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
A Live Demo of How to Forecast Your Q4 Against Tariffs
In this episode of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, Richard Gaffin and Taylor Holiday dive deep into the practical use cases of Spend & aMER forecasting…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Why Forecasts are Bottlenecked by Creative Diversity
In this episode of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, Richard Gaffin and Taylor Holiday unpack the critical connection between forecasting models and creative…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Forecasting Framework Every Brand Needs Before Q4
In this episode of The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, Richard Gaffin and Taylor Holiday unpack why forecasting isn’t just about models—it’s about execution. They…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Why right now is the best time to dial in your spend vs. aMER
In this episode of The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, Richard Gaffin and Taylor Holiday break down why so many e-commerce leaders rely on guesswork and ambition…
Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & GrowthHow Do I Pitch My Boss on Cost Caps? on DTC Hotline Ep. 2
In this week’s episode of The DTC Hotline, Richard Gaffin is joined once again by Tony “The Chopper” Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke “The Weatherman” Austin…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Understanding Spend vs. aMER, and Spending Power
In this episode of the E-Commerce Playbook Podcast, Richard Gaffin is joined by Luke Austin (VP of E-Commerce Strategy at CTC) and Steve Rekuc (Director of…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
CTC Summit '25: An inside look at CTC’s exact client growth strategy
Get an exclusive look behind the curtain with our VP of Strategy, Luke, as he breaks down how CTC is transforming profit-driven growth through clarity…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
What is the future of eCom? on DTC Hotline Episode 1
In the debut of The DTC Hotline, Richard Gaffin is joined by Tony “The Chopper” Chopp (VP of Paid Media) and Luke “The Weatherman” Austin (VP of eCommerce…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Secret That Prepares Accelerator Brands for 8-Figure Success
As brands approach the $1M–$10M revenue range, they often find themselves stuck—still hustling, but with slower growth and rising costs. That’s where CTC’s…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Last Week’s Podcast Crushed on X—Here’s Why It Did
In this episode of the E-Commerce Playbook Podcast, Taylor Holiday and Richard Gaffin unpack the surprising success of last week’s episode—and explore what it…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
We Ran Incrementality Tests... Meta’s Tool Didn’t Win
After months of speculation, testing, and internal debate, CTC put Meta’s new Incremental Attribution Tool to the test—three times. In this episode, Richard…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Lessons from 11 Years of Building an Agency — and What Happened After
In this episode of The Random Show, Taylor Holiday and Andrew Faris sit down for a moment of focus—because something big just happened.Common Thread Collective…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Lessons from 11 Years of Building an Agency — and What Happened After
In this episode of The Random Show, Taylor Holiday and Andrew Faris sit down for a moment of focus—because something big just happened.Common Thread Collective…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Summit Recap: Lessons You Only Learn From Talking with Clients In Person
At CTC’s recent Client Summit, Taylor Holiday and Richard Gaffin sat down to unpack what happens when you get out from behind Zoom and into a room with the…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
CTC Summit: Why 2025 eCom Is a Tale of Two Cities: Winners & Losers
The Tale of Two Cities in E-Commerce: Winners and Losers in 2025At CTC’s Client Summit, Taylor Holiday shares an unfiltered perspective on where the economy…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
14 Days, $1.28M: We CRUSHED Our Million-Dollar Challenge!
Can you turn 14 days into $1.28 million? We did—and we're breaking down exactly how we crushed our million-dollar challenge! In this episode, join Richard and…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Inside CTC’s New Strategic Partnership: What's Next?
Discover the next chapter in Common Thread Collective’s story as Taylor Holiday takes you behind the scenes of our 12-year journey from a tiny IKEA furnished…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Meta's Attribution Settings Don't Matter Anymore
In this episode of the podcast, we dismantle the old school attribution windows holding your ad strategy hostage and reveal a simple framework for measuring…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
3 Moves to Save Your Brand From Financial Collapse
Is your brand feeling the squeeze? You’re not alone. In today’s episode, we break down three essential moves every DTC and ecommerce brand must make to…
Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & GrowthAre Ecommerce Brands Suddenly Failing?
Ecommerce brands are quietly shutting their doors, but what's really behind this sudden wave of closures? In this episode, we dive deep into exclusive industry…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
6 Questions That Expose Weak Brands
Are you building a resilient brand or just delaying the inevitable? In this episode of the Podcast, we tackle six hard hitting questions every founder and…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Can We Save the $1M Challenge? – We’re $577K Short
We’re $423K into our 14-day, $1M revenue challenge—and the pressure is mounting. With just 6 days left, we’re $577K short of our goal. In this episode, Luke…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Future of Ads According to Meta (Straight from the Summit)
What’s next for Meta ads? We just got back from Meta’s Performance Summit, and the future is clear: incrementality, AI tuning, creative velocity, and less…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Meta's New Setting Beat Our Old Campaign by 18%
Meta just rolled out a brand new attribution setting called Incremental Attribution and we put it to the test. In this episode of the Podcast, Richard is…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
2 Weeks to Make $1,000,000—Here’s the Plan
We’re attempting something BIG. Over the next two weeks, our VP of Ecommerce Strategy, Luke Austin, is taking on a real-time challenge to generate an…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
May Report Card Shocker: Under Budget but Over Profit?
How did our clients perform in May against their forecasted targets? In this episode, we analyze the latest client report card—detailing key insights from over…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Story vs. Volume: The Creative Conflict Killing Your Ads
Is your marketing stuck between creating meaningful stories and pumping out endless ad variations? This episode of Podcast breaks down the critical tension…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
I Almost Lost My Business — Here's Exactly How I Fixed It
In this episode, Tara Austin, founder and CEO of Ruthie Grace, reveals the raw and honest story of how she nearly lost her seven figure ecommerce business—and…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Taylor & Andrew Break Baseball Cards & Break Down DTC in 2025
In this episode of The Random Show, Taylor Holiday and Andrew Faris are back—new set, same chaos. They dive into the uncomfortable truths of e-commerce: zero…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Meta’s New Attribution Model Will Blow Up Your Ad Strategy—Here’s Why
Meta just dropped a game changing attribution feature, and it could completely upend how you measure ad performance. In this episode of the Podcast, CTC’s VP…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
CMOs: Stop Measuring, Start Creating Moments
In this solo episode of the Podcast, Taylor shares a powerful lesson from Cozy Earth’s CMO, who broke free from the measurement rabbit hole to create a viral…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Diagnose Your Ecommerce Growth Potential in 5 Minutes
Is your brand truly set up for growth? Or just treading water? In this episode of the Podcast, Taylor and Richard introduce CTC’s brand new Strategic Growth…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
95% of Ecommerce Businesses Are Worth NOTHING
95% of ecommerce brands are worth ZERO. Why? In this episode, we unpack the harsh reality behind most DTC businesses, why logical decisions don’t drive…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Daily Ad Tweaks Are Wasting Your Budget
Are you obsessively tweaking your ad campaigns only to see flat results? In this episode of the Podcast, Richard sits down with Luke Austin, to expose why…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Inside the $10M+ Brand Growth Workflow (Real Client Example)
Ever wonder how $10M+ ecommerce brands make their next move? In this episode of the Podcast, Taylor and Richard walk through a real world growth scenario…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
We Killed the Growth Map! Here’s What Replaces It
We just did something radical: we killed the Growth Map—CTC’s signature media buying tool used for years across hundreds of ecommerce brands. Why? Because AI…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Growth Is a Muscle—Here’s How to Train It
Most brands think they have a growth problem—but what they really have is a DOING problem. In this episode, we break down why volume of action is the single…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How Skullcandy Used a Competitor to Win New Customer
What happens when you collaborate with a competitor instead of competing with them? In this episode of the Podcast, we sit down with Skullcandy CEO Brian…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
We Built Our Own Incrementality Testing Tool
After years of relying on expensive, limited solutions, we decided to build our own. In this episode of the Podcast, CTC’s VP of Ecommerce Strategy Luke Austin…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
March Report Card: Did We Hit or Miss the Forecast
How did our clients actually perform in March 2025? On this episode of the podcast, Taylor and Richard break down the latest performance scorecard across our…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
2025 Guide to Profitable META Media Buying
Meta’s ad platform has changed—again. In this episode, we break down the exact strategies we’re using at Common Thread Collective to drive profitable growth…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Why 50 Brands Trust Our $5K Global Accelerator
What if you could get full funnel growth support, media buying, strategy, forecasting, creative direction, for just $5K/month on a month-to-month agreement? In…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How to Tailor Your Tariff Response: The 4-Part System
Tariffs are here—and they’re not hitting every brand the same. In this solo episode, Taylor walks through a critical 4 part framework designed to help…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Forget Stability—Chaos Is the New Normal
If you’re waiting for things to “go back to normal” in ecommerce… stop. In this episode, Taylor and Richard break down why chaos is no longer the exception…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Tariffs, Sentiment & Spending: What the Data Says About Q2
In this episode of the Podcast, Richard is joined by Steve Rekuc, our Director of Data, for a deep dive into what Q1 taught us — and what’s coming next. We’re…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Tariffs Are Here: We’re Offering Emergency Support
Emergency Update for Ecommerce Brands: Tariffs have arrived and they’re already impacting your bottom line. Costs are rising, margins shrinking, and…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
YouTube Ads: The Underestimated Channel Driving Real Growth Right Now
Are you overlooking YouTube ads in your marketing strategy? On today’s podcast, we’re breaking down why most brands are significantly underestimating YouTube…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
This Broke the Internet: The ChatGPT Update That Changed Everything
The future of ad creative just changed forever. In this episode of the Podcast, we break down the latest ChatGPT model update that literally broke the internet…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Four Biggest 6-figure Brand Struggles
Are you stuck at six figures, unsure how to scale without burning your budget on expensive agencies or freelancers? You’re not alone. Most growing ecommerce…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Meta’s Andromeda: The Biggest Shift in Facebook Ads Since iOS14
Meta just flipped the script on media buying — and if you’re still running ads the old way, you’re already falling behind. In this episode of the Ecommerce…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How D. Louise Went From Scrappy Start-Up To 8-Figure Jewelry Brand
In this episode of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, we sit down with Jack Zamichides, CEO of D Louise, to explore the journey from a small, scrappy startup to a…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Unbiased eCom Forecasting Starts with a Reality Check
In this episode of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, we’re diving into the crucial role of accurate forecasting in driving e-commerce growth — especially during…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How Taylor Holiday Views Influencer Marketing
In this episode of the Ecommerce Playbook Podcast, we’re diving into influencer marketing and seeding—a foundational strategy that often gets overlooked in the…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
How Tecovas’ CMO Uses Product to Unlock New Markets
This episode isn’t just about a viral Tecovas ad—it’s about the bigger picture of authentic marketing. We sit down with Krista Dalton, CMO of Tecovas, to break…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
We Ranked Every Employee—Here’s What Happened!
Ever wondered what would happen if you ranked every employee in your company? We did exactly that—and the results were eye-opening. In this episode of the…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
Measurement Mistakes That are Costing You Millions
If your paid media feels less effective than ever, your measurement system might be the real problem. Many 8-9 figure ecommerce brands are unknowingly starving…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Tecovas Ad That Broke DTC Twitter (And Why It Worked)
DTC Twitter lost it over this Tecovas ad—but was the outrage justified? In this episode, we break down the viral controversy sparked by Taylor Holiday’s tweet…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Death of Ecommerce Jobs? AI vs. Humans Explained
AI is rapidly changing the ecommerce landscape, automating tasks once handled by humans and raising the question—are ecommerce jobs at risk? In this episode…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
The Purple Accountant: The Secret Weapon Your Business Needs
Most ecommerce brands are bleeding cash without even realizing it. Margins are shrinking, competition is fiercer than ever, and the game has changed. But…
- Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth
DTC is Dead… Or Is It? The Rebirth That’s Coming in 2025
The last few years have been brutal for DTC brands. From the COVID boom to the Ozempic era, skyrocketing acquisition costs, vanishing venture capital, and…