Scott and Nathan sit down with Angus from MKTG to make clear predictions for eCommerce in 2026.

Key themes discussed:
• Why organic content will be more important than paid in 2026
• The real role of influencers versus in house creators
• Why AI lowers the floor but does not raise the ceiling
• What happens to agencies as media buying gets commoditised
• When in house teams make sense and when they do not
• Why finance led marketing is still rare and still a moat
• Which brands will win and which will struggle next year
• Why retail, community, and real world experiences are coming back

We also dig into hiring mistakes, ego driven decisions, why most founders struggle to recruit great talent, and how the best brands blend agencies, in house teams, and external perspective rather than picking sides.

If you're scaling a 7, 8, or 9 figure brand and thinking about where to focus in 2026, this episode lays out the reality without the hype.

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Get the latest updates, best practices, and PROVEN eCommerce strategies every day. Subscribe here: ‪@bluesensedigital‬

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Blue Sense is a global eCommerce consulting firm that partners with founders & operators to tackle their biggest growth challenges.

Our YouTube channel is dedicated to sharing our most effective marketing strategies to help you achieve your business goals.

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If you’re an 8 or 9 figure retailer looking for deeper creative insight or performance insight grounded in real finance reach out today.

⬇️️ You can find us here ⬇️️:
Website: https://www.bluesensedigital.com.au/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bluesensedigital/
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/blue-sense-digital/

Find Angus here:
Website: https://www.mktgemails.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anguscowan/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/mktg-emails/

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In this episode, Scott and Nathan unpack why Q1 feels so difficult and how brands can create momentum instead of blaming seasonality.

We cover:

• Why demand drops and returns spike after Black Friday

• Messaging and offers that work when customers feel wallet fatigue

• How to use Q1 as the highest-signal creative testing window

• Media buying shifts that rebuild the funnel for Feb and March

• How simple product launches or campaigns can create artificial revenue peaks

A fast overview of how to plan Q1 with stronger creative, better forecasting and a marketing calendar that doesn’t rely on constant discounting.

Links:

Website: https://www.bluesensedigital.com.au/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/bluesensedigital/

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/blue-sense-digital/

In this episode Scott, Gaby, and Ibra unpack what actually drove a record-breaking Black Friday across the Blue Sense portfolio. We break down why 26 brands hit all-time highs, how evergreen ads outperformed expectations, and why scalable structures built across Q1–Q3 made the biggest difference in November.

Over the weekend our portfolio saw:

• Multiple brands hit their first million-dollar months

• One brand hit its first $2M month

• 26 accounts reach record Black Friday performance

We walk through how the team:

• Used strong evergreen structures to scale faster than new Black Friday campaigns

• Applied intraday scaling with clear hourly pacing benchmarks

• Built validated offers across Q1–Q3 that could be pushed profitably in November

• Leveraged winning creatives with heavy social proof inside manual bidding setups

We also cover the biggest surprises of the weekend, including:

• Why simple, clear Black Friday creative outperformed complex production

• Why hype campaigns underdelivered without a clear incentive

• How stock-based discounting tiers protected margin

• Why discount codes struggled versus strike-through pricing

The conversation wraps with what we’re shifting focus to for Q1:

• Growing new-customer lists early in the year

• Testing new offers and funnels while CPMs are low

• Preparing creative velocity and account structure for next year’s Q4 well in advance

Get the latest updates, best practices, and PROVEN eCommerce strategies every day. Subscribe here: youtube.com/‪@bluesensedigital‬

Blue Sense is a global eCommerce consulting firm that partners with founders & operators to tackle their biggest growth challenges.

Our YouTube channel is dedicated to sharing our most effective marketing strategies to help you achieve your business goals.

If you’re an 8 or 9 figure retailer looking for deeper creative insight or performance insight grounded in real finance reach out today.

⬇️️ You can find us here ⬇️️:

Website: https://www.bluesensedigital.com.au/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/bluesensedigital/

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/blue-sense-digital/