Ecom Growth Insider – Details, episodes & analysis

If your ROAS or MER tanks the moment you push more spend through, this episode is for you.

Carl Weische is the founder of Accelerated Agency and runs CRO for brands like AG1, Huel, Vessi, The Oodie, and 200+ more 8, 9, and 10 figure DTC companies. He joins Andrej on Ecom Growth Insider to break down the exact system he uses to turn CRO into a profit lever from the ad click all the way to the thank-you page.

If your return on ad spend is dropping every time you try to scale, Carl's decision tree is simple:

Fix AOV first.

Fix conversion rate second.

Add presell pages only when you hit a true glass ceiling.

In this episode:

- The 3-tier bundle SOP Carl uses to lift AOV 15 to 25%

- Why revenue per user is the only CRO metric that matters, and the AOV vs conversion rate trap most founders fall into

- When presell and advertorial pages actually pay off (and when they waste ad budget)

- The first things Carl audits on any store before he touches a test

- The four real reasons customers abandon checkout

- How to raise perceived value without killing margin through discounts

- Why AI is about to widen the gap between elite and average marketers

- Realistic testing cadence at scale: 5 to 30+ tests per month

- Carl's sample size rule: 20,000 users and 1,000 orders per variation before you call a winner

- The revenue threshold where it makes sense to move CRO in-house (around $50M to $100M a year)

- Rapid fire: Carl's most underrated CRO lever, most overrated tactic, and the one mistake he sees smart founders make

Chapters:

00:00 Why your ROAS dies when you scale

00:43 The real job of CRO in 2026

05:04 Carl's decision tree when ROAS or MER drops

06:08 Fix AOV first: the 3-tier bundle SOP

07:45 Fix conversion rate: images and copy that resonate

08:33 Layering in presell and advertorial pages

11:00 When presell pages actually make sense

15:51 Revenue per user: the real CRO north star

20:19 The first things Carl audits on any store

23:00 Why customers abandon the checkout

26:07 How to raise perceived value without discounts

29:00 Why AI is splitting great marketers from average ones

35:00 When a brand is actually ready for serious CRO

37:09 Testing cadence at scale: 5 to 30+ tests per month

38:12 The sample size rule: 20k users + 1k orders per variant

43:11 When to build a CRO team in-house

46:15 Rapid fire: underrated, overrated, biggest mistake

48:11 Where to find Carl

Connect with Carl:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@carlweische

Accelerated Agency: https://acceleratedagency.com

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/carl-weische-2488a5198

Ecom Growth Insider is the podcast for e-commerce founders who want to scale profitably. Subscribe for weekly episodes on paid media, CRO, offer strategy, and operating systems that actually move the needle.

More episodes and newsletter: https://ecomgrowthinsider.com

Work with HoloGrowth: https://hologrowth.com

Most brands doing $1M/month are pulling $2K from their post-purchase funnel.

Nizar Abdul-Halim comes in and turns that into $100K to $200K. Same brand. Same traffic. Same products.

That's not a tweak. That's a profit center that was sitting there the entire time, completely ignored.

Nizar has been in ecommerce for almost a decade. He's run his own stores, built and sold an ad agency, and deployed over $100M in paid ad spend (at one point, $2.5M a month). Today his entire focus is what happens right after someone buys, and he's built the infrastructure to prove it's one of the most leveraged plays in ecom.

In this episode, we get into the full post-purchase system: how it works, how to test it, and why most brands are leaving 10 to 15% of their revenue on the table at gross margin.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why post-purchase revenue hits different (it's all gross margin, meaning it drops straight to profit)
• How Nizar structures funnels for one-time buyers vs. returning customers, and why the messaging is completely different
• Why he always upsells the most expensive product first (and why conversion rates go up down the funnel, not down)
• The metric most brands track wrong: RPV vs. PPV (Profit Per Visit)
• His 5-bucket testing framework: products, pricing and offers, angles and copy, UI, and segmentation
• How advanced brands build 15 to 20 separate customer journeys inside a single post-purchase setup
• The quick win you can do this week using Shopify Sidekick to find your best upsell product in 10 minutes

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:34 How Nizar discovered post-purchase as the real growth lever

01:28 Why break-even brands can become cash flow positive on day one

06:46 The moment he shut down the ad agency and went all-in

09:27 What founders actually misunderstand about post-purchase

12:00 How success metrics change depending on the business model

16:07 One-time buyer strategy vs. returning customer strategy

18:35 What post-purchase should realistically contribute at your revenue level

21:28 The 3 layers: cart, checkout, and post-purchase (and the job of each)

26:04 Addressing the "won't this make my brand look cheap?" concern

29:50 How post-purchase works for premium brands that won't discount

31:20 RPV vs. PPV: why tracking the wrong metric kills your profit

34:22 Why the most expensive upsell goes first (with the data behind it)

36:35 How to price a post-purchase sequence for an $80 AOV supplement brand

41:42 The 5-bucket testing framework Nizar uses across 80+ brands

44:40 Advanced segmentation: building multiple customer journeys at scale

49:27 The 10-minute quick win using Shopify Sidekick

Connect with Nizar:

Website: https://www.simpliscaled.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nizar-abdul-halim

YouTube: Nizar Abdul-Halim

Instagram: @nizarabdulhalim_

Twitter/X: @EcomNizar

Enjoyed this episode?

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More episodes: https://ecomgrowthinsider.com

Ecom Growth Insider is a podcast for e-commerce founders and operators serious about building profitable brands. No fluff, no theory. Just what actually works at scale.

In this solo episode of Ecom Growth Insider, I break down a simple but powerful truth:

💥 Most brands don’t need more strategies — they need more focus.

Everyone wants to try the next big thing: TikTok, SEO, influencers, livestreams… but the fastest path to growth?

Just double down on what’s already working.

Inside this short episode, I cover:

1. The question I ask every brand owner before anything else
2. Why chasing new channels too soon kills momentum
3. What to do when scaling ad spend lowers ROAS
4. Why absolute return matters more than relative return
5. How to think about resources, creative output, and testing when scaling
6. The mental shift required to grow from 6 to 8 figures

If you’re stuck in “shiny object syndrome” or trying to do 10 things at once — this episode is your reset button.

🎧 Listen now and ask yourself:

What’s already working… and how can I 10x it?

AI isn’t just changing how people write — it’s transforming how they search, discover, and buy products online.

In this episode of Ecom Growth Insider, I sit down with Jon Mest, expert in digital discovery and founder of ChatRank, to unpack how ecommerce brands can show up in AI-driven search results — and what happens to those that don’t.

We cover:

• Why your organic traffic is declining (and what to do about it)
• How the customer journey is shifting with AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity
• Why SEO and backlinks don’t work the way they used to
• What it really takes to rank in AI answers — and stay there
• How to ask AI why your brand isn’t showing up (and use the feedback to win)
• The role of social proof, content clarity, and “AI hygiene” in modern visibility
• What brands must know about the future of AI-driven checkout and paid placements

Whether you're a founder, CMO, or marketing lead — this episode will completely change how you think about brand visibility, content strategy, and the future of ecommerce search.

Listen now at ecomgrowthinsider.com

Connect with Jon at chatrank.ai

#ecommerce #AIsearch #dtcbrands #ecomgrowth #digitalstrategy #chatgptseo #aivisibility #jonmest #chatrank #conversionstrategy #ecomgrowthinsider

Most ecom brands are wasting ad spend — not because their ads suck — but because they’re sending traffic to generic product pages that don’t convert.

In this episode of Ecom Growth Insider, I sit down with Jeff Park, founder of Daydreamers Design Studio, an agency helping 7-9 figure brands drive more conversions and higher AOV through high-performing landing pages.

Jeff breaks down the exact landing page frameworks that consistently outperform standard PDPs — and how brands of any size can leverage them to scale profitably.

• Why most brands are leaking money by sending paid traffic to product pages
• The landing page frameworks Jeff uses to double client revenue
• How to create landing pages that match your top-performing ads (and why that matters)
• Short-form vs long-form — what converts better in 2025
• How to build “offer-first” landing pages that increase AOV
• The role of founder-led storytelling and social proof on your landing pages
• Why aesthetics don’t matter nearly as much as clarity and copy
• The most common mistakes brands make with landing pages — and how to avoid them

• Jeff’s Twitter (X): @jeffreympark
• YouTube: @jeffreympark
• Website: daydreamersdesignstudio.com

This episode is packed with tactical advice, real-world examples, and conversion frameworks that every DTC brand needs.

Subscribe, share it with a founder friend, and check out more episodes at:

→ www.ecomgrowthinsider.com

In this episode of Ecom Growth Insider, I sit down with Michael Rathman, the founder of AdSumo Digital — an email & SMS marketing agency helping DTC brands add millions in revenue without increasing ad spend.

We go deep on the real strategies brands are using in 2025 to turn email into a high-ROI growth channel — even if you’re just getting started.

• Why most brands are underutilizing email and leaving 6–7 figures on the table
• The 6 essential flow emails every ecom brand should set up today
• How to turn browsers and non-buyers into loyal customers using automation
• The right time to invest in email & SMS (based on your monthly revenue)
• Plain text vs. designed emails — what’s actually working now
• Campaigns vs. flows — how to split your focus and maximize both
• Real-world strategies to build connection, drive repeat purchases, and grow LTV
• How to use founder-led storytelling and voice notes to write authentic, high-converting emails
• Why building a personal brand is one of the biggest ecom growth unlocks in 2025

🌐 AdSumo Digital

Michael on Twitter: @MichaelRathman7

Michael’s YouTube

📩 Subscribe, leave a review, and follow the journey at EcomGrowthInsider.com

In this episode of Ecom Growth Insider, I sit down with Camilo Castañeda, a true expert when it comes to ad creatives for e-commerce brands. Camilo is the founder of Epic Ads Lab, where he helps 7–8-figure DTC brands craft scroll-stopping ads using UGC, influencers, static visuals, and AI-powered video workflows. He’s also built the #1 video editing community online, helping editors and marketers elevate their creative game.

We dive deep into the real creative problems holding brands back, the biggest mistakes most eCom founders are making, and how to think about content when you want to scale profitably through paid social.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why most DTC brands still don’t understand creative strategy (and how to fix that)
• The exact creative structure Camilo uses to scale top e-commerce brands
• What makes a UGC ad actually work in 2025
• The most common creative mistakes that kill performance
• The role of AI in modern ad creation (and what it can’t replace)
• Advice for brands just starting out vs. those doing 7–8-figures
• How to stand out in a saturated creative market
• Why founders should never be the bottleneck in content production
• And tons of tactical takeaways on hiring, scripting, editing & testing creatives

Whether you’re a founder, media buyer, or creative director—this episode will give you the clarity (and creative inspiration) to level up your content and drive growth.

Connect with Camilo:

• Epic Ads Lab
• Instagram: @camicees
• YouTube: Camilo Castañeda

Subscribe to Ecom Growth Insider

Real behind-the-scenes strategies from the trenches of scaling DTC brands — with founders, marketers, and growth experts. Hosted by Andrej Tumachowitsch.

In this episode of Ecom Growth Insider, I sit down with Mario Lanzarotti — entrepreneur, speaker, mindset coach, and the co-founder of All & Sundry, a premium custom footwear brand he successfully scaled and exited without raising funding or spending a single dollar on paid ads.

We dive deep into:

• The real story of how Mario bootstrapped a luxury e-commerce brand from a New York showroom
• How he landed celebrity clients like NFL stars and the CEO of Google (yes, really)
• His strategy for creating strategic partnerships that replaced the need for paid acquisition
• The hidden power of in-person events, referrals, and relationship-driven growth
• His journey into coaching and leadership, and why mindset is everything for founders

Mario shares the behind-the-scenes of:

• Surviving as a lean startup in NYC
• The role of referrals and real-world networking in scaling
• How custom products vs ready-to-wear affect growth and exit potential
• How they prepared the brand for an acquisition and successful exit
• What he wishes he had done differently along the way

Whether you're just starting out or already running a 7-8 figure brand, this episode is packed with tangible lessons, bold insights, and uncommon strategies you won't find anywhere else.

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• YouTube
• The Zenpreneur Method

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world if you hit Follow, leave a quick rating, or share it with a founder friend.

Email is still the highest-ROI growth channel in ecommerce. But most brands overcomplicate it and leave serious money on the table.

In this episode of Ecom Growth Insider, I sit down with Max Sturtevant, founder of Wellcopy, one of the biggest email & SMS agencies in the DTC space. Max’s team supports around 130 brands with a team of roughly 80 people, and he shares the exact retention levers that consistently move revenue.

We break down:

• Why list growth is the #1 lever in email (and what to track)
• Pop-up strategy: what conversion rates to aim for and how to improve them
• Offer testing that actually works, including the “mystery discount” approach
• The biggest trap in retention: over-segmentation and overcomplication
• How to “send to engaged” without wrecking deliverability
• Flows vs campaigns: what to prioritize as you scale
• What 7–9 figure brands do differently with email

If you run a Shopify store and want higher LTV, more repeat purchases, and more profit without increasing ad spend, this episode is a must-listen.

More episodes: https://ecomgrowthinsider.com/

Meta Ads in 2026 isn’t about campaign hacks or complicated funnel structures. The brands winning today are running a creative-led system: new messaging, new angles, and net-new concepts shipped consistently.

In this episode of Ecom Growth Insider, I’m joined by Andrew Foxwell (Foxwell Digital, Foxwell Founders) to break down what’s actually working right now across the Meta ecosystem.

Andrew has a rare vantage point: he sees patterns across hundreds of advertisers and top operators, not just one ad account.

We cover:

1. The biggest shifts from the 2021 Meta era to 2026
2. What “creative diversification” really means (and what it doesn’t)
3. Why messaging and niche angles are the unlock in broad targeting
4. The creative org chart: roles and workflow brands need to scale profitably
5. How to diagnose performance plateaus and what to fix first
6. Creative testing in 2026: what to keep, what to retire, and how to think about consolidation
7. How to use creator partnerships and whitelisting to expand reach and relevance

If you’re a DTC founder, growth lead, or media buyer trying to scale Meta profitably (without burning cash), this episode is a blueprint.

Connect with Andrew:

Foxwell Digital: https://www.foxwelldigital.com/

Foxwell Founders: https://foxwellfounders.com/

More episodes: https://ecomgrowthinsider.com/