Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth

Common Thread Collective
  • 4.9 (72)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

  1. 6H AGO

    Why Meta's AI Has No Point of View

    In 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 methodology Live demo: AI hallucinating on a Statlas dashboard How providing context (the hierarchy of metrics) fixes everything Why contribution margin should be your AI's north star The "squeezing the sponge" trap of single-objective optimization Why CTC's context layer is a structural advantage What founders need to clarify before AI can help them 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-engine The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have

    9 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Enterprise Attribution for 7-Figure Brands

    Taylor sits down with Austin Harrison, founder and CEO of Northbeam, to announce an official partnership between CTC and Northbeam. After years of public debate about attribution, they've found common ground: bringing enterprise-grade measurement to 7-figure DTC brands. In this episode, Taylor and Austin discuss their history, what's evolved in measurement, and how CTC will deliver Northbeam's deterministic attribution data through Statlas. Topics covered: The origin story: from intellectual sparring to partnership How MTA has evolved with clicks + deterministic views (C+DV) Why 7-day click windows are insufficient for most brands First-party data and new vs. returning customer identity resolution How Northbeam data integrates directly into Statlas Why service models can serve SMBs where software pricing can't Incrementality testing and the path to get there The mission: enterprise-grade tools for 7-figure brand Key stat: Meta's longest DTC attribution window (7-day click) is structurally insufficient for brands with long consideration cycles or high AOVs. Show 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-engine The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have

    22 min

  3. APR 28

    From Flipping Houses to 20,000+ SKUs: How Lighthouse Co Built a Multi-Brand Empire

    What happens when a home flipper and an aspiring doctor decide to start selling lights during a pandemic? You get Lighthouse Co a curated lighting and home goods brand with 20,000+ SKUs, serving designers and homeowners across Canada and the US. In this episode, Brian Sakansky sits down with Lighthouse Co co-founders Sarah and Jason at CTC HQ in Southern California. They break down the real story behind building multiple businesses from scratch, from custom cabinetry to curated ecommerce to building their own ERP software (ManuLink, all without formal training in any of it. What you'll learn: How Lean methodology transformed a small cabinetry shop into a scalable operation Why Lighthouse Co gives every employee 30 minutes of paid time daily to improve one process The customer service principles that built their reputation (and why they fire vendors who don't match them) How they're navigating tariffs, economic uncertainty, and cross-border commerce in Canada and the US What it's really like running multiple businesses as a married couple Why their new ERP software was born out of necessity, not a business plan Show Notes: See how Attentive helps connect people and the brands they love.: https://bit.ly/4ag8oEJ Explore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engine The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have

    52 min

  4. APR 23

    Q1 2026 vs 2025: What Changed in Ecommerce (The Data)

    Steve Rekuc, Director of Data at Common Thread Collective, joins Richard to break down the Q1 2026 vs Q1 2025 year-over-year data from the DTC Index. The headline: Meta spend is up 25% year over year while ROAS only degraded 3%. Google ROAS actually increased 12% despite higher spend. The platforms are getting more elastic. In this episode: Total revenue up 13.6% YoY with more coming from returning customers Meta spend up 25.28% with only 3% ROAS degradation  Google ROAS up 12% with 3.65% more spend Why AI-driven ad delivery is making both platforms better CPMs are up but click-through rates are improving The DTC Index data set: 200-300 stores, proprietary consumer confidence metrics Consumer confidence: future purchase sentiment and hope for the economy How the DTCCI (DTC Consumer Confidence Index) predicts spending elasticity Show 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-engine The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have

    17 min

  5. APR 21

    You Don't Want Strategy. You Want an Outcome.

    The number one pain point brands bring to us: "My current agency gives me execution, not strategy." Luke and Richard, break down why that complaint, while valid, doesn't go far enough. Most brands are stuck in one of two broken relationships: An agency that only executes (you tell them what to do, they do it) A consultant that only strategizes (they give you a plan and leave) Neither owns the outcome. And that's the real problem. In this episode, Luke and Richard walk through the hierarchy of what actually matters: Execution is the baseline (necessary but not sufficient) Strategy is the ascension (backed by data, methodology, and experience) Outcome is the North Star (predictable results you can hold someone accountable to) Key insight: If the outcome isn't there, the strategy doesn't matter. If the strategy isn't there, the execution is just busy work. The Prophit Engine is built to own all three. 3% forecast accuracy across billions in managed revenue. That's outcome ownership. 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-engine The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have

    23 min

  6. APR 16

    How the Prophit Engine Actually Works (Full Walkthrough)

    Taylor and Luke, walk through exactly how the Prophit Engine system enables one person to deliver the work and outcome of three. This isn't about replacing people with AI. It's about what happens when you combine 12 years of methodology, a purpose-built data infrastructure, and an operator empowered by enterprise-grade tooling. In this roundtable replay, Taylor demos: How data infrastructure creates the foundation for fast decisions The planning process: marketing calendar → financial forecast → daily targets Statlas dashboard: from contribution margin to campaign-level actions The Hierarchy of Metrics: diagnosing problems top to bottom Creative demand planning: how many ads, what products, which moments Outlier engine: why 3.5% of ads drive 66% of spend How AI context layers are making Prophit Engineers move 10x faster Luke walks through: Creative analytics: spending power, outlier rates, activation economics How to turn creative production from gambling into math Key stat: 3% forecast-to-target accuracy across $3B+ in managed revenue. Show 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-engine The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have

    56 min

  7. APR 14

    How We Diagnose Every Ecommerce Problem (The Hierarchy of Metrics)

    Tony Chopp, walks through the Hierarchy of Metrics — the framework our Prophit Engineers use to diagnose problems and take action for 170+ ecommerce brands. In this episode, Tony and Richard break down a real brand example in Statlas, showing how you go from a contribution margin miss all the way down to a specific campaign adjustment in Google Ads. The hierarchy: Business-level metrics (revenue, contribution margin, ad spend) Customer-level metrics (new vs. returning, paid vs. organic) Channel-level metrics (Google, Meta, email — iROAS by channel) Campaign-level actions (bids, budgets, new creative) Key takeaways: Your ROAS target should be backed into through incrementality math and unit economics — not vibes "4 is not necessarily better than 3" — if 3 is the right number based on your COGS and incrementality, targeting 4 leaves volume on the table Over-efficiency is a symptom of underspend, not a badge of honor Good data in = good decisions out. The system is only as strong as your cost data, audience segmentation, and incrementality testing Show Notes: See how their guarantees work at https://redstag.com/ Explore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engine The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have

    31 min

  8. APR 9

    The Right Way to Use AI in Your Ad Creative

    AI is changing how ecommerce brands produce creative. But most brands are using it wrong. They're generating entire ads with AI and wondering why performance drops. Or they're ignoring it entirely and falling behind on volume. In this episode, we break down how to actually use AI in your creative workflow without sacrificing the authenticity that drives results. The brands winning with AI aren't replacing their creative process. They're using AI to scale what already works. What we cover: Why pure AI-generated creative sees CTR drops within 3 weeks Where AI actually adds value in the creative pipeline (backgrounds, cleanup, iteration) How to maintain authenticity while increasing creative volume The production ecosystem that lets you play probability instead of gambling Why 3-5% of your ads drive 70-80% of spend and what that means for AI If you're running Meta ads and trying to figure out where AI fits into your creative strategy, this episode cuts through the hype. 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 Lite: https://meetings.hubspot.com/richard-gaffin The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have

    28 min
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4.9
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About

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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