This episode provides an essential framework for ecommerce marketers to understand and implement incrementality testing. It moves beyond basic ROAS metrics to demonstrate how to accurately measure the true impact of marketing spend and identify channels driving actual growth rather than just cannibalizing existing demand. Operators will learn how to set up tests, interpret results, and avoid common pitfalls to optimize their ad spend for maximum incremental revenue.
Key takeaways
Implement holdout testing regularly to differentiate between activity and true incremental impact of marketing spend.
Focus on measuring new customer acquisition and lifetime value (LTV) rather than just revenue or ROAS to understand true channel performance.
Develop a clear hypothesis before running incrementality tests to ensure actionable insights.
Recognize that some channels are better for demand creation (upper funnel) while others excel at demand capture (lower funnel) and measure them accordingly.
Allocate budget strategically based on incrementality insights to avoid overspending on channels that merely capture existing demand.
Don't be afraid to experiment with minimal marketing and then scale up. This gives you a clear baseline for incrementality.
Are you making decisions based on data that proves causality or just correlation? Connor Rolain (Head of Growth, HexClad), Connor MacDonald (CMO, Ridge), and Cody Plofker (CEO, Jones Road Beauty) dig into what it means to build a truly incrementality-first marketing organization. They break down how to string together consecutive channel tests — using each result to build the next hypothesis rather than testing in isolation. They share real examples from their own accounts, including how a 20% budget shift to brand video drove a 40% lift in incremental results, why TikTok Shop is proving to reach a new audience for HexClad, and how Jones Road diagnosed and rebuilt a struggling Meta account from first principles. The conversation also tackles the nuance of measuring upper-funnel channels like CTV and YouTube, when directional reads are enough, and how to build a culture where your team learns to think incrementally without being told to. Powered ByMotion Creative Benchmarks 2026 https://motionapp.com/thumbstop-pulse/creative-benchmarks-2026?utm_campaign=marketing-operators&utm_medium=sponsorHaushttps://www.haus.io/operatorsPrescient AI https://www.prescientai.com/operatorsRichpanel https://9ops.co/richpanelAftersell https://9ops.co/4i3bb5Oper
What does this episode say about paid acquisition?
Implement holdout testing regularly to differentiate between activity and true incremental impact of marketing spend.
What does this episode say about analytics & attribution?
Focus on measuring new customer acquisition and lifetime value (LTV) rather than just revenue or ROAS to understand true channel performance.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Develop a clear hypothesis before running incrementality tests to ensure actionable insights.
What does this episode say about paid acquisition?
Recognize that some channels are better for demand creation (upper funnel) while others excel at demand capture (lower funnel) and measure them accordingly.
What does this episode say about paid acquisition?
Allocate budget strategically based on incrementality insights to avoid overspending on channels that merely capture existing demand.
