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 | D2C Brands Grew 15% in H1 (But At What Cost)

July 28, 2026 The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast 00:22:51
The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast
The Ecommerce Playbook Podcast
The Ecommerce Playbook | D2C Brands Grew 15% in H1 (But At What Cost)
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In this episode Richard and Steve break down H1 2026 performance data from across the CTC client portfolio, covering brand revenue growth, ad spend efficiency, incrementality testing results by platform, and the latest signals from the D2C Consumer Confidence Index.

Topics covered in this episode:

  • Median brand revenue growth of 15.2% in H1 2026

  • Why spend grew 28% while revenue efficiency declined

  • AppLovin incrementality results across 18 tests (average: 171%)

  • Meta incrementality: average 113.4%, with a wide spread across brands

  • Why AOV is a key driver of Meta incrementality outcomes

  • Consumer confidence data: what all-time highs in June mean for H2

  • TikTok Shops, ChatGPT advertising, and Google ROAS trends

  • How 7-figure brands can access the sophistication of 9-figure advertisers

Key stat: Out of 18 AppLovin incrementality tests, only one came back below 100%. Five returned 225%+ incrementality. The average was 171%.

The Common Thread Collective 7-Figure Growth Workshop: http://commonthreadco.com/earlybird26

Show Notes: