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The Strat88 Blog

Growth, Explained

Strategy notes from the team managing paid media, retention, and CRO for eCommerce brands every day. No hype, just what the numbers say and what to do about it.

A small cyan card beside a taller gray one, with the figure 3%, Meta's claimed product browsing lift. Paid Media
Featured

Advantage+ Creative Enhancements: What to Check Before Black Friday

Meta switches on several Advantage+ creative enhancements and product browsing by default. What each one changes, which to keep, and how to test them on MER.

Nov 4, 2026·10 min read
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A small cyan card beside a taller gray one, with the figure 3%, Meta's claimed product browsing lift. Paid Media

Advantage+ Creative Enhancements: What to Check Before Black Friday

Meta switches on several Advantage+ creative enhancements and product browsing by default. What each one changes, which to keep, and how to test them on MER.

Nov 4, 2026·10 min read
A dot inside a shaded band, with the figure 7.8%, a benchmark set by $1B+ firms. Growth Consulting

How to Build a 2027 Ecommerce Marketing Budget From Contribution Margin

Most ecommerce marketing budget rules come from billion-dollar companies. Here's how to set your 2027 budget from contribution margin, MER and new customer CAC.

Oct 30, 2026·8 min read
A tall gray bar beside a short cyan bar, with the figure 14%, the AI Max lift for non-retail advertisers only. Paid Media

AI Max for Search: What Ecommerce Brands Should Check After Google’s Auto-Upgrade

Google moved many Search campaigns to AI Max in September. Here's what it switched on, where it overlaps brand search and PMax, and how to test it on revenue.

Oct 21, 2026·9 min read
Three connected nodes ending in a highlighted one, with the figure of about 40%, the conversion lift from AI personalization. CRO

AI Personalization Lifts Conversions 40%: What Actually Works in Ecommerce CRO Right Now

AI personalization lifts ecommerce conversions ~40%, and personalized CTAs convert 202% better. What actually works in CRO right now, beyond A/B tests.

Oct 7, 2026·4 min read
Three stacked message bubbles beside the figure 45%, the share of SMS revenue that comes from automated flows. Email & SMS

SMS Flows Drive 45% of SMS Revenue From 8% of Sends: The 2026 Automation Playbook

SMS flows drive 45% of SMS revenue from under 8% of sends. Get the 2026 playbook: which SMS automations to build, compliance rules, and email pairing.

Sep 29, 2026·5 min read
Line chart spiking then settling, with the figure 17%, the share of holiday sales that come back as returns. Paid Media

The BFCM After Action Report: What to Review After Cyber Week

Key takeaways Run the after action report within 48 hours, on six questions, while everyone still remembers what happened. Do not treat those numbers as final. Around 17% of holiday sales come back as returns, and in one account we manage roughly 31% of conversions landed more than seven days after the click. Judge the […]

Sep 10, 2026·9 min read
A ring with dots scattered around it and the label 1P: first-party data is the paid media moat. Paid Media

First-Party Data Is Your Biggest Paid Media Advantage in 2026 (Bigger Than Budget)

First-party data now beats budget size as a paid media edge. Learn how to collect, structure, and feed customer data into Google and Meta for better ROAS.

Aug 25, 2026·5 min read
Bar chart showing the gap between reported ad ROAS and true incremental lift from an ad campaign Paid Media

Beyond ROAS: How to Run Incrementality Tests That Prove Your Ads Actually Work

Platform ROAS tells you what your ads touched, not what they caused. Learn how to run incrementality tests that reveal what your paid media truly drives.

Aug 17, 2026·5 min read
Two crossing trend lines with the label #1: Meta overtakes Google in ad revenue. Paid Media

Meta Just Passed Google in Ad Revenue: How to Rebalance Your Media Mix for 2027

Meta is projected to out-earn Google in ads for the first time ever. What the shift means for your media mix, and how to rebalance budgets for 2027.

Aug 10, 2026·5 min read
Graphic showing Meta Advantage+ at a $75B+ annual revenue run rate, with three signals consolidating into one automated account structure Paid Media

Meta Advantage+ Is Now the Default: How to Structure Your Account for 2026

Advantage+ is now the default on Meta. Here is how to restructure your Meta ads account for the AI-default era without losing control of creative or spend.

Aug 4, 2026·5 min read
A three-tier funnel with the figure 3, the Meta funnel stages that scale. Paid Media

Structuring Your Meta Ads Account for Success

Retargeted shoppers convert up to 70% more often than cold traffic. Here’s the Meta ads funnel framework, plus Advantage+ and AOV tactics, that captures it.

Jul 28, 2026·4 min read
A steeply climbing line beside the figure 60%, the share of Google ad spend that now runs through Performance Max. Paid Media

Performance Max in 2026: How to Stop AI Campaigns From Cannibalizing Your Branded Search

Over 60% of Google Ads spend now runs through Performance Max. Learn how to stop PMax from cannibalizing branded search, inflating ROAS, and hiding real costs.

Jul 22, 2026·5 min read
A rising line beside the figure 42%, the conversion lift of AI referral traffic over other traffic. AI

AI-Referred Shoppers Now Convert 42% Better: What Agentic Commerce Means for Your Marketing

AI-referred shoppers already convert better than typical traffic, and checkout is moving into AI itself. What ecommerce marketers should do about it now.

Jul 13, 2026·7 min read
A curve rising from July to November beside the figure 2 to 3x, how BFCM-week CPMs compare with the annual average. Paid Media

Q4 Paid Media Planning: Why Your BFCM Strategy Needs to Start in July

Q4 CPMs run 25-60% above annual average. Learn why winning BFCM paid media strategies start in July, and get our month-by-month planning framework.

Jul 6, 2026·6 min read
Three rising bars beside the figure 3, the metrics that matter: LTV, CVR and MER. Growth Consulting

Focus on the Right Metrics: Why LTV, CVR, and MER Matter More Than Revenue

Revenue and traffic do not pay the bills. Learn why LTV, conversion rate, and MER are the three ecommerce metrics that actually determine profitability.

Jul 1, 2026·5 min read
One box branching into three, with the figure 18x, revenue per recipient from flows versus campaigns. Email & SMS

Flows Over Campaigns: Why 5% of Your Email Sends Should Drive 40% of Your Email Revenue

Email flows generate ~41% of email revenue from just 5.3% of sends. Here are the automated flows every ecommerce brand needs, and how to build them right.

May 8, 2026·5 min read
A tall gray bar beside a short cyan bar, with the figure 1 in 4, the share of US companies now using fractional executives. Growth Consulting

Fractional CMO vs Full-Time Hire in 2026: A Decision Framework for $1M-$10M Brands

1 in 4 US companies now uses fractional executives. A practical framework for $1M-$10M brands deciding between a fractional CMO and a full-time hire.

Mar 19, 2026·5 min read

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