OPERATORS 2025 Ecommerce Data Exposed: DTC Spend, Revenue & Platform Trends
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Jan 14, 2026 Austin Harrison, CEO of Northbeam, and Andrew Kaszuba, media strategist, delve into exclusive 2025 eCommerce data revealing sharp contrasts in growth. Small brands under $5 million experienced revenue declines, while giants over $100 million flourished. They dissect spend patterns, with AppLovin's dramatic rise and Snapchat's steep decline. AI-generated creative emerges as a key to future success, with bold predictions for 2026 emphasizing the need for agility and omnichannel strategies to thrive in an evolving landscape.
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December Surge Despite Tough Comps
- Sean said December was his fastest-growing month, despite it being the hardest comp.
- That late-year momentum helped many brands recover from a weak first half.
Escape Velocity After The Messy Middle
- Growth is harder in the $20–50M 'messy middle' but eases once you pass ~50M.
- Scale delivers advantages: better supplier terms, tariff resilience and ability to buy growth.
Category Winners And Outliers
- Industry outcomes diverged: sporting goods and home grew strongly while beauty and personal care lagged.
- Average vs median gaps show categories like tech and health have a few breakout winners driving averages.