Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth

Hosted by Common Thread Collective

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431

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

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.

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60 recent

June 16, 202646 min

12 Years of Agency Knowledge in One Document

Taylor Holiday reveals the system CTC built to deploy 12 years of ecommerce knowledge across every brand they manage. From AI-powered scouting reports for his son's Little League team to the Canon, CTC's institutional playbook, and the MCP database now free for every client.Topics covered:How AI + unique knowledge + the right data creates competitive advantageThe Canon: CTC's 12-year methodology written down and codifiedTurning tribal knowledge into AI skills that any team member can deployThe Profit Engineer model and why it worksWhy structured data is the moat for ecommerce brandsMCP (Model Context Protocol): connecting your entire data stack to AICTC is making the Statlas MCP free for every brandH2 plans built by the system, reviewed by your engineerLoops, alerts, and the future of automated diagnosisLearn more about CTC's creative services → https://commonthreadco.comShow Notes:Go to https://bit.ly/4aiEz79 to start your free migration with Omnisend 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

June 11, 202631 min

Offer-Market Fit: Why 7-Figure Brands Hit a Wall

Joy Sharma runs CTC's PE7 program for mid to high 7-figure brands pushing toward 8 figures. His claim: if you're stuck at a growth plateau and you've tried more creative, new ad structures, and different platforms, we can tell you what's wrong without even looking at your account. The answer is offer-market fit.In this episode, Joy breaks down why Facebook's auction forces you to compete against increasingly sophisticated players as you scale spend, why the AOV-to-CAC ratio in your industry determines your ceiling, and how CTC's Marketing Moments service guarantees incremental revenue by solving the offer problem first.In this episode:Why growth plateaus are a business problem, not a marketing problemHow Facebook's auction works against you at higher spend levelsThe AOV vs. CAC framework that reveals who you're really competing againstWhy the AOV vs. conversion rate log curve determines your offer's viabilityHow static images outperform expensive videos when you have offer-market fitCTC's Marketing Moments service and the revenue guarantee behind itThe sequence that matters: product-market fit → offer-market fit → creative strategyKey insight: Creative strategy should be a volume mechanism, not an efficiency mechanism. If you're trying to solve a business problem with a marketing solution, that's where businesses go to die.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

June 9, 202625 min

The Branded Ads System Behind 170+ Ecommerce Brands

How do you build branded ads fast enough to find winners at scale? Nisha Fermawi, Senior Branded Ads Manager at CTC, breaks down the exact system that delivers ad plans in 24 hours, moves to production in a week, and uses performance data to drive every creative decision.In This Episode:The full branded ads pipeline: kickoff to live ads in 10 business daysWhy performance data runs creative strategy (not opinions)20 ads per batch and the 5% hit rate realityHow AI enables speed without replacing human designersProduct-level personas vs. brand-level personas (the big unlock)Why emotional copy beats sterile benefit-listing every timeThe review platform that killed the feedback game of telephoneHow to iterate on winners and compound creative insightsLearn more about CTC's creative services → https://commonthreadco.comShow 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

June 4, 202628 min

What a Profit Engineer Actually Does All Day

What 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

June 2, 202631 min

Why Most Founders Set the Wrong Growth Goals

Randall 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

May 28, 202615 min

Join Our Growth Mastermind (Here's What's Inside)

Growth 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

May 26, 202620 min

We Tested AppLovin Discovery for 4 Months. Here's What Happened.

CTC'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

May 21, 202617 min

Consumer Confidence vs Rising Oil Prices

In 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

May 19, 202619 min

What We Learned at the 2026 Meta Summit

We 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

May 14, 202627 min

Stop Gambling on Creative - Use This 6-Pillar Assessment Framework

In 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