The Free to Grow CFO Podcast Measuring Marketing Profitability Across Amazon and Shopify
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🎤 EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode of The Free to Grow CFO Podcast, Jon Blair sits down with one of Free to Grow CFO’s in-house eCommerce CFOs, Kevin Jornlin, to break down how brands should think about measuring marketing performance when selling across both Shopify and Amazon. They discuss why traditional channel-level metrics often lead to incorrect conclusions, how paid media creates a halo effect across platforms, and why Shopify can appear unprofitable while Amazon looks artificially strong. The conversation dives into blended new customer ROAS, the importance of accurately understanding LTV across channels, and how cohort data can reveal meaningful differences in customer behavior between Shopify and Amazon. Jon and Kevin also share a practical framework for determining appropriate ad spend based on contribution margin and profitability, helping founders make better decisions without relying on perfect attribution.
Key Takeaways
-Channel-level ROAS is misleading and often causes brands to cut or misallocate ad spend.
-Incorrect LTV assumptions can lead to under-scaling or over-spending on acquisition.
-The goal isn’t perfect attribution—it’s understanding financial impact on contribution margin.
Episode Links
Jon Blair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/
Kevin Jornlin- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-jornlin-cfa-650a40b/
Free to Grow CFO - https://freetogrowcfo.com
Transcript
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00:00 Introduction to the Free to Grow CFO Podcast
04:23 Understanding New vs. Returning Customer Profitability
11:07 The Complexity of Amazon and Shopify Integration
16:57 Insights from Cohort Models and Retention Rates
22:56 Final Thoughts and Practical Advice for Brands