Well, hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of the eCommercer.

In this week’s newsletter, I’m talking about something every founder’s feeling right now — rising customer acquisition costs. When every click seems to cost more, the question isn’t how do we spend less? It’s how do we build better?

So this week, I’m unpacking what I call the FUEL Framework — a practical way to grow through relationships, not just reach. On the podcast, I walk through each stage and show how brands are using it to lower acquisition costs and increase lifetime value. There’s even a free FUEL Framework Builder to help you map your own plan in under 30 minutes.

Have a great week, wherever you are in the world.

Until next time,

This Week’s Episode of the eCommerce Podcast →

How to Build a Customer Growth System With the Fuel Framework

How do you keep growing when paid media stops working?

I know a company that lost over £20 million in annual sales.

It didn’t happen through bad products or a shrinking market. It happened because everything — absolutely everything — was pinned to one customer acquisition channel: Facebook.

For a good while, it was brilliant. Then iOS 14 came along and tracking changed, costs crept up and margins tightened.

What had once been a licence to print money slowly turned into what I call a slow bleed — the kind of problem that doesn’t look fatal at first, so you give it time (because founders are optimists by default).

And then, of course, it isn’t fine. And by the time the alarms finally feel loud enough, you’ve waited too long.

The company folded. The founders lost everything. Not because they lacked vision — but because their growth depended on one tap.

When Growth Turns Fragile

If you’re running an eCommerce business, you’ve probably felt it too. Customer acquisition costs — or CAC, as we love to call it — are climbing.

Google clicks are up. Meta clicks are up. TikTok’s not far behind. Every ad pound buys a little less than it used to.

So everyone doubles down on retention. Which makes sense, right? When fewer than a third of customers buy again, keeping the ones you already have feels like the obvious move.

But the reality is that you still need new customers.

Think of your customer base like a bathtub. Water flows in through the taps — that’s new customers. Water drains out through the plug — that’s customers who don’t return.

You can slow the drain, but if the taps stop running, the water level still drops. Even if you somehow convinced every single customer to buy again — which you won’t — you’d still just be selling to the same shrinking group of people.

That’s not growth. That’s maintenance.

So What’s the Alternative?

Most brands are still playing the same game: Google. Meta. Maybe TikTok if they’re feeling brave.

And when one of those stops working, panic sets in. Budgets get slashed. Everyone starts firefighting.

It’s exhausting and fragile.

That’s why I built the FUEL Framework — a way to grow that doesn’t rely on a single platform or tactic.

FUEL stands for Foundation, Unlock, Elevate, Leapfrog. It’s not magic. It’s just a steady, systematic way to build something that lasts.

Start with the Foundation

Begin with the boring stuff — because it’s never really boring.

Take email, for example. It still drives 30–40% of revenue for most eCommerce brands. And yet, most of us send the same generic templates our platforms came with.

If that’s you, consider this your gentle knuckle-wrap.

Ken Rapp from BluStream said a few weeks ago on the show:

“We never send coupons or review requests in the first five emails. We just deliver value.”

That one change keeps their engagement rates above 90% for months. That’s not marketing — that’s relationship-building.

Referrals That Feel Human

Referred customers are more loyal, more valuable, and cheaper to acquire. The numbers say it all: 16–24% more loyal, 16% higher lifetime value, and £17 less to acquire on average.

But “refer-a-friend for £10 off” rarely works anymore. People don’t share discounts — they share experiences.

So what if your referral was an invitation to a founder Q&A? Or early access to a product drop? Something that makes people feel part of the story, not part of a promo.

Partnerships That Borrow Trust

This one’s a personal favourite.

Through Doc once partnered with a watch brand called Elliot Brown. I’d never heard of them before — but I trusted Through Doc.

So I bought the watch. Now I’m an Elliot Brown customer telling their story for free.

That’s the power of borrowed credibility. It’s why partnerships still outperform most paid channels when they’re done right.

Putting It All Together

The FUEL Framework brings these ideas into one system. It’s a 109-point checklist that maps out where you are, where you should be, and what to focus on next.

Get the FUEL Framework Checklist and spend half an hour with it. Score your current marketing, spot the gaps, and you’ll see exactly where the biggest opportunities lie.

It’s not a tick-box exercise. It’s a way to get clarity — and to make sure the work you’re doing actually moves the needle.

Because the best time to build resilience was yesterday. The second-best time is right now.

Freebie of the Month →

The FUEL Framework

A comprehensive audit tool that maps 8 areas of digital marketing across 4 growth stages. This 30-minute exercise uses gap analysis scoring to show you exactly where your biggest opportunities lie and which priorities will move the needle. Includes 109 checklist items, scoring framework, coaching questions, and a complete glossary of terms.

Find out more →

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