Expert Digital Marketing and Growth Strategist (Rafay Raheel Head of Franchising, CUPP) | Upside #74 скачать в хорошем качестве

Expert Digital Marketing and Growth Strategist (Rafay Raheel Head of Franchising, CUPP) | Upside #74

In this episode of Upside, Ali and Zamir are joined by Rafay Raheel, Head of Franchising at CUPP, to unpack the real dynamics between Amazon advertising and the Meta-owned world. Think marketplace versus direct to consumer. Performance marketing versus platform-native growth. The conversation explores how these ecosystems differ, where brands go wrong, and how to build a strategy that connects both. What’s Covered in This Episode The episode opens with rapid fire questions that immediately set the tone. Rafay challenges founders to stop obsessing over traffic as a vanity metric and instead focus on conversion rate optimisation. The message is clear: driving more visitors to a page that does not convert is wasted budget. The discussion then moves into the structural differences between Amazon and owned platforms such as Meta, Google, and Shopify. Rafay explains why growth cannot operate in silos. Paid acquisition, landing page optimisation, retention flows, and lifecycle marketing must function as one connected system. A central theme is funnel integrity. If advertising is strong but the landing experience is weak, performance suffers. If customers convert but there is no retention mechanism in place, value leaks from the business. Rafay outlines how brands should think beyond acquisition and build proper systems for upsell, cross-sell, and repeat purchase. The team also explore the current state of digital channels, including why TikTok may be overestimated by some brands, and why AI will fundamentally reshape performance marketing in 2026. Rather than treating AI as hype, they frame it as an operational necessity that will influence targeting, automation, and creative output. Throughout the episode, the underlying message is consistent: whether operating on Amazon or through owned channels, sustainable growth comes from understanding the full customer journey and optimising every stage of it. Key Takeaways Traffic is not the objective: Conversion rate drives profitability. CRO is undervalued: Optimising what you already have often beats spending more. Funnels must be connected: Acquisition, experience, and retention are inseparable. Channel hype can mislead: Not every trending platform deserves budget. AI is not optional: Brands must prepare for automation-led marketing in 2026. Amazon and DTC can coexist: Integration, not competition, creates stronger growth. To access more insights on building sustainable online businesses and avoiding common pitfalls in the reselling world, visit https://thiswayup.online/resources