Most email marketers optimize for the wrong metrics and wonder why revenue doesn't move. Customer lifetime value, click through rates, email sales. They sound important, but they're either unmeasurable or they're premature focuses that waste your time.

Samar Owais is the founder of Emails Done Right (emailsdoneright.com), an email retention strategist who's helped DTC brands increase revenue by focusing on what actually matters: average order value.

In this episode, Samar breaks down:

→ Why customer lifetime value is a subjective, unmeasurable metric that wastes brand resources

→ How to optimize for average order value using bundles, subscriptions, and customer segmentation

→ The surprising customer research insight that secretaries place orders for professional buyers

→ Why click through rates and click to open rates are diagnostic tools, not optimization targets

If you're an ecommerce operator, email strategist, or retention marketer trying to increase email revenue without chasing vanity metrics, this episode gives you the framework to focus on what drives real results.

00:00 Why CLV is fundamentally broken for most brands

01:38 The correct metric to optimize first (and why)

03:15 60-70% success rate selling to existing customers

05:05 Bundles strategy for increasing average order value

06:08 Why customer lifetime value is too subjective

08:36 Customer research insight: Secretaries place the orders

09:36 Why click-through rates are a distraction

12:45 How to diagnose problems vs optimize for sales

15:30 Voice of customer research changes everything

18:38 The sock detail that professional buyers actually care about

19:30 Product expansion opportunity most brands miss

21:39 Should hyper-niche brands expand their product line?

22:51 Key takeaway: AOV beats CLV for early stage brands

Find out more about Samar: https://samarowais.com

Take the Email Strategy Quiz: https://emailsdoneright.com/quiz

Check out the eCommerce Email Bootcamp: https://emailsdoneright.com/eebc-special-admission

Connect with Matt:

Twitter (or "X"): https://x.com/mattlady

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/

The Performance Marketing Agency for eCommerce & DTC Brands: https://www.klientboost.com/