insights from across CTC’s portfolio of growing DTC businesses.
Whether you need a clear view on the macro issues affecting the world of ecommerce, or want to reorient your business around groundbreaking new big-picture strategies, Taylor & Richard are here to help answer the tough questions about what it takes to scale — and sustain — an ecommerce business.
62episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
What a Profit Engineer Actually Does All Day
2d ago00:28:20Tap to summarizeWhat does a CTC Profit Engineer actually do all day? Brian Sakansky, Profit Engineer Manager at CTC, breaks down the exact daily, weekly, and monthly cadence behind managing 7, 8, and 9-figure eCommerce brands. From Monday's plan reset to Friday's close-the-loop review, this is the operating system behind the Profit Engine.In this episode:The weekly rhythm: reset, diagnose, align, ship, close the loopHow execution and strategy split 50/50 (and when that flexes)Why daily action beats waiting for a weekly callThe scientific method applied to eCommerce growthContingency planning that saved Black FridayHow Statlas and AI tools accelerate diagnosisWhat makes a Profit Engineer different from an account manager6:45 AM to 4:30 PM: A Day in the Life of a Profit Engineer: https://commonthreadco.com/blogs/coachs-corner/6-45-am-to-4-30-pm-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-profit-engineerShow Notes:Axon is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to https://axon.ai/en/ctc to set up your first campaign.Explore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have
Transcribe →Why Most Founders Set the Wrong Growth Goals
4d ago00:31:49Tap to summarizeRandall Thompson built an ecommerce brand from scratch, scaled it to eight figures, and sold it. Along the way, he learned that the goals he set had almost nothing to do with what his business could actually deliver.In this episode, Randall joins Richard to break down what it means to understand your business's DNA, the non-negotiable metrics (COGS, repeat rate, margins) that determine what's actually possible, and how to align your goals to reality instead of fantasy.They cover the three goal buckets every founder should be thinking about, why all roads lead to profit regardless of your endgame, and how CTC's Prophit System functions as a data-driven reality check for your brand.In This Episode:Why every business has a "DNA" that determines its ceilingThree goal categories: build to sell, raise capital, or optimize for lifestyleHow to connect daily execution metrics to long-term outcomesWhy money may be flowing back into eCommercePersonal brand as a key element of business DNAHow CTC's Prophit System gives you a second opinion rooted in dataShow Notes:Go to https://bit.ly/4aiEz79 to start your free plan todayExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have
Transcribe →Join Our Growth Mastermind (Here's What's Inside)
1w ago00:15:36Tap to summarizeGrowth MastermindWhat if you could get weekly strategy sessions with a senior CTC profit engineer, full Statlas access, and a private cohort of brands at your stage, all for $500/month?That's the Next Level Growth Mastermind.Richard breaks down exactly what's inside, who it's built for, and five real insights that came out of our pilot cohort sessions, including why offer-market fit matters more than CRO, the exact launch sequence for marketing moments, and a Post-It note ad tactic that's outperforming studio creative.What you get with the Growth Mastermind:Weekly live calls with senior CTC leadershipSmall cohorts of 10 brands matched by revenue stageFull Statlas subscription ($750/mo value included)All your data ingested for a complete 360 view of your businessDedicated cohort Slack channelFull access to CTC's methodology archive (Meta, Google, email, TikTok, AppLovin)30-day money-back guaranteeWhether you're a 6-figure brand looking for a second opinion, a 7-figure operator who wants to connect with founders in a similar stage, or an 8-figure brand that wants senior strategic guidance on a weekly basis, this is built for you.Show Notes:Axon is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to https://axon.ai/en/ctc to set up your first campaign.Explore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have
Transcribe →We Tested AppLovin Discovery for 4 Months. Here's What Happened.
2w ago00:20:59Tap to summarizeCTC's AppLovin specialist Connaugh is back four months after our first episode on the platform to break down what's actually working. Discovery campaigns are averaging 284% incrementality, 45-60 second video creative is where the spend goes, and the tactical playbook is starting to take shape.If you're running an 8-figure ecommerce brand and haven't tested AppLovin yet, this episode makes the case for why you should.Topics covered:AppLovin's new Discovery campaign type and how it differs from ProspectingIncrementality test results: 284% average on Discovery vs. 141-150% on ProspectingWhy 45-60 second video creative gets 44% of total AppLovin spendThe creative set hack for granular reportingHow to drip new creative without tanking performanceProduct catalog segmentation by campaignCTC's $5K spend match partnership with AppLovinKey stat: Discovery campaigns are driving 85-90% completely new visitor traffic with 190% incrementality (excluding outliers).Show Notes:Go to http://outersignal.com/thread to get 50% off your first two monthsExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have
Transcribe →Consumer Confidence vs Rising Oil Prices
2w ago00:17:39Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Steve Rekuc breaks down the latest DTC Index findings showing 14.5% revenue growth year-over-year, even as brands face margin pressure. We dive into Mother's Day performance data and what it signals for Memorial Day and Father's Day spending patterns.Topics Covered:14.5% revenue increase with only 2% AMER decline Mother's Day performance and Memorial Day predictions Why discounting is down year-over-year Amazon cannibalization testing methodology TikTok Shops incrementality analysis Macro trends affecting consumer confidence Oil prices and their impact on DTC margins Key Insight: Brands increased ad spend 18% while maintaining near-flat acquisition efficiency - showing significantly improved spending power in the current market.Show Notes:Go to http://outersignal.com/thread to get 50% off your first two monthsExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have
Transcribe →What We Learned at the 2026 Meta Summit
3w ago00:19:14Tap to summarizeWe just got back from the 2026 Meta Performance Marketing Summit, and the biggest takeaway wasn't a single feature or tool. It was the realization that the brands growing the fastest right now are operating in two completely different worlds at the same time.Luke Austin breaks down everything we saw, heard, and learned at this year's summit. From Meta's push to make conversion lift studies the backbone of a broader measurement discipline, to the explosive growth of TikTok shops and the creator-led strategies that are reshaping how brands think about growth entirely.In this episode:What Meta revealed about their measurement roadmap at the summitHow the best brands are building a layered measurement practice with MMM, geo-holdouts, and always-on conversion lift studiesWhy TikTok shops has already leapfrogged Walmart.com as a sales channelMeta's upcoming Instagram competitor to TikTok shopsThe shift from media spend-first to creator investment-first growthWhy the brands crushing it right now are mastering both measurement discipline and creator chaosShow Notes:Axon is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to https://axon.ai/en/ctc to set up your first campaign.Explore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have
Transcribe →Stop Gambling on Creative - Use This 6-Pillar Assessment Framework
3w ago00:27:56Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Richard sits down with Ian Jordan, VP of Private Equity Partnerships at CTC, to unveil our brand new Creative Assessment Quiz. This 6-pillar framework helps 7-9 figure brands move from placing bets to making strategic investments in creative production.Key Topics Covered:The 6 pillars of creative production assessmentWhy volume and velocity create more shots on goalHow Meta's entity ID system impacts creative diversityMoving from cost center to supply chain mindsetProduction system maturity and feedback loopsExpected value vs production cost calculationsKey Insight: Only 3.5% of total ads drive 80% of revenue, but you need volume to find those outliers.Take the Quiz: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/creative-assessmentShow Notes:Go to http://outersignal.com/thread to get 50% off your first two monthsExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have
Transcribe →TikTok Shop, Incrementality, and the New Growth Playbook
4w ago00:25:34Tap to summarizeEvery satisfied customer creates demand you never see. It spills across Meta, Amazon, TikTok Shop, and your DTC site, and most brands have no system for tracking it, let alone capturing it.In this episode, Luke Austin introduces the ecommerce Demand Cascade: a framework for understanding how demand flows across media channels and sales channels, and why optimizing just one leaves money everywhere else.We cover:The two pillars of the Demand Cascade: media channels vs. sales/distribution channelsWhy Meta's 120% incrementality factor is just the starting pointHow 20-50% of demand created on DTC spills over to AmazonTikTok Shop as a demand creation engine, not just a sales channelThe creator-driven growth mechanism fueling TikTok ShopWhy brands throttle growth by ignoring cross-channel halo effectsCTC's new TikTok Shop service offeringStop optimizing channels in isolation. Start capturing the full cascade.Show Notes:Go to http://outersignal.com/thread to get 50% off your first two monthsExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have
Transcribe →Why Your Ads Aren't Working
May 700:32:16Tap to summarizeYou're spending $20 per ad and it's not working. You think you need more creative volume. But the real problem? You don't have your customer journey figured out.In this episode, Joy Sharma breaks down why 7-figure brands get stuck, and it's almost never a creative problem. He shares the exact formula CTC uses to diagnose and fix growth for emerging brands, and why testing inside marketing moments (not evergreen) changes everything.The Formula: (Landing Pages + Offers + Creative) ^ Customer Journey ^ MomentsWhat You'll Learn:Why 8-figure brands seem to have "better ads" (they don't, they have better offers)The AOV vs Conversion Rate graph that tells you if you're winning or losingWhy you should NEVER test offers in evergreenThe 4-peak monthly strategy for 7-figure brandsHow to use marketing moments as free testing containersWhy CRO doesn't matter until you hit ~$30MShow Notes:Go to https://www.chargeflow.io/ and use CF30 to recover chargebacks free for 30 days.Explore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have
Transcribe →Why Meta's AI Has No Point of View
May 500:09:25Tap to summarizeIn today's episode Taylor walks through a live Statlas demo showing why AI tools hallucinate when they lack business context. He shows how the same data produces wildly different (and wrong) recommendations without a methodology layer, then demonstrates how CTC's hierarchy of metrics framework transforms AI from unreliable to actionable.This episode also covers why Meta's Advantage+ tools are designed without a point of view, and what that means for brands relying on them.In this episode:Why Meta's Advantage+ has no underlying methodologyLive demo: AI hallucinating on a Statlas dashboardHow providing context (the hierarchy of metrics) fixes everythingWhy contribution margin should be your AI's north starThe "squeezing the sponge" trap of single-objective optimizationWhy CTC's context layer is a structural advantageWhat founders need to clarify before AI can help themShow Notes:Axon is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to https://axon.ai/en/ctc to set up your first campaign.Explore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have
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