marketing ROI

Rytis Lauris

Marketing Automation Transforms E-commerce Revenue with Rytis Lauris

In this episode of Talk Commerce, host Brent Peterson sits down with Rytis Lauris, CEO and co-founder of omnisend.com, to discuss the power of marketing automation for online retailers. The conversation covers why automated messaging generates 37% of email orders while accounting for just 2% of sends, how AI is changing the role of marketers, and what the future holds for e-commerce in an agent-driven world. Rytis shares insights from 11 years of building specialized marketing tools for online stores and explains why retention marketing has become the difference between profit and loss for most e-commerce businesses.

Key Takeaways

  • First purchases lose money: Most online stores pay more in advertising costs to acquire customers than they earn from initial transactions, making retention marketing essential for profitability.
  • Automated messages deliver 1,480% better ROI: Automated emails generate $2.96 per message compared to just $0.10 for generic bulk campaigns in the United States.
  • Timing beats volume: Sending fewer messages at the right moments based on customer behavior converts better than blasting entire lists with the same content.
  • 15-20 automated flows outperform 2-3: Businesses should create automated sequences for every customer journey touchpoint, not just abandoned carts and welcome emails.
  • AI changes marketer roles: Marketers need to evolve from content creators to managers of AI agents and assistants rather than fear replacement.
  • Omnichannel wins: Combining email, SMS, and web push notifications in single automations allows customers to choose their preferred communication channels.
  • Web push remains underutilized: Push notifications prove highly effective for users who enable them, yet most businesses don’t take advantage of this channel.
  • AI tools help non-technical marketers: Natural language segment creation removes the barrier of complex logical operators for creative marketers.

About Rytis Lauris

Rytis brings over a decade of e-commerce marketing experience to his role at Omnisend. Before founding the company 11 years ago, he ran a digital marketing agency serving online retailers, where he identified gaps in how generic email service providers handled e-commerce customer journeys. That observation led him to spin off Omnisend as a specialized marketing automation platform built specifically for businesses selling online. Beyond his work in e-commerce technology, Rytis serves in non-governmental organizations focused on secondary education, believing foundational learning in early years proves critical for success later in life. He’s also an avid reader who enjoys both business books and novels, and he plays squash to stay active.

Episode Summary

The conversation begins with Rytis explaining the fundamental economics that make retention marketing non-negotiable for e-commerce businesses. He points out that online stores typically lose money on first transactions because acquisition costs through Google and Meta exceed initial purchase values. Email marketing provides the most cost-effective channel for inviting customers back for repeat purchases, which is where businesses actually generate profit.

Rytis shares that Omnisend started as a spin-off from his digital marketing agency 11 years ago. Running the agency taught him two things: first, that e-commerce customers leave more behavioral traces than other business types because their entire journey happens online, and second, that e-commerce would experience sustained growth for many years. Both assumptions proved correct over the following decade.

“Automated messages drive 37% of conversions while representing only 2% of sends,” Rytis explains. This happens because trigger-based messages respond to specific customer actions rather than broadcasting to everyone. When someone abandons a shopping cart or browses specific products, automated sequences send highly relevant messages about those exact items instead of generic promotions.

Brent asks about the dollar value difference between automated and bulk campaigns. Rytis confirms that automated emails generate $2.96 per message on average in the United States, compared to just 10 cents for traditional campaigns. The massive difference stems from better timing, better context, and fewer but more targeted messages creating higher engagement and conversion rates.

The discussion shifts to helping businesses identify automation opportunities. Rytis notes that Omnisend includes presets for all major customer journey touchpoints, allowing users to enable flows with a single click and then customize from there. He’s currently working on an AI assistant that will analyze usage patterns and identify revenue losses from underutilized capabilities or missed touchpoints.

When asked about AI’s impact on marketing tools, Rytis identifies two important vectors. First, marketers now expect more guidance about what to do next, so tools provide recommendations when they detect suboptimal forms or campaigns. Second, AI helps marketers execute recommendations through features like subject line writers, copy assistants, and segment creators. The segment creator has become the most popular AI feature in Omnisend because it lets creative marketers build complex audience segments using plain language instead of struggling with logical operators.

Rytis emphasizes that businesses need 15 to 20 automated flows, not just the two or three that most companies implement. Every customer journey touchpoint should trigger an automated sequence. Welcome series, abandoned browse, post-purchase emails, VIP status changes, and at-risk customer sequences all deserve their own automation.

The conversation turns to how consumers use AI to make purchases. Rytis believes buying will remain an emotional decision rather than becoming fully automated by AI agents. While agents might handle recurring purchases and restocking necessities, consumers will still want to make emotional choices themselves. However, he acknowledges that ChatGPT’s recent integration with Shopify and Etsy checkouts represents a fundamental shift, allowing purchases without leaving the conversation window.

Brent brings up a discussion from ShopTalk about websites potentially declining in importance as marketplaces and AI purchasing tools grow. Rytis agrees that online stores will need to maintain two interfaces: one for humans to browse and choose products emotionally, and another for AI assistants to navigate and make purchases programmatically.

Addressing concerns about AI replacing human marketers, Rytis draws a parallel to the industrial revolution. Steam engines and electricity replaced human labor in factories, but humans still played essential roles operating machines and designing production processes. He believes AI represents a similar transformation rather than elimination of human work.

“AI will take your job as it is today,” Rytis states frankly. “You’ll have to become managers of AI agents and assistants.” He argues that when everyone uses ChatGPT to generate marketing copy, all content starts looking the same—like mixing all colors together to create brown. Someone has to stand out, and differentiation will require human creativity and brand voice.

Rytis prefers LinkedIn for professional connections and encourages e-commerce businesses to try Omnisend, particularly if they’re either not using specialized e-commerce automation tools or if they’re overpaying for the market leader when they could achieve the same results at lower cost. Throughout the conversation, Rytis demonstrates both technical knowledge of marketing automation mechanics and strategic understanding of how online retail economics drive the need for sophisticated retention programs.

Final Thoughts

The shift from bulk campaigns to automated, behavior-triggered messaging represents more than incremental improvement. When the right message reaches the right customer at exactly the right moment, conversion rates don’t just increase—they multiply. Rytis makes clear that this isn’t about sending more emails but about sending smarter ones. As AI tools become ubiquitous, the businesses that win won’t be those that simply adopt the technology but those that maintain distinctive brand voices while leveraging automation to deliver value at scale. The question isn’t whether to automate your marketing—it’s how many touchpoints you’re leaving unattended and how much revenue you’re leaving on the table. Are you managing your marketing, or are you letting opportunities slip through the cracks?

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Mallory Wilberding

Marketing Measurement Strategies That Actually Drive ROI with Mallory Wilberding

In this episode of Talk Commerce, host Brent Peterson welcomes Mallory Wilberding, Director of Sales at fusepoint, for an insightful conversation about modern marketing measurement strategies. This discussion dives deep into the complexities of post-iOS 14.5 measurement challenges, the limitations of traditional ROAS metrics, and how brands can implement more sophisticated measurement approaches that actually tie back to P&L impact. Throughout the conversation, Mallory shares practical insights from her experience at Meta (formerly Facebook) and her current work helping brands navigate the evolving measurement landscape.

Key Takeaways

• Traditional platform ROAS metrics don’t accurately reflect true marketing ROI impact on profit and loss statements
• Incremental ROAS provides better insights than standard ROAS by measuring actual additional revenue generated
• Different types of measurement answer different business questions – there’s no single source of truth
• Media mix modeling combined with incrementality testing creates a comprehensive measurement approach
• Top-of-funnel brand investments require longer measurement windows than bottom-funnel conversion campaigns
• Always-on testing culture helps brands learn from both successes and failures to optimize performance
• Marketing measurement should inform budget allocation decisions by identifying where the next dollar will be most impactful

About Mallory Wilberding

Mallory brings extensive experience from the advertising technology and e-commerce sectors to her role at fusepoint. Her career began at Meta (previously Facebook), where she worked with major spending brands during the critical iOS 14.5 transition period. This experience solidified her passion for measurement and led her to specialize in ad tech consulting focused on measurement solutions.

Currently serving as Director of Sales at fusepoint, Mallory works directly with brands to develop custom measurement strategies and strategic plans. She’s responsible for introducing fusepoint’s data team capabilities to the market and helping brands answer the crucial “what now” questions that arise from measurement data. Her expertise spans media mix modeling, incrementality testing, and translating complex measurement insights into actionable business strategies.

Episode Summary

The conversation begins with Mallory explaining fusepoint‘s unique positioning in the measurement space. Unlike traditional measurement tools that simply provide data, fusepoint operates as both a data service and consultancy, focusing on strategic guidance and answering the “what now” questions that emerge from measurement analysis.

Mallory discusses the significant impact of iOS 14.5 on marketing measurement, explaining how the loss of detailed consumer data forced brands to seek new measurement approaches. “Facebook knew my future firstborn child’s name,” she notes, highlighting how dramatically data access has changed. This shift created demand for various measurement tools, but Mallory emphasizes that “not all measurement is created equal” – different measurement types answer different business questions.

The discussion moves to common measurement mistakes, particularly the overreliance on vanity metrics like platform ROAS. Mallory explains why these metrics fail to show true marketing impact: “A lot of brands, even a lot of finance teams that are helping create these benchmarks that marketers are aiming for, they’re so used to having these metrics and platform that that’s just what has become the gold star for a lot of teams. But what it’s missing is the actual tie back to the ROI of that marketing investment.”

She advocates for incremental ROAS as a superior metric because it measures true additional impact rather than simply tracking last-click attributions. This approach helps answer strategic questions like “where will my next dollar be spent because of its most impactful placement.”

The conversation explores testing methodologies, with Mallory referencing successful approaches like those used at Booking.com, where teams aim for 10% success rates while learning from the 90% of tests that don’t meet expectations. She emphasizes the importance of proper test execution, noting that different campaign types require different testing durations and methodologies.

Regarding AI and automated advertising platforms like Google’s Performance Max, Mallory shares insights from fusepoint’s extensive testing. Their approach combines media mix modeling with incrementality testing to understand true performance, often revealing surprising results about campaign effectiveness that wouldn’t be apparent from platform metrics alone.

For Black Friday and Cyber Monday preparation, Mallory recommends year-round measurement rather than seasonal approaches. She explains that understanding customer behavior patterns, purchase journeys, and optimal dollar allocation throughout the year creates the foundation for maximizing high-intent seasonal periods.

When discussing growth strategies for brand marketers, Mallory encourages investment in full-funnel approaches, particularly top-of-funnel brand building that may take quarters to show returns. She also emphasizes the importance of incorporating COGS and other operational costs into marketing analysis to demonstrate true marketing impact to finance teams.

The conversation concludes with practical advice for securing CFO buy-in for measurement investments, focusing on demonstrating clear connections between measurement insights and revenue impact.

Final Thoughts

This episode reinforces that effective marketing measurement goes far beyond traditional metrics to encompass strategic business impact analysis. Mallory’s insights demonstrate how brands can move past vanity metrics toward measurement approaches that actually drive decision-making and budget optimization. The key lies in understanding that measurement isn’t just about tracking performance – it’s about creating a strategic framework for continuous improvement and growth. As measurement continues evolving, success belongs to brands that embrace comprehensive approaches rather than seeking single sources of truth.

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Joshua Lauer

Marketing Intelligence Insights with Joshua Lauer

As the host of Talk Commerce, I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Joshua Lauer, a marketing intelligence expert who brings a unique perspective to data analytics. What makes Joshua particularly interesting is his journey from a songwriter to a marketing data specialist, proving that creativity and analytics can indeed go hand in hand.

The Fundamentals of Marketing Intelligence

During our conversation, Joshua emphasized a critical issue in modern marketing: many businesses conduct marketing activities without proper tracking. He shared a compelling story from 2016 where a company spent $50,000 on ads but couldn’t track their performance due to missing UTM parameters. This anecdote perfectly illustrates a common challenge in the industry – the disconnect between creative marketing efforts and data tracking.

The Essential E-commerce Metrics

When it comes to e-commerce tracking, Joshua outlined several crucial metrics that businesses should monitor:

  • Session data
  • Engagement metrics (replacing the traditional bounce rate in GA4)
  • Key conversions
  • Revenue tracking
  • Average order value
  • E-commerce conversion rate

The Creative-Analytics Balance

One of the most intriguing aspects of our discussion was the relationship between creative marketers and data analysts. Joshua’s approach to bridging this gap is refreshingly practical. Rather than overwhelming creative teams with spreadsheets, he advocates for collaborative whiteboarding sessions where creative ideas can be evaluated against historical data performance.

AI in Marketing Intelligence

When I asked Joshua about AI’s role in marketing data tracking, his response was particularly insightful. While AI tools like ChatGPT excel at content generation and data presentation, he’s found that they’re not yet reliable for complex tracking implementations. He shared an interesting example of a client who attempted to set up split testing using AI-generated instructions, which ultimately required expert intervention.

Making Data-Driven Decisions

Joshua emphasized that while data tells us what happened, it doesn’t always explain why. This is where the marriage of creative thinking and analytical insight becomes crucial. As he pointed out, “What gets measured gets moved,” but the interpretation and application of that data require both creativity and analytical skill.

My conversation with Joshua Lauer highlighted the critical importance of balancing creative marketing efforts with solid data tracking and analysis. For those interested in diving deeper into their marketing analytics, Joshua offers deep dive audits to help businesses clean up their analytics data and make more informed decisions.

Want to learn more? Connect with Joshua Lauer on LinkedIn and mention “deep dive audit” to schedule a consultation about your analytics needs.

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