WWYD? Ian Leslie on Achieving Hockey Stick Growth in a $10–25M eCommerce Brand (episode 561)
Ian Leslie is an eCommerce CMO who’s also done stints in SaaS marketing, journalism, and education. Probably best known for his 10 years driving 15x eCommerce revenue growth at B2B eCommerce furniture brand Industry West, where (as regular listeners to this show will know) he was always up to something different with his marketing budget – that usually paid off!
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Dive in:
[05:52] “Pragmatic Growth in SaaS Marketing”
[07:52] Always Be Testing and Optimizing
[12:08] Reevaluate Post-Retheme Testing Practices
[13:03] Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Testing
[18:08] Dynamic Testing: Leadership’s Role
[19:19] Listen to Ian’s Top Tips!
Test Relentlessly and Beyond the Basics
Ian emphasizes the importance of testing across every part of your website and marketing strategy. He calls out the common trap of running only a few A/B tests and thinking that’s enough. In reality, brands should be testing many things at once—from copy and images to product recommendations and website layout. With today’s tools, you can run multiple tests without compromising data quality. This approach uncovers hidden opportunities for growth and prevents complacency after site updates or rebrands.
Don’t Over-Invest in Overhead
Ian’s second major point is to scrutinize every dollar spent outside of marketing, sales, and product. Many businesses are bogged down by unnecessary overhead or have teams and processes that could be downsized. He suggests challenging the assumption that “bigger is better” for staff and operations, particularly with modern automation and 3PL options. Cutting waste lets you reinvest more in growth activities that actually drive revenue. This lesson inspires eCommerce leaders to rethink their traditional business models.
Agencies Are Partners, Not Gatekeepers
A frequent pitfall for growing eCommerce brands is becoming too dependent on agencies for frontend changes and testing. Ian notes that many brands invest heavily in agency-designed website “rethemes,” then hesitate to make further changes or run tests without agency involvement. However, with Shopify and tools like AI-powered CSS editors, anyone can now make meaningful changes and run tests quickly. This democratization of site optimization empowers in-house teams and removes limiting beliefs. It encourages brands to break down silos and own their continuous improvement.
Build a Culture of Experimentation Beyond Marketing
While testing is often seen as a marketing tactic, Ian stresses it should be a company-wide mindset. Testing should be standard in finance, product, customer service, and even logistics. Leaders need to drive this culture by modeling, supporting, and rewarding experimentation throughout the business. Companies that make testing a core value are not just steadily improving—they are also more adaptable to market changes. This can be a key driver for the “hockey stick” growth that many aspire to.
Bring Old School Tactics into the Modern Mix
Ian reminds listeners not to neglect offline marketing, like billboard truck ads or digital signage, especially in crowded markets like New York City. These tactics can provide powerful social proof and resonate with local audiences in ways digital ads might not. The key is to creatively blend legacy marketing channels with digital ones to stand out. Sometimes, what feels outdated can actually be fresh and impactful if used cleverly. This encourages eCommerce businesses to think outside the purely online box for brand awareness.
eCommerce Book Top Tip
- Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- At Industry West, Ian used branded billboards on delivery trucks in Manhattan to create the impression they were Industry West vehicles.
- Paired with experiments like digital billboards in Times Square, it showed how “everything old becomes new again” and that offline tactics can still drive big impact when used creatively.
Tool Top Tip
- Visually — A Shopify plugin that makes A/B testing super simple, fast, and efficient without needing developers.
- AI — Still massively underused in eCommerce; Ian uses it for quick wins like generating CSS tweaks, saving time and boosting efficiency.
Carbon Top Tip
- Reduce returns. In furniture especially, returns create huge carbon costs with extra packaging, transport, and waste. Ian’s tip: if possible, eat the return—let customers keep or resell slightly damaged items instead of shipping them back.
Interview links
Related Episodes
- Industry West’s Journey to a 90% B2B Revenue Boost with Ian Leslie (episode 521)
- Acquire & Accelerate: The Best Backyard’s Tom White Shares Tips for 10x Growth in 12 Months (episode 539)
- How Dapper Boi Bootstrapped to $1.3M with Preorders and Viral Content, with Vicky Pasche (episode 550)
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