Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Common Thread Collective
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.
Recent Episodes
20 episodesFive Black Fridays in One Week at Montana Knife Company
Brandon Horoho, co-founder and CMO of Montana Knife Company (MKC), joins Taylor Holiday live at Commerce Roundtable in San Diego to break down a Black Friday strategy built around product drops. MKC creates five distinct shopping events across the week, giving customers reasons to buy full-price knives as new products and inventory become available.Brandon explains how the team plans those releases around different customer interests, gives each launch its own email and SMS push, and schedules additional drops after Cyber Monday to keep selling through the Christmas shipping cutoff.In this episode:Creating five Black Friday shopping events around culinary knives, pocket knives, and other product categories.Using product availability to generate excitement without running public discounts on knives.Why MKC sends each holiday event to its full audience instead of segmenting by customer interest.Planning BFCM launches around real manufacturing capacity and inventory constraints.Keeping products available for December shoppers after earlier years left the brand sold out before Christmas.Building demand through organic content and collaborations when paid advertising options are limited.This episode is brought to you by:- Trybe: https://bit.ly/4xXvD08- Alia: https://bit.ly/4yuP8ON- Bill: https://bit.ly/4e9JQQmShow Notes:Q4 waits for no one. AppLovin is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to applovin.com/ctc to set up your first campaignLearn more: https://commonthreadco.comTrack your brand’s performance: https://statlas.ioWork with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contactHave a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email [email protected]
What iOS 27 Means for Meta Ads Before Black Friday
iOS 27 is raising questions about Meta ads tracking ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Tony Chopp and Steve Rekuc examine what changed, what CTC is seeing in conversion data, and which parts of your Shopify and Meta setup deserve a closer look.CTC’s early analysis showed Meta conversion rates down roughly 15% year over year from October 8–18. That decline caught the team’s attention, but it does not establish Apple’s update as the cause. Tony and Steve explain how to investigate your conversion tracking before drawing that conclusion.In this episode:What iOS 27’s browser-based tracking changes target and how they differ from iOS 14.5.How missing or incomplete conversion signals can affect attribution and ad targeting.What to review in your Meta Pixel, Conversions API (CAPI), and Shopify data-sharing settings.Comparing Shopify orders with purchase events in Meta Events Manager to investigate missing or duplicate events.Why event match quality matters and what changing iOS adoption means for the timing of incrementality tests.Start with the last 30 days of Shopify purchases and the corresponding purchase events in Meta. Tony and Steve explain what discrepancies can reveal and where to investigate before holiday spending increases.Show Notes:Go to https://www.universalads.com/middleman and use code UACTC to get $2,500 in matched ad credits when you spend $2,500.Learn more: https://commonthreadco.comTrack your brand’s performance: https://statlas.ioWork with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contactHave a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email [email protected]
Low LTV Doesn’t Have to Limit Your Ecommerce Growth
Profitable ecommerce growth gets harder when repeat purchases are limited. In his Commerce Roundtable San Diego keynote, Taylor Holiday examines how Skullcandy, The Normal Brand, and Spiral Bible are growing with low customer lifetime value (LTV) and a need to make customer acquisition profitable on the first order.Taylor walks through changes to distribution, creative production costs, and campaign planning that helped these brands find room to scale. He also shares CTC’s research on ad performance to explain why the cost of finding successful creative matters.In this episode:Skullcandy: TikTok Shop reached 4.3x its January level by August, while ecommerce reached 2.7x its January level. He explains how creator content can generate demand that converts across the website, Amazon, and retail.The Normal Brand: June ad spend doubled year over year while incremental ROAS held steady. He explains how commission-based creator production increased creative volume and reduced upfront production costs, making more testing financially viable.Spiral Bible: Coordinated marketing moments and creator production supported a 4.4x increase in ad spend from May to August, while platform ROAS improved from 1.63 to 1.91. He breaks down how the team aligned offers, creators, email, and website messaging.Creative testing economics: In CTC’s analysis of more than 1.3 million ads, the top 5% accounted for 73% of calculated contribution value before creative production costs. He explains why that distribution changes what brands can afford to pay for each new ad.Show Notes:Expand beyond your own site without building a whole new operation. Find out what’s possible at https://www.mirakl.com/ctcLearn more: https://commonthreadco.comTrack your brand’s performance: https://statlas.ioWork with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contactHave a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email [email protected]
Is Your Black Friday Ad Spend Actually Driving More Sales
Black Friday ad spend can generate a different incremental return than it does during a typical sales period. Luke Austin, President of Common Thread Collective, joins Richard Gaffin to explain how incrementality testing can help you decide where your holiday budget belongs.They discuss what CTC has observed in promotional-period tests and why your usual return on ad spend (ROAS) target may need adjusting during Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). The goal is to understand which sales your ads generate beyond what would have happened without them, then use that information to guide spending.From there, Luke explores where brands could reinvest if the results support a change, including offers that evolve throughout the day and a larger role for creators in promoting them. He shares examples brands have already tried and outlines his proposal for coordinating offers across larger creator networks.In this episode:Why Black Friday ad spend can be more or less incremental than spending during a typical sales periodUsing conversion lift studies and holdout tests to measure additional salesApplying incrementality findings to Meta and Google ad budgets and ROAS targetsGiving shoppers new reasons to buy through flash sales and changing gifts with purchaseEquipping creators with approved offers, inventory updates, and financial limitsGiving creators room to develop their own messaging while preserving essential product requirementsShow Notes:Go to https://www.universalads.com/middleman and use code UACTC to get $2,500 in matched ad credits when you spend $2,500.Learn more: https://commonthreadco.comTrack your brand’s performance: https://statlas.ioWork with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contactHave a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email [email protected]
Black Friday Strategy for the Power 30 Days of Q4
Luke Austin, President of Common Thread Collective, joins Richard Gaffin to explain how to keep shoppers engaged after your Black Friday sale goes live.They break down the Power 30, the holiday window that accounts for 55% of Q4 website revenue in the data discussed, and the offer decisions that deserve attention throughout it. Luke shares examples of brands using VIP hours, featured-product flash sales, and changing gifts with purchase to give customers fresh reasons to visit and buy.The conversation covers how to prepare those moments, adapt to sales and inventory, and keep each offer easy for shoppers to understand.In this episode:Building a holiday calendar around early access, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the shipping cutoffWhy Luke prioritizes offer strategy alongside the media plan during peak shopping daysWhat happened when one brand added its bestselling product line back into its holiday offerPlanning fresh offers and messages within a single dayUsing inventory, margins, and minimum order values to shape gifts with purchaseKeeping a consistent promotional theme as individual offers changeShow Notes:Q4 waits for no one. AppLovin is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to applovin.com/ctc to set up your first campaignLearn more: https://commonthreadco.comTrack your brand’s performance: https://statlas.ioWork with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contactHave a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email [email protected]
The BFCM Prep Checklist: From Least to Most Impact
Joy Sharma, who leads CTC's seven-figure service offering, joins Richard with one goal: give every 7-figure ecommerce brand a clear BFCM prep playbook before the season hits.They walk through five areas in order from least to most impact.Housekeeping: Make sure your ad account billing limit is higher than your expected spend. Check your Commerce Manager, confirm your pixel is firing with 90%+ match rate, and clear any blockages before November.Offer: Your discount needs to be 20% or higher. Anything below that doesn't register. Simplify it — no tiered structures, no math for the customer. If your BFCM customers have weak LTV, build bundles around AOV instead of chasing subscriptions. And have something for your whales — Joy has sold $1,000 bundles for brands with $50 products. People don't realize how rich their best customers are.Email and SMS: Run at least three emails a week during the pre-Black Friday period. One email a day during Black Friday week. Up to three emails on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Immediately after Cyber Monday, run a two-day extension. Then shift to a free shipping cutoff sale. Most brands stop on Cyber Monday. That last window has a lot of revenue left in it. Send on your peak hours — use your historical data to find them.Landing page: The homepage is the hero. Run your ads there. Add a countdown timer, a sticky bar, slashed prices in a different color, and at least three product blocks (bestsellers, highest AOV, highest margin). Build a whale bundle. Turn off your evergreen first-time-buyer pop-ups.Creative (highest impact): CTC's research across hundreds of brands found that BFCM-specific ads drive only 30% of total Meta spend during the holiday period. Evergreen carries 70%. Don't sacrifice October ad production to make more November ads — October ads spend 50% more over Q4. But nobody makes enough Black Friday ads. One brand went from $5K a day to $55K a day by making 1,500 ads. Creative hierarchy: frames first, then catalogs with sale creative, then statics with offers overlaid, then video remixes of top performers, then new creator content if you have capacity.BLACK FRIDAY AD RESEARCH: https://commonthreadco-global.com/bfcmShow Notes:Go to https://www.universalads.com/middleman and use code UACTC to get $2,500 in matched ad credits when you spend $2,500.Learn more: https://commonthreadco.comTrack your brand’s performance: https://statlas.ioWork with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contactHave a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email [email protected]
Skullcandy Is Building Black Friday Demand With TikTok Shop
By the time Black Friday arrives, Skullcandy wants customers ready to buy.Evin Catlett, Skullcandy’s Global VP of Ecommerce and Growth Marketing, joins Taylor Holiday live at Commerce Roundtable in San Diego to explain how the brand uses TikTok Shop and creator content to build demand ahead of its holiday promotions. She shares what helped TikTok Shop gain traction after a slow start and how her team selects products for creator campaigns that support sales across Skullcandy’s website, Amazon, and retail stores.In this episode:Building a digital growth strategy inside a brand with extensive retail distributionWhy Skullcandy kept investing in TikTok Shop after a slow launchThe role of creator content in generating demand across sales channelsCoordinating Black Friday offers across DTC, Amazon, and retailEvin’s approach to investing before the sale so customers are ready to purchaseGiving shoppers reasons to buy directly through loyalty benefits and exclusive productsPlanning for holiday sales through Christmas and the end of the yearKey takeaway: Evin reports seeing retail sales of specific products move within weeks of creator campaigns. Measuring the full impact across channels remains a work in progress.This episode is brought to you by:- Trybe: https://bit.ly/4xXvD08- Alia: https://bit.ly/4yuP8ON- Bill: https://bit.ly/4e9JQQmShow Notes:Go to http://outersignal.com/thread to get 50% off your first two monthsLearn more: https://commonthreadco.comTrack your brand’s performance: https://statlas.ioWork with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contactHave a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email [email protected]
Turning Black Friday Shoppers Into Customers Who Stay
Justin Palmer, Founder & CEO of Home Life Brands, joins Taylor Holiday live at Commerce Roundtable in San Diego to discuss Black Friday customer retention and turning holiday shoppers into customers who stay.After 12 years in pet ecommerce, the company behind iHeartDogs and The Hero Company prioritizes acquiring customers in September and October, when they’re more likely to buy again during the holidays. Justin explains how member discounts, early product access, and daily inventory planning shape the brand’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday strategy.For DTC brands preparing for BFCM 2026, Justin shares an approach to driving repeat purchases and building membership revenue around products customers don’t need every month. Charitable experiences and personal impact updates give members an ongoing reason to engage beyond the initial discount.In this episode:- Why September and October acquisitions tend to return during the holidays, while November and December buyers are more often one-time gift shoppers- Finding the intersection of three customer interests to develop more specific products and ad creative- Building membership revenue around products with limited natural repeat purchase frequency- Giving members early access and discounted pricing before Black Friday- Testing product concepts with existing customers and cold audiences before ordering inventory- Using daily inventory projections to adjust pricing and ad spend ahead of the shipping cutoff- Giving iHeartDogs members a reason to stay through meal donations, monthly rescue flights, and personal impact dashboards- Producing AI ad creative at scale when predicting winners is increasingly difficult- Building toward automated offers, from a discount idea to a landing page and published ad creative- Why Meta remains the primary acquisition channel, and where TikTok Shop, Amazon, and AppLovin fit- Moving media buyer compensation toward contribution margin rather than last-click revenue aloneKey stat: Justin says memberships account for roughly 25% of the business’s revenue, helping provide stability outside the holiday season.Community impact: The Hero Company has also funded more than $2 million in donations to organizations that match veterans with service dogs.This episode is brought to you by:- Trybe: https://bit.ly/4xXvD08- Alia: https://bit.ly/4yuP8ON- Bill: https://bit.ly/4e9JQQmShow Notes: Go to https://www.universalads.com/middleman and use code UACTC to get $2,500 in matched ad credits when you spend $2,500.- Learn more: https://commonthreadco.com- Track your brand’s performance: https://statlas.io- Work with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contact- Have a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email [email protected]
Your Black Friday Sale Doesn’t Need to Last All November
Kyle Yeoman, President of Groove Life, joins Taylor Holiday live at Commerce Roundtable in San Diego to explain why the brand is pulling back on discounts.With profits tripling, Kyle breaks down the changes behind Groove Life’s turnaround, from cutting operating expenses to rebuilding product pages. He also shares the brand’s Black Friday plan: start the Wednesday before, run the sale for one week, and stop.In this episode:What changed when discounted sales grew from 20% to 40% of revenueWhy brands get stuck in “discount prison” and what it takes to get outGroove Life’s 2026 plan to reserve discounts for Father’s Day and the holiday seasonWhy fixing operating expenses came firstThe product page changes that lifted conversion rates 61% YoY on the updated pagesWhy Groove Life is keeping its Black Friday sale to one weekHow the brand approaches linear TV and YouTube beyond traditional attributionOne thing worth noting, Kyle reports that site changes cut Meta CPA in half, measured on the same seven-day click attribution window.Key stat: Kyle reports that site changes cut Meta CPA in half, measured on the same seven-day click attribution window.This episode is brought to you by:Trybe: https://bit.ly/4xXvD08Alia: https://bit.ly/4yuP8ONBill: https://bit.ly/4e9JQQmShow Notes:Q4 waits for no one. AppLovin is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to applovin.com/ctc to set up your first campaignExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
Stop Discounting. Groove Life's Profits Tripled When They Did.
Kyle Yeoman, President of Groove Life, joins Taylor live at Commerce Roundtable in San Diego to break down one of the most counterintuitive pivots in DTC: committing to fewer discounts and watching profits triple. Kyle shares the exact framework Groove Life used to escape "discount prison" — and the site changes alone that cut their Meta CPA in half.In this episode:How Groove went from 20% to 40% of revenue through discounts — and what that revealedThe "discount prison" problem: why you can't turn off what you built your funnel onThe 2026 reset: fix OpEx first, then eliminate year-round promotionsWhy rebuilding one PDP drove 61% YoY conversion rate improvementThe exact Q4 strategy: no sale until Wednesday before Black Friday, one week onlyHow linear TV remnant + YouTube operates outside traditional attributionThe mindset shift: constraint as competitive advantageKey stat: Meta CPA cut in half — seven-day click, apples to apples — from site changes alone. No ad changes required.Show Notes:Q4 waits for no one. AppLovin is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to applovin.com/ctc to set up your first campaignExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
The Video Volume Secret Behind Every Winning TikTok Shop Program
Tyler and Alex from TBAR just joined CTC — and in this episode, Shack sits down with them right after their first-ever stage presentation at Commerce Roundtable to break down everything they know about building winning TikTok Shop programs.This is the tactical breakdown behind one of the fastest-growing creator commerce agencies in the space: how they built their client roster (Ridge, David Protein, Jones Road and more), why video volume beats virality every time, how they structure creator communities in Discord, and where social commerce is heading next.In This Episode:Why TikTok limits views on shoppable videos (and why that actually doesn't matter)The GMV Max algorithm explained: why it's a slot machine, not a scienceHow to get 3 videos back for every sample you sendThe creator community flywheel: Discord, coaching, competitions, retainersHalo effect to Amazon, Shopify, and retail — when to expect it and how to measure itWhere social commerce is heading: YouTube Shop, Meta Reels, and live sellingShow Notes:Go to https://bit.ly/4cbihFx to Claim $25,000 in Lutiq platform creditsExplore Tikok Shops; https://commonthreadco.com/pages/tiktok-shop-agencyExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
The Machine: How We Back-Check Every Q4 Plan Before BFCM
8 year CTC veteran Garrett Hord sits down with Randall to break down what separates the brands that crush Q4 from the ones that scramble.For many ecommerce brands, 50% of annual revenue and contribution margin lands in a single 30-day window, November 13 through December 13. Most brands treat it like any other month. The ones that win treat it like a machine.In this episode, Garrett walks through the frameworks, patterns, and tactical mistakes he's seen across 8 years and hundreds of brands — including CTC's "four peaks theory," the October cohort principle, and why squeezing the sponge is the most common Q4 killer.Topics covered:Why 50% of revenue hits in just 30 days — and how to be ready"The Machine": submitting your Q4 plan for a back-check before BFCMPulling revenue forward: the right way vs. the wrong wayCTC's four peaks theory for Q4 promotional strategyThe October cohort — why it has the highest short-term LTV of the yearThe "double dip" strategy: acquire new customers pre-BFCM, convert them on the spikeSqueezing the sponge: the most common Q4 mistakeWhy brands that miss July–October targets almost never catch up in NovemberWhat season of ecommerce are we in, and who will win the next 5 yearsWant to put your Q4 plan through The Machine? https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contactShow 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 [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
We Acquired the Fastest-Growing TikTok Shop Agency.
CTC just acquired TBAR Partners — the fastest-growing TikTok Shop agency in the country. In this episode, Luke sits down with co-founders Tyler Brechbiel and Alex Rudolph to walk through the origin story, the playbook behind their results, and what this partnership means for ecommerce brands.Tyler and Alex built TBAR from a college dorm room in June 2025. Sixteen months later they're managing over $5M in monthly GMV for brands like Ridge, HexClad, and Grüns — and now they're part of Common Thread Collective.In this episode:How TBAR went from zero to managing Ridge, HexClad, and Grüns in under 18 monthsThe creator recruitment and Discord community system that 3x's video output per sampleWhy video volume and GMV have a direct correlation — and how to use thatThe "blitz launch" strategy that sold Naked Sundays out of inventory overnightHow Ridge's tracker card — their worst D2C seller — became their top TikTok Shop productThe volume-based competition that generated 7,000 videos in a single month for RidgeWhy 90% of TikTok Shop revenue comes from the top 10 affiliates — and how to find them fastWhat GMV Max actually is and how to feed it correctlyTikTok LIVE selling and the halo effect into Meta, Amazon, and retailHow Statlas will track the full demand cascade for TBAR's brand rosterShow Notes:Go to https://bit.ly/4cbihFx to Claim $25,000 in Lutiq platform creditsExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
Why September Is the Most Important Month of Your Q4
Black Friday is not won in November. According to CTC data, brands that grow their active customer file by 10% or more this year have a 77% chance of beating last year's BFCM — with a median result of 40% growth. The brands that hold back in September are the ones that underperform in Q4.Topics covered in this episode:Why your active customer file is the single biggest predictor of BFCM performanceThe data: 77%, 50%, and 30% — what your customer file growth tells you right nowHow CTC defines and measures the active customer file across Shopify brandsWhy short-term LTV peaks in the first 30 to 60 days after acquisitionWhy that window gets heightened heading into BFCM, not reducedThe case for leaning into acquisition spend now rather than saving it for NovemberHow to measure the incremental impact of your media spend in September vs. BFCMWhat incrementality factors are and how CTC has seen them across brandsThe step-by-step September playbook: file, scenarios, moments, measurementWhy the fear of pulling revenue forward or confusing your BFCM offer is overblownShow Notes:Q4 waits for no one. AppLovin is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to applovin.com/ctc to set up your first campaignExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
The Supplement Industry Is Broken, Sports Cheating Is Rational, and Influence Is Misunderstood
Taylor and Andrew dig into three topics that have more in common than you think: why the supplement industry struggles to build real moats, whether the Dodgers and Clippers crossed ethical and legal lines, and the most important marketing distinction almost nobody is making between influencers and creators.Topics covered in this episode: Why no supplement brand has a defensible customer acquisition costAG1, Gruns, and how a form factor change can destroy a cohortIMA's billion-dollar debt facility built specifically to fund CACWhere the real moats in health and wellness actually are: hardware, data, and telehealthMark Walter, insurance float allegations, and the Dodgers cheating scandalThe Clippers punishment: $30M and five first-round picksParity in sports: why big markets winning is actually better for the productJoy as the delta between expectation and realityCreators vs. influencers: why this distinction matters more than your entire creative strategyThe Mark Dowdle and Rapid hat story: what real influence actually looks likeHow to approach influencer marketing at $0 vs. 8-figure revenueEquity deals, embedded influencers, and the Jason Khalipa modelDHH on AI: the most optimistic take Taylor has heardAgency cash management: should you hold reserves or get a revolver?Show Notes:Visit eCapital to see how much working capital you may qualify for: https://bit.ly/4xO3VDdExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
The Re-Hire Nobody Saw Coming
One of CTC's earliest hires just returned after years away. He left to build his own media agency, acquired a major email and retention agency, then co-founded a beverage company where mastering subscription economics was the only path to survival. Now he is back, and the skills he forged along the way make him a different kind of asset for 7-to-9-figure ecommerce brands than when he first walked in the door.Our guest today is a returning member of the CTC family — a media buyer turned agency founder turned beverage entrepreneur, now rejoining as a senior leader focused on retention strategy, media, and industry events. Find out who it is in this episode.Topics covered:The original CTC hiring story and what early platform arbitrage taught him about finding edgesWhy he left CTC and what he set out to prove by building his own agencyAcquiring a top email and retention agency and what running lifecycle marketing for real clients taught himCo-founding a beverage company and what subscription economics looks like from inside a real P&LWhy Statlas and CTC's current scale made returning the obvious moveThe financial forecast connection: why email revenue expectations must be tied to the paid calendarWhere offer-to-ad-to-landing-page continuity breaks down at most brandsDeep storytelling vs. volume tactics: a real example of what actually drives conversionActive vs. lapsed customer strategy and the economics of subscription reactivationCommerce Roundtable events and Hyrox Anaheim Dec 3-4Show 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 [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
The Service That Turned a Brand's Worst Summer Into Its Best.
CTC's Marketing Moments service is built to create new revenue spikes for 7-figure brands through structured offer testing, targeted landing pages, and high-volume creative. In this episode, host Richard Gaffin sits down with Roberto Fink, Profit Engineer at CTC, to break down exactly how the service works and why every brand that has signed up has seen at least one meaningful unlock.In this episode:What Marketing Moments is and the COAL framework behind it (Content, Offer, Acquisition funnel, Landers)What each brand gets: 2 marketing moments per month, 1 landing page + 20-25 creatives eachHow the program evolved from calendar-event hooks to evergreen offer testing year-roundThe 100% hit rate: every enrolled brand has unlocked incremental spend, better efficiency, or higher AOVWhy CTC's view of a brand's P&L and margin profile lets it engineer offers that improve margin AND unlock higher CPA bidsThe men's grooming brand that had its first ever profitable summer, with offer campaigns driving 75% of account spendShow Notes:Go to https://bit.ly/4cbihFx to Claim $25,000 in Lutiq platform creditsExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
What a Profit Engineer Does Every Day at CTC
Most agencies promise results. Few can show you the system behind them. In this episode, Randall Thompson sits down with Jar, a Profit Engineer at CTC who previously built and scaled a multi-7-figure apparel brand, to break down exactly what the Profit Engineer role looks like day to day.From daily contribution margin targets inside Statlas to the 4 levers that actually move paid media performance, this is an inside look at how CTC drives predictable, profitable growth across 7-figure and 8-figure ecommerce brands.Topics covered:What a Profit Engineer does every morning (and why contribution margin comes first)The 3 forecasting models inside Statlas: Spending Power, Retention, and Event EffectHow to diagnose a volume problem vs. an efficiency problemThe 4 levers of paid media: Creative, Offers, CRO, and Marketing MomentsHow Statlas Jams work and why collective knowledge across 170+ brands mattersBase plans vs. stretch goals and how to beat the modelWhat separates CTC from agencies that promise big and deliver smallCTC stat: $3B in GMV managed, within 3% of forecast target, 40%+ contribution margin growth, 30%+ revenue growth (2025).Show Notes:Q4 waits for no one. AppLovin is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to https://applovin.com/en/ad-experience?referralCode=CTC to set up your first campaignExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
Why Your Email Strategy Is Not a Content Calendar
In this episode Luke breaks down the complete CTC email methodology as part of the Canon series. This is the framework CTC uses to build email programs that generate a median of 22% of total store revenue, with the scaffolding to push well beyond that for brands operating at the highest level.What you will learn:Why an email plan is a revenue forecast commitment, not a content calendarThe three-act framework: hit the forecast, expand volume, add segmentationAll 10 core flows and how to tier them by priorityThe 4 campaign types CTC uses and when to deploy eachMoment orchestration across standard days, promo days, launch days, and sales eventsWhy revenue per recipient decays with volume but total profit keeps growingEngagement and lifecycle segmentation dimensions and how to combine themAttribution settings: 3-day click, exclude opensThe Statlas Email Plan and how it connects email to the revenue forecastKey stat: Email delivers 22% of total store revenue (median) across CTC-managed brands, with range from sub-10% all the way to 65%.Show Notes:Visit eCapital to see how much working capital you may qualify for: https://bit.ly/4xO3VDdExplore the Prophit Engine: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/prophit-engineThe Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have
Diversify Now: The 6-Week Q4 Window Closing Fast
Richard and Luke (newly promoted President at CTC) break down why channel diversification is no longer optional for 8-figure ecommerce brands heading into Q4 and what creative diversification actually means when you need 1,000-plus ads per month from 100-plus creators. This episode covers the exact tools, platforms, and testing frameworks that changed CTC's position on scaling beyond Meta and Google.What we cover:Why CTC reversed its position on channel diversificationHow Statlas automation now pushes thousands of ads per monthWhy geo holdout incrementality testing is now in-house at CTCCreative diversification as production source diversity, not format diversityThe 3-4 production source minimum before Q4Why 3% of ads drive 80-plus percent of spendFinding your top 20-30 creators before the September window closesAppLovin, TikTok GMV Max, and YouTube Demand Gen entering Q4CTC's Mountain partnership for Connected TV geo holdout testingKey stat: 3% of ads drive more than 80% of spend. Find your outliers before Q4 locks in.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 [email protected] to ask us any questions you might have