Every brand wants cheaper traffic.
Lower CPMs
Lower CAC
Higher ROAS
But after studying hundreds of funnels and customer journeys, Ethan and I have noticed something interesting:
The fastest-growing brands often aren't winning because they found cheaper traffic.
They're winning because they can afford more expensive traffic.
That's a huge difference.
When a brand can profitably acquire customers at a higher cost than everyone else, they set the rules of the game.
It comes down to better unit economics.
Their funnels increase the value of every customer acquired.
Being able to pay more for customers lets them:
✓ Scale faster
✓ Spend more aggressively
✓ Outbid competitors
✓ Expand into new channels
✓ Grow while others pull back
So what's their secret?
It's usually not better ads. It's better unit economics.
Because they've built funnels that increase the value of every customer acquired.
That's why so many of the brands we analyze are moving beyond traditional websites.
Instead of sending people to a homepage and hoping they figure things out...
They're creating guided funnels built to:
→ Increase AOV
→ Improve conversion rates
→ Capture first-party data
→ Personalize recommendations
→ Increase retention
→ Improve customer value over time
Think about brands like HexClad. They're not just selling cookware.
They're structuring buying journeys around bundles, authority, social proof, and premium purchase paths that increase order value.
Or Farmer's Dog.
They don't immediately ask people to buy.
First, they guide them through a structured recommendation process that increases commitment before pricing is ever presented.
Different brands
Different products
Same principle
They're improving the unit economics behind every customer acquired. And that matters more than ever right now.
The tools for generating traffic are becoming increasingly accessible, but profitable customer acquisition is becoming harder.
That's why the brands winning right now aren't just focused on getting attention; they're focused on increasing the order value of every customer acquired.
Because when your unit economics improve, expensive traffic becomes far less intimidating.
If you're trying to grow your brand faster, ask yourself this question:
Are we paying for cheap traffic and being outbid for serious buyers?
Jon Denney
Denney Bros
P.S. One of the things we see high-growth brands doing is they spend as much time improving their offer funnels as they do improving traffic acquisition. That's where the non-incremental gains in AOV, conversion rate, and profitability often come from.
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