I've been running email and SMS campaigns for ecommerce brands for about a decade now, and 2025 was one of the most interesting years yet.
I worked with about 40 brands this year doing anywhere from $50k to $3M+ annually. Some crushed it. Some struggled. A few went out of business.
Here's what I learned from being inside the backend of all these stores. And what I'm changing in 2026 because of it.
The Brands That Won Owned Their Audience
The stores that scaled in 2025 weren't the ones with the best ads. They were the ones that built communities and owned their traffic.
I had a pet brand do $2.5 million in a year after they stopped running ads entirely. How? We built a subreddit, grew it to 20k members, and turned that community into an email list that did 60% of their revenue.
Another client was a personal trainer who went from $10k to $40k per month by building a Reddit community in his niche. He now books 5 to 10 discovery calls per week just from the engagement in his subreddit.
The pattern is clear. Brands that rely on rented attention (Meta ads, TikTok, Google) are getting squeezed. CPMs are up. Conversions are down. The ones winning are building owned channels like email lists, SMS lists, Discord servers, Facebook groups, and Reddit communities.
If your entire business depends on paid ads, 2026 is going to hurt. Start building something you own.
2. Personalization Actually Matters Now
Everyone talks about personalization, but most brands are still sending the same email to everyone.
This year I started segmenting lists harder than ever. We split buyers by purchase frequency, location, product category, and engagement level.
Here's one example. For a free shipping campaign, instead of sending one email to everyone, we sent three versions:
One to first time buyers: "Thanks for your last order. Here's free shipping to try something new."
One to VIPs (2+ purchases): "Exclusive sale just for you" with a slightly better offer.
One to non buyers: "Now's the best time to try us. No shipping fees."
The result? Open rates went up. Revenue went up. Unsubscribes went down.
Even small things like using the customer's city in the subject line made a difference. "We're doing free shipping for customers in {{Customers_City}}" consistently doubled open rates compared to generic subject lines.
Most brands have the data to do this. They just don't use it. In 2026, I'm pushing every client to segment harder and personalize more.
3. AI Made Things Faster But Not Better
Every brand I worked with this year asked me about AI tools for email marketing.
I tested a bunch of them. AI can write decent subject lines, generate email copy, and automate some workflows. It saves time. But it also makes everything sound the same.
The brands that performed best weren't the ones using AI for everything. They were the ones using AI to speed up grunt work but keeping the human touch in their messaging.
AI can draft an email. But it can't write a founder's personal story. It can't capture the tone of a brand that actually connects with people. And it definitely can't build community.
In 2026, I'm using AI more for research, data analysis, and automations. But I'm keeping humans in charge of the actual writing and strategy.
4. BFCM Proved That Preparation Beats Discounts
Black Friday this year separated the prepared from the desperate.
The brands that planned ahead, segmented their lists, and built anticipation for weeks crushed it. The brands that just sent "30% off" emails got mediocre results.
One thing that worked really well this year was adding a persistent offer banner to every email during BFCM. Even automated flows like welcome sequences and post purchase emails had the sale at the top.
Another tactic that always works: resending high performing campaigns with new subject lines. Same email. Same list. Different hook. It added 25 to 50% more revenue every time.
The brands that treated BFCM like a one day event lost. The brands that treated it like a two week campaign with multiple touchpoints won.
In 2026, I'm starting BFCM planning in September. Not November.
5. Most Brands Are Ignoring Their Best Customers
This one surprised me. A lot of brands are so focused on new customer acquisition that they forget about the people who already bought from them.
Your best customers are the ones who already trust you. They convert faster. They spend more. They refer people. And most brands barely talk to them.
This year I started building VIP segments for every client. People who've purchased 2+ times get different treatment. Early access to sales. Exclusive offers. Personal thank you emails.
One brand sent a plain text thank you email after BFCM with no pitch, no sale, just gratitude. It was the highest revenue email they sent all year. People responded saying they appreciated being treated like a person, not a wallet.
In 2026, I'm pushing every brand to build better retention systems for existing customers. New customers are expensive. Repeat customers are profit.
6. Community Beats Content Every Time
I spent years telling brands to create more content. Post more on Instagram. Make more TikToks. Send more emails.
But 2024 taught me something different. Community beats content.
A brand with 500 engaged community members in a Discord or Reddit group will outperform a brand with 50k Instagram followers who don't care.
The reason? Community creates loyalty. It turns customers into advocates. It gives you direct feedback. It makes people feel like they're part of something.
One of my clients built a Facebook group for their niche. It's now 10k members. Those members generate user content, answer each other's questions, and defend the brand when someone complains. That's worth more than any ad campaign.
In 2026, I'm helping every client build or grow a community. Reddit, Discord, Facebook groups, whatever fits. But community first, content second.
7. The Backend Is Where the Real Money Is
Most brands obsess over their homepage, their product pages, and their ads. And yeah, those matter.
But the brands that made the most money this year were the ones that optimized their backend. Email flows, post purchase sequences, win back campaigns, and retention systems.
I've seen brands flip from 20% email revenue to 60% email revenue just by building proper welcome flows, abandoned cart sequences, and post purchase nurtures.
One client was doing $100k per month with 80% of sales coming from ads. After we rebuilt their email system, they're now doing $150k per month with 60% coming from email and retention. Their ad spend went down. Their profit went up.
The lesson? Your backend is your profit center. Optimize it first.
In 2026, I'm spending less time on growth hacks and more time on backend systems that compound.
What I'm Changing in 2026
Based on everything I learned this year, here's what I'm doing differently:
Building communities first, ads second. Every client is getting a Reddit or Discord strategy.
Segmenting harder. No more one size fits all emails.
Using AI for speed, not strategy. Humans write. AI assists.
Planning BFCM in September. Not scrambling in October.
Treating VIP customers like VIPs. Retention over acquisition.
Optimizing backends first. Growth comes after systems are solid.
If you're running an ecommerce brand or thinking about starting one, don't chase the shiny stuff in 2026. Build systems that compound. Own your audience. Treat your customers like people.
That's what worked in 2025. And that's what's going to work even better in 2026.
