Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

Send us Fan Mail
How do you know if your Shopify ads are actually making money?

In this episode of Selling on Giants, Will Haire sits down with Adam Callinan, founder of Pentane, to break down the financial math behind profitable DTC growth.

The conversation centers on one critical concept: contribution profit.

Adam explains why metrics like ROAS, AOV, LTV, and revenue don't tell the whole story, and how DTC founders can use contribution profit to understand whether a campaign, promotion, or pricing change is actually creating value for the business.

In this episode, we cover:

- Why contribution profit matters more than revenue alone
- How DTC brands can determine the right Shopify ad budget
- The limitations of relying on ROAS to measure profitability
- How pricing, discounts, and bundles impact your bottom line
- The financial guardrails founders should establish before scaling
- How BottleKeeper used Facebook video ads to accelerate growth
- Why operating with constraints can actually create an advantage
- How Shopify and Amazon revenue should be viewed together
- Where brands lose visibility between ad spend, COGS, fulfillment, discounts, and profit
- How real-time financial intelligence can improve marketing decisions
- What separates DTC brands that scale sustainably from those that simply grow revenue

Adam also shares what he is building with Pentane, a platform designed to help eCommerce operators connect financial data with marketing and operating decisions.

If you're a Shopify brand, DTC founder, eCommerce operator, or marketer spending money on ads and trying to scale profitably, this conversation is for you.

Learn more about Pentane: www.pentane.com
Free Profit Masterclass: www.theprofitmasterclass.com
Connect with Adam Callinan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammcallinan/ 

If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, and follow Selling on Giants for more conversations with eCommerce founders, operators, and industry experts.

Send us Fan Mail
Your Q4 promotion can look profitable today and lose money before the first holiday order reaches the customer.
In this September 1, 2026 episode of Selling on Giants, Will Haire, cofounder of BellaVix, breaks down the marketplace changes putting pressure on ecommerce margins, from holiday shipping surcharges and Canadian tariffs to Amazon’s advertising auction lawsuit and TikTok’s influence on Amazon sales.
The connection is bigger than any individual update. Brands cannot manage advertising, inventory, fulfillment, and promotions separately and expect the numbers to work together.
Why are holiday shipping costs a bigger risk this year?
USPS, UPS, and FedEx are introducing overlapping peak season increases. These charges can stack with fuel, residential, dimensional weight, and delivery area fees, making low-priced and oversized products especially vulnerable. Will explains why brands need to review contribution margin by product, package, and destination before committing to holiday discounts or free shipping offers.
What does the FTC lawsuit mean for Amazon advertisers?
The FTC and 22 states allege that Amazon inflated advertising auction prices through undisclosed pricing practices. Amazon denies the allegations, which have not been decided by a court. Will examines the transparency issue and why the filing alone is not a reason to cut advertising. Budget decisions still need to reflect conversion, incrementality, TACoS, and contribution profit. Read the Reuters coverage.
Does TikTok Shop drive sales on Amazon?
TikTok can create product discovery while Amazon captures the purchase. The episode explores research showing that shoppers often move to Amazon for price comparison, reviews, Prime delivery, and checkout. Will explains how to compare creator activity with Amazon branded searches, sessions, conversion, and sales without automatically crediting Amazon advertising for demand generated elsewhere.
Why is Amazon discounting fulfillment for TikTok Shop?
Amazon is offering eligible TikTok Shop orders a 35% discount on Standard and Expedited Multichannel Fulfillment rates through a 12-month promotion. Shared inventory can help brands respond to creator-driven demand without maintaining separate stock pools. The operating question is whether the model remains profitable after the discount ends, including creator commissions, platform fees, returns, and integration costs.
How do Canada’s new tariffs affect marketplace sellers?
Canada’s announced retaliatory tariffs take effect September 8 and cover approximately $20 billion in annual U.S. imports. Exposure depends on product classification and legal country of origin, not simply the location of the shipping warehouse. Will discusses why brands need to review inventory in transit, marketplace pricing, and promotional commitments with their customs broker or importer of record. Read the Reuters coverage.
Should sellers pay for Amazon Sub Same Day delivery?
Faster delivery can improve conversion, but a sales increase does not automatically mean a profit increase. Will examines Amazon’s optional paid placement opportunity for selected FBA sellers and explains why tests should measure incremental orders and contribution profit, including whether customers would have purchased with standard Prime delivery anyway.
What is changing with Amazon seller-fulfilled enforcement?
Amazon is narrowing enforcement for certain seller-fulfilled performance problems to the affected offer. That can reduce disruption across healthy listings, but losing one hero product can still create a significant revenue problem. Sellers need offer-level monitoring rather than relying only on account-wide performance averages.
The takeaway: build one operating plan that connects where demand starts, what it costs to convert and fulfill, and how much profit remains after every platform takes its share.
Selling on Giants delivers operator-focused ecommerce news and marketplace strategy for brands growing on Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, and beyond.
Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level coverage of Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, AI commerce, retail media, tariffs, marketplace strategy, and the changes actually affecting eCommerce operators.
Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan Mail
Most sellers think competition is the problem. But what if too many options, too many SKUs, and too many competitors are actually the system working?
In this episode of Selling on Giants, Mr. Will breaks down why crowded marketplaces are not always a warning sign. In many cases, competition is proof that demand already exists, and the brands that know how to read that demand can turn a noisy category into a source of intelligence.
The episode starts with the famous story of Boris Yeltsin walking into a regular grocery store in Houston in 1989 and being shaken by what he saw. Fully stocked shelves. Endless product choices. Multiple brands, flavors, pack sizes, and price points. It was not luxury that made the store powerful. It was normal abundance.
That grocery store represented something bigger than food. It showed the strength of a system where millions of small decisions from businesses and consumers created more variety, more feedback, and better outcomes than one central plan ever could.
That same idea applies directly to Amazon, Walmart, Target, and modern marketplace strategy.
Amazon is not just a marketplace. It is a real-time feedback loop. Sellers launch products, customers click or do not click, ads test demand, listings convert or fail, reviews build or stall, competitors respond, prices shift, and the algorithm reallocates visibility based on what the market is telling it.
In this episode, we cover:
Why competition is not just a threat, but useful market intelligence
How crowded categories reveal demand, price points, review gaps, and customer objections
Why Amazon rewards brands that test, learn, adapt, and double down
How too much internal planning can delay the feedback sellers need most
Why every SKU, click, conversion, and failed campaign can become useful data
The difference between random chaos and structured experimentation
How brands can use marketplace signals to improve listings, pricing, creative, and ad strategy
Why trying to outsmart the market is usually weaker than building a system that learns
How BellaVix helps brands create feedback loops across listings, ads, pricing, promotions, and merchandising
Why choice wins because choice creates learning
This episode is for Amazon sellers, ecommerce founders, brand operators, and marketplace teams that feel stuck in crowded categories and are trying to decide whether the opportunity is still worth pursuing.
The answer is not always to pull back. Sometimes the better answer is to study the category more closely.
Competitors show you what customers already buy. Reviews show you what customers care about. Pricing shows you what the market accepts. Creative shows you what messages are being tested. Search results show you where demand already exists.
The brands that scale are not always the ones with the cleanest plan before launch. They are often the ones that create better feedback loops, test with discipline, and respond faster than everyone else.
At BellaVix, we help brands turn marketplace complexity into clear operating plans. That means structured testing across listings, pricing, ads, creative, promotions, and merchandising, with real performance data guiding what gets scaled and what gets cut.
BellaVix has helped brands sell over five hundred million dollars on Amazon and is a Verified Ad Partner, but the real work is helping brands stop guessing from a boardroom and start learning from the market.
The key question:
Are you using a crowded category as an excuse, or are you using it as a source of intelligence?
Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level breakdowns on Amazon, Walmart, retail media, marketplace strategy, AI commerce, eCommerce growth, and what actually changes for brands responsible for profitability.

Send us Fan Mail
Ozempic is influencing the Halloween aisle while Walmart and AI reshape how consumers discover, buy, and receive products.
In this August 25th episode of Selling on Giants, Mr. Will breaks down why Hershey is expanding beyond traditional candy as GLP-1 medications reshape consumer snacking, how Walmart is building a complete marketplace flywheel, and why AI-referred shoppers are becoming some of the most valuable visitors in eCommerce.
Why is Hershey expanding beyond traditional Halloween candy?
Hershey is adding popcorn, cheese puffs, pretzels, and other savory snacks to its Halloween assortment as consumers become more health conscious and GLP-1 medications influence appetite, portion size, and snacking behavior. Chocolate remains the preferred Halloween treat, but Hershey sees an opportunity to serve the entire occasion instead of defending a narrow definition of the candy category.
The company’s zero-sugar candy, mint, and gum business grew more than 4 times between 2020 and 2025. Hershey is also using AI to shorten product development by roughly 3 months and identify changes such as the rise of trunk-or-treat events. Ozempic is shorthand for a much wider GLP-1 trend, and the immediate retail effect is not the disappearance of candy. It is a shift in portions, formats, ingredients, and occasions.
Why is Walmart Marketplace growing so quickly?
Walmart is connecting marketplace assortment, fulfillment, stores, shopper data, and advertising into one reinforcing system. Walmart’s global eCommerce business grew 23% in the second quarter, while Walmart eCommerce in the U.S. grew 24%. Walmart Marketplace net sales increased more than 50%, Walmart Connect grew 43%, and store-fulfilled delivery increased 40%.
Nearly half of Walmart’s marketplace volume now flows through Walmart Fulfillment Services. Marketplace expands product selection, Walmart Fulfillment Services improves delivery, more transactions create better shopper data, and Walmart Connect turns that data into advertising revenue. That revenue helps Walmart continue investing in price, technology, and fulfillment.
What does delayed back-to-school shopping signal for the holidays?
National Retail Federation data shows that shoppers had completed only about 44% of their back-to-school lists by early August, compared with 23% in early July. Consumers are beginning their research, but many are waiting longer to finish purchases as they spread spending across paychecks, wait for promotions, or delay decisions until they know exactly what is required.
Brands may see early traffic without matching conversion, assume demand is weak, and cut advertising or increase discounts too soon. If purchases arrive within a shorter window, advertising costs rise, inventory tightens, and there is little time to recover. Holiday planning needs to account for a longer research period followed by a more compressed conversion window.
Why are Amazon drones and Home Depot’s 3-hour delivery important?
Amazon plans to expand Prime Air drone delivery from 11 locations to nearly 500 cities and towns by the end of the year. More than 60% of the products customers frequently purchase from Amazon meet the basic size and weight requirements, with delivery available in as little as 30 minutes. Home Depot is also rolling out 3-hour delivery nationwide by using more more than 2,000 stores as local fulfillment hubs.
The larger trend is the move from planned convenience to immediate problem solving. A product is now competing against the fastest way the customer can solve the problem. Two-day delivery once felt remarkable. In more categories, it is beginning to feel slow.
Are shoppers coming from AI tools actually buying?
Yes. Adobe Analytics found that traffic arriving at U.S. retail websites from AI tools increased 62% year over year in July. Compared with October 2024, AI referral traffic increased more than 1,200%.
The quality of that traffic is the bigger story. AI-referred shoppers generated 53% more revenue per visit and converted at a rate 60% higher than other website traffic. This was the 11th consecutive month that AI traffic outperformed other traffic on conversion. These shoppers also stayed longer, bounced less often, and added products to their carts more frequently.
AI tools are completing part of the research before the shopper reaches the retailer. A customer can describe a need, compare options, narrow the decision, and then click through with stronger purchase intent. Traditional search often provides a list of possible answers. AI increasingly attempts to recommend one answer, which makes the selected position more valuable and may make second place less visible.
How can brands prepare for AI-driven product discovery?
The first step is not publishing hundreds of generic articles written by AI. It is making product information easy for people and machines to understand. Specifications, ingredients, compatibility, sizing, pricing, availability, use cases, customer questions, and policies need to be accurate and consistent across the brand’s website and marketplace content.
Adobe found that 39% of the retail homepages in its broader sample were not fully machine readable. Brands can begin testing by asking several AI assistants to recommend products in their category. They should document whether the brand appears, whether the information is accurate, which competitors receive the recommendation, and which sources the AI appears to trust. AI discovery is not replacing Amazon, Google, or retail media overnight, but waiting for perfect attribution gives competitors time to establish authority first.
How are tariffs changing eCommerce pricing decisions?
New U.S. tariffs of 50% took effect on roughly $20 billion in Canadian exports, and Canada announced dollar-for-dollar retaliation beginning September 8th. Brands importing Canadian products or components may face higher landed costs, while brands selling into Canada may need another pricing adjustment. Exposure depends on product classification and current treatment.
Major retailers may also be operating with different economics. Walmart recognized nearly $2.9 billion in tariff refunds during the quarter. Target recognized almost $1 billion, and Ross received roughly $250 million. These one-time benefits can give a retailer room to promote inventory while a brand’s next replacement order still arrives at a higher cost. Matching a competitor’s price without understanding why it can afford the promotion is how brands win the sale and lose the business. Price the next unit, not the last unit.
What do K Pop Demon Hunters and Labubu teach eCommerce brands?
The Christian metal band Demon Hunter sued Netflix and a concert promoter over the name as the K Pop Demon Hunters franchise expands into live events and merchandise. Netflix disputes the allegations, and no court has ruled that infringement occurred. For operators, the lesson is that Amazon Brand Registry protects rights a brand already owns. It does not provide trademark clearance or determine whether a name is safe as the brand expands into new products, categories, events, or merchandise. Success makes intellectual property conflicts more expensive, so brands need to understand their rights before the viral moment.
Pop Mart offers the other side of viral growth. The Monsters family, which includes Labubu, generated more than 4 billion yuan during the first half of the year, but its share of company revenue declined from nearly 35% to 26%. Twinkle Twinkle revenue increased more than 580%, and 6 Pop Mart franchises each generated more than 1 billion yuan.
The strategic win is not simply creating one viral character. Pop Mart is using the attention, cash flow, and customer acquisition from Labubu to build a portfolio that does not depend entirely on Labubu. Durable companies turn a cultural moment into distribution, customer relationships, new products, and repeatable growth. Virality is rented. A portfolio is owned.
What is the common thread across this week’s retail news?
Commerce is becoming more compressed. Consumers research earlier and buy later, retailers deliver faster, and AI shortens product discovery. Tariffs, health trends, and pop culture are also forcing faster decisions.
The answer is not simply to move faster. Brands need an operation that moves quickly without losing control of inventory, margin, compliance, or advertising.
Follow Selling on Giants for weekly operator-level coverage of Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, AI commerce, retail media, tariffs, marketplace strategy, and the changes actually affecting eCommerce operators.
Subscribe to Selling on Giants for weekly insights that go beyond headlines and focus on what actually impacts your business.

Send us Fan Mail
In this episode of Selling on Giants, Will Haire sits down with Gavin Trippe of P1 Commerce to reveal one of the biggest problems facing growing eCommerce brands: the disconnect between marketing and finance. 

When CMOs and CFOs operate from different playbooks, brands can end up scaling the wrong channels, misreading attribution, and wasting marketing dollars without understanding what is actually driving incremental growth.

Gavin shares how brands can build a measurement system that connects marketing performance to real financial outcomes—and why omnichannel growth across Amazon, DTC, retail, and owned channels requires a very different way of thinking about marketing spend.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why marketing and finance teams often disagree on what’s actually driving growth
• The hidden cost of misalignment between CMOs and CFOs
• Why traditional attribution is becoming harder to trust
• How brands can build a shared growth model across marketing and finance
• The difference between channel performance and true business impact
• How incrementality, MMM, and forecasting can improve decision-making
• Why eCommerce brands need to measure total omnichannel growth—not just DTC revenue
• Where brands are wasting money because of poor measurement
• How AI could change attribution, forecasting, and marketing measurement

The big takeaway: If you can't confidently answer what is incremental, you can't confidently scale.

Connect with Gavin Trippe & P1 Commerce:
Website: https://p1commerce.com/ 
LinkedIn (Gavin Trippe): https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavintrippe/ 
LinkedIn (P1 Commerce): https://www.linkedin.com/company/p1commerce/

🎧 Subscribe to Selling on Giants for more conversations with eCommerce operators, marketplace experts, and industry leaders shaping the future of Amazon, Walmart, DTC, and omnichannel commerce.