Latest Insights
Read, watch, or listen to the latest content from the Education team. This feed always updates with the most recent content released from the past ten days at Common Thread Collective.
Shopify Just Guaranteed Your International Shipping Costs: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Do Before BFCM
On October 24, 2026, Shopify announced guaranteed flat-rate shipping through Managed Markets, locking in carrier costs on qualifying FedEx and DHL Express labels. Carrier adjustment charges are now absorbed by Shopify, not your margin.
Google Is Now Auto-Generating Review Summaries in Your Search Ads: What Ecommerce Brands Must Do Before BFCM
On October 24, 2026, Google confirmed AI-generated review summaries are now active in Search ads for 4 markets including the US. Google's AI automatically surfaces your best customer reviews as a 'What customers love' snippet in sponsored results, with no setup required.
Amazon DVA+ Is Now in Open Beta: The Unified Ad Tool Every Ecommerce Brand Must Test Before BFCM
On October 24, 2026, Amazon opened DVA+ to open beta, combining display, video, and audio into one campaign type. Early trials show 67% higher long-term ROAS and 29% lower cost to acquire new-to-brand customers.
Amazon DVA+ Open Beta Is Live: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Do Before BFCM to Get Early Access
On October 24, 2026, Amazon announced the open beta launch of DVA+, its unified Display, Video, and Audio campaign suite, for all US advertisers. Early beta data shows 67% higher long-term ROAS and 29% lower new-to-brand customer acquisition cost compared to managing those channels separately.
Shopify's New Catalog Scheduling Is Live: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Set Up Before Black Friday
On October 23, 2026, Shopify expanded Rollouts to support full catalog scheduling, allowing ecommerce brands to automatically activate pricing changes and product availability at any pre-set date and time. With Black Friday 29 days away and .9 billion projected for that single day, this is the BFCM setup every brand must complete now.
Shopify Rollouts Now Controls Your Entire BFCM Catalog: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Schedule Before Black Friday
On October 23, 2026, Shopify announced that Rollouts now supports catalog changes, letting brands schedule pricing and product availability per market ahead of launch. With Black Friday 36 days away, this is the most important scheduling tool your store isn't using yet.
Meta Delays Its New Ad Terms Deadline to November 20: What Ecommerce Brands Must Do Before the New Date
On October 23, 2026, Meta delayed its updated Commercial Terms deadline from October 30 to November 20, 2026. Here is what ecommerce brands must know about the web crawling rights, AI content liability, and what to do before the new deadline.
Shopify's New Checkout Payment Layout Is Live: What Every Ecommerce Brand Needs to Know Before BFCM
On October 22, 2026, Shopify launched a refreshed payment method design in checkout. For ecommerce brands offering 4 or fewer payment methods, this change automatically switched your checkout to a modern tiled layout. Here is what to check and monitor before BFCM.
Google Performance Max Is Now Auto-Sourcing Videos From Your Social Media: What Ecommerce Brands Must Audit Right Now
On October 21, 2026, Google announced new Performance Max asset optimization settings that allow the platform to automatically source videos from linked YouTube channels and social media, and images directly from website landing pages. For ecommerce brands, this means Google may already be running unapproved creative in your PMax campaigns.
Google Ads Expanded Customer Lifecycle Controls to Shopping: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Enable Before BFCM
On October 22, 2026, Google Ads announced an expansion of customer lifecycle controls to Shopping campaigns, adding High Value Mode, three new retention modes, and percentage-based bid multipliers up to 5x. Here is what ecommerce brands must enable before BFCM.
Google Ads October 22, 2026: The Customer Retention Modes and Shopping High-Value Update Every Ecommerce Brand Must Set Before Black Friday
On October 22, 2026, Google Ads announced three updates to customer lifecycle goals: Shopping High-Value Mode, three new Retention Modes, and Percentage Multipliers for BFCM.
Salesforce Just Acquired Braze for $5.66 Billion: What Every Ecommerce Brand on Braze Must Do Now
On October 20, 2026, Salesforce announced a definitive agreement to acquire Braze for $5.66 billion. For ecommerce brands running Braze for lifecycle marketing, the 12 to 18 months before the deal closes represent the best window to negotiate contract terms, evaluate alternatives, or lock in favorable pricing.
Google Performance Max December 4, 2026: The Image Extraction Default Every Ecommerce Brand Must Decide On Now
On October 21, 2026, Google announced that image extraction will be enabled by default for all newly created Performance Max campaigns starting December 4, 2026. For ecommerce brands, this means Google's AI will automatically pull high-resolution images from your landing pages and serve them across 6 Google channels without any manual upload required.
Google Officially Capped the Smart Bidding Learning Period at 7 Days: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Know Before Black Friday
On October 21, 2026, Google officially confirmed a 7-day maximum for Smart Bidding Learning status in updated documentation. For ecommerce brands running Search, Shopping, and PMax heading into BFCM, this means bid and budget changes can be made freely with learning resolving in 7 days.
ChatGPT Ads Is Auto-Enabling AI Creative Enhancements on October 30: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Decide Before Black Friday
On October 20, 2026, OpenAI announced it is auto-enabling creative enhancements for all ChatGPT Ads starting October 30, 2026. For ecommerce brands, this means AI-generated headlines, images, and URL optimizations will apply to ads without per-variation approval -- 9 days before BFCM.
Meta Is Making Threads Ads the Default Placement for All Advertisers This Week: What Ecommerce Brands Must Do Before October 26
On October 19, 2026, Meta announced that Threads ad placements are rolling out as a default inclusion in all Meta campaigns globally, with the full rollout completing the week of October 26. Ecommerce brands running Meta Ads need to audit placements now before BFCM budgets automatically flow to Threads.
Meta's Generative Ads Model Is Delivering 18.9% More Conversions: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Do Before Q4
On October 13, 2026, Meta published results from its Generative Ads Model (GEM), delivering an automatic 18.9% conversion improvement and 12% CTR improvement across Facebook and Instagram for every ecommerce brand running Meta ads.
Shopify's New shop.md Turns Any AI Agent Into a Personal Shopper: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Check Before BFCM
On October 19, 2026, Shopify launched shop.md, a skill that any AI agent can install to become a personal shopper connected to a consumer's Shop account. For ecommerce brands on Shopify, this means AI agents can search 1 billion products and complete Shop Pay purchases in a conversation.
Google Smart Bidding Exploration Is Now Live for Retail PMax Campaigns: What Ecommerce Brands Must Enable Before BFCM
In October 2026, Google expanded Smart Bidding Exploration to Shopping campaigns and Performance Max campaigns with a Merchant Center product feed, making the tool available to retail ecommerce brands for the first time. For ecommerce brands running retail PMax, this means a single toggle in your campaign settings can unlock access to up to 27% more unique converting users, by allowing Google's AI to bid on high-potential queries you already qualify for but are missing because your target ROAS is too tight.
Amazon's Campaign Intelligence Dashboard Is Now Rolling Out to All US Advertisers: What Ecommerce Brands Must Do Before BFCM
On September 22, 2026, Amazon announced the Campaign Intelligence Dashboard at unBoxed 2026, now rolling out to all US sponsored ads advertisers in October 2026. For ecommerce brands running Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display campaigns, this means a single AI-powered view that surfaces the exact reasons your campaigns are underperforming and provides specific recommendations on targeting, bids, and budgets, replacing a workflow that previously required cross-referencing 4 or more separate reports.
Google Demand Gen's Performance Cost Adjustments Now Last 60 Days: What Ecommerce Brands Must Know Before BFCM
On October 16, 2026, Google extended the Demand Gen performance-based cost adjustment beta from 3 weeks to 60 days. For BFCM campaigns launching in October, this means full holiday coverage without the adjustment window expiring mid-season.
Meta's First Impression Ads Are Now Being Tested: What Ecommerce Brands Must Know Before BFCM
On October 15, 2026, Meta announced First Impression Ads, expanded Reels Trending Ads, and a new Aggregated View Time metric. Early tests show a 2.9 point ad recall lift. Here's what ecommerce brands must do before BFCM.
Google Ads Data Manager Stops Requiring Hashed Data on November 16: What Every Ecommerce Brand Using Customer Match Must Do Now
On October 18, 2026, Google announced that Google Ads Data Manager will stop requiring SHA-256 hashed customer data starting November 16, 2026, affecting every Customer Match and enhanced conversion upload pipeline.
Google Just Debunked the Learning Period Myth: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Do with Campaigns Before Black Friday
On October 15, 2026, Google confirmed that changing the target or budget of an established campaign does not trigger a learning period, debunking a myth that has held back ecommerce brands from adjusting tCPA and tROAS during peak BFCM season.
Shopify Raised Plan Prices on October 15: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Do Before Their Next Billing Cycle
On October 15, 2026, Shopify raised plan pricing for U.S. merchants. The Grow plan increased by $10 per month (13%), now $105/month. The Advanced plan increased by $60 per month (20%), now $399/month. Here is what every ecommerce brand on either plan must do before their next billing date.
Meta Ads Super Burst Is Rolling Out: What Ecommerce Brands Must Know Before BFCM
On October 14, 2026, Meta announced Ads Super Burst at the Meta Brand Building Summit, moving to general availability. Ecommerce brands can now reserve 3 to 24 hour windows on Facebook and Instagram with category exclusivity, reaching a median of 34 million people per flight with a 2.9pt ad recall lift.
Google Universal Cart Is Live: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Register for Before BFCM
On October 15, 2026, Google launched Universal Cart in Search and Gemini across the United States. For ecommerce brands with products in Merchant Center, this means your promotions now surface as deal badges to shoppers on AI-powered shopping surfaces, with Google's Shopping Graph monitoring over 60 billion product listings in real time.
Google's October 2026 Demand Gen Drop: Data Strength Uplift Is Live and Every Ecommerce Brand Must Set Up Google Tag Gateway Before BFCM
On October 13, 2026, Google announced its October Demand Gen Drop, headlined by the Data Strength Uplift metric now launching in Google Ads. Advertisers using Google Tag Gateway see over 20% conversion uplift on average in Demand Gen campaigns.
Meta Is Auto-Enabling Product Browsing in Your Existing Ads on October 28: What Ecommerce Brands Must Do Before Black Friday
On October 14, 2026, Meta notified advertisers that product browsing will be automatically enabled for all existing Facebook and Instagram ads starting October 28, 2026. For ecommerce brands, this means an in-app browsing layer replaces the direct click-to-website experience for all running ads.
Meta Launches Ads Super Burst and First Impression Ads: What Ecommerce Brands Must Act On Before BFCM
On October 15, 2026, Meta announced three new brand advertising formats: Ads Super Burst, First Impression Ads, and Reels Trending Ads. Here is what ecommerce brands need to know before Black Friday.
Shopify's Shop MCP Is Live: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Know Before the Holiday Season
On October 13, 2026, Shopify launched Shop MCP, a public server at mcp.shop.com that gives any MCP-compatible AI agent direct access to over 1 billion Shopify products and Shop Pay checkout. Here is what ecommerce brands need to check before the holiday season.
Google Universal Cart Is Live in Search and Gemini: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Do Before Black Friday
On October 15, 2026, Google launched Universal Cart, a cross-retailer shopping hub now live in Google Search and Gemini across the United States. For ecommerce brands running Shopping campaigns, this means your products can now appear in a persistent cart backed by more than 60 billion product listings.
Profitable ecommerce growth gets harder when repeat purchases are limited. In his Commerce Roundtable San Diego keynote, Taylor Holiday examines how Skullcandy, The Normal Brand, and Spiral Bible are growing with low customer lifetime value (LTV) and a need to make customer acquisition profitable on the first order.
Taylor walks through changes to distribution, creative production costs, and campaign planning that helped these brands find room to scale. He also shares CTC’s research on ad performance to explain why the cost of finding successful creative matters.
In this episode:
-
Skullcandy: TikTok Shop reached 4.3x its January level by August, while ecommerce reached 2.7x its January level. He explains how creator content can generate demand that converts across the website, Amazon, and retail.
-
The Normal Brand: June ad spend doubled year over year while incremental ROAS held steady. He explains how commission-based creator production increased creative volume and reduced upfront production costs, making more testing financially viable.
-
Spiral Bible: Coordinated marketing moments and creator production supported a 4.4x increase in ad spend from May to August, while platform ROAS improved from 1.63 to 1.91. He breaks down how the team aligned offers, creators, email, and website messaging.
-
Creative testing economics: In CTC’s analysis of more than 1.3 million ads, the top 5% accounted for 73% of calculated contribution value before creative production costs. He explains why that distribution changes what brands can afford to pay for each new ad.
Show Notes:
-
Expand beyond your own site without building a whole new operation. Find out what’s possible at https://www.mirakl.com/ctc
-
Learn more: https://commonthreadco.com
-
Track your brand’s performance: https://statlas.io
-
Work with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contact
-
Have a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email podcast@commonthreadco.com
Black Friday ad spend can generate a different incremental return than it does during a typical sales period. Luke Austin, President of Common Thread Collective, joins Richard Gaffin to explain how incrementality testing can help you decide where your holiday budget belongs.
They discuss what CTC has observed in promotional-period tests and why your usual return on ad spend (ROAS) target may need adjusting during Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). The goal is to understand which sales your ads generate beyond what would have happened without them, then use that information to guide spending.
From there, Luke explores where brands could reinvest if the results support a change, including offers that evolve throughout the day and a larger role for creators in promoting them. He shares examples brands have already tried and outlines his proposal for coordinating offers across larger creator networks.
In this episode:
-
Why Black Friday ad spend can be more or less incremental than spending during a typical sales period
-
Using conversion lift studies and holdout tests to measure additional sales
-
Applying incrementality findings to Meta and Google ad budgets and ROAS targets
-
Giving shoppers new reasons to buy through flash sales and changing gifts with purchase
-
Equipping creators with approved offers, inventory updates, and financial limits
-
Giving creators room to develop their own messaging while preserving essential product requirements
Show Notes:
-
Go to https://www.universalads.com/middleman and use code UACTC to get $2,500 in matched ad credits when you spend $2,500.
-
Learn more: https://commonthreadco.com
-
Track your brand’s performance: https://statlas.io
-
Work with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contact
-
Have a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email podcast@commonthreadco.com
Luke Austin, President of Common Thread Collective, joins Richard Gaffin to explain how to keep shoppers engaged after your Black Friday sale goes live.
They break down the Power 30, the holiday window that accounts for 55% of Q4 website revenue in the data discussed, and the offer decisions that deserve attention throughout it. Luke shares examples of brands using VIP hours, featured-product flash sales, and changing gifts with purchase to give customers fresh reasons to visit and buy.
The conversation covers how to prepare those moments, adapt to sales and inventory, and keep each offer easy for shoppers to understand.
In this episode:
-
Building a holiday calendar around early access, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the shipping cutoff
-
Why Luke prioritizes offer strategy alongside the media plan during peak shopping days
-
What happened when one brand added its bestselling product line back into its holiday offer
-
Planning fresh offers and messages within a single day
-
Using inventory, margins, and minimum order values to shape gifts with purchase
-
Keeping a consistent promotional theme as individual offers change
Show Notes:
-
Q4 waits for no one. AppLovin is offering $5K ad credit when you spend $5K. Go to applovin.com/ctc to set up your first campaign
-
Learn more: https://commonthreadco.com
-
Track your brand’s performance: https://statlas.io
-
Work with us: https://commonthreadco.com/pages/contact
-
Have a question for the Ecommerce Playbook? Email podcast@commonthreadco.com
Special Announcements
Newest Product
The Ecommerce Diagnostic Toolkit
The Ecommerce Diagnostic Toolkit is your guide to identifying your biggest opportunities. Help our team test and fine-tune this product before it goes live.
Follow these steps to help ensure we make the best product possible:
- Download and review the PDF
- Take the Diagnostic quiz with one of you clients' brands
- Review and download your results page
- Provide our team with any feedback you have
From the DTC Index
Updated weekly, the DTC Index aggregates our database of 300+ ecomm brands into your clearest window on ecommerce performance.
From store CAC to Facebook ROAS, the DTC Index contains charts tracking year-over-year data points from all parts of the funnel.
Access All Charts
