eCommerce Evolution

Cyber 5 Recap While holiday shopping is still in full swing at the time of this writing, we do have some preliminary numbers for the Cyber 5 2020 (Thanksgiving Thursday–Cyber Monday) and an early look at how Holiday 2020 as a whole is shaping up. Here are five key observations, so far, for Holiday 2020. We’re breaking every eCommerce record and it’s not even close. No surprise here, but this year marks a record for online sales for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the entire Thanksgiving weekend. Adobe Analytics was predicting two years’ worth of growth being packed into this Holiday Shopping season. So far, we’re on track. It’s less about a single day, and more about the weekend. This has been the trend for the last few years where retailers and shoppers alike view the Cyber 5 as one big event rather than just the individual days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is still the largest single day, with Black Friday coming in second place. However, Saturday, now dubbed Small Business Saturday, isn’t far behind. In fact, Black Friday this year was only 8% larger in total sales than Small Business Saturday. Here’s a quick look at how the Cyber 5 performed. A lot of this growth has come at the expense of in-store shopping. CNBC estimates that Black Friday in-store traffic was down 52% year over year, while curbside pickup is up 52%. Day Total Sales YoY Growth Thanksgiving (11/26/20) $5.1B 21.5% Black Friday (11/27/20) $9.03B 21.6% Small Business Saturday (11/28/20) $4.68B 30.19% Cyber Monday (11/30/20) $10.84B 15.1% Shipaggedon is real. I first heard this term on one of my favorite podcasts—the Jason and Scot Show (Episode 245). Basically, it’s the idea that delivery networks were already strained due to the pandemic-induced boom in online shopping before the holiday rush. Now, with a record-breaking holiday season on top of a strained system, something has to give. It’s no joke, and it will be interesting to see how it impacts the rest of the holiday shopping. Both UPS and FedEx have recently announced they are cutting some retailers off from being able to ship more packages. This will likely mean early cut offs for guaranteed delivery before Christmas. It could also mean a lot of packages just won’t make it in time for Christmas morning. Costs are up, but performance is up more. As a digital advertising agency working with some up-and-coming eCommerce brands, we get an inside look into both ad spend and performance across Google Ads, YouTube Ads and Amazon Ads. While numbers aren’t finalized yet, we are seeing that costs have indeed gone up from last year, but conversion rates have gone up even more creating really nice year-over-year growth in total sales and total ad performance. Early analysis shows that CPCs are up nearly 20% year-over-year, but conversion rates are up over 50%. Predictions for the remainder of the holiday shopping season. With more cities across the US seeing surges in new cases of COVID-19, it’s unlikely to see a material shift from online shopping back to in-store shopping. We should see this record breaking pace continue for the rest of the holiday season. The wildcard is shipaggedon. My prediction is that we’ll see a fair number of digital gift cards purchased and printed off, as well as pictures of gifts that are in transit, but won’t be under the Christmas tree. Online shopping likely won’t slow down too much. Fingers crossed that shipaggedon won’t be as bad as we’re expecting.

Colby Bauer has personality. He’s a half-pipe skating, snowboarding, former collegiate athlete who turned a simple idea into a thriving eComm business. He and his wife McKenzie started Thread Wallets with just a single product idea. Simple, functional, minimalist wallets with personality. That initial product took off and Thread quickly grew into a team of 22 that now boasts an expanding product line including lanyards, phone cases, and more. While there’s a lot to be impressed about with Colby and McKenzie, and their team I really wanted to key in on Thread’s culture and the unique steps they took to grow. I think you’ll find a ton of good lessons here: How the key to scale might be engaging in activities that DON’T scale How financial intelligence (or lack thereof) can make or break startups How to hire for culture first and is the “hire slow, fire fast” mantra really the way to go How installing a half-pipe at the office lead to a fight amongst the thread founders, but lead to mental health as a focus for the company A good CEO is a non-busy CEO…what does this mean and how is it the key to effectiveness

Conversational commerce. What is it? Basically, it’s taking the in-person shopping experience of asking questions and talking to retail sales staff and moving it into multiple online channels seamlessly. Today shoppers want to interact with you in a variety of ways and they want near-instant feedback. Messenger. SMS. Chat. Facebook comments. Your customers expect you to be everywhere they are when they need you. In this interview, Phil and I talk about some of the foundations of conversational commerce - both strategies and tactics. This will help guide all of your conversational commerce efforts. Here’s a quick look at what we discuss. What components of conversational commerce should you consider? What impact can conversational commerce have on conversion rates? How to look at the dashboard and KPIs related to conversational commerce. How this impacts your paid acquisition efforts. Lots of real-world examples Plus more

Very little about 2020 has been normal - including Prime Day. This year’s Prime Day was in October vs. Amazon’s usual July time frame. What did this mean for 2020 Prime Day vs. 2019 Prime Day? Would this year’s Prime Day make the official launch of holiday sales? In this episode, I bring back OMG Commerce’s Amazon Director Chris Tyler to discuss what we noticed this year during Prime Day with our clients. Here’s a look at what we discuss: Total prime day sales grew 70% year-over-year in 2019 vs. 2018, but only grew 45% year-over-year in 2020 compared to 2019 (Statista report). $3.5 billion of the estimated $10 billion in total sales on Prime Day were from 3rd party sellers, but the most popular item on Prime Day was Amazon’s deeply discounted Echo Dot. What categories of products we saw perform the best for our OMG clients. 62% of Prime Day purchases this year were for gifts for someone else according to Digital Commerce 360. Why we didn’t see as dramatic of a list for 2020 Prime Day vs. 2019 Prime Day, but sales immediately after prime day this year have been strong. The impact of Prime Day on Sponsored Brand Video Ads and overall ad performance Interesting Amazon DSP trends during Prime Day and since Plus more!

Khierstyn Ross is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to launching products on Kickstarter. She’s experienced the highs of multiple 6-figure product launches, plus she’s endured the heartache of a launch gone bad. She knows what to do and, just as importantly, what to avoid. In this podcast, we talk about the keys to building a 6-figure crowd-funded product launch including: What products work best for a Kickstarter launch Why audience building is so important, how to do it, and why so many people underestimate it. What kind of targets to set for your first day of your Kickstarter launch What to consider when it comes to shipping Top mistakes to avoid How storytelling fuels crowd-funding launches Plus more!

What do six-packs, successful pilots and 2020 have in common? No, it’s not a drinking game. We’re talking data here people! Do you know your data…like really know your data? Do you have a feel for it? Do you look at the right numbers daily? Let’s talk pilots for just a second. If you’ve ever seen a cockpit, it looks kinda like most eCommerce dashboards - an overwhelming amount of buttons, data, dials, and meters. But pilots actually focus mostly on just a few key instruments. The rest is there to help if there’s trouble. The same should be true for the dashboards you use to run your business. I absolutely loved this interview with Dan LeBlanc at Daasity. We cover some really important topics to help you really get a handle on managing your business. Here’s a quick rundown: Is your data accurate? Seems like an easy question. Not always an easy answer. Do you know what your metrics mean? It’s all in the definition. If you don’t have the right definition, you can’t make good decisions. How you should look at your Lifetime Value (LTV) and why Cohorts matter Why contribution margin is super important plus an easy way to calculate it Knowing your RFM - Recency, frequency, and monetary value. Here’s how to look at this and why it matters.

There are two different types of sponsored YouTube influencer videos: An integrated sponsored video and Stand-alone sponsored video. Stand-alone sponsored influencer videos are what most brands use and what most people think of when they hear “YouTube influencer marketing.” Stand-alone videos are typically an influencer providing a quick review or endorsement about a particular product. So the video is titled “Widget 12 Pro Unboxing and review.” An integrated sponsored influencer videos is an ad put inside of video on a separate topic. The video might be about fortnite or camping, or whatever, but inside the video is a 30 second ad, read by the creator, for your product. These integrated video ads are Ridge Wallets secret sauce. Here’s a quick look at what we uncover on the show: Why integrated sponsored videos are so great and why they scale better than stand alone influencer videos. How to approach influencers Why subscribers on YouTube is largely a vanity metric How to spot a dead channel vs. an active channel How to measure the impact of your influencer videos What to pay influencers and how to think about CPMs (cost per thousand) How to achieve scale in your outreach and deployment of influencer videos Plus more!

During a pandemic, marketing for a travel company isn’t easy. Kevin Urrutia and team at Chester Travel are getting creative and hustling to drive sales now and set themselves up for success in the future. In this episode, we talk about the perfect combination of short term and long term growth strategies. Using influencer marketing for short term growth and SEO for long term traffic and growth has proved to be a winning combination for Chester Travel and their line of modern luggage. Here’s a look at what we cover in this episode: Leveraging returns and unsold inventory for influencer marketing. Understanding the value of your product in influencer marketing. Simple outreach for influencer marketing….you’re probably overthinking it. Try this one sentence approach. How a solid Instagram account is a necessary prerequisite for influencer marketing. Leveraging your homepage to rank your blog posts Combining remarketing and SEO to drive sales.

In a word, Chris Lynch is cool. So is his brand Everyday California. It’s not a surprise then, that what started as an adventure tour company also became a super popular apparel line. But Chris and the Everyday Cali team didn’t stop there… The brand has now grown to include flip flops, beer, CBD and even a line of sunscreen. So what separates a solid business move into new products vs. an unhealthy distraction? When should you partner, license, go on your own, or scrap an idea? Here’s what we dive into on this episode: When to lawyer up and why it’s sooo worth it Be patient - speed in some instances almost guarantees that you land on your face. One of the best questions to ask about adding a new product is “does it feel right?” How Chris and team partnered with a brewery on a California IPA and a CBD company to make a CBD product all while strengthening their core brand offering. Lessons learned from a few license deals How and why Everyday Cali is launching a brand new sunscreen - if you’re considering a line extension, you’ll love Chris’ advice.

Mission meats is just a few years old, but it’s gobbling up market share in the red-hot meat snack category. Peter Awad is a long time eCommerce pro. He started selling auto parts on eBay in 2000. Now he and his co-founder Nick have built a meat snack store with a mission. They’re using profits from eCommerce to help fight deforestation, educate children in Africa, and support homeless women and children. But they don’t just have big hearts, they have some serious marketing chops too. In this episode, we explore the challenges and opportunities of marketing a product that could literally appeal to anyone. We also explore how to maintain the balancing act of growing your own store AND growing on Amazon. How to treat Amazon from a merchandising perspective. Prospecting for new customers - Is this and Amazon first or Shopify first strategy How to increase repeat purchases in a fun way How pride or ego can limit growth with any paid ad channel Crazy CRO tests and the practice of asking “what if the opposite were true?” Important mindset issues that help fuel successful entrepreneurs

CPAs that suddenly double overnight. Skyrocketing CPMs. Winning ads that suddenly turn into losers. Data changes that impact how ads are being run now. The list of potential issues, potholes, loopholes, and blackholes for online advertising goes on and on. So what’s an eComm store owner or media buyer to do? Call in Molly Pittman and John Grimshaw from Smart Marketer. These are two of my favorite people to interview and today I have them both with me for the same episode. And it’s a doozy. Here’s a look at what we cover: How to have the right mindset for navigating volatility (this is more important than you think) What to do when ad performance tanks Where you should tinker to improve performance and where you shouldn’t Why this is still the greatest time in history to be a marketer - volatility and all. 3 Spot checks to make sure you are ready to scale traffic The impact of the California Consumer Privacy Act and new changes coming to iOS 14….the good, the bad, and the scary.

This year’s online holiday shopping season will be one for the record books. Most people say they’ll shop more online or exclusively online this year. And online shopping will also start earlier this year, indicated by Google study results where 69% of holiday shoppers say they will shop earlier this year to avoid items being out of stock. To dominate the Cyber 5 this year you need to: Get the most from your remarketing efforts, Cover any gaps you have in your search and shopping efforts, Run compelling offers and ads that compliment your brand, and Get your Top of Funnel efforts dialed in. Check out our latest blog outlining these helpful tips and the video replay from our recent webinar with Google, and be on the lookout for the audio version in this week's episode of eCommerce Evolution.

Amazon Advertising has exploded in recent years. In fact, Amazon is now the 3rd largest online advertising platform behind only Facebook and Google. Pretty impressive for a company who’s a retailer first, cloud computing 2nd, and online advertising 3rd. In this episode, I wanted to bring on the sharpest mind in Amazon Advertising that I know - OMG’s very own Chris Tyler. I brought him on so we could deep dive into the two hottest trends in Amazon Advertising right now - Sponsored Brand Video (formerly Video in Search ads) and Amazon DSP. Here’s a look at what we cover: What is Amazon DSP and how can sellers use it to reach shoppers on an off Amazon? How to target people actively shopping for your competitor's products who haven’t purchased yet. How Sponsored Brand Video (SBV) ads are outperforming ALL other ad types for most of our clients. 5 keys to a great Sponsored Brand Video Ad How you can test SBV without spending a fortune on video production Plus more!

Is something broken in your business? Not reaching your growth goals like you’d hoped? Then you likely have a systems or delegation problem. My guest today is Trent Dyrsmid. Trent is the host of the Bright Ideas podcast as well as the founder of an Amazon reseller business that just ranked #254 on the Inc. 5000 list. He is also the co-founder of Flowster.app a premier workflow management tool for eCommerce businesses. He knows a thing or two about systems, delegation, and growth. He’s now fully delegated himself out of his Amazon reseller business as it continues to scale rapidly. How does he do it? Clear systemization and delegation. On the show, we talk about one of his favorite quotes from the Honorary Chairman of Toyota - “We get brilliant results from average people managing brilliant processes – while our competitors get average or worse results from brilliant people managing broken processes” ~ Fujio Cho, Honorary Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation In this episode we cover: What to systematize first - a 2-pronged test When you have a systems problem vs. a people problem What to delegate vs. what to do yourself Why and when you should delegate something you’re really good at The difference between process management and project management How Flowster helps eCommerce companies with process management Plus more!

Michael Jamin knows a thing or two about telling a good story. He’s written for popular sitcoms like King of the Hill, Rules of Engagement, Tacoma FD, and Beavis & Butthead to name a few. More importantly, for our purposes, he’s also the Co-Founder of Twirly Girl - an eComm brand that features some truly magical storytelling ads. I wanted to have Michael on the show so we could learn some of his secrets….and because I knew it would be a ton of FUN. He delivered. Here’s a quick look at what we cover: Using setup and punchline to deliver features and benefits in a truly fun, funny and memorable way If customers focus on price, it’s your fault and how to fix it How some powerful tweak in FB ads dropped their cost per share from $178 to just $1.16 When Michael combined what he knew about TV script writing and eComm Twirly Girl grew 30.6% Why people aren’t really buying stuff, but rather relationships and magic A few powerful “story makeovers” Plus more

Almost every eCommerce company I talk to is investing heavily into Facebook and Google Ads. Probably less than 30% are actively investing in Affiliate marketing. I first met my guest, Greg Powell, while we were both providing consulting services for another agency. I instantly could tell that he knew his stuff. Now he’s running an extremely successful Affiliate Marketing agency - Tactical Marketing based in Joplin MO. Fringe benefits of an affiliate marketing program including free PR and new audience discovery and testing. 3 ways to tell if your product is a good fit for Affiliate marketing Avoiding affiliate horror stories - namely, how to avoid coupon site hell. How attracting the right affiliates makes all of the difference. Best affiliate networks for your category Plus much more!

The online buying journey is a complex process. It rarely looks exactly the same for different shoppers. BUT, there are distinct stages that most shoppers pass through in their unique journey. Video can be your secret weapon along each stage of the journey - compelling customers, educating customers, and delighting customers. Ben Amos lives in Australia’s Sunshine Coast and is a master at creating video content that shapes buying behavior. In this episode, we talk about how video can impact these 4 distinct stages of the shopping journey: Awareness - this is where we tell our brand story in a compelling and helpful way…Ben shows us how. Consideration- this stage is all about information and education. As shoppers evaluate their options, your video should be there to help guide the way. Conversion event - your video can and should do the job of a salesperson whether on a product detail page or as a remarketing ad. Advocacy - Your video strategy shouldn’t stop with a happy customer. Use video content to encourage more referrals and repeat purchases.

Everyone knows that word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing. The problem? How do you facilitate, encourage, and track it without being weird? Enter Nick Stagge and Wooly. In this episode, we discuss two important topics - building Ambassador Programs and putting digital rails around word of mouth advertising. Nick has worked with some awesome brands including Skull Candy, Purple Mattress, and more. Here’s a quick look at what we cover in this episode: Salomon shoes got 22.6 million impressions without running a single ad How to Identify and segment your best customers and how to know when you have a customer make a referral that ends in a purchase How ambassador programs focus on credibility while some influencer programs focus on reach…and why credibility is often better and more profitable Word of mouth customers are happier, better educated and often stick around longer - here’s how you get more of it Driving six figures of incremental referral revenue. Plus more

Online shopping has shifted dramatically since the start of the pandemic. Some experts believe we’ve seen 5+ years of eCommerce growth condensed into just a few months. Attitudes towards quantities ordered, shipping rates and times, and pricing have ALL shifted from the norm. I wanted to have Jon MacDonald come back on the show (see his first appearance on the podcast for Episode 60 to talk about what’s working right now in terms of Conversion Rate Optimization. We cover some truly fascinating subjects including: How buying in bulk it a new trend - even if your marketing to non-peppers How to structure new shopping options for buying in bulk to make the process easier on shoppers and easier on your fulfillment centers 3 ways to use SMS marketing to before, during and after the shopping experience to surprise and delight customers Where you should start optimizing now including some key data points and quick wins with Google Analytics that you’re likely missing How to quickly and inexpensively benefit from Heat Maps Why taking care of your highest value customers is more important now than ever before

Learn how Tru Earth is disrupting the laundry detergent space by selling subscriptions and understanding the power of villains in marketing. My guest in this episode, Ryan McKenzie is a marketing and eComm wiz. He built his first online business in his 20s and after some extreme wins and some humbling losses, he found his eComm game. In this episode, we uncover some of Tru Earth’s keys to success including 3 types of offers that get shoppers to subscribe to auto-replenishment. How to structure pricing and discounts for subscriptions Blair Warren’s amazing 4 keys to persuasion (literally one the best marketing quotes I’ve ever heard) and how to leverage it for your business How finding a “villain” can make your marketing more powerful and help you build a closer community (hint: villains don’t have to be people) How to approach ad fatigue and new creative development for Facebook How OMG Commerce is helping Tru Earth leverage Google Shopping and YouTub ads Plus more!

CrossNet Game began as a crazy idea dreamed up late at night by two brothers and their best friend. But ideas are a dime a dozen. Chris and his brother Greg and co-founder Mike turned their crazy idea into a wildly popular product and a rapidly growing company. So what is CrossNet? It’s 4-way volleyball. Put another way, if volleyball 4 square had a baby, it would be CrossNet. And it’s amazing. This is a phenomenal story about how to launch a product from total obscurity into a sensation. We talk about how the product came to be, how the founders successfully boot-strapped everything initially, and how a combination of playing volleyball all day on the beaches of Miami plus Facebook Ads fueled their launch. Here’s a look at what we discuss: How their first “prototype” and first test market let them know they were onto something big Why they packed their bags and moved from Connecticut to Miami to launch CrossNet Creating the snowball effect - doing lots of little things well and watching success and momentum grow over time. Their first brand ambassadors and their first influencer…all by accident (but still duplicatable) Their most important sales channels How they view Amazon How they are using events (pre-pandemic) to grow the brand Getting their product in 5,000+ schools Getting into Dicks Sporting Goods, Academy Sports and more What products are next for CrossNet and how they plan to grow (including running YT ads with OMG Commerce…)

Jeremy Horowitz helped create the marketing engine behind Lumee, the selfie phone cases made famous by the Kardashians. He now helps growing eCommerce brands create 6 figure + product launches. He also builds what he calls “replenishment engines” - a concept that was new to me but that I absolutely love. Interested in doing $100,000+ in sales in 24 hours on a new product launch? Want to know the secrets of building huge demand, selling out of products, and generating real urgency like Supreme, Jordan and Kylie Cosmetics. Here’s a quick look at what we cover: The difference between a product launch that sells out vs. a “meh” launch How to create a “web” so that your customers are highly engaged and eager to buy How to build anticipation, excitement, and generate huge sales without discounting How to utilize messenger marketing and Facebook private groups Lessons from movie launches Plus more

You walk to your mailbox. Inside you find a hand-addressed envelope. It looks like it could be a thank you note of a birthday card. What are the odds you open it? 100%. I love direct mail. Especially now because mailboxes are nearly empty (compared to 15-20 years ago). In this episode I interview David Wachs, CEO of Handwrytten. We discuss creative and affordable ways eCommerce companies can use Direct Mail to build customer loyalty and increase sales. We also discuss how his technology allows for automated handwritten notes...it’s pretty fantastic. Here’s a look at what we discuss: How to use handwritten thank you notes to increase referrals How an online fashion company sent 700 handwritten notes, scored a 16.8% redemption rate and drove an ROI over 300%. Using direct mail to build your loyalty program Leveraging direct mail to get more positive reviews and/or mitigate negative reviews Launching direct mail Win-back campaigns Abandon cart direct mail sequences Automating handwritten thank-yous And more!

In early February before all live events were cancelled I presented at Social Media Marketing World 2020 in San Diego. My talk covered the latest tactics and strategies we’re using right now to scale on YouTube. This is the recording of my presentation at this paid event. Here’s a quick look at what I cover in this talk: Could YouTube be your next big thing? 2 Proven Ad formulas for cold traffic Ad formulas for warm traffic What is progressive audience testing and how to use it How to leverage YouTube and Google Display Network together Plus more!

I’m sure you’re aware of chat marketing. But if you’re like most marketers and Amazon sellers, it’s still an area of immense opportunity for you. Maybe it’s even still a bit of a mystery to you. Michelle Barnum Smith is the Queen of chat marketing for Amazon sellers. I had a chance to sit down with her and discuss some super powerful ways to grow your Amazon business with chat marketing that you probably haven’t thought of, including… The 3 types of messenger campaigns to run consistently Why product re-ranking campaigns using chatbots should probably be an ongoing strategy for you The difference between a 2-step URL and a Search, Find, Buy campaign How many times per month should you message your list on messenger…too many and they’ll hate you. Too few and they’ll forget who you are and be annoyed the next time you message them. How to build a chat bot list. Plus more!

Strengthening customer relationships. Building valuable assets. Improving and documenting SOPs. Growing email and remarketing lists. Watching every episode of the Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls Documentary - The Last Dance. That’s just a few of the ways Ezra and Co are surviving and THRIVING in the current climate. Ezra is often the first person eCommerce entrepreneurs turn to when they need advice. This episode delivers some true and timely gems and words of wisdom. eCommerce will likely come out of this crisis stronger than ever. Will your company be ready to thrive in the new normal?

My guest today knows a thing or two about growing DTC eCommerce brands to 8 figures and beyond. His agency, Wavebreak, focuses on email, SMS and loyalty marketing for growing eCommerce brands. On today’s episode we talk about how email marketing has shifted in light of the pandemic and how it will likely continue to shift in the months and weeks ahead. Here’s a quick look at what we cover: How to go on offense without being offensive How to build community and goodwill now How to stay true to your brand but adjust your message in light of the recent crisis Top email marketing mistakes to avoid How email, sms and loyalty programs work together

This is an episode a couple of years in the making. I’m a huge Ryan Daniel Moran fan. We had dinner together after an event for speakers at an event in LA a few years ago. Then we both got busy. Ryan came on the show to discuss some burning topics facing all entrepreneurs right now. Advice for an eCommerce company who’s struggling right now in the pandemic Advice for an e-commerce company who’s excelling right nowThe number 1 way to be instantly happier right now (and it leads to better business outcomes) How Ryan thinks about eComm companies to invest in - it’s way more about the leader and the product than anything else. Not playing the comparison game How to instantly be happier where you are right now The 3 phases of growing to $1 million in 12 Months.

Currently, over 77% of our eCommerce clients are either still UP in sales even during this time of extreme uncertainty or are the same (plus or minus 1-2%). Yes, some are hurting - but for most eCommerce businesses you CAN do something about sluggish sales right now. We’ve learned a lot in recent weeks on what messages resonate with prospects and what falls flat. In this episode (taken from a recent highly-popular webinar) Chris Brewer, Co-Founder of OMG Commerce and I dive into these important topics: Understanding the different physiological segments of shoppers right now and how to appeal to them People still want to buy even when stuck at home - how to provide retail therapy to your customers How to handle paid search on both Amazon and Google right now (search trends are shifting) Why this could be the perfect time to consider YouTube ads…viewership is up 100%+ on the platform and ad costs are down 20% or more How you can gain market share and get ahead of the competition right now

Supply chain, lock down, store closures, falling ad costs, rising costs of sanitation…just a few of the areas impacting retail and e-commerce right now. In my interview with Eamon Kelly of Edgewater Research, we talk about the following hot topics to recent data points. How ad costs are impacted on Amazon, Facebook and Google during the crisis What categories are seeing spikes vs. dips in sales…there are a few surprising areas here plus some opportunities for companies to pivot. What major retailers like Dick’s sporting goods are seeing How retailers like Chewys are experience both growth and interesting shifts in costs and increased margin pressure How to think about inventory levels with more shopping shifting online

Original Grain has an origin story that’s as cool as it’s products…and as cool as it’s founders. In this interview, we tackle some critically important topics for all DTC brands. We discuss building a product that has an authentic story that resonates. We look at the Original Grain approach to sourcing and designing that next winning product. We hear the Original Grain example of launching successful kickstarter campaigns, and we talk about marketing during a crisis and much more. Brother’s Ryan and Andrew Beltran grew up playing basketball together and starting businesses together from painting houses to mowing lawns. In 2013 while living in Hong Kong, Ryan had the idea for wood and steel watches. The brothers took that inspiration and started what is now a leader in the watch and accessories space. Here’s a look at what you’ll learn in this episode: How a chance meeting at a nearly failed event lead to their most successful watch line to date How wooing an investor (I love this story - and it embodies the entrepreneur’s spirit) led to some of their most popular collector’s edition watches How Original Grain is going up-stream while strengthening its core watch offerings How they plan to market and stay strong during the COVID-19 storm How to build an authentic voice and truly connect with customers even when being together physically is impossible What’s ahead for Original Grain

Economic Crisis - time to panic or time to press ahead? While challenging and painful, there are huge opportunities right now. Some of the world’s most successful companies grew leaps and bounds during recessions (Toyota, Kellogs and many others). On this show investor, mentor and brilliant marketer and entrepreneur Roland Frasier and I talk about what you need to do to survive and thrive right now. From getting your head right, to ensuring financial stability to how to market your product - right now. The market has shifted but money is still up for grabs. Here’s what we cover: Understanding the physiological segments of the market and how to reach customers that are still actively buying now How your product positioning should pivot during times of extreme uncertainty How companies like Toyota and Kellogg’s crushed their competitors during a recession How to secure financing right now What to measure and how to measure to keep your head above water

Liz Germain is a YouTube Marketing legend. We met when I was speaking at an event for eCommerce brands at the YouTube LA Offices. Between her own fitness channel and her client’s channels, she’s helped rack up over 100 million organic video views on YouTube. Wow. In this interview, we deep dive into how she does it. From the content, she creates to the research that inspires it. We also discuss where you should start and how to take your YouTube channel to the next level. Here’s what we cover Liz’s killer YouTube Influencer structure that leverages evergreen content for years of leads How Liz created a video and blog post for a natural birth control method that is still generating leads and sales 4 years after it was created. Compare that to an Instagram story that has a shelf life of just 24 hours. The 3 types of YouTube content and where you should start The fundamentals of building a great YouTube Channel Plus more!

We’ve all had the following experience. We’re on a quest for a specific product hoping if will fulfill a very specific need. So we visit a product page on Amazon or another eCommerce site hoping that this might be the product we’ve been eagerly searching for….But, to our disappointment the product page doesn’t clearly tell us if the product will meet our need or not. So we don’t buy. Uh-oh. Pop quiz. What can increase customer engagement, improve conversion rates by 2-10x, and drive substantial organic traffic? Easy - Q&A content. My guest this week is James Arnold, the Co-Founder of Answer Base a SaaS platform that makes it easy to collect and leverage Q&A and FAQ content. In this episode we dive into the following: Why Q&A content on product details pages is so powerful Taking a cue from Amazon where and how to use Q&A content on PDPs How to build a Knowledge Based that answers 80%+ of your shoppers questions How to structure your Q&A content to rank well on Google….HINT: Google LOVES Q&A Content. And so do shoppers. How to leverage FAQ pages Plus more!

Quick - what’s the best, most effective viral video ad you’ve seen? Poo-Pourri? Purple Mattress? Maybe Squatty Potty? Chatbooks? Each of those videos (plus dozens more) were created by my guest today and his team at Harmon Brothers. And not only where these videos viral hits…they SOLD stuff. Funny. Memorable. And persuasive to the tunes of hundreds of millions in sales. That's hard to accomplish. In this episode, we dig into some of the tips, tactics and secrets behind the Harmon Brother’s unrivaled success. We dive into the following: 3 big mistakes most companies make when it comes to video ads Why humor is NOT a silver bullet The inside scoop behind Poo-Pourri and haw it launched the Harmon Brothers to national prominence How do you land on the right “BIG idea” How and when to get feedback on your script and initial video edits How to think and create videos like the Harmon Brothers Plus more

The thought of going International with your eComm business is both exciting and scary. It also seems like a HUGE undertaking. New tax codes, laws, and confusing acronyms to deal with like VAT and GST. Plus we still have the dated mindset that says we only expand internationally once we’ve maximized what we can get here in the good ole U S of A. Kevin Sanderson will challenge your thinking and bust some myths to help you go international much sooner than you possibly thought…maybe right now. Here’s what we discuss: What market you should target first when you go international What markets should you consider 2nd and 3rd when going International What are some non-obvious benefits to going international like lower ad costs and lower competition What about Australia? What steps to take and when to try your first international market Plus much more!

Transparency. Sustainability. Social responsibility. More than just buzz words these are now expectations that consumers have of the brands they buy from. In this episode, we dive into what it means to be a mission-driven eCommerce brand. We share lots of powerful examples like Everlane, All Birds and more. My friend Ezra Firestone’s company Smart Marketer has the perfect slogan - Serve the World Unselfishly and Profit. Now you can do the right thing by fighting hunger, helping orphans, cleaning up the environment or supporting mental health AND build a profitable brand in the process. In this episode with Stephen we discuss the following: Who is the conscious consumer and how are they impacting eCommerce? Do companies have to go “all-in” on a mission or can this be a gradual process? What is “greenwashing” and why should you avoid it. Exploring the Mission Driven Marketing Playbook Plus more!

There are over 150 million Alexa devices in use today. Google has sold upwards of 50 million of its Google Home devices. While most devices are used primarily to listen to music or play games or control appliances like lights and heat and air…voice commerce is on the rise too. In this episode, I interview Anmol Oberoi the Founder and CEO of Emitrr - a voice-first SaaS Platform. We dive into voice commerce use-cases that are making an impact now. We also talk about where voice commerce is likely heading in the near future. Here’s a quick look at what we discuss: How games and quizzes through voice can benefit ecommerce companies What voice skills to develop and launch first and how to use customer feedback to make sure you’ll have high adoption rates What are the most popular voice skills that customers want right now How voice can build loyalty and put a “fence” around your top customers keeping competitors away How smart devices with screens like the Echo Show and Google’ Nest Hub might make the biggest shopping impact right away

Shopify apps are great. Someone else spends hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, developing functionality that you can use for just $30 per month. Apps on Shopify are so easy to install and so seemingly harmless that many store owners install dozens and dozens of apps - many of which they uninstall or never use. This approach can have serious unintended consequences. In this episode we dive into a smarter approach to apps that can help any Shopify store owner. Here’s a look at what we cover: How to determine if it’s better to use an app or hire a developer to hard code a desired functionality. What category of apps are best to consider now for Shopify What apps are almost always a bad idea How to tell if you have app conflict When should you consider apps vs. just switching to Shopify Plus Plus more!

It’s safe to say that your SEO approach is likely outdated. If you’re looking for the latest hack, trick or SEO loophole - you’re barking up the wrong tree. If you’re obsessing over ranking and traditional keywords then you may be off target. In this episode we talk about why “intent” is now the most important word in SEO and content marketing. We look at how search behavior is changing. We also consider how Google is indexing different forms of content like podcasts and video transcripts and what that means to us as marketers. In this episode we dive into: The BERT Update. What is and how it’s the nail in the coffin for old-school SEO. Why is intent the most important word for SEO? How REI tackles intent and what you should learn from their content strategies. Different content types - articles, podcasts, etc. How do you figure out what people are searching for and asking at different stages How to create content and rank that content for shoppers at different stages of the buying journey. Plus more!

Mike Ugino is the CMO and co-founder of Sellbrite a SaaS platform for marketplace sellers. Sellbrite was recently acquired by GoDaddy. In this episode we breakdown how Mike and his business partner Brian approached building the company with selling it in mind. We also talk about what the acquisition process was like including saying no to GoDaddy initially. In this episode we uncover some golden ideas for scaling and exiting your business including: How constraints lead to creativity What building it to sell means and looks like Hitting plateaus and how to grow again How to know if a deal is right and saying “no” when it isn’t….even if it means turning down GoDaddy How to keep your culture when you sell

Who doesn’t love a good story? As humans, we’ve relied on storytelling for entertainment, education, and preservation of culture since the beginning of time. Storytelling is also for marketers. During my first sales job at a local radio station my boss sagely advised me that “facts tell, but stories sell.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson. In this episode, I chat with the charming Jaime Cross the founder of MIG Soap. From her kitchen table to now a multi-million dollar eCommerce business Jaime has grown largely based on great products and solid storytelling. Here’s a taste of what we cover: What’s the psychology behind storytelling? How good storytelling can increase the perceived value of a product by 2x or more. Common storytelling mistakes to avoid. The process MIG uses to get their overall story right…and then to get the story right for each product. How to turn customer testimonials into stories How do you deliver your story across email, product detail pages, and more. Storytelling resources

Jeremiah Allen has been driving growth for small-to-medium-sized eCommerce companies since 1997 — before the internet was cool — and has helped hundreds of company founders grow. While he still enjoys client work, in 2017, he began acquiring and building his own eCommerce brands. In this episode, we get super TACTICAL. It’s a deluge of tips and tricks on how to improve your checkout process. There’s so much here you’ll probably want to listen to it a few times. Here’s a sneak peek at what we cover. Tips: How to use a cart slide outs after you hit add to cart and why it’s effective. Simple works - larger fonts, larger buttons, larger thumbnails can all create big wins. What % of your shoppers should hit checkout and what % should complete checkout? If you’re below these numbers you have some work to do. How shipping options can increase checkout. 4 ways to drive post-purchase upsells - fast! What asks and offers should you put on your thank you page. How an email from the founder can be your secret weapon. How to handle payment options. Plus sooooo much more.

Sayan is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of InvigorateNOW Health Sciences, an innovative health supplement brand. He’s also the creator of Sark Media Direct, a direct marketing consultancy that specializes in helping entrepreneurs grow to seven figures and beyond in the health and e-commerce industries. Passionate about combining cutting edge online marketing strategies with traditional direct response marketing, Sayan has helped his clients scale to eight figures and beyond. He’s worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Martha Stewart, Organifi, Zenith Labs, and more. Sayan has a knack for finding the “low hanging fruit” in his clients’ businesses. Whether it’s newspaper or radio ads, affiliate marketing or direct mail - he quickly finds the needle movers that produce results, in some cases, helping scale companies to beyond $100 Million / year. Through his consulting, he has helped a handful of entrepreneurs scale from zero to six and seven figures in their first year. A savvy investor, Sayan has stakes in three health supplement brands in addition to businesses he started from scratch. Sayan lives in New York City and enjoys spending time with family, friends and his fiancee, Amy In this episode, we discuss buying unsold inventory in newspapers and on radio plus how to combine traditional media with digital media for profitable growth.

For our 100th episode we wanted to do something different. Rather than one guest, we invited 6 of our most popular guests we’ve ever had on the show. Since we’re wrapping up 2019, we decided to ask these super smart eComm pros what their top predictions were for 2020. They did NOT disappoint. We cover some GREAT predictions including: How and why some merchants will shift some of their focus away from Amazon (we’re already seeing this with Nike). How merchants will shift their video strategy in 2020 (will we go short form or long form?) Why “profitability” may be the focus rather than scale in 2020 How SEO is shifting away from traditional keywords in 2020 How automation is working (and how it doesn’t replace everything) How new privacy laws and policies will make things harder (and easier) for marketers Plus more!

Molly Pittman is a bit of a legend in the digital marketing space. Bartender turned marketing intern for Ryan Deiss, turned VP of Marketing for Digital Marketer, turned entrepreneur - Molly’s story is an inspiring one. And she flat knows her stuff! In this episode, we dig into some real gems. We do go pretty deep on what’s working now on Facebook, but we also talk about the benefits of building an in-house team vs. the benefits of an agency. We talk about entrepreneurial lessons and what life is like in Amsterdam (where Molly currently lives). Here’s a look at what we cover: Why being fluid might be the most important entrepreneurial trait…and why it’s important for digital marketers Why curiosity and fascination are crucial in our current marketing landscape What is CBO and how it’s impacting Molly’s Facebook ad campaign and what you should do about it. What are the 3 facets of Facebook’s new Quality Ranking and how to optimize your ads How low quality rankings can dramatically drive up costs or get your ads shut down Plus more

Charles Livingston knows a thing or two about rapid growth. He turned a supplement offer into a 12 million per year business. And now his Coffee Company - Lifeboost Coffee has grown 1,000% in less than 1 year. What’s the secret to this kind of growth? Good Marketing and becoming a “yes” company. Charles is also known for having his picture displayed in every single Ezra Firestone presentation. And this isn’t any old picture. It’s a shirtless pic of Charles all swole up wearing a stethoscope. Yes, there’s a story behind this that we dive into in the podcast. More importantly, here’s a breakdown of the keys to rapid growth we breakdown on this episode: Become a “yes” company. How saying yes more has led to a shockingly low 1.5% refund rate for Lifeboost Coffee. Why clarifying your message is key to scale. ‘ How to find your hook and your hone in on a powerful positioning statement How to engineer a great customer experience framework How to charge a premium and make customers gladly pay more How to encourage subscriptions and improve your “stick rate” What’s better - building a brand on Amazon or building a brand off Amazon? Plus more!

I recently saw Rachel speak at an agency event in New York City. I was blown away. Rachel has quite the resume. Forbes listed Rachel as one of its “30 under 30 Who Are Changing The World”, Fast Company named her one of "The Most Creative People in Business", AdAge named her one of "The Most Creative People of The Year," Entrepreneur named her one of the "50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs," Inc named her to the “Female Founders 100,” and the list goes on and on. After being the Global Director of Digital and Social Media at Gap Rachel traveled the world for 100 days and then founded MikMak, the first native commerce platform for the social video generation. Here’s a look at what we cover: Why big companies like Facebook and Google and Amazon are at war for first party data. Why Rachel believes in the philosophy that if you give up your first party data, you give up your brand. Rachel believes that today’s funnel starts at the consideration level first and that true brand building and loyalty start after the first purchase. Lessons from Kylie Jenner and Native Deodorant Rachel’s thoughts on Twitch and how it might be a glimpse into the future Social is the world's largest mall and point of end checkout...are you treating it that way? Plus much more!

Matt Clark is the Chairman and Co-founder of Amazing. Amazing is the company behind the most successful info product/training course of all time - Amazing Selling Machines. He and his partner Jason Katzenback also run SellerCon - one of the leading events for Amazon Sellers. In this episode we take a quick look into what’s new on Amazon and then we dive deep into a subject I’m quite passionate about - making better decisions. I’m not sure of another skill more valuable than this one. This doesn’t need you need to always be right...you just need to get it right. We share a great Steve Jobs story in the podcast to illustrate this point. Here’s a look at a few of the topics we cover: Confirmation Bias - and getting it right vs. being right Mitigating Risks - with lessons from Sarah Blakely and Richard Branson. Here Matt shares how he wasted $1million in Ad Spend when he could have tested with only $20,000. Also we discuss the the Fire bullets, then cannonballs framework from Jim Collins. Diderot Effect - This deals with how to handle success and how success can lead to bankruptcy. We also discuss 2nd and 3rd order consequences. Keep a decision log - Why and how and what this looks like for Matt. Some of Matt’s favorite books on the subject Plus more!

If you’re currently running ads to cold audiences - whether that’s on Facebook, YouTube, Google Display Network or anywhere else - you need to consider where you’re sending that cold traffic. Do you send it to your home page? Product detail page? Those options can work, but you need to test sending traffic to pre-sale content. What is pre-sale content? To explain, I brought in one of the foremost experts on the subject, Lindsay Marder. Lindsay Marder is a self-proclaimed content marketing nerd. She served as Managing Editor for Digital marketer for 4 years. Now she’s working with brands to spread their missions and engage with customers. She’s also the Co-founder of Digital Strategy Bootcamps with Molly Pittman and John Grimshaw. Here’s what we cover on the show: What is pre-sale content? Why pre-sale engagement content is PERFECT for cold traffic, especially paid cold traffic. Real-world examples including the legendary 5 make up tips for older women - page used by Ezra Firestone and Boom by Cindy Joseph. How Third Love used pre-sale content to show women everywhere that they were putting on their bra all wrong. How do you identify topics using free Google tools and some simple online research? How to let customers write your ad headlines and content headlines for you. What can you learn from 5-star and 1-star reviews from your competitor’s products (this is so brilliant). Dos and Don’ts for the page itself Plus more!