eCommerce Evolution

Logan Christopher doesn’t do anything halfway. He’s one entrepreneur you likely wouldn’t want to challenge in a test of strength. Logan is thin but deceptively strong. He’s deadlifted 505 lbs, rack pulled 1,000 lbs. In his spare time, he juggles flaming kettlebells and pulls fire trucks with his hair. Not making this up. Check out the details at legendarystrength.com or visit his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/LegendaryStrength). While this is impressive and interesting, this is not why I had Logan on the show. He’s also a successful eCommerce store owner. Like most successful store owners, Logan is doing a lot of things right. I think you’ll find this talk inspirational and educational. Here’s a quick look at what we cover: - How info marketing style content can drive traffic and sales - How daily emailing can still work in 2018 - Conversion improvements by lining up with charity - Affiliate marketing for rapid growth - How long form sales pages can work for eCommerce - Benefits of long-form product pages - Logan’s favorite traffic sources - recent conversion improvements - Plus more I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Today we take a deep dive into Amazon from two unique perspectives - from that of a very successful seller and that of an Amazon Ad Specialist. As we close out 2017 we do so with two record sales days under our belts. Black Friday and Cyber Monday both set online sales records. Amazon was a big driver of that online growth. All signs point to continued growth into 2018. In this episode, we'll outline how you can get the most from Amazon in the coming months. First a little about our guests… Brandon Andrews is a successful Amazon seller and now the co-founder of Freedom Shark, providing training to up-and-coming Amazon sellers. Chris Tyler is an SEO Specialist turned Amazon Ad expert. Currently, he manages successful Amazon Ad campaigns for large and smaller sellers alike and is part of our team here at OMG Commerce Here are a few things we cover in this episode: - Takeaways from Black Friday and Cyber Monday and how to prepare for next year's holiday sales - The 1-2 things likely holding your Amazon advertising back - The top 3-4 mistakes sellers make as they launch and grow products - New opportunities - Walmart vs. Amazon and how brands should capitalize on both - The best Amazon Ad Advice for 2018 - Plus more!

Few people know Facebook advertising like Ralph Burns and his team at Dominate Web Media. In this interview we take a look at the latest features, strategies and tactics working for eCommerce merchants on Facebook. This episode is rich in content and contains some real Facebook gold. Here’s a look at what we cover: - Top misconceptions regarding Facebook ads that are holding you back - Top targeting methods you should be using - Ralph’s 3-Step video marketing formula - Understanding the Facebook algorithm and how it impacts your ad performance - Competitive Remarketing - now you can target people on Facebook who have purchased similar product to what you sell. - Changes likely on the horizon for Facebook ads

In 2009 Chegg was one of the leaders in the online college textbook market. They offered college students the ability to rent textbooks online for a fraction of what they could pay at the campus bookstore. Word of mouth from delighted students and strong online marketing efforts fueled rapid growth…Then they had an unwelcome competitor enter the ring - AMAZON. Most companies would shrink in terror, get angry, cry about the world being unfair and potentially leave the space altogether. Chegg had been anticipating this move by Amazon and had been working feverishly for months to try and prepare. In this podcast, I interview John Fillmore, Chief Business Officer for Chegg.com. We dive deep into how they responded initially to Amazon and how they continue to innovate and stay relevant. Chegg’s best move (and they’ve had a LOT of great moves) was understanding that their best asset was not an offer on cheap textbooks. It wasn’t their website. It wasn’t even their SEO value (that was immense at that time). They’re greatest asset was the trust and relationship they had with college students around the country. With that they were able to pivot and go beyond textbooks to helping college students perform better in school. Their growth using content marketing, SEO, email marketing, and some wicked smart display marketing has been fun to watch. Here’s what we dive into: - What it was like in the months leading up to Amazon entering the textbook market and then after they entered the market. See how John and team “war roomed” regularly and came out with some powerful innovations. - How Chegg innovates and stays relevant continually in the face of pressure from Amazon - How they view the textbook side of the business now that Amazon continues the “race to the bottom” with lower prices. - Chegg’s wicked smart, campus-specific display marketing strategy….I’m still geeking out about this use of data. - How Chegg knows their customers and markets accordingly - What services they offer to “get students in the door” so to speak and then get them to stick around as customers. - Brilliant content marketing plays - Plus much more!

Few people have mastered social media marketing like Michael Stelzner. Michael is the founder of Social Media Examiner, one of the most visited social media marketing websites on the planet. He’s also the host of the Social Media Marketing podcast. He started the podcast in 2012 and has since racked up over 12 million downloads. Michael and team also run the Social Media Marketing World - featuring some of the top social media marketers sharing their best stuff. I’m super excited about the 2018 event - mainly because I’ll be sharing a stage with Michael - talking YouTube Remarking. Want to join me? Learn More. In this episode, I wanted to pick Michael’s brain on how he and his team approach content. I want you to be able to capitalize and learn from Michael’s success. Here's a glimpse of what we cover: - Keys to success with Facebook Live & Video marketing in general - How his new behind-the-scenes shows called the “Journey” are racking up 10’s of thousands of views on Facebook and YouTube. - How eCommerce merchants should use video to fuel growth - Advantages of going live vs. recorded (think algorithm) - Social media predictions that could change the way we market - Social Media Marketing World and why it’s one of the top Social Media Events in the world.

This is part of the "how I did it" series where we interview successful eCommerce entrepreneurs and dig into the tactics and strategies that propelled them ahead of the pack. This interview with Jared Mitchell, Co-Founder of Skincare by Alana, is a great example of building a community, testing everything, and diversifying traffic. Jared and Alana's story is pretty awesome. Jared went from a bass player with a record deal that fell through to self-employed deck builder to helping his wife launch an online skincare company. Jared took some SEO knowledge and combined it with Alana’s passion and as an esthetician to build a budding eCommerce skincare store. We dig into some really interesting stuff in this episode including: - Jared’s top 4 Conversion hacks over the last 12 months - A shipping offer test with surprising results - Using Quizzes & Surveys for better conversions (this was an eye-opener for me) - How to grow a new brand piggybacking on existing brands - Jared’s top traffic sources - Using Amazon to boost Google SEO traffic - What separates successful eCommerce companies from the rest of the pack

This is Jeff Bezos’ world…we’re just living in it. Or at least, that’s how it feels for an eCommerce merchant. It’s hard to overstate the continued growth, innovation, and reach of Amazon. With 214 distribution centers and growing. Sales growing at 20-30% per year. Forays into apparel, electronics (Kindle and the Echo family of products), batteries, and several other categories. It’s hard not to look at Amazon with awe and wonder. So, what's a merchant to do in light of Amazon's dominance? Is Amazon friend or foe, or somewhere in between? Andrew Youderian knows the world of independent eCommerce store owners better than arguably anyone on the planet. He started the eCommerce Fuel podcast in 2014 and the eCommerce Fuel private forum shortly thereafter. He’s bought, grown and sold several eCommerce businesses and he interacts regularly with top independent merchants on a monthly basis. When it comes to eCommerce Andrew has done and seen it all. In this episode, we look at how you as a merchant can stay relevant and thrive in the shadow of Amazon…and how to benefit from Amazon without “making a deal with the devil” so to speak. He dives into detail on: - What factors to consider when forming your Amazon strategy - What merchants are most at risk to face irrelevance and extinction as Amazon continues to grow and innovate - Andrews 4 Musts for thriving in an Amazon World - When to “blitz” Amazon vs. when to back off - Top takeaways from some of the best independent merchants on the planet…tips and ideas for you to steal and deploy

Going fast is fun. Just ask Ricky Bobby. "Hair on fire" type of growth in business can be a real rush. It can also be painful. In this episode, I interview JD Crouse the co-founder and Queso Grande (Big Cheese) of BolderBand.com - a trendy manufacturer and retailer of activewear headbands. Bolder Band grew from the kitchen table and dusty sewing machine of JD's wife Amy to do over $3.5 million in revenue their first year. To call that rapid growth is an extreme understatement. Amy and JD won the 2014 Build a Business Contest from Shopify and in the process got to spend time with Gary Vaynerchuck, Tim Ferriss, Daymond John and many others. Growth can also be painful…we'll explore both the good and the bad and the lessons in both. This is a truly inspiring interview. Here's a quick look at what we cover: - How to build a community FAST on Facebook and Instagram - Knowing when to stick with it during disappointment - Handling ruthless competitors - The good and bad of hiring friends and family members - Finding a competitive advantage and building your business around it - Handling the benefits and being aware of the dangers of notoriety - How to grow in the age of Amazon - Plus more!

If you want to up your eComm game then you have to be paying attention to leading eComm brands and eComm marketers. I just got back from speaking at the 2017 Content & Commerce Summit put on by Digital Marketer. I had the privilege of "sharing the stage" with top brands like Casper.com, Chegg.com, Racked.com, Fossil Watches and more! I got so much from the event that I wanted to share some of the most impactful takeaways with you. So I invited my friend, and the director of content at Digital Marketer, Russ Henneberry on the show for us to each share our top 5 takeaways from the event…. Here's a quick look at what we cover: - How Chegg.com not only survived, but thrived after Amazon came after them directly. Most experts considered it was game over, but not Chegg. - The actual business that Casper considers themselves in and how you can learn from their content marketing. - How you can beat Amazon at Customer-centricity. - The BOTS are coming! How BOTS are impacting advertisers on both Google and Amazon - Facebook Messenger Ad tips from Ezra Firestone - How Fossil Watches leverages the long tail and how you're likely leaving money on the table - Plus much more!

Shopify just reached the milestone of powering over 500,000 online stores. Today on the show I interview David Moellenkamp a self-proclaimed automation geek, former long-time employee of BlackBerry and now the Director of Product at Shopify Plus. One of the goals I have for the podcast is to interview and uncover what’s new and what’s next for the major eCommerce Platforms. If we want to truly understand where eCommerce is headed, we need to get a better picture of what the companies who build our most used carts are doing. We are platform agnostic here at OMG Commerce. We create full funnel marketing plans for clients regardless of platform. That said, I love how Shopify is democratizing eCommerce. They’re taking features that were once only available to the IR 500 and making them available to all merchants. They’re also building features that allow merchants to create customer experiences that are only limited by their imagination. We take a deep dive into what’s new and what’s next at Shopify and we discuss a few current eCommerce trends facing all merchants. Here’s a quick look at what we cover in this episode: - How Shopify stacks up against competitors - The difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus - How to capitalize on Social Commerce - Omni Channel and Marketplace success - How Shopify Plus is using scripts and the brand new XYZ to allow merchants to create complex customizations without learning to code. - How to utilize new technology for better overall ecommerce performance from easier management of fraud to better personalization and marketing. - How mobile shopping is changing and how to improve your mobile conversion rate

While it's not a platform I'm intimately familiar with, Woo Commerce is gaining market share fast. By some estimates, it's approaching 30-40% of online shopping carts. Largely because Wordpress powers approximately 26% of the web. In this episode, we dive into Woo Commerce and some general conversion boosters for any site owner. Cody Landefeld is the founder of Mode Effect and a Woo Commerce and conversion expert. Here's a look at what Cody and I dive into: - Why Woo is exploding. - New Woo developments and what merchants are a good fit for Woo. - 3 Conversion tips every site owner needs to consider? - 4 eCommerce design trends to amplify sales. - How to add the human element to your shopping experience. - How to build a sales funnel for eCommerce. - More! Want to learn more about Mode Effect? Check out their 5 Key Considerations for Optimization and Redesign.

Dubbed the "eCommerce Renegade" Chad Rubin is the author of the book Cheaper, Easier, Direct and is one of the top 250 Amazon Sellers in the world. With over 2 million sellers on Amazon worldwide, cracking the top 250 is no small task. But that's not Chad's only day job. He's also the CEO of Skubana, a multi-channel inventory management, and ERP software. Chad brings a wealth of knowledge on what it takes to build a brand and succeed on Amazon and other marketplaces. You'll love his story and we dive into some very practical and helpful stuff including: - How to build a brand selling on marketplaces - How to become a top 250 seller on Amazon - Should you work with Amazon as a Marketplace Seller (3p) or Selling direct to Amazon (1p) or both? - How to drive traffic and increase conversions on Amazon - and is enhance brand content worth the effort. - How Echo devices and voice search will impact Amazon sales - Biggest mistakes you see sellers making on Amazon - Plus more!

The story behind Xero Shoes is a crazy one. World-class sprinter over the age of 50 gets hurt, takes advice to start running barefoot and immediately sees improvements. Then goes on to design a prototype for a barefoot running sandal that would soon land him a spot on ABC's hit show Shark Tank. This episode is a ton of fun and is chock full of insights and stories from a really unique online merchant. Steven Sashen is a competitive sprinter, a TV and film veteran, an SEO, and an entrepreneur through and through. This interview is part of our "How I Did It" series and outlines some of the elements driving the growth of Xero Shoes. Here's a glimpse of what we cover: - Some of the factors that lead to the huge success of Xero Shoes (Steven's answer might surprise you). - Steven's favorite sources of traffic - Conversion tips that have grown Xero Shoes to what it is today - How Steven and team approach product design and how that's helped them succeed in the wildly competitive footwear space - Lessons learned for the Shark Tank (hint: you better know your numbers) - How Xero Shoes is leveraging the crowd funding trend - Plus more!

As you know, we are huge fans of YouTube ads. At OMG Commerce we run a lot of Shoppable TrueView campaigns - the joining of YouTube and Google Shopping (for more info on Shoppable TrueView check out Episode 10). Tom is the CEO of Viewability and a master of YouTube ads. He's built very profitable campaigns for marketing gurus like Neil Patel, Frank Kern, Amy Porterfield, and Brendan Burchard. Frank even mentioned that his YouTube campaigns are working better than Facebook right now. I specifically wanted to dig in and ask Tom about his unique approach to YouTube. Here's a glimpse of what we cover in this episode: - How to key in on the right targeting for your YouTube ads. - What makes for great ads that convert (it's not as complex as you think) - How performance psychology impacts public speaking and YouTube ads - Finding moments where prospects are most open to your message - How to measure for success - Plus more!

B2B eCommerce is poised to explode in the coming months. In fact, Forrester predicts that B2b eCommerce will be twice the size of B2C eCommerce by 2020. If you are a B2B company or if you're a service provider working with B2B companies, or if you just want to see how B2B will shape eCommerce - this episode is important to you. In this episode I'm honored to welcome two veterans of eCommerce - Darren Sepanek and Carrie Weidenbach. Darren joined the Magento team in 2010 and helped launch and run the worldwide Magento Partner Network. Carrie has been in the eCommerce industry for 12 years and has served in both COO and Director of Project management roles launching over 20 large eCommerce site builds annually. They are both now at E7 Solutions and work with the OROCommerce Platform (Co-founded by Yoav Kutner the co-founder of Magento) to build custom B2B eCommerce solutions. In this episode, we cover some really important B2B eCommerce Topics including: - What is OROCommerce, who's behind it and why should B2B companies consider it. - How has B2C eCommerce shopping experiences (from Amazon and others) shaped B2B expectations? - How important is Mobile to B2B? - How "commodity" products can really benefit from new eComm trends. - How re-order and subscription models are impacting B2B - Plus more!

Facebook ad spend has skyrocketed in recent years to the point that Mark Zuckerberg announced recently that this year they may "run out" or ad space causing rates to go up (techcrunch article). For online merchants, it's often the number 2 or even number 1 traffic source with Google usually taking the other spot. Molly Pittman, VP of Marketing for Digital Marketer, is a legitimate Facebook ad expert and seasoned practitioner. Today on the podcast we dive into Molly's 5-Step checklist for making sure that her Facebook ad campaigns are a success. We dive into some real tactical and strategic info here. Here's a glimpse of what we cover: - Why your approach to targeting might be all wrong, and what you should be testing right now. Molly always looks to build ad sets around audiences of a certain size.… - How to make your audience "squirm" so that it's hard for them to say "no" to your offer. - Video marketing tips including long form vs. short form videos….Molly's answer here might surprise you especially if you are a long time direct response marketer. - How competition is forcing advertisers to "up their game" and how good ads cost you less. - New opportunities to advertise and market using messenger - and much, much more.

It’s very possible that your data sucks. Or if your data is accurate, it's likely that you're fixating on the wrong metrics. I LOVE this interview. While I can’t pick favorites, it would be hard to find an episode that was more important to your business than this one. Charles Farina and the team at Analytics Pros craft data and analytics solutions for large companies like Yelp, Starbucks, TOMS, Asics and more. This episode is highly actionable….and fun, in a nerdy way. Here’s a look at what we tackle: - Top, little-known Analytics “hacks” for better, more actionable data. - Why asking “what attribution model is best for me” is the wrong question to ask. - 3 Worthless Metrics you should either stop measuring or understand what they are really telling you (if anything). - What will Google’s new attribution model look like and when should we expect it? - Real case studies for making better decisions with proper data analysis - Top Analytics mistakes to avoid Plus, more!

Product discovery on Amazon is almost exclusively driven by search. So if you want to drive more sales on Amazon you have to get better at search - both the organic side (SEO) and the paid ad side. In this week’s episode, I interview a man who knows Amazon search inside and out - George Lawrence. He started Merchant Words in 2013 and has grown it into one of the most popular Amazon research tools on the market. In my chat with George, we dive into all things Amazon search including… - Common Amazon SEO mistakes to avoid - Finding hidden sales opportunities through keyword research (brace yourself we use a pretty off the wall and potentially controversial example). - How Amazon search has changed in recent years and what that means to you. - When analyzing search data, what metrics matter and what metrics don’t - Preparing for more product searches on Alexa and “Amazon Choice” - Current trends on Walmart & Jet.com Plus more! Check it out.

Facebook ads are one of the hottest paid channels for online merchants right now. FB ads played a huge part in Ezra Firestone's growth from under $10million in revenue to over $22.5 million in a single year. Part of achieving success on Facebook is keeping up to date on what's working now.….And it's a moving target. Ezra spends upwards of $15,000 per day on Facebook Ads and he's tracking his performance carefully. Here's a glimpse of what we cover on the show: - How Ezra is currently building his Facebook Sales Funnels - The 4 types of ads you should be testing - Why you should consider video ads for FB - Landing page tips for converting more FB ad traffic - New audience targeting techniques that are different than what Ezra was teaching & testing just a few months ago. - Bonus! We get a little bit "deep" at the beginning and end of this episode. We talk about being a mission-driven business and sticking to your values even as you experience rapid growth and have opportunities coming at you from every angle. Learn from Ezra's wisdom and his story here… Plus, more!

Bart Mroz has his finger on the pulse of the eCommerce industry. He's the co-host of the Register Podcast and writes for Entrepreneur, Retail Dive, Social Media Today and more. This episode is all about emerging trends, what's next, and how we should approach (our least favorite term) omnichannel. Bart moved to the US as a boy who spoke no English. We talk some about being an immigrant entrepreneur and then dive into some pretty compelling questions such as: - What technologies will disrupt eCommerce in the next 1-5 years? - What are the most common problems you're solving for larger eCommerce clients right now? How do you think those will differ in 2-5 years? - What platforms and payment systems are you most impressed with? - How is omnichannel changing and where is retail in general headed? - Are there any legitimate contenders for Amazon - who could give them a run for their money? - Plus more! Bart is a fascinating guy, and I think you'll love the interview. Enjoy!

What are you doing to delight your best shoppers? How are you encouraging or incentivizing your best customers to come back and tell a friend? How are you consistently growing repeat purchases? If your answer is "I'm not sure," or "I could do more," or even "we're doing pretty good there," this episode is for you. I've seen different studies, but I think it's safe to say that driving a new customer is 5 to 25 times more expensive than keeping an existing one. With that in mind, it makes sense to put plenty of effort and energy into keeping and delighting existing customers. Also, the best new customers are often those who are referred by your existing customers. Steve Deckert and his company Smile.io (formerly Sweet Tooth) are veterans in the rewards space for eCommerce. Here's a quick look at what we cover on this episode: - How to build a powerful referral program - How to build a successful VIP program - Loyalty campaign mistakes to avoid - How InkBox saw an 80% lift in repeat purchases with these strategies - How to properly get the word out about your new program and ensure participation - Plus more!

If you're not continually tweaking and testing for better conversion rates, you're leaving money on the table. Nick Disabato is a guy that I never heard of until all of a sudden I saw him everywhere. From working on BOOM with Ezra Firestone to speaking at eCommerce events to being interviewed on multiple podcasts. All of a sudden I couldn't escape this guy. :) Nick is incredibly bright and has a great process for finding and fixing conversion rate problems for eCommerce sites. In this episode we cover: - Top conversion tools - Where to begin with conversion rate optimization - Simple improvements Nick helped Ezra create for BOOM that created a big conversion lift - What big ecommerce stores fail at over and over again and how you can capitalize on it. - How to get real answers out of your customers and turn that into conversion gold - Top conversion resources - Plus more!

Without good copy, you're sunk….or at best fighting an uphill battle. I love all the new tools for eCommerce that we have at our disposal. From AI tools, to automation, to personalization, augmented reality etc. But here's the deal. None of that matters if you can't tell a good story or produce copy that compels people to buy. Often, she who tells the best story wins… I review dozens of eCommerce sites each week and it's very clear to me that good copywriting is a lost art. My guest on this week's episode is Julie Boswell, co-founder of AskaCopyExpert.com. Julie was the director of marketing for Bill Glazer and Dan Kennedy at GKIC for 4 years. Her copy helped fill seats at the famous Super Conference and Info Summit back in their heyday. In this session we dive into the power of strong copy to boost eCommerce sales. Here's what we dive into: - How to write emotional copy that elicits a response - Common copy mistakes to avoid - Copy tips for better product detail pages - Email copy tips - eCommerce companies to emulate who understand good copy - Plus more

My guest on the podcast today has a unique perspective on both Amazon and on building your ecommerce team. Nathan Hirsch built a wildly successful drop shipping business on Amazon in 2009. He's since scaled that to multi-million dollar per year business. in 2015 he launched freeeup.com to help online merchants find vetted outsourcers with eCommerce experience. In this episode we dig into some Amazon news and trends to pay attention to and we provide some specific insights for building your ecommerce team. Here's a quick snapshot. - How Amazon has changed since 2009 - Biggest mistakes he sees merchants making on Amazon - What Amazon changes should resellers be preparing for - Top hiring mistakes - Killer interview questions - Processes for properly vetting and hiring eCommerce rock stars

Few entrepreneurs achieve what Russell Brunson has. From selling "how to make potato gun" information in his college dorm to 40,000 paid monthly subscribers on Clickfunnels, his current SaaS platform, Russell knows how to make stuff happen. That's why leaders like Tony Robbins and The Profit's Marcus Lemonis speak at Russell's events and even go to him for marketing advice. In today's episode we cover: - What a successful ecomm funnels look like - Top ecommerce funnel mistakes - Why building a movement and building a brand should go together - How expert status can help combat the "race to the bottom" - Russell's incredible story of selling how to make potato gun information online in college to huge SaaS Business and events with Tony Robbins, Marcus Lemonis, etc. - Traffic sources Russell is most excited about

There is an art and a science to selling. Boring doesn't sell. Neither does average. Ryan Stewman is neither. He's a 4x best selling author and the host of the very successful Hardcore Closer podcast. You don't have to necessarily match Ryan's style to appreciate and benefit from the principles he teaches. We uncover some gold on this episode to help you craft better closing product pages, videos, online ads and social media posts. Here's a quick rundown of what we cover: - 3 things you need to sell more today - The benefits of building a persona - Tips to sell more via video - How to craft emails that close deals and leave people wanting to see your next email - How to get into the sales state of mind - His recent weekend speaking to a group of MMA fighters - Plus more! Warning - This episode does contain profanity. Not necessarily excessive, but there is some. Just a heads up. The content is excellent. Enjoy!

It's one thing to build a site, drive some traffic and close a few sales. It's another thing entirely to build a lifestyle brand that resonates with your audience. The story of Everyday California is a great one chock full of entrepreneurial insights. My friend and long time client Chris Lynch and his business partner Michael Sammer started their business with just a couple of Kayaks and a beat up truck in La Jolla Shore near San Diego, CA. Fast forward 9 years and they have a super cool apparel line that's growing at 10x year-over-year online. They have a license deal with Cherokee - the company that owns Tony Hawk's brand. They're driving traffic through search and social and there's no slowing down in sight. Here are some of the lessons we cover in this episode: - Keys to great design and building a brand that endures - Top traffic sources for their ecommerce store - Why they switched from Magento to Shopify Plus - A crazy Facebook/Instagram post that is raking in the sales - How to successfully diversify your business - When to pull the plug on a new initiative - Plus more!

As an eCommerce merchant you have to pay attention to Amazon and Google. Google is likely one of your top traffic channels. Amazon is either enemy or partner #1 or perhaps they’re your top frenemy. In this episode we dive into recent Google and Amazon news and what it means for your business. Here are some of the highlights: Google: - Google Shopping - Google will roll this out on the display network, calling it Retail Shopping on Display. - Google Shopping Q1 2017 year over year growth outpaced Q4 Year over year 21% vs. 19%. - Google Shopping/PLAs now 75% of non-branded retail clicks. - Google shopping spend grew 32% in Q1 for year over year - Google AdWords phone and desktop spend increased 51% and 12%, respectively, while tablet spend fell 23%. - Similar Audiences for Search & Shopping - Demographics for Search - YouTube TV - similar to sling box. - Original content via YouTube Red. 6 Shows including shows feature Ellen, Kevin Hart, and Ryan Seacrest. - 18-49 year olds spend more time on YouTube in prime time than watch the top 10 TV shows combined. - YouTube Scandal - big brand ads placed next to neo nazi and jihadist content. 5% of top advertisers pulled ads. Amazon: - Q1 earnings - Sales grew 23%. $35.7 billion in sales, $8billion in growth. - AWS grew 42% to $3.66B - Subscription services $1.94 Billion mainly Amazon Prime - 49% YoY - Making prime sticky with original content - Manchester by the Sea won two oscars. Best actor - Casey Affleck and Best Director. - Purchased the rights to Thursday night football - Amazon Prime is closing in on Costco in terms of members. Now roughly 80 million prime users in the US. 37% growth since last year. In March of 2017 costco has 88.1 million members. - Amazon Fresh pickup - Amazon Go Store

When you talk to eCommerce merchants about the Google Display Network (GDN) or display ads, in general, they usually fall into one of 3 camps: 1. They feel it’s only effective as a remarketing vehicle. 2. They feel like people are more likely to get struck by lightening than click a display ad (had a guy say that to me once). 3. They’re intrigued but apprehensive because they’ve heard so many display campaign horror stories. I’ve always been in camp 3. Very intrigued and knowing it could work, but also knowing that the road to success with display ads (outside of remarketing) is more than a little bit tricky. I first met Mike when we both spoke at Traffic & Conversion Summit in San Diego this March. Mike has officially cracked the code for creating profitable GDN campaigns. He is the co-author of The Ultimate Guide to AdWords and the owner of AgencySavvy.com. He’s been actively managing AdWords campaigns since 2004. Mike is the real deal as you will soon witness. This podcast reveals the method behind the madness that produces GDN campaigns that work and scale.

Today's guest is Austin Brawner. Austin is the host of the Ecommerce Influence podcast and the Chief Fixer at Brand Growth Experts. Austin is a true expert at building marketing automation and triggered email marketing campaigns that deliver results. On this episode we cover some really important topics including: 3 metrics to help you turn interested visitors into loyal customers The difference between automated marketing and traditional email marketing The top triggered email sequences every eCommerce store owner needs Identifying and targeting the top 20% of your top 20% (your whales) Customer life cycle marketing Top email mistakes & much more!

Today's episode is about Shoppable Trueview, the dynamic of Google Shopping and YouTube video ads. In this solo episode of eCommerce Evolution, Brett answers several frequently asked questions about this marketing platform including: • The 5 best remarketing audiences to target, • How to structure your campaigns • What Return on Ad Spend and CPA performance should you expect • How to use Shoppable TrueView ads for top of funnel targeting, • 5 Keys to an effective video ad • & more! If you're new to Shoppable Trueview ads, or if you're using them already, this episode can help answer your questions and help you get the most from your campaigns.

Today's guest is Justin Christianson. Justin is President and Co-Founder of Conversion Fanatics, a top rated Conversion Rate Optimization company. Justin is also author of the best selling book "Conversion Fanatic: How to Double Your Customers, Sales and Profits with A/B Testing". He also hosts the CMO Roundtable podcast. In today's episode, we discuss the differences between split testing vs multivariate testing, little tweaks that can make a big difference, great split testing tools to use, common mistakes ecommerce sites make that lower their conversion rate, and look at a couple of case studies (one that led to an 1,892% boost in conversions!). Split testing is a must in marketing, and Justin shares some insight that could lead to more conversions for you.

Today's guest is Chris Brewer. Chris is my long time business partner at OMG Commerce, and a veritable powerhouse of knowledge and experience when it comes to sales and marketing. Always looking for new ways to succeed and grow the agency, Chris has played a huge role in making OMG Commerce the agency it is today. Today's episode was recorded on location from the 2017 Traffic and Conversion Summit in San Diego. With so many great insights from all of so many great speakers, we chose to highlight our top 10 takeaways from the whole event. Whether you have an ecommerce store, an agency, or if you're a solo-preneur these takeaways will provide you with valuable ways to succeed.

“The difference between who you are now and who you are five years from now, comes down to the people you meet and the books you read.” - Charlie "Tremendous" Jones "The book you don't read won't help." - Jim Rohn This episode is about getting the right information to feed your brain and better yourself. Brett talks about some of his favorite podcasts and his favorite books, and why you should be monitoring your inputs. You (and your brain) are the most valuable assets your ecommerce business has. Get the right inputs!

Today's guest is Kurt Elster. Kurt is a conversion rate optimization expert, and the Senior Ecommerce Consultant with CRO Company Ethercycle. He is also an accomplished speaker, the host of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, and co-author of Ecommerce Bootcamp. Kurt has worked with brands such as Verizon, NFL, Hilton, Everest Bands, and Shopify. In today's episode, we talk about Conversion Rate Optimization. We get into where to begin with CRO, design mistakes, things to think about for mobile, and we even look at a couple of the clients Kurt has worked with and the difference Conversion Rate Optimization made for their business. If you have a website of any kind, especially an ecommerce store, this episode is a virtual gold mine.

Today's guest is Zak Stambor. Zak is the Managing Editor at Vertical Web Media, the largest publisher in the e-commerce field, and famed founders of the ever-popular Internet Retailer magazine. Zak has a large role in putting out one of the most widely celebrated editions of IR Magazine: the IR Hot 100. In today's episode, we highlight our 10 favorite e-commerce companies from the IR Hot 100 list. We talk about what makes these companies stand out, covering everything from business models to innovative marketing strategies. Get insight into growing trends in e-commerce, discover companies to watch and learn from, and enjoy a bonus 11th company spotlight!

Today's guest is Mike Ugino. Mike is the Co-Founder and CMO at Sellbrite, an L.A. based multi-channel listing and inventory management platform. Prior to Sellbrite, Mike was an IR300 Merchant responsible for top and bottom line growth across a portfolio of 20 websites. With a background in product marketing, with a focus on ecommerce and branding, Ugino is one of the top minds in online marketplace selling. In today's episode, we talk about the fast growing world of online marketplaces. We talk about selling on giants like Amazon, Walmart.com, Jet.com, and some you may not expect. We talk pros and cons of marketplace selling, fulfillment by Amazon, the importance of diversification, and how to grow your brand in a sustainable way. If you sell products online, if you've been thinking about selling on Amazon, Walmart, Jet, or other marketplaces, this episode will provide valuable insight.

Today's guest is Frederick Vallaeys. Frederick was one of the first 500 employees at Google. He spent 10 years working on Adwords, was part of the original quality score team, and helped small businesses all over the country with their Adwords accounts as an "Adwords evangelist". Frederick has since co-founded the Adwords tool Optmyzr, a robust tool that makes working with Adwords easier by providing unique data insights, one-click optimizations, and advanced reporting. Frederick is also one of the top speakers in the paid search and adwords space. In today's episode, we get into some fun stories about the early days with Google, mistakes merchants make with Adwords, Google Shopping strategies, little known features of Adwords that you or your agency should be using, and more. Whether you are a seasoned Adwords veteran or you hire an agency to handle your campaigns, you can expect to gain some insights from today's interview.

Today's guest is Russ Henneberry. Russ is a content marketing rockstar who has worked with the likes of Neil Patel & Crazy Egg, Salesforce.com, Network Solutions, and many others. He is the Editorial Director for Digital Marketer, the company behind the ever-popular Traffic and Conversion Summit. Russ is also author of the new book "Digital Marketing for Dummies", which he wrote alongside digital marketing superstar Ryan Deiss. In today's episode, we talk about content marketing for eCommerce. A lot of merchants just flat get this wrong, and Russ digs into important topics like frequency, strategy, and how to create content that actually helps with conversion.

Today's guest is Ezra Firestone. Ezra is the founder and CEO of Smart Marketer, and a serial entrepreneur with over $18 Million in projected revenue from just two of his eCommerce lines. He is truly a wizard when it comes to traffic generation, email marketing, and really anything eCommerce related. In today's episode, we talk about Ezra's initial claim to fame: landing pages. We'll spend most of our time talking about the 'money pages' on your site: product detail pages. Every conversion path passes through these pages, making them crucial to optimizing conversions. Ezra will share some of his favorite layouts, must-have elements, mistakes to avoid, as well as companies to learn from.