Four different stories, one clear theme: ecommerce is moving toward simplicity and precision.
The conversation kicked off with a Reddit article (highlighted by Shopify) about A/B testing. The claim: focusing on a single KPI is misleading.
Damian hit it straight on:
“Give a product away for free. Conversion goes up. Margins go down. The business loses.”
It’s a perfect example of how one metric - conversion rate - can deceive. If you only measure conversion, you might celebrate a “win” that actually hurts your bottom line.
Damian shared a client case: subscription customers were offered lower-margin products. On paper, it looked bad. But when factoring in customer acquisition cost (CAC) and lifetime value (LTV), the picture flipped. Over multiple orders, the low-ticket offer drove real growth.
“Don’t look at a single KPI. Always measure a few at once. Otherwise, it’s easy to go backwards without noticing.”
Matt reinforced this with a lesson from a marketer who scaled Apple budgets before running his own agency:
“Those who can pay the most for a customer will win long term.”
The second topic came from Practical Ecommerce. Google has struck a deal with Criteo, opening access to retail media placements across giants like Best Buy, Costco, and Target.
Matt stressed the scale:
“The retail media market is estimated at 145–165 billion USD. That’s huge.”
Damian highlighted the edge:
“These platforms have massive first-party data. You can target very specific segments, people with clear purchase intent.”
The upside: higher ad efficiency. The downside: you’ll likely need a bigger budget. Matt wondered aloud if this is Google’s move to defend against AI-driven advertising, which is evolving fast.
The third insight came from Digital Commerce 360 and SimilarWeb data: app-based e-commerce traffic is growing, while web traffic stagnates.
Damian noted that this isn’t surprising when you look at Temu and Shein, who are winning via apps. But he pointed out an overlooked opportunity:
“There might be room for very small, very simple apps for returning customers. Just one or two features. That could work.”
He referenced Domino’s first app, which only had two buttons: “order my last” and “order my favorite pizza.” No bloat. Just convenience.
Matt tied it back to a keyword: simplicity. He also cited a striking stat: AI-referred visits today convert at 11.4%, more than double organic search at 5.3%.
“AI cuts through the noise. It takes you straight to the product you want. That’s why conversion is so high.”
Finally, Damian and Matt explored a Future of Commerce article on satellite data. It sounds futuristic, but the impact is real: DHL reduced transit times by up to 50% and achieved 95% on-time delivery (McKinsey/WDF).
Damian pointed to accessibility:
“It’s still expensive, but getting cheaper. Soon, even mid-sized businesses could tap into it.”
That opens the door to new competitive advantages — smarter route planning, better demand forecasting, and more reliable delivery.
Matt broadened the view:
“It’s not just e-commerce. It’s energy, agriculture, even insurance. Satellites are changing the rules of the game.”
Polski