Ecommerce: The Hammersley Brothers Ecommerce Podcast

You’ve got sales. You’ve got a brand. But your bank account says otherwise.

In this episode, Mark and Ian break down the Volume Retailer — the third ecommerce business type — and explain why most owners of $2M–$10M brands never get paid unless they fix one critical thing:

🧠 Profit Velocity.

Inside: •The real reason brands get stuck at $3M–$5M •Why revenue growth means nothing if you’re not making cash •The exact model behind Bedd...

Most ecommerce advice doesn’t apply to high-ticket stores — because they follow completely different rules.

In this episode, Mark and Ian break down the second of the 5 ecommerce business types: The High-Ticket One-Timer — and how it totally changes your strategy.

Whether you’re selling sofas, tiles, custom bikes, or industrial equipment, you’ll learn:,

•Why your ads aren’t converting (and why ROAS looks broken), •How to fix your l...

Most ecommerce playbooks fail because they treat compounders like ordinary brands. A Compounding Brand grows by turning first-time buyers into loyalists fast—and letting that flywheel do the heavy lifting.

In this episode, Mark and Ian unpack the Compounder model: how it scales, how to measure it, and how to avoid killing momentum with volume-retailer tactics.

🔍 What you’ll learn:

The 5 ecommerce archetypes—then a deep dive on the...

We are back! New podcast episode. Here's what we covered:

Most ecommerce brands copy strategies that were never meant for them — and that’s why they stay stuck.If you’re tired of:

Wasting time on “growth hacks” that don’t grow anything

Being busy but not profitable

Copying strategies that work for others but fail for you

…this episode will help you stop guessing and start scaling

P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here...

Your Meta and Google ads worked… until they didn’t. In this episode, Mark and Ian Hammersley unpack the real reasons your ads hit a ceiling—and what to change to scale again without burning cash. You’ll learn:

• How to know if it’s your ads or your website blocking scale,
• Why ROAS can be misleading (and dangerous),
• How agencies accidentally sabotage your growth,
• The right revenue per visitor benchmarks,
• How to fix campaign struc...

In this episode, Mark and Ian Hammersley break down the most dangerous ecommerce metrics that could be quietly destroying your profitability. From inflated conversion rates to misleading ROAS numbers, this is a no-BS look at what matters in scaling a profitable ecommerce business. Learn why agencies may be incentivized to keep you small, how Google and Meta mislead on attribution, and what numbers actually drive sustainable growth....

Most ecommerce brands fail because the product was never right to begin with.

In this episode, Mark and Ian answer two of the most critical questions for any founder launching or pivoting a product:

• What’s the best way to validate a new product idea?
• How do you know if it has the potential to scale — before going all-in?

You’ll learn the validation shortcuts, early signals, and mindset shifts that can save you thousands ...

Can small ecommerce brands really compete with the big players? Should you go wholesale? And what actually drives more profit?

In this Q&A episode, Mark and Ian answer three powerful listener questions that every growing brand will eventually face:

What advantage do we have as small business owners to compete with big-budget brands on ads?

What’s the biggest trap when taking on wholesale as a channel?

How do you maximise ov...

In this Q&A episode, we tackle three questions that could make or break your ecommerce growth:

Should you build a brand you're passionate about — or go where the gap is?

What should you do if you're bleeding money every day?

What are the biggest mistakes founders make when trying to scale?

This one’s about cutting through the noise. No theory — just honest answers from the trenches.

📉 If you’re stuck in the early grind... ...

In this episode, Mark and Ian answer three real questions from ecommerce founders — no fluff, just clear thinking and practical advice:

1. Why stick to one channel until it’s maxed out?,

2. What should you do when you’ve got too much stock to shift?,

3. How would we build a large email list before launch?,

This is one of those episodes where the answers could save you months of wasted time and thousands in ad spend.

🎯 If you'...

Scaling your ecommerce brand? Don’t guess. In this listeners questions episode, we answer.

💬 "How much should I spend on ads?"

We break down the answer for both beginners and scaling brands — and explain why chasing high ROAS might actually be slowing you down.

💬 "Who should I hire first when I want to scale beyond myself?" Most brands get this wrong. We’ll show you what actually unlocks momentum.

💬 "Should I use a .com or...

Profit Velocity. It’s the missing metric in most ecommerce businesses — and the one that unlocks real, scalable growth.

In this episode, Mark and Ian unpack:

•Why spending more can actually reduce your risk, •The surprising trade-off between ROAS and growth rate, •How to find your optimal spend level based on contribution margin, •Why most brands ignore customer lifetime value decay curves, •How a 5% margin shift or small upsell ca...

Most ecommerce brands are getting email wrong — and it’s costing them a fortune.

In this episode, Mark and Ian break down:

• Why most brands under-capture emails (and how to fix it fast) • The real job of email (hint: it’s not just retention) • How to time your emails around buying mode and conversion peaks • Why eventing matters more than clever copy • How often you should email (and why most brands email far too little)

Plus: ...

What makes an ecommerce website truly work — and why do some brands dominate while others flop? In this episode, Mark and Ian dive deep into: • The ecommerce websites we keep coming back to and why • How smart brands like Lululemon, Space Goods, and AO.com design for emotions, not just clicks • How weather, seasonality, and agility separate winning brands from slow, outdated ones • Why your website must match your customer's ...

In this episode, Mark and Ian break down the three key numbers that drive every successful ecommerce business — and explain why most store owners are flying blind without them. You’ll learn:

•How to predict monthly revenue in real-time (not after it’s too late)

•Why your overall ROAS is the single most important number for profitability

•How to calculate new customer ROAS and use it to scale without overspending

•Why hitting tar...

What do Trump tariffs, Easter weather, and Google Ads have in common? They’re all disrupting your eCommerce margins — and most brands don’t know how to respond.

In this episode, Mark and Ian break down the real impact of the new U.S. import tariffs, why rain (or the lack of it) can tank your ROAS, and how to keep calm when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

You’ll learn:

• Why knowing your numbers sheet is the only th...

This week, we're diving into AI in e-commerce, how we're using it personally, how we see this space moving over time, the benefits and some of the fallout from it. So let's get started.

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.hammersleys.co.uk/scheduleuk-ant/

2. Grab a c...

In this podcast, we dig into the second part of listeners questions. How to get past 5 million.  How to raise finance and when. How Meta creative is changing. Plus more questions and answers.

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.hammersleys.co.uk/scheduleuk-ant/

2. Grab...

In this episode, we answer the most burning questions our listeners have asked us. Part 1, and Part 2 are next week. Enjoy. 📢 Upcoming Workshop: Next week, we’re hosting a live session on hiring and managing VAs—a must-attend if you’re looking to scale efficiently. Secure your spot here: https://book.hammersleybrothers.com/hb-va-workshop/ 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 3 ways Ian and I can help you grow your ecommerce ...