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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Growth With Declining Efficiency
- Spend and revenue rose modestly in 2025 while efficiency (MER) worsened across the board.
- CAC increased about 8%, showing customer acquisition got materially harder year-over-year.
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.
Small Brands Were Most Vulnerable
- Small brands under $5M were the only cohort to see median revenue decline in 2025.
- Larger brands ($50M+) drove most of the industry's nominal growth and grew fastest on median.