Episode 265: The Merchandising Calendar Blueprint: Turn Email & SMS Into 30–40% of Your Revenue

Mar 4, 2026

Ezra Firestone, e-commerce entrepreneur who builds multiple eight-figure brands and runs Smart Marketer and Zipify, shares his merchandising calendar training. He explains why email and SMS should drive 30–40% of revenue. He covers major campaigns vs micro-offers, product launches (even for restocks), SMS timing, AOV-boosting bundles and proven email layouts.

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ANECDOTE

Ezra Migrated New Acquisition To Omnisend

Ezra migrated a newly acquired company immediately to Omnisend because he trusts the platform and team.
He offered listeners a special code (SMART) for 50% off the first three months as validation of the tool's value.

INSIGHT

Business Value Comes From Asset Building

Building a valuable ecommerce business is about creating an asset you can sell, not just extracting cash flow.
Ezra frames businesses as assets valued at multiples of profit, so improving retention (email/SMS) increases enterprise value.

ADVICE

Build A Yearly Merchandising Calendar

Build a merchandising calendar with four to six major campaigns and six to ten micro offers each year.
Space majors roughly every two months, run micros monthly, and include 2–4 product launches to prevent plateauing.

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Episode Description

Most eCommerce brands are obsessed with traffic.

But what if the real growth lever isn't more clicks? What if it's better monetization of the audience you already have?

In this special training, originally delivered live in partnership with Omnisend, Ezra Firestone breaks down the exact framework he uses across his 8-figure brands to turn email and SMS into 30–40% of total revenue.

This episode goes far beyond "send more emails." You'll learn how to structure a merchandising calendar with major campaigns, micro-offers, product launches, live events, and strategic content that keeps revenue flowing all year long while building a more valuable business asset you can eventually sell.

If you care about profit, retention, and long-term brand equity, this is required listening.

"Email and SMS are king and queen of revenue, and they should really account for 30 to 40% of your total sales. And if they're not… you got work to do." – Ezra Firestone

You Will Learn:

• Why email and SMS should drive 30–40% of your total revenue • The real difference between major campaigns and micro-offers • How to structure a merchandising calendar that creates predictable revenue spikes • Why most brands under-promote and how to fix it • The highest-performing eCommerce promotions including BOGOs, bundles, and threshold offers • How to use product launches even when you are not launching something new • When and how to use SMS during campaigns • How to increase average order value with bundles, basket builders, and one-click upsells • A proven email layout structure that increases clicks and reduces unsubscribes • How to use AI to scale content creation without losing brand voice

Links & Resources

Omnisend Special Offer for Smart Marketer Listeners https://smartmarketer.com/omnisend Use code SMART for 50% off your first 3 months

Smart Marketer https://smartmarketer.com

Zipify Apps https://zipify.com

Timestamps

00:00:20 Introduction: Building a More Valuable Business Asset 00:01:14 Why Ezra Trusts Omnisend for Email and SMS 00:02:17 The Real Game: Wealth Creation Through Asset Building 00:07:22 Inside a $10M eCommerce P&L 00:10:32 Why Email and SMS Are King and Queen of Revenue 00:15:35 Email vs. SMS Conversion Rates Explained 00:17:04 The eCommerce Ecosystem from Traffic to Retention 00:23:17 What a Merchandising Calendar Really Is 00:25:59 Major Campaigns vs. Micro Offers 00:27:40 Why Product Launches Prevent Revenue Plateaus 00:31:51 Examples of Major Campaign Structures 00:34:55 How to Run High-Converting Micro Offers 00:36:21 Launching Products Without Creating Something New 00:40:22 When to Use SMS in Your Campaigns 00:41:14 The Types of Content That Build Trust and Drive Sales 00:46:44 Black Friday Cyber Monday Breakdown 00:48:09 Increasing AOV with Bundles and Basket Builders 00:52:29 Promoting Across Every Channel 00:56:13 The Proven Email Structure 00:59:42 Campaign Communication Frameworks 01:00:26 Why You Should Not Ignore the Shop App 01:01:10 Final Strategy Recap 01:02:28 Outro

YOUR ENGAGEMENT MATTERS!

If this episode helped you rethink how you approach email, SMS, and merchandising, share it with another founder or marketer who needs it.

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