Proving the ROI of external spend

How eCommerce leaders justify agencies, tools & innovation. Most teams don’t lose budget because the work is bad. They lose it because they can’t explain the value in a commercial room. This is a practical, operator-led session designed to help you defend external spend with clarity - agencies, platforms, tools, innovation - with proof and structure, not habit and not hope. Why you’d want to be in the room Because budgeting, renewals, renegotiations and scrutiny all happen at once - and good delivery isn’t the same as a defensible business case. What we’re seeing in-market: Spend renewed out of habitBudgets rolled over without scrutinyROI unclear, ownership fuzzyValue defended emotionally, not commercially What you’ll leave with: A simple structure for making the case for external spendA way to pressure-test agencies and tools without dramaClearer language that lands with finance and leadership so that you can justify, what stays, what changes, what goesPractical templates you can use straight away, not theory Important: this is advisory and non-salesy. No pitches. No awkward CTAs. Who it’s for You should come if you: Own budget (or influence it)Have to justify agencies tech external support internallyNeed to translate “activity” into “outcomes” for stakeholdersFeel locked into suppliers and want a smarter way to evaluate value Not for: Early-stage brandsTeams with no budget ownership or renewal responsibility Agenda (overview) Opening perspective: what’s changing in budget and renewal conversationsPractical framework: how to translate external spend into outcomes, ownership and measurementBreakouts: small-group working sessions to build or pressure-test your justificationGroup share-back: compare approaches, sharpen what “good” looks likeClose + networking: wrap, then drinks & canapés at 14 Hills. The point of the day External spend isn’t the problem - unjustified spend is. You’ll leave with language and structure you can actually use. If you want to stop renewals being decided by habit, and start getting spend approved on outcomes, this is for you.