Black Friday Isn’t One Day: Our Full Q4 Ecommerce Playbook

Most ecommerce businesses think about Black Friday as a day or a weekend. We think about it as an entire trading period from Halloween through to January. In this episode, Ian Hammersley breaks down how we actually approach the biggest ecommerce trading period of the year, including when to start, how long to run your offers, how aggressively to email, what to do with Google and Meta, and how to make the most of increased demand without destroying your margins or running out of stock. We cover the full Q4 rhythm, starting with Halloween and moving through Better Than Black Friday, Black Friday Week, Cyber Week, Christmas, Boxing Day and the January sales. Ian also explains why ecommerce brands often start too late, why your email database becomes one of your most valuable assets during peak, how to decide how hard you can push based on stock and ROAS, and why merchandising can have a huge impact on what actually sells. Topics include: Black Friday timing and strategy How early you should start Offer architecture Email and SMS frequency Growing your email list before peak New customer ROAS and CAC Stock planning and forecasting Shopify merchandising Black Friday Week and Cyber Week Christmas, Boxing Day and January sales How to trade against daily revenue targets When to push harder and when to hold back If you run an ecommerce business, this episode gives you a practical framework for approaching the most important trading period of the year. Subscribe for more ecommerce strategy, Google Ads, Meta Ads, Shopify, email marketing and business growth discussions from the Hammersley Brothers. #Ecommerce #BlackFriday #Shopify     P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce business:     1. Talk to us. Book a call with us and let's talk about accelerating your growth - https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/apply-now/   2. Grab a copy of our book - https://gohigh.hammersleybrothers.com/get-the-book 3. Follow the Hammersley Brothers on Instagram and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too -  https://www.instagram.com/hammersleybrothers

Your bestsellers can look available while the sizes your customers want are sold out. We made that mistake in our own Shopify bedding business, with replacement products available further down the collection pages. Want help identifying what is holding back growth in your ecommerce business? Apply to work with the Hammersley Brothers: https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/apply-now/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=shopify_stock_mistake&utm_content=description In this episode, Mark and Ian explain what happened and discuss the stock, merchandising and advertising decisions to review before Black Friday and Christmas trading. We cover why selling out is not always a success, when spending more on advertising makes little sense, and how to investigate products you could have sold more of last year. We also discuss avoiding panic hires, helping your ecommerce team understand what matters, and using AI to analyse business data without handing over the decisions. Subscribe for practical ecommerce conversations about sales, margins and profitable growth.   P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce business:     1. Talk to us. Book a call with us and let's talk about accelerating your growth - https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/apply-now/   2. Grab a copy of our book - https://gohigh.hammersleybrothers.com/get-the-book 3. Follow the Hammersley Brothers on Instagram and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too -  https://www.instagram.com/hammersleybrothers

Why do successful ecommerce brands suddenly stop growing? After reviewing 100 ecommerce businesses and working with thousands of brands over the years, we identified the seven most common bottlenecks that prevent ecommerce companies from reaching the next level. Watch the full episode to discover where your ecommerce business may be getting stuck and what you should focus on next. Subscribe for practical ecommerce growth strategies based on real businesses, real numbers and decades of experience.   P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce business:   1. Talk to us. Book a call with us and let's talk about accelerating your growth - https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/apply-now/ 2. Grab a copy of our book - https://gohigh.hammersleybrothers.com/get-the-book 3. Follow the Hammersley Brothers on Instagram and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too -  https://www.instagram.com/hammersleybrothers

In previous episodes, we explored the strategies that help an ecommerce business navigate each stage of growth. Now, we use our premium bedding brand as a real-world case study, following its journey from an unproven store with underperforming ads to a multimillion-revenue business entering the scaling phase. Inside the episode:   • How to validate whether strangers will buy from an unknown brand • Why some sales can be more encouraging than a low ROAS • How to identify winning products and eliminate distractions • Why mastering one advertising channel can beat trying everything • How reviews, trust and positioning increased conversion • Why average order value became the key to doubling ad spend • How better supplier margins and payment terms accelerated growth • How to make safer stock decisions during rapid growth • Why every ecommerce type requires a different strategy • What changes when a business moves from 5 million towards 20 million   You do not need more random tactics. You need to understand your ecommerce type, your current revenue stage and the specific constraint preventing you from reaching the next level. Watch the full episode to learn how to stop operating emotionally, build a reliable growth model and make better decisions with advertising, stock, margins and cash flow.   P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce business:   1. Talk to us. Book a call with us and let's talk about accelerating your growth - https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/apply-now/   2. Grab a copy of our book - https://gohigh.hammersleybrothers.com/get-the-book   3. Follow the Hammersley Brothers on Instagram and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too -  https://www.instagram.com/hammersleybrothers

What should an ecommerce founder actually focus on once the business reaches 5 million in annual revenue? In the fifth episode of our ecommerce growth series, we explain how the founder’s role, financial priorities and growth strategy must change as the company moves from 5 million to 20 million. At this stage, tiny improvements can produce huge results. Better supplier terms, stronger margins, improved conversion rates and smarter cash flow decisions can add millions in revenue and profit. But this is also where businesses become bloated, founders hire the wrong senior people and teams start chasing numbers that do not benefit the overall company.   In this episode:  • How to use your customer list, reviews and brand trust as a competitive moat  • Why a 2 percent margin improvement can dramatically increase profit  • The supplier, shipping and transaction fees you should renegotiate  • Why ecommerce advice for huge brands rarely works for smaller businesses  • When checkout optimisation and small conversion wins finally matter  • How to remove the founder from routine work without losing the company culture  • The difference between delegating and abdicating responsibility  • How to structure expansion into new markets  • Why revenue attribution numbers often do not add up  • How to build a business that an investor would actually want to buy   This stage is not about chasing every new tactic. It is about doing the right things exceptionally well, protecting the company’s profit, and using your scale to pull further ahead of competitors. P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce business: 1. Talk to us. Book a call with us and let's talk about accelerating your growth - https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/apply-now/   2. Grab a copy of our book - https://gohigh.hammersleybrothers.com/get-the-book 3. Follow the Hammersley Brothers on Instagram and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too -  https://www.instagram.com/hammersleybrothers

This week on the Hammersley Brothers Ecommerce Podcast, we continue our five-part series on the stages of ecommerce growth. In part four, we explain what really changes when an ecommerce business grows from 1 million to 5 million per year. This can be one of the most exciting stages of growth, but it is also one of the most dangerous. Hiring larger teams, working with more agencies, expanding into new countries, adding products, and increasing fixed costs may cause revenue to rise quickly while profit quietly disappears. In this episode: Why businesses get stuck between 1 million and 5 million How hiring expensive experts can reduce profit instead of increasing it Why every employee, agency, and supplier should follow the same number The danger of expanding into new countries too early Why adding more products can damage cash flow and stock management How to calculate the true cost of a new warehouse or team member Why growing revenue does not always increase the value of your business How better supplier relationships can improve margins and payment terms Why repeatable systems are more valuable than new ideas How to architect the numbers required to reach 5 million At this stage, growth cannot be left to chance. You need to understand exactly how your marketing spend, margins, stock, fixed costs, and profit work together. Otherwise, you may build a much larger business that makes less money. Subscribe for the final episode in the series, where we cover the journey from 5 million to 20 million.   P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce business:   1. Talk to us. Book a call with us and let's talk about accelerating your growth - https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/apply-now/   2. Grab a copy of our book - https://gohigh.hammersleybrothers.com/get-the-book 3. Follow the Hammersley Brothers on Instagram and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too -  https://www.instagram.com/hammersleybrothers

Welcome back to the Hammersley Brothers eCommerce Podcast and our series on the different stages of ecommerce growth.   In this episode, we look at the 500K to 1 million stage.   This is the point where ecommerce founders often think they need more traffic, more products, more channels, more campaigns, and more complexity. But in reality, the next stage of growth usually comes from doing fewer things better.    We cover:   Why is more traffic not always the solution? How to increase revenue per visitor Why your store needs a stronger conversion rate, average order value, repeat purchases, and gross margin Why every product needs to earn its place How weak products can hurt cash flow and profit Why your growth roadmap should be based on the biggest bottleneck How to avoid changing your marketing just because you are bored with it Why systems beat heroics as your business grows What profit velocity means and why it matters Why scaling comes from doubling down on winners   This episode is for ecommerce founders who want to move beyond the early growth stages and build a business that is clearer, more profitable, and easier to scale.   P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce business:   1. Talk to us. Book a call with us and let's talk about accelerating your growth - https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/apply-now/   2. Grab a copy of our book - https://gohigh.hammersleybrothers.com/get-the-book 3. Follow the Hammersley Brothers on Instagram and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too -  https://www.instagram.com/hammersleybrothers

This week on the Hammersley Brothers eCommerce Podcast, we continue our series on the stages of ecommerce growth.   After covering the 0 to 100K stage last week, this episode focuses on the next major step: growing from 100K to 500K per year.   This is where many ecommerce businesses start to feel like they have something real. But it is also the stage where founders often make the mistakes that stop them from scaling.   In this episode, we break down:    • Why 100K to 500K is the danger zone for ecommerce brands  • How shiny object syndrome slows down growth  • Why most new tactics, platforms, and trends are distractions  • The “beer mat test” for simplifying your ecommerce business  • Why agencies often fail at this stage?  • The numbers you actually need to understand before scaling  • Why looking at too many numbers can hurt your business  • How to avoid spreading your budget across too many marketing channels  • Why profit, cash, and focus matter more than attribution obsession   If your ecommerce business is doing around 100K per year and you want to get to 500K, this episode will help you understand what to focus on, what to ignore, and how to avoid adding complexity too early. P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce business:     1. Talk to us. Book a call with us and let's talk about accelerating your growth - https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/apply-now/   2. Grab a copy of our book - https://gohigh.hammersleybrothers.com/get-the-book 3. Follow the Hammersley Brothers on Instagram and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too -  https://www.instagram.com/hammersleybrothers

This week on the Hammersley Brothers eCommerce Podcast, we start a new series breaking down the key revenue stages every eCommerce business goes through.   In this episode, we focus on the 0 to 100k revenue per year stage, the point where most eCommerce businesses begin, and where many get stuck.   We explain why the strategy that gets you from 0 to 100k is completely different from the strategy needed at later stages, and why most founders overcomplicate things far too early.   In this episode:    • Why most eCommerce brands never get past the first 100k  • Why does nobody care about your “brand” as much as you do at this stage?  • Why trying to make everything perfect can stop you from making sales  • How to choose a clear, addressable market  • Why your margins, CAC, and basic numbers matter from day one  • Why revenue means nothing without profit  • Why doing Meta, Google, TikTok, SEO, Pinterest, affiliates, and Amazon all at once is usually a mistake  • Why can too many products and SKUs create chaos before you are ready If you are building an eCommerce business and trying to get through the first 100k per year, this episode will help you focus on what actually matters. P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce business:   1. Talk to us. Book a call with us and let's talk about accelerating your growth - https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/scheduleuk-ant   2. Grab a copy of our book - https://gohigh.hammersleybrothers.com/get-the-book 3. Join the Ultimate Guide To Ecommerce Facebook group and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too - https://www.facebook.com/groups/924567391291786

Most eCommerce advice fails because it's aimed at the wrong stage of business growth. What works for a $10M brand can be completely irrelevant for a business doing $100K. In this episode, Mark and Ian break down the different stages of eCommerce growth and explain why knowing what to focus on next is one of the biggest advantages you can have as a founder. In this episode: • Why most founders focus on the wrong things at the wrong time • The 5 stages of eCommerce growth from startup to $20M+ • How priorities change as your business scales • Why copying large brands can slow your growth • The danger of chasing advanced tactics too early • What successful founders ignore so they can move faster • How to know what actually matters at your current stage • Why eCommerce growth is more about sequence than strategy • The biggest mistake business owners make when scaling If you've ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting eCommerce advice, this episode will help you understand exactly where to focus next. P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce business:     1. Talk to us. Book a call with us and let's talk about accelerating your growth - https://go.hammersleybrothers.com/scheduleuk-ant   2. Grab a copy of our book - https://gohigh.hammersleybrothers.com/get-the-book 3. Join the Ultimate Guide To Ecommerce Facebook group and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too - https://www.facebook.com/groups/924567391291786