The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast

Hosted ByTaylor Holiday & Richard Gaffin

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.

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The Ecommerce Playbook | What 20 AppLovin Incrementality Tests Mean for BFCM

November 12, 2026 The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast 00:19:54
The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast
The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast
The Ecommerce Playbook | What 20 AppLovin Incrementality Tests Mean for BFCM
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AppLovin was our third-highest-spending advertising channel during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2025, behind Meta and Google. Our year-to-date investment in the channel had grown roughly 5× year over year at the time of this conversation.

Tony Chopp and Steve Rekuc explain what roughly 20 incrementality tests have shown and why those findings give them confidence in AppLovin heading into BFCM. They discuss the relatively consistent results across our tests, how measurement informs media investment, and the creative deployment work underway to support the channel.

In this episode:

  • AppLovin incrementality testing: What our results suggest about the channel’s contribution and why the range across tests matters.

  • Ecommerce media allocation: How greater confidence in measurement has supported increased investment across our portfolio.

  • Creative deployment: The infrastructure we’re building to get more ads into AppLovin.

  • Early holiday sales: Why returning-customer revenue and new-customer revenue need separate assumptions in your forecast.

  • Demand after Cyber Monday: The stronger new-customer revenue growth Steve observed near the Christmas shipping cutoff in 2025.

You’ll hear the evidence behind Tony’s prediction that AppLovin could be a breakout channel this Black Friday, along with the customer buying patterns informing our broader holiday plans.

Show Notes: