The Lion’s Den
Blog content with bite, behind-the-scenes expertise and ideas
It’s Already Christmas: Why the Best eCommerce Brands Start Planning Q4 in June
If you’re reading this in August, you’re already behind. That probably sounds ridiculous. After all, the sun’s (hopefully) still shining, schools are on holiday, and
Paid Search Budget Allocation Guide: How to Invest Every Pound More Effectively
Most businesses don’t have a paid search problem. They have a budgeting problem. One of the first things I ask when reviewing a Google Ads
9 Proven Ways to Reduce Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Without Sacrificing Growth
Your customer acquisition cost isn’t the problem. It’s the symptom. One of the first questions founders ask me is: “How do we reduce our CAC?”
Why Good Marketing Teams Still Fail to Drive Growth
Recently, I had a conversation with the founder of a growing business that has stayed with me. He said: “We’ve got a good marketing team,
How eCommerce Brands Can Sell Directly Through ChatGPT
Agentic Commerce Is Here As we look for new growth opportunities I’m intrigued by the news coming out of the US, which is sure to
Why Pricing is the Most Powerful, and Overlooked Growth Lever
Pricing is not just about numbers. It’s about perception, positioning, and profitability. A 1% shift in price can create a much greater impact on margins than almost any other optimisation. Yet too often, brands avoid testing or adjusting pricing for fear of losing customers – when in reality, not testing means leaving growth on the table. Heading into Q4, pricing will be your biggest opportunity, and if you’ve not tested pricing, my advice is to start now before it’s too late.
How to Prep for Black Friday & Cyber Monday (BFCM)
Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are no longer just two days on the calendar — they’re the climax of Q4 for many consumer brands. In 2024, UK shoppers spent an estimated £9.2bn across the BFCM weekend. In the US, sales hit $38bn.
For brands, the opportunity is huge — but so is the competition. Without a clear plan, it’s easy to get drowned out in the noise, overspend on ads, or discount yourself into a margin crisis.
That’s why preparation is everything. And preparation doesn’t mean scrambling in November. It means building a strategy months in advance that covers timing, offers, messaging, and execution.
Conversion The Hardest Challenge in Marketing (and How to Master It)
Ask any founder or marketer what keeps them awake at night, and the answer usually isn’t traffic or awareness. It’s conversion.
You can have the best product, the biggest ad budget, or a world-class brand. But if you can’t convert interest into customers, growth stalls.
Conversion isn’t just a metric — it’s the moment when marketing either succeeds or fails. And that’s why Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is one of the most important disciplines in modern marketing.