The E-Commerce Dilemma - Josh's Diaries #20

What many Shopify brands have long misunderstood (including me until recently):

That the success of your shop depends on ads, hooks, ROAS or scroll stop rates.

He doesn't.

In the end, at least in my experience, it all comes down to two simple numbers:

CPA and LTV.

The CPA (Cost per Acquisition) shows you how much it costs to acquire a new customer.

And your goal should be clear:

Keep the CPA as low as possible so that you can acquire as many new customers as possible with the smallest possible advertising budget.

The problem?

Ads are becoming increasingly expensive.

Is called:

It is also becoming increasingly expensive for customers to buy cheaply.

I experienced it myself.

Just a few weeks ago, I checked Ads Manager three times a day and cringed every time my CPA went up.

This week?

A quick look at the Ads Manager – that's it.

What has changed?

I no longer have to rely on being profitable on the first purchase.

Because I use my Klaviyo flows to ensure that customers buy additional, suitable products immediately after the purchase.

And suddenly it's no longer just about the CPA – but above all about the LTV (Lifetime Value).

So the question is no longer:

“How can I save every cent when acquiring new customers?”

Rather:

How can I ensure that my customer spends more money with me in a predictable and long-term manner – beyond the first purchase?

And the answer is simple:

With a value ladder.

That means:

You build a system that automatically offers your customers appropriate next steps after the purchase – via email.

Example from my funnel:

1. The customer gets my email checklist.

2. Then I offer him the Klaviyo Basics course.

3. And whoever completes that will receive a link to the Advanced Course.

And it works the same way with physical products.

Take a tennis shop, for example:

1. Introduction with tennis balls (10 €)

2. Then a matching tennis racket (89 €)

3. Later tennis shoes (249 €)

4. And so on…

The further your customer climbs this value ladder, the more money they will spend with you – completely automatically if you set up email flows correctly.

This is precisely why Shopify stores selling consumer products, supplements, or food brands are booming.

From the very beginning, you understood how to regularly guide customers through your product world.

Another big advantage:

You can suddenly spend more money than your competitors on new customers because you know they will bring you more revenue in the long run.

This is like an unfair advantage:

While everyone else has to be profitable on the initial purchase, you can easily afford to let the CPA rise a bit – because the real profit only comes afterward.

So if you:

• want to become( more) independent from ads

• want to scale more profitably

• and want to plan for more revenue from your customer base

…then you need a system of post-purchase flows that links your products together in a meaningful way – step by step, like a good menu.

What this looks like in concrete terms and how I set up these flows for different shops is something I will show you in detail in the “Post Purchase Flows” section of the Klaviyo Advanced course .