Ecommerce: The Hammersley Brothers Ecommerce Podcast

In today's podcast Ian and I set ourselves the task of using the Hammersley Brothers model to get to 10 million a year as fast as possible.  What we would do and why.  How to scale using the model, how we think about growth and how this applies to 2026.

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 copy of our book - https://book.hammersleybrothers.com/

3. Join the Ultimate Guide To Ecommerce Facebook group and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too - https://www.facebook.com/groups/924567391291786

AI this. GEO that.
“New hacks.” “New secrets.”

Most of it is noise.

In this episode, Ian and I break down what actually matters heading into 2026 — based on what really happened in 2025 across real brands, real numbers, and real P&Ls.

No hype. No crystal balls. Just patterns we’re already seeing.

We cover:
    •    Why AI won’t save you if you don’t already understand your numbers
    •    How AI is quietly being baked into Shopify, Meta, Google, and Klaviyo (whether you want it or not)
    •    Why “hobby” categories (sewing, knitting, crafts) are set up unusually well for growth
    •    The slow death of small, low-spend ad agencies — and why that’s good news for founders
    •    Why disruptor brands will keep stealing share from incumbents
    •    The rise of health, wellness, and awkward-to-buy-in-store products
    •    Why tracking is getting harder — and why server-side is no longer optional
    •    The real skill gap opening up in 2026: business architecture, not tactics

If you’re still relying on:
    •    Fixed ad budgets
    •    Agencies asking “what’s the spend this month?”
    •    Guessing instead of knowing your margins, CAC, LTV, and cashflow

2026 is going to hurt.

If you do know your numbers?
It’s shaping up to be one of the biggest opportunity years we’ve seen.

🎧 Listen now and reset how you’re thinking about the year ahead.

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 copy of our book - https://book.hammersleybrothers.com/

3. Join the Ultimate Guide To Ecommerce Facebook group and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too - https://www.facebook.com/groups/924567391291786

This episode kicks off 2026 with a bang — we’re looking back at the bold predictions we made for 2025… and checking which ones held up.

Was it the comeback year we thought it would be?

Mark and Ian break down:

Why 2025 was the first “normal” ecommerce year since Covid

How disruptive, lean brands outpaced the big boys

Why AI in ad creative went from novelty to essential tool

The rise of skeleton teams doing 8-figure numbers

What we got wrong (dropshipping and trust anchors)

Why 2026 might not be as easy to call…

If you’re planning your next 12 months, this is your starting line.

 

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 copy of our book - https://book.hammersleybrothers.com/

3. Join the Ultimate Guide To Ecommerce Facebook group and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too - https://www.facebook.com/groups/924567391291786

This episode is Offer #5 in our 5 Offers Series: Reactivation — the last offer in the stack, and the most misunderstood.

Reactivation should never be your growth strategy.
It should be the icing, not the cake.

But done properly? It’s free revenue sitting on your doorstep.

In this episode, Mark and Ian reveal:

The real purpose of a reactivation offer (and why it isn’t what you think)

How to calculate the exact moment a customer becomes “lapsed” using the 95% rule

Monetary credit vs. discounts which actually breaks through inbox blindness

Why waiting too long kills reactivation… and how acting early transforms your AOV

What to do with subscribers who don’t open, ignore, or never see your emails

Why some businesses shouldn’t expect powerful winbacks and what to focus on instead

How to use reactivation across email, SMS, direct mail, Facebook, and Google audiences

The old bakery story that explains why reactivation works (only after fixed costs are paid)

If you’ve ever wondered whether reactivation is worth it — or if your business is doing it the wrong way — this episode answers everything.

📉 Think reactivation will fix bad retention?
📈 Want to squeeze extra profit from customers who’ve drifted away?

 

Start here.

 

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 copy of our book - https://book.hammersleybrothers.com/

3. Join the Ultimate Guide To Ecommerce Facebook group and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too - https://www.facebook.com/groups/924567391291786

This episode is Offer #4 in our 5 Offers Series: The Peak Season Offer, and it’s the one that can take your ecommerce business from “doing okay” to absolutely flying.

 

Every brand gets a sales spike in peak season. But most leave thousands on the table by running the wrong offer or just doing what they did last year.

 

In this episode, Mark and Ian reveal:

The difference between a good seasonal offer and one that explodes LTV

What your ad needs to do differently in a peak buying window

How to make urgency feel real and not desperate

Why relying on discounts alone kills margin (and what to use instead)

The “gift drop” tactic we’ve seen convert like mad in BFCM, January, and even Easter

Whether you’re planning Q4, mid-year sales, or a product drop, this is how to make sure your biggest days don’t just make revenue... they make profit.

 

📉Still blasting 20% off codes with a countdown timer?

📈Want to turn your peak season into your highest ROAS moment?

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 copy of our book - https://book.hammersleybrothers.com/

3. Join the Ultimate Guide To Ecommerce Facebook group and connect with e-commerce owners who are scaling too - https://www.facebook.com/groups/924567391291786