Shows / Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
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…
Episodes
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
5 Questions That Drive 80% of Your Growth
Every ecommerce growth team spends the majority of their time answering the same five questions. The problem? Most brands answer them with disconnected tools…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Growth System for Brands Under $1M
CTC has never had a service offering for brands below seven figures. That changes today. Prophit Engine Lite is for any Ecommerce brand with established…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
In-House Creator, Outsourced Management: The New Creative Model
Most brands are stuck in a cycle: source UGC creators, send product, hope the content is usable, repeat. The hit rate is low, the management is painful, and…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Ruthless Forecast: How We Hold 7-Figure Brands Accountable
Most 7-figure brands are stuck in the same loop. They've outgrown guesswork but can't justify a $15K/month agency retainer. Every dollar has to work, and…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Data + Methodology + Operator: How We Build Capacity
Every brand wants more capacity from their growth team. Most try to solve it by adding people or plugging data into ChatGPT. Neither works. In this episode…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The 3 Accountability Rules That Drive 108% YoY Growth
Most brands have a media buyer, a strategist, and a creative lead. Everyone's doing their job. Everyone has a dashboard. But when you ask "are we on plan this…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How the Prophit Engine Creates Total Clarity
Most ecommerce brands are making slower, worse decisions than they realize, and it's not because of bad people. It's because of a broken structure. In this…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Profit Engine Explained: How It Works & What It Does
What if one person could replace your entire ecommerce growth team, and get better results? In this episode Richard and Luke break down exactly how the Profit…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Why We Built the Prophit Engine: Who Is It For?
Common Thread Collective just launched the Prophit Engine to the public—and in this episode, Richard and Taylor break down what it is, why it exists, and how…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Rise of SEANs
In this episode, Richard and Taylor Holiday discuss the rise of the “SEANs” — the Software-Enabled AgeNcy — and why it represents a fundamental shift in how…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Turning Incrementality Tests Into Action That Makes You Money
Incrementality tests are “in”… but the real problem is what you do after the read. In this episode, Taylor sits down with Olivia Kory (Chief Strategy Officer…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Sales Tax “Nexus” Trap Most Brands Miss
Sales tax feels simple—until you hit nexus. In this episode, Ryan Pinkham (VP of Go-to-Market at TaxCloud) breaks down why sales tax gets complex fast for…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How OLLY Built a Retention Engine for a Brand Sold Everywhere
Acquisition is getting tighter! In this episode, we flip the script and talk about the lever most brands under-invest in: retention + lifecycle marketing…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
224 Calls Later… This One Problem Showed Up Everywhere
In this episode, Richard and Luke unpack a pattern they couldn’t ignore after running 224 sales call transcripts through an LLM: The #1 issue mid-market…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The $1M → $10M Ecom Growth Map
Scaling a DTC brand from $1M → $10M isn’t about finding more “hacks,” it’s about focusing on the right growth lever at the right revenue stage. In this…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Stop Guessing Your Ecommerce Budget
In this episode, Richard and Luke break down the system we use to help 8-figure ecommerce brands stop guessing and start making confident decisions about…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
When AI Knows Everything, How Do You Decide Anything?
AI promised clarity. Instead, it delivered information overload. In this episode, we unpack what happens when AI gives ecommerce teams more data than they can…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Agentic Commerce Is Here and It Changes Everything
In this episode, Richard and Tony break down what agentic commerce actually is, why Shopify and Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol matters, and how AI-driven…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How our Prophit System Forecasts Creative Volume
Creative strategy doesn’t fail because of bad ideas, it fails because it isn’t operationalized. In this episode, we break down how the Prophit System forecasts…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Why Real Growth Comes From Accountability, Not Tools
Most teams chase growth by adding new tools, dashboards, and AI. But real, durable growth doesn’t come from software, it comes from accountability. In this…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
CFO Summit: How to Get Your Forecast Back on Track
Forecasts are always wrong — what matters is how fast you respond. In this episode, we break down how top teams diagnose a miss early, tighten the…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Creative Strategy Is Dead (Here’s What Actually Works in 2026)
In this episode, Taylor explains why the traditional creative loop—analyzing past ads, chasing CTRs, writing briefs, and hoping for better results—isn’t just…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Is AppLovin Actually Incremental? 8 Tests, Real Data, Real Results
Is AppLovin actually incremental — or just another platform taking credit for demand that already exists? In this episode, we break down 8 real AppLovin…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Why “Perfect Attribution” Is a Lie (And What Actually Matters)
Most brands are chasing “perfect attribution.” That’s the wrong goal. In this episode of the Podcast, Tony sits down with Steve to break down what marketing…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The ‘Flow Era’ Is Coming: The End of ‘Easy’ DTC
The last five years of DTC forced brands through extreme conditions—easy money, explosive growth, brutal pullbacks, rising CAC, tariffs, and shrinking consumer…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The 3 Things Brands Must Get Right to Win in 2026
In this episode of the Podcast, we break down the three things brands must get right to win in 2026—based on real performance data, post-BFCM learnings, and…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
26 Predictions That Will RESHAPE Commerce In 2026
2026 won’t be an evolution of commerce—it will be a reset. In this episode, Taylor and Richard unpack 26 predictions that will reshape commerce in 2026…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
What 53,000 Ads Reveal About Meta’s Andromeda Algorithm
Meta’s Andromeda algorithm didn’t just tweak performance it rewired how ads are delivered, scaled, and rewarded. In this episode of the Podcast, we break down…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
CFO Summit - Turning Your Marketing Calendar Into a Financial Forecast
Presented by:Fulfil : https://bit.ly/3KNjCYJTaxCloud: https://bit.ly/49mKdnRChargeflow: https://bit.ly/49mKfvZYou'll learn how to... -Connect marketing actions…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Welcome to Q5: The Most Important Quarter You’re Ignoring
The holiday shipping cutoff doesn’t end the year. It flips the calendar into Q5 — the six-week window where intent spikes, CPMs collapse, and the best customer…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Marketing Calendar Is Your Real Revenue Model
In this episode of the Podcast, Richard and Luke break down the uncomfortable truth most brands ignore: your marketing calendar not your spreadsheet—is the…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The 2026 7-Figure Brand Playbook (Stop Copying 9-Figure Advice)
In this episode, Taylor and Joy break down the real 2026 playbook for 7-figure ecommerce brands, and why copying 9-figure operators is one of the biggest…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
From Campaigns to Cash Flow: How to Build a Forecast That Works
How do high-performing ecommerce brands turn campaigns into predictable cash flow? In this episode, we break down the exact forecasting process we use at…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
BFCM 2025 Results: What Really Happened This Weekend
In this episode of the Podcast, we break down the real story of BFCM 2025—from forecasting accuracy to media buying chaos, offer pivots, AppLovin’s breakout…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
5 Last-Minute BFCM Fixes You STILL Have Time to Make
Black Friday is three days away but there’s still time to tighten your strategy and avoid costly mistakes. In this episode of the podcast, the CTC team breaks…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
CFO Summit: Board, Budget, Bonus - The Forecasting Framework for 2026
In our first CFO Summit Taylor breaks down the Board, Budget, Bonus forecasting framework—CTC’s core system for building a clear, defensible, and aligned…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Meta’s Black Box Is Ruining Your Creative Strategy
Meta’s new creative ranking systems are changing everything, and most brands have no idea how much it’s affecting their performance. In this episode, we break…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How to Set Meta ROAS Targets Before Black Friday
How do you set the right ROAS target on Meta heading into Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Most brands either guess… or use last month’s numbers and hope they…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
2026 Forecast Planning: Board vs Budget vs Bonus Explained
Most ecommerce brands build one forecast — and that’s why most forecasts are wrong. In this episode of the Podcast, Richard and Luke break down the 3-forecast…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Why Your 2026 Financial Plan Needs 3 Scenarios (Not 1)
Most brands are building their 2026 plan all wrong. In this episode, Taylor breaks down why you can’t walk into the new year with one financial forecast — and…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How to Optimize Ad Spend in Real Time During Black Friday
Black Friday isn’t won by guessing, it’s won hour by hour. In this episode of the Podcast, Richard and Luke break down how top DTC brands use real-time ad…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Is Ecommerce Finally Rebounding? Here’s What the Data Says.
After months of mixed signals, new data from the DTC Index shows ecommerce revenue is up 10% year over year — but consumer confidence is heading in the…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How to Plan Hour-by-Hour Spend for Black Friday & Cyber Monday
Want to stop guessing when to spend your Meta budget during Black Friday and Cyber Monday? This episode breaks down exactly how to plan your ad spend hour by…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
DTC Hotline: How would you identify and fill your Q4 revenue gaps?
This is a special Friday episode feature of CTC's DTC Hotline: Most brands talk about hitting their Q4 goals — but few have a system to identify and close…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Solving Meta Ad Creative, eCom Monopolies, and Agency Partnerships
In this special episode of the Random Show, Taylor Holiday and Andrew Faris unpack a wide-ranging conversation—from AI’s potential to predict creative…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
From JP Morgan to DTC: How Ondo Built a Better Sock Brand
He left JP Morgan to build a sock brand and it worked. In this episode of podcast, Taylor sits down with Daniel Shim, founder of Ondo, the DTC brand…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Why Retention Starts at Acquisition: A New Approach to LTV Growth
Most brands treat retention and acquisition as separate strategies and that’s the problem. In this episode, we reveal why retention actually begins at…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Modern Media Playbook
In this episode of the podcast, Taylor and Luke take you inside the system Common Thread Collective has built to define what modern media management really…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How to Win Q4 with Data, Not Guesswork
Stop guessing — start scaling. In this episode of Podcast, Richard and Luke break down how one eight-figure brand completely rewrote its Q4 plan using the…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Stop Wasting Your Q4 Budget on Holiday UGC
Most brands blow their Q4 creator budget on one thing: holiday only content. In this episode of thPodcast, Richard sits down with Adrianne, Director of Creator…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How to Craft the Best BFCM Offer this Year
As Q4 kicks off, one of the biggest levers brands can pull is their offer strategy. In this episode, Richard Gaffin (Director of Digital Product Strategy) and…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
eCommerce Is About to Evolve - Taylor Holiday's Keynote @ Stord Summit
In this special episode, we share Taylor Holiday’s keynote from Stord’s Summit. (https://www.stord.com/) He unpacks the four eras of DTC—COVID’s boom, the lean…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Measurement Roadmap: How it Works
In this episode of the E-Commerce Playbook, Taylor Holiday and Richard Gaffin dig into the Measurement Roadmap—CTC’s framework for deciding what to test, when…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Is AppLovin making a comeback?
Most brands rush into new ad platforms before they’re ready. In this episode, Richard and Tony break down why channel expansion is less about “good or bad” and…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Best (& Worst) Creative Demand Scores We’ve Seen for Brands
As Q4 approaches, creative demand becomes one of the biggest challenges for brands looking to scale efficiently. In this episode, Richard Gaffin (Director of…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How a CTC Client Unlocked 40% YoY Growth
In this week’s episode of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, Luke Austin (VP of Ecommerce Strategy at CTC) sits down with Mike McVerry, SVP of Ecommerce &…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How 2 top-tier strategists actually forecast client growth
In this special episode of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, Luke Austin takes the reins and brings in two of CTC’s top-performing growth strategists—Lacie Geary…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Understanding the Seasonality of Media Buying by Month & Day
When should you really be spending more? Which days of the week drive the most revenue—for your brand? In this episode, Richard is joined by Luke Austin (VP of…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Your Marginal Frontier Will Determine Your Q4
In this episode of The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, Richard Gaffin and Taylor Holiday dig deeper into the Spending Power Model—breaking down why the next dollar…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
What's the best (and worst) e-Commerce niche right now?
In place of this week’s Tuesday ECPP episode, we’re featuring CTC’s newest podcast: The DTC Hotline. In this week’s episode, Richard Gaffin is joined by Tony…