How to sell to CTOs at E-commerce companies in Australia
CTOs in e-commerce companies focus on system uptime and integration efficiency. They respond to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of their tech stack challenges, such as the need for seamless API connections between platforms like Shopify and their internal systems. Highlighting how your solution can improve operational efficiency or reduce downtime will capture their interest.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 578 e-commerce company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- system downtime during sales events
- integration issues with Shopify
- data synchronization errors
- budget constraints for tech upgrades
The playbook
- 01
Identify recent Shopify updates
Filter your prospect list for e-commerce companies that have recently integrated or updated their Shopify platform. Use news sources or industry blogs to find announcements, which indicate potential needs for enhanced tech solutions or integrations.
- 02
Pinpoint integration pain points
Research common integration challenges faced by CTOs in e-commerce, such as data synchronization issues between Shopify and inventory systems. Tailor your messaging to address these specific pain points, emphasizing how your expertise can ease these burdens.
- 03
Highlight downtime impact
Craft your outreach to include statistics on how downtime affects e-commerce sales, especially during peak shopping seasons. Use specific examples relevant to the Australian market to illustrate the potential loss in revenue, making your solution's value clear.
- 04
Leverage industry events
Identify upcoming e-commerce tech events or webinars in Australia where CTOs are likely to participate. Mention these events in your outreach to create a sense of urgency and relevance, suggesting a brief call to discuss insights from the event.
- 05
Anticipate budgetary constraints
Prepare for objections concerning budget limitations by researching typical tech spending for e-commerce CTOs in Australia. Be ready to discuss how your solution can ultimately save costs or enhance ROI, easing their financial concerns.
Can e-commerce companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 578 e-commerce companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 19.6% of 1–10-person companies against 67.5% of the largest — 48 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Streamline your Shopify integrations
- Reduce downtime this holiday season
- Overcome e-commerce tech challenges
Questions
- Why do CTOs in e-commerce ignore outreach about tech solutions?
- CTOs often receive numerous unsolicited messages and may ignore outreach that doesn't immediately address their specific pain points or offer clear value. If the message lacks relevance to their current challenges, it risks being overlooked.
- What specific challenges do e-commerce CTOs face?
- CTOs in e-commerce frequently deal with issues related to system uptime, integration with platforms like Shopify, and ensuring seamless data flow across various systems. These challenges can significantly impact customer experience and sales.
- How can I effectively reach out to CTOs in Australia?
- To effectively reach out, focus on recent industry trends and specific challenges faced by Australian e-commerce companies. Tailor your messaging to address these issues, and consider referencing local events or news to establish relevance.
- What timing is best for outreach to e-commerce CTOs?
- The best timing for outreach is typically before major sales events, such as Black Friday or the holiday season, when CTOs are particularly focused on system reliability and performance. Reaching out during these times can increase engagement.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
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