Joe Hides, Co-Founder of Affluent.co, a performance-driven agency that’s helped DTC brands generate over £200 million in revenue through strategic execution across Meta Ads, email marketing, and conversion rate optimization.

Joe is a master of Shopify scale, building omni-channel growth systems that turn bold Big Ideas into real, repeatable results. His team is obsessed with ROI, and their strategies are designed to increase brand reach and grow sales exponentially.

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> Here’s a glimpse of what you would learn…. 

• Differences between selling on Amazon and Shopify, focusing on traffic generation and customer intent.
• Importance of paid advertising, particularly Meta ads, for driving traffic to Shopify stores.
• Strategies for scaling Shopify brands, including competitor analysis and understanding customer acquisition costs.
• The significance of creating compelling ad creatives and the need for high volume and diversity in ads.
• The role of email marketing and retention strategies in increasing customer lifetime value.
• Utilizing tools like the Facebook Ad Library for competitor research and ad performance analysis.
• The necessity of a customer-centric approach in Shopify branding and marketing.
• The impact of ad fatigue and the importance of continuous testing and iteration of ad creatives.
• Recommendations for starting a Shopify brand, including identifying competition and understanding ideal customer personas.
• The integration of various marketing channels, including Google Ads and email marketing, for a holistic growth strategy.

In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley interviews Joe Hides, co-founder of Affluent Co, about scaling DTC brands on Shopify versus Amazon. Joe shares his journey from pro skier to e-commerce expert, emphasizing the need for demand generation, competitor research, and high-volume Meta ad testing on Shopify. They discuss the importance of customer personas, owning customer data, and leveraging user-generated content. Actionable takeaways include identifying competitors, understanding your ideal customer, and sourcing diverse ad content. Joe also highlights the theory of constraints as a key business philosophy and shares his favorite AI research prompt.

Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode:

1. Study competitors – Identify your competition, analyze their funnels, and track ads that have been running long-term to spot proven winners.
2. Know your customer – Define your ideal customer persona (ICP), understand their pain points, and use competitor research to refine your targeting.
3. Scale content fast – Build a creator/affiliate program to generate large volumes of UGC content (e.g., 1,000+ pieces monthly) to test, learn, and avoid ad fatigue.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Josh Hadley on LinkedIn
• eComm Breakthrough Consulting
• eComm Breakthrough Podcast
• Email Josh Hadley: [email protected]
• Facebook Ads Library
• Foreplay.co
• Shopify
• Google Ads
• ChatGPT
• Affluent Agency
• The E-Myth by Michael Gerber
• The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Special Mention(s):

• Adam “Heist” Runquist on LinkedIn
• Kevin King on LinkedIn
• Michael E. Gerber on LinkedIn

Related Episode(s):

• “Cracking the Amazon Code: Learn From Adam Heist’s Brand Scaling Secrets” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast
• “Kevin King’s Wicked-Smart Tips for Building an Audience of Raving Fans” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast
• “Unlocking Entrepreneurial Greatness | Insider Secrets With E-myth Author Michael Gerber” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast

Episode Sponsor

Sponsor for this episode...

This episode is brought to you by eComm Breakthrough Consulting where I help seven-figure e-commerce owners grow to eight figures. 

I started Hadley Designs in 2015 and grew it to an eight-figure brand in seven years.

I made mistakes along the way that made the path to eight figures longer. At times I doubted whether our business could even survive and become a real brand. I wish I would have had a guide to help me grow faster and avoid the stumbling blocks.

If you’ve hit a plateau and want to know the next steps to take your business to the next level, then go to www.EcommBreakthrough.com (that’s Ecomm with two M’s) to learn more.

Transcript Area

Joe Hides 00:00:00  The first thing is like trying to figure out, are there competitors in your space that are making any of these platforms work on, you know, a different level that is typically like the earliest indication of the the chance that you have to be successful and like is the difference between like, okay, I've got this product and I can't see any Facebook ads selling it. That's going to be potentially more of a warning sign rather than a sign of opportunity. And so it's like figuring out with the product that you have is there actual legs behind it. And I think.

Intro 00:00:34  Welcome to the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast. Are you ready to unlock the full potential and growth in your business? You've already crossed seven figures in sales, but the challenge is knowing how to take your business to the next level.

Josh Hadley 00:00:47  Are you ready to learn how to start your own Shopify store, or are you ready to scale your Shopify and e-commerce brand to the next level? Welcome to the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast. I'm your host, Josh Hadley, where I scaled my own brand from 0 to 8 figures in sales.

Josh Hadley 00:01:03  And now my mission is to take it to nine plus figures on my journey to nine figures. I bring you unfiltered conversations with the smartest minds in e-commerce. Past guests include Kevin King, Michael Gerber, author of The Myth, and Brandon Young. I'm giving you the real strategy systems and the mindset to help entrepreneurs like you scale from 7 to 8 and even nine figures. Today I'm joined by Joe Hides, the co-founder of Affluent Co, a performance driven agency that has helped DTC brands generate over 200 million in revenue through strategic execution across meta ads, email marketing and conversion rate optimization. Joe is a master of Shopify scale building omnichannel growth sy...