Threading The Needle

Most ecommerce brands have two big “moments” on their marketing calendar. Most ecommerce brands are getting it wrong. On this episode, Taylor & Richard break down what it looks like to create big revenue peaks in “offseason” moments. Show Notes: Need help building your marketing calendar? Our strategy team is putting together 12-month audit packages here: https://bit.ly/3ZLKfjw The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.

New year, new ecommerce landscape: In this episode, Taylor and Richard make 6 resolutions for the ecommerce industry, breaking down the strategies your business will need to thrive in the coming year. Show Notes: Need help making your New Year’s resolutions happen? Sign up for our online membership, Admission, right here: https://bit.ly/3Qx29C8 The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm.

In this special two part series Taylor and Richard explore the current state of the ecommerce fundraising environment from two distinct points of view. In this first episode we talk with a founder, Dave Charne of Fyrn, who’s currently working on raising a bridge round for his DTC furniture brand Fyrn. Dave provides a view into what the experience has been like at this moment versus his previous round a year ago. Next week we’ll speak with Jason Bornstein of Forerunner Ventures on the view from the other side. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm. Forecast your cash flow with Wayflyer: https://bit.ly/3v8d7nP Check out Fyrn here: https://fyrn.com/

As 2022 comes to a close, those of us in the ecommerce industry have more questions than answers: Where can you find hope in the midst of failure? What are the constants in a deeply unpredictable world? And is there really such a thing as being a failure? This week, Richard, Taylor, and former Ecommerce Playbook Podcast host Andrew Faris look back on a difficult year and reflect on what they’ve learned from it. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm. Forecast your cash flow with Wayflyer: https://bit.ly/3v8d7nP Get a $200 credit with Insense: https://bit.ly/3THck7S

There’s three layers of revenue for any business: New customers, owned audiences, and existing customers. Maintaining the correct balance between these three tiers is crucial to sustainable growth. This week, Taylor and Richard explain how the “layer cake” metaphor helps ecommerce businesses focus on building a foundation of predictable revenue first. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm. Get a $200 credit with Insense: https://bit.ly/3THck7S Forecast your cash flow with Wayflyer: https://bit.ly/3v8d7nP Get the Enterprise Scaling Guide: https://bit.ly/3hK8lKc

With consumer confidence at record-low levels, only one thing’s for sure: you’ll have to pay more to acquire new customers. But how do you forecast this all-important metric heading into the uncertainty of 2023? This week, Richard and (mostly) Taylor talk with CTC Ecommerce Data Analyst Steve Rekuc about building — and outperforming — your 2023 CAC forecast. Show Notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm. Want more data? Subscribe to the DTC Index for weekly updates on 27+ metrics across 5 industry verticals: https://bit.ly/3FwiSBA Grab your tickets to the Ecommerce Marketing Summit from Agorapulse: https://bit.ly/3UGWU3p   Get a $200 credit with Insense: https://bit.ly/3THck7S

Black Friday/Cyber Monday was bigger than ever this year. Inflation is also at its highest level in four decades. So what does this seeming paradox mean for your ecommerce business moving forward? In this episode, Taylor and Richard break down what went well, what didn’t, and the why you should still be vigilant even after the biggest shopping weekend in history. Show notes: The Ecommerce Playbook mailbag is open — email us at podcast@commonthreadco.com to ask us any questions you might have about the world of ecomm. Want more data? Subscribe to the DTC Index for weekly updates on 27+ metrics across 5 industry verticals: https://bit.ly/3FwiSBA Grab your tickets to the Ecommerce Marketing Summit from Agorapulse: https://bit.ly/3UGWU3p Get a $200 credit with Insense: https://bit.ly/3THck7S

It’s tempting to try to get more out of your existing customers when CAC is rising. But is it worth it? In this episode, Richard and Taylor discuss the second principle of the Enterprise Scaling Guide: the concept of the shrinking sponge. “You need to keep your active customer file growing as you grow the business.” Show notes: - Visit getparker.com to learn more about the card designed specifically for ecommerce brands. - Get the Enterprise Scaling Guide: http://bit.ly/3UjemdZ

To win this Black Friday, you need to understand what went well last year, and what needs to improve. In this episode, we take a break from our regular content and revisit our post-Black Friday recap from 2021. “We’ll tell you how it went for each of our brands, and the lessons we learned.”

What kind of business wins despite the volatility that surrounds them? In this episode, Taylor and Richard discuss Taylor and 4x400’s decision to sell skincare brand Bambu Earth, and the macroeconomic factors that caused the deal to fall through. “There are deeper business-level things that you need to be focusing on as an ecommerce business in order to weather the storm — it's not all about marketing.” Show Notes: - Unlock growth for your business with Wayflyer: http://bit.ly/3tzufSF - Find out what makes a business antifragile: http://bit.ly/3EgqPZM

With just 3 weeks until Black Friday, now is not the time to pull back. In this episode, Taylor and Richard debunk common arguments for pulling back spend ahead of Black Friday. “We are here to affirm your commitment of making the most out of this moment, because it’s necessary.” Show Notes: Get a $200 credit with Insense when you book by Nov. 18, 2022: https://bit.ly/CTCxInsenseNovember

The solution to $50M+ growth might not be what you think it is. In this episode, Richard and Taylor talk about Part 1 of the Ecommerce Enterprise Scaling Guide, which focuses on building a hierarchy of metrics to provide context around your business targets. “Once you hit the $50M mark, the things you’ve been doing stop working, and yet, there’s still going to be pressure on you to run the business at a profitable margin. So what do you do?” Show Notes: Get the Enterprise Scaling Guide: https://bit.ly/3FGL7hz Try the card made exclusively for ecommerce. Visit https://getparker.com/ Want guided support to implement these learnings in your brand? Try ADmission: https://bit.ly/3WrvsIX

How customer-centric are you? In this episode, Richard and Taylor propose an interesting solution to the acquisition problem, and it has almost nothing to do with the quality of your Facebook ads. “If we accept that the cost to acquire the next customer has a certain gravitational element to it — meaning the cost to acquire a customer always will rise — then how do we win this game?” Show Notes: Get a $200 credit from Insense, the UGC creator marketplace: https://bit.ly/3THck7S

Choice is sometimes an illusion. In this episode, Richard and Taylor talk about Facebook’s move toward the Advantage+ model, which shifts away from human decision making and toward artificial intelligence. “They will say Advantage+ is a way to build campaigns with fewer inputs. But the secondary implication is Facebook has a performance problem. In order to solve for that, they’re attempting to reduce the variables and take control of the situation.” Show Notes: Get a $200 credit with Insense, the creator content & ads platform trusted by 700+ DTC brands: https://bit.ly/3eHyDLt

What if you could see future results in the now? In this episode, Richard and Taylor talk about Common Thread’s unique relationship with Retina.ai, an AI platform that allows you to predict the future value of your customers. “You’re getting an instant view into the value of your customer within 96% accuracy.” Show Notes: Learn why Retina.ai is ecommerce’s magic 8-ball: https://bit.ly/3CzXGZ4

The latest Consumer Confidence Index paints a bleak picture of the economy at large. How does that affect DTC, ROAS, and forecasting for Q4? “It’s going to take more marketing resources to sell products. The practical output of that is less efficient advertising. You have to do more to get less action.” Show Notes: - Try Freshmarketer: https://bit.ly/3S5wXcH - Taylor’s tweet on CCI vs. MER: https://bit.ly/3fEosaB - Taylor’s Black Friday strategy article: https://bit.ly/3RDwspU

In Andrew’s farewell episode, he passes the torch over to CTC’s Taylor Holiday and Richard Gaffin. Andrew reflects on his time hosting the podcast, and what’s next for the show. “Moving forward, what you can expect from us is a conversation about frameworks, about large-scale thinking, and interesting things happening in the DTC space and what they mean for you.” Show Notes: - Try Freshmarketer: https://bit.ly/3S5wXcH - Keep listening to Andrew at “The Andrew Faris Podcast,” head to his new website at www.ajfgrowth.com, or follow him on Twitter @andrewjfaris.

Using your resources as effectively as possible is essential for growing your business at any pace. In this episode, Andrew talks about two ways to manage people well. “It’s not easy to be a great manager — and it’s not in the realm of tactics for growth — but it is an important part of building a great company.” Show notes: - Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewjfaris - Try Freshmarketer: https://bit.ly/3S5wXcH

Brands that are trying to grow really fast often try the next most tempting “shiny object” to get there. In this episode, Andrew talks about the importance of taking time to align your behaviors to your goals. “Where are you trying to go, how clear can you get on that goal as quickly as possible, and how much can you put your focus toward it?” Show notes: Try Freshmarketer: https://bit.ly/3S5wXcH

The right tools don’t change the fundamentals of running your business — they allow you to think about your business in a new way. In this episode, Andrew talks with Obvi Founder & CEO Ron Shah about their plans for upcoming growth, and how they plan to finance that growth. “Because we’re bootstrapped, it’s hard to make that fuel last long. When you have opportunities to scale, it actually costs more to do that. When you realize the cost is higher, you need to come up with more solutions to make that happen.” Show Notes: - Parker, the ecommerce financial soultion: https://getparker.com/ - Follow Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/obviceo - Ron's thread on how he built Obvi: https://bit.ly/3LdGVH3 - Ron's thread on his BFCM plans: https://bit.ly/3QsvtYX - Ron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronak06/ - Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewjfaris