Results We Have Driven
In eCommerce & DTC Specifically
The eCommerce Growth Problem
Revenue is growing. Margins are not. That is the problem we fix.
Most eCommerce brands hit a ceiling not because they can't generate revenue — but because the economics of that revenue deteriorate as they scale. CAC rises as they exhaust high-intent audiences. Returns, shipping, and fulfillment costs erode margin. ROAS looks healthy on a media dashboard while contribution margin quietly collapses on the P&L.
Exactius deploys a cross-functional growth squad inside eCommerce businesses — operators embedded across performance, creative, CRM, and BI — and operates the Capital Allocation Loop until your growth system is built around contribution margin, not just spend. We replace ROAS as the decision variable with something that maps directly to profit.
We have driven $14M in incremental contribution margin for a $975M omnichannel retailer in 9 months. We have scaled a DTC jewelry brand to 4× digital revenue across 60 countries over 3 years. The difference in both cases was the same: a system built around margin discipline from the first dollar deployed.
Deep Experience Across eCommerce Models
We Have Scaled eCommerce Brands Across Every Model
DTC / Pure Play eCommerce
First-party acquisition, LTV:CAC discipline, and creative velocity at scale — without margin erosion.
Omnichannel & Multi-location
Connecting online spend to in-store and wholesale outcomes with a unified contribution margin view.
Marketplace + DTC Hybrid
Optimizing split economics across Amazon, wholesale, and direct channels without cannibalization.
High-Ticket / Considered Purchase
Long decision cycles, high-AOV conversion, and LTV modeling built for premium brand economics.
How We Unlock eCommerce Growth
The Levers That Drive Profitable Scale
Profitable eCommerce growth comes down to a small number of compounding mechanics — deployed in sequence, measured against margin.
Contribution Margin Attribution
Every dollar of spend mapped to margin — not just revenue. Budget moves to where it compounds, not where it converts cheaply.
LTV:CAC Discipline
Scaling acquisition only when cohort economics validate the investment. Not blended averages — cohort-level signals per channel and audience.
Repeat Purchase Architecture
Building LTV after the first transaction — through CRM flows, subscription conversion, and lifecycle mechanics.
Channel Mix & Capital Allocation
Moving budget toward what builds margin — faster than a quarterly planning cycle allows.
Creative & Conversion Testing
Velocity of learning across creatives, offers, and landing experiences — tied to contribution margin, not click-through rate.
Cohort Segmentation
Acquiring the customers that drive the best lifetime margin — not just the most volume at the lowest CPM.
How We Are Organized
eCommerce growth requires coordination across several operating lanes.
Our teams are organized across five functions — and deploy modularly depending on where your constraint sits. Some partners deploy a full squad. Others engage us on one or two lanes where acceleration is needed.
Strategy & Leadership
Drives sequencing, risk control, and enterprise value — the operating layer that connects all lanes.
BI, Data Science & Engineering
Drives capital clarity and margin visibility — the measurement foundation every other lane runs on.
Media Investment & Tracking
Drives efficient acquisition and capital control — performance marketing accountable to contribution margin.
Creative, Production & Testing
Drives conversion and learning velocity — creative tested against margin outcomes, not vanity metrics.
CRM & Retention
Drives repeat purchase and LTV expansion — the lifecycle layer that turns one-time buyers into long-term cohorts.
Questions About eCommerce Growth
Frequently asked
Why does contribution margin erode as eCommerce brands scale?
Contribution margin erodes as eCommerce brands scale for the same structural reason it does in most growth businesses: incremental audiences cost more to acquire and convert at lower rates. Early customers tend to be high-intent, low-CAC, and high-LTV. As acquisition scales, brands push into audiences with lower affinity and higher abandonment rates. Without a contribution margin view across channels, the blended ROAS or revenue number looks healthy while the P&L tells a different story.
What should eCommerce brands optimize for instead of ROAS?
eCommerce brands should optimize for contribution margin per cohort — not ROAS. ROAS measures revenue relative to media spend and ignores product cost, shipping, returns, and fulfillment. Contribution margin measures what you actually keep after variable costs. The goal is to deploy capital against the channels, audiences, and offers that produce the highest contribution margin per customer — and to build LTV:CAC models that tell you which cohorts justify further investment.
How does Exactius approach eCommerce growth differently?
Exactius embeds a cross-functional growth squad inside your business — covering performance marketing, creative, CRM, and BI — and operates the Capital Allocation Loop until your growth system improves. We don't optimize campaigns in isolation. We build the measurement infrastructure to see which channels, audiences, and offers drive contribution margin, then scale what works. Engagements run four phases: Diagnose (weeks 1–2), Deploy (weeks 2–6), Operate (ongoing), and Scale (ongoing).
How does Exactius differ from a performance marketing agency?
Performance marketing agencies manage campaigns and report on ROAS. Exactius embeds operators who execute inside your business — accountable to contribution margin, not media metrics. We build the measurement infrastructure, operate the Capital Allocation Loop, and make capital allocation decisions alongside your leadership team. We don't pitch and advise from the outside; we build and run the system from within.
What is the Growth Operating System?
The Growth Operating System is the methodology Exactius uses to fix broken growth systems inside eCommerce businesses — developed by David Manela. It combines contribution margin attribution, a Capital Allocation Loop, and a cross-functional squad structure to grow LTV:CAC over time rather than let it deteriorate as acquisition scales.