BONUS EPISODE: Ecom Scaling Show: Amazon Pitfalls, Scaling Past $10M on Shopify, and Attribution Challenges (Ep. 9)
Episode Summary
Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free to Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as we dive into the crucial—yet often missing—link between marketing and finance in DTC e-commerce.
In this episode, Jon and Dylan dive into the complexities of measuring Amazon, ad spend performance across different sales channels, and combining all of it with your DTC strategy. They discuss the challenges of attribution, the importance of considering cross-channel effects, and the strategies for optimizing ad spend to maximize overall contribution margin. Key points include the necessity of having separate KPIs for each channel, the potential pitfalls of launching on Amazon, and how to ensure collaboration between different agencies managing various aspects of a brand’s online presence.
Key Takeaways
Attribution is always imperfect, but it's essential to analyze it.
Continuous scrutiny of ad spend can reveal wasteful expenditures.
Effective merchandising strategies can help brands maintain a DTC focus while on Amazon.
Episode Links
Free To Grow CFO: https://freetogrowcfo.com/
Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/
Jon Blair on Linkedin: / jonathon-albert-blair
Dylan Byers on Linkedin: / dylan-byers-046010149
Transcript
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00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene
00:58 Challenges of Attribution in Multi-Channel Marketing
02:04 Importance of Cross-Channel Attribution
03:45 Amazon vs. DTC: Common Scenarios and Strategies
04:16 Financial Insights and Unit Economics
06:52 Measuring Performance Across Channels
09:10 Strategies for Amazon and DTC Integration
17:35 Merchandising Strategies for Amazon
22:20 Scaling Without Repeat Purchases
28:20 Collaboration Between Agencies
30:41 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
