How to Grow Profits in 2026 (episode 593)
In this special episode of the eCommerce MasterPlan Podcast, Chloe Thomas shares a panel discussion from a recent webinar focused on one big question: How can eCommerce brands grow both sales and profits in 2026?
Chloe is joined by three expert voices from very different areas of eCommerce – promotions, CRO and experimentation, and growth strategy – to explore what’s really driving performance right now.
From intelligent offers and smarter discounting to experimentation, retention, and measuring what truly matters, this is a practical, insight-packed conversation designed to help you grow more efficiently in 2026.
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Dive in:
[07:55] Intelligent Offers
[19:15] The advice I’ve been giving most often to brands to help them improve their profits is…
[27:00] How to measure success? KPIS, Metrics, Benchmarks and more
[35:00] CRO improvements are the only way to improve ALL your marketing performance
[44:26] You CAN grow profits and sales at the same time
[52:30] Final takeaways
Guest Experts
- Dan Bond
VP of Marketing, RevLifter
- Sandeep Shah
Head of Product, Webtrends Optimize
- Jamie Lee
eCommerce Growth Architect
Intelligent Offers
Dan kicks things off by breaking down why most brands are using discounts wrong.
Key ideas:
- Discounts drive a huge share of eCommerce revenue, but:
- They damage margins
- They train customers to expect lower prices
- Most brands apply offers too broadly (e.g. sitewide discounts)
Instead, brands should focus on:
- Who gets the offer (targeting by intent, behavior, context)
- What offer they receive (minimum effective incentive)
The goal:
Use data to find the smallest possible incentive that changes behavior.
This includes:
- Segmenting users by intent
- Testing discount levels
- Avoiding giving discounts to customers who would buy anyway
The advice I’ve been giving most often to brands to help them improve their profits is…
Each speaker shares what they’re repeatedly telling brands right now.
Jamie:
- Separate demand creation vs demand capture
- Google = capture existing demand
- Meta = create new demand
- Focus on retention before acquisition
- Fix the “leaky bucket” before scaling traffic
Sandeep:
- Adopt a mindset of continuous experimentation
- Don’t just launch campaigns — test and learn from them
- Use structured A/B testing to drive real improvement
Dan:
- Define a clear strategy on discounts and promotions
- Most brands:
- Either over-discount
- Or have no clear stance at all
- Decide:
- When to discount
- When not to discount
How to measure success? KPIs, metrics, benchmarks, and more
The panel challenges traditional metrics and offers a more practical view.
Key insights:
- Conversion rate is not dead, but:
- It’s just one metric, not the goal
- Focus on growth over time, not static benchmarks
- Benchmarks are often misleading:
- Different brands, models, and price points aren’t comparable
- Segmentation matters:
- Measure performance by channel, audience, and cohort
CRO improvements are the only way to improve ALL your marketing performance
The panel explores how CRO and marketing should work together.
Key takeaways:
- CRO can improve:
- ROAS
- CAC
- overall marketing efficiency
- BUT:
- It only works if you bring in quality traffic
Jamie highlights:
- The importance of channel mix and sequencing
- Example:
- Meta → Google → Email = stronger conversion path
Critical point:
You can’t out-market a bad product.
- Product quality and brand matter just as much as CRO
Sandeep adds:
- CRO now goes beyond button tweaks
- Focus has shifted to:
- Messaging
- propositions
- user experience
You CAN grow profits and sales at the same time
The panel agrees: yes — but only with strategy
Dan:
- Avoid blanket discounting
- Identify:
- Customers who need incentives
- Customers who don’t
- Even consider:
- Increasing prices on high-demand products
Jamie:
- Assign different roles to different channels
- DTC → profitability
- Marketplaces → scale and demand capture
Sandeep:
- Growth outcomes vary depending on approach:
- You can improve profit but hurt sales
- Or increase both with the right strategy
Example opportunities:
- Improve UX to increase basket size
- Reduce friction to boost conversion and revenue
Final Takeaways
Each speaker shares their biggest takeaway for 2026:
Sandeep:
- Build an experimental mindset
- Measure everything and iterate
- Improve personalization — treat customers as individuals
Jamie:
- Stay close to your product and customer insights
- Use feedback to improve what you’re selling
- You can’t scale a poor product
Dan:
- Focus on changing customer behavior
- Ask:
- Is this activity incremental?
- Or would it have happened anyway?
- Prioritize high-impact improvements
Without the sponsors the podcast wouldn’t be possible – please do check them out:
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