Ecommerce Evolution

How would you like to generate a whopping $250k in sales on a new product launch without running Facebook ads and without offering deep discounts?  Sound impossible?  It’s not.  It’s the magic of Gated Launches. So what’s a gated launch?  It’s a product launch that’s only available to VIPs or top customers.  While it may sound complex, it’s really not.  It does take some work to build a VIP community. But, if you do it right, it’s actually pretty easy to maintain.  In this episode Jordan West, founder and CMO of Little and Lively, a children’s apparel brand, breaks down how his gated launches have generated as much as $120k in sales in the first two hours after going live.    Here’s a look at what we discuss in this episode: The psychology behind gated launches and why they are so powerful How to build a healthy, vibrant VIP group that is low maintenance How to foster the proper buying mentality in your VIP group How to harness VIP feedback for new product development The secret of using personalized 1-to-1

If you’re like me, then you're fascinated by the stories of “tech geniuses.”  I never get tired of hearing the origin stories of great tech startups and geniuses behind them (The Social Network is still one of my favorite movies).  In this episode I interview Shawn Livermore, author of the new book Average Joe: Be the Silicon Valley Tech Genius. Shawn’s new book uncovers some of the magic behind blockbuster tech products like Gmail, Dropbox, Snapchat, Ring, Bitcoin and more.  We bust some long-held myths and underscore how you can learn from the success of tech icons.  Here’s a look at what we cover: How moving slow is the new fast in some key areas How believing you have to be a genius to succeed in business (even tech)  is a myth How to properly incubate ideas and allow your brain to work the way it works best The story of Gmail and it’s creator Paul Buchheit  The story of Polaroid and how to innovate

How quickly can you find the following key metrics from your business? Contribution margin.  Inventory turn ratio.   Return on inventory (the other ROI).   If you struggled a bit finding those answers (or if you just want to go to the next level), you need to listen to this episode with John Canetta.  This episode was super fun for me and the content is what separates eComm companies who just get by vs. those who thrive (and end up with big exits).  It’s a must-listen for serious store owners.    You HAVE to know your numbers.  And your P&L may be lying to you and you don’t even know it.   How his hedgehog concept allows him to consistently hit 80% margins vs. 40-50% like some of his competitors. His piggybank metaphor and how it shapes his decision making Marketing is fun, but operations are where your profits are Understanding your numbers and making it SIMPLE -  How to look at and use Post Aggregate Gross, Contribution Margin, and Return on Inventory to hit his goals John’s 3 keys to business success

Brennan Agranoff was building spreadsheets at age 13.  He learned a little HTML in High School.   Growing up playing club basketball in Oregon with Nike HQ in his backyard, Brennan saw the appeal of custom socks as a young teen.  So he launched his first eComm brand called HoopSwag at age 13.  Brennan is a master of creative growth ideas.  He combines that with an intense focus on product and process development and automation.  We talked about both growth ideas and process automation at length in this episode.   How creative gifting has opened up his Micro-micro influencer approach How to go from VA to automation Always asking “how do I remove myself from this?” How Brennan shares a similar philosophy to Amazon to automate anything repeatable The comparison of good code to good process development The power of good mentors Plus more

If you sell a great product, then no doubt you’re getting referrals.  Referrals are great, but just waiting for them to happen on their own is NOT a formula for rapid growth.  Referral programs are a proven, but underutilized strategy for growing eCommerce brands. In this episode, I interview Arlen Robinson, referral marketing specialist, podcast host, and co-founder of Affiliate Software. We dig into some powerful points to help you take your referral marketing and affiliate marketing to the next level.  Here’s a look at what we cover: What’s the difference between referral, affiliate, and influencer marketing and how they each impact your business. To incentivize or not to incentivize?  Understanding the when, why, and how of referral incentives. Creating a viral loop to get customers into your referral program Tools and approaches to make it easy Plus some real-world case studies

This eCommerce power couple is ON FIRE.  They are cranking out AMAZING products on Amazon and growing fast.  More importantly, they’re having fun in the process.   More surprising and impressive than the growth is that they’re married, work together and, wait for it...still like each other!   We uncover some really powerful lessons in Amazon growth, business growth, and maintaining healthy work relationships.  I hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I enjoyed recording it! Here’s a look at what we cover: How to pivot and grow How being in the right role to compliment each other is super important (whether you’re married to your business partner or not) Mistakes in hiring the wrong people and how to get this right How to know when and how to “let it go” and not get your feelings hurt How Tenacity and passion create the ultimate 1-2 punch Learning from your successes - a great tragedy is business is succeeding and not know why you succeeded.   Knowing your super power and using it consistently

Facebook is still a land of opportunity, but it is NOT currently smooth sailing.  The most powerful storm right now is, of course, privacy concerns.  Namely, the iOS 14 update and how it will impact advertisers' ability to track and optimize campaigns.  Facebook’s ability to track users everywhere online as they did in the past is going to be severely limited.  Whenever I talk to Facebook advertisers right now, uncertainty is the best way to describe their outlook on the platform.    In this episode, Bob and I tackle some really key issues facing Facebook advertisers right now.  How do we continue to scale and maintain CPAs in the face of privacy changes?  What kind of video ads are working right now?  What data do we focus on and optimize toward when some data is taken away?  Bob is the author of a brand new book - The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising (4th edition).   And he owns a company that specializes in creating authentic video content called feed stories.   Spend 80% of your time on your offer

Andrew Youderian is a bit of a legend. Podcaster, investor, former eCommerce store operator, and now founder of the premier online community for 7 and 8 figure eCommerce store owners - Ecommerce Fuel. That’s why I’m super pumped to have him on the show this week to talk predictions for the rest of 2021! In this episode, we put on our Nostradamus hats and try to predict what we might see more of this year. I focus a little more on the ad and marketing space as it relates to eCommerce. Andrew focuses his predictions more on eCommerce as a whole, plus a few macroeconomic predictions.   Hopefully, you find this fun and entertaining, and helpful. Even if we end up being dead wrong about our predictions, I think you’ll find some interesting nuggets here.

How does potty talk on Instagram lead to a thriving eComm brand and a world-class influencer marketing program? Normally it doesn’t, but Adi Arezzini isn’t your typical eCommerce entrepreneur.   Few companies run influencer marketing as successfully as Adi Arezzini.  And few people understand what it takes to build a brand and a community like Adi.  What started as discussions on Instagram about gut and bowel health transformed into a thoroughly engaged community and a brand that’s growing by leaps and bounds.   Everyone says they want to build a brand.  Few know what that means.  Even fewer are willing to do what it takes. In this episode Adi and I break down her step-by-step approach to influencer marketing + brand and community building.   Here’s a quick look at what we discuss:  How to find influencers with REAL influence How influencer marketing help Adi land in UltaHow to use a spreadsheet to build your first influencer lists The difference between IG and YT influencers How to leave nothing to chance a

Once upon a time you could source any old product you wanted from Alibaba, slap your name on it, throw up a listing on Amazon, and presto!  Instant sales.  I personally know several people who sold 7-figures + per year doing this.  Well….those days are over.  Everyone I know who ran that kind of business is either 1. Out of business or 2. Had to make a hard pivot.   To succeed on Amazon now you need to build a brand.  You need products that delight customers and serve a unique purpose.  You need listings that clearly communicate your brand difference and value proposition.  And you need to work on driving rankings the right way.   My guest today is Emma Schermer Tamir - Co-founder of Marketing by Emma.  We talk about how listing optimization on Amazon has shifted in recent years and how brand building now plays a major role in your success on Amazon.  Here’s a look at what we discuss: From brand registry to making customers happy, to Google traffic - why building a brand makes sense. Spammy product titles or

Few eComm and wholesale businesses reach the heights that VHC Brands has reached under the leadership of Ken Kline.  You’ve maybe seen their home decor products in big retailers like Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond or online at Wayfair, Amazon and many more.    Also, few eComm businesses have faced the setbacks that Ken and team have faced.  From a fire that completely destroyed their inventory in the mid 2000s to COVID wrecking their in-store retail plans in 2020 - they’ve faced some crazy times and come out stronger.   Here’s a look at what we cover. Why over communicating is the secret to vendor, investor and employee relationships. How they overcame a warehouse fire that likely would have destroyed most businesses (Plus the story of Ken’s Winston Churchill painting that miraculously survived the fire).  How to relay your road map to your team, make adjustments and celebrate along the way (even when things are bleak). How to take initiative to help your retail partners in selling more of your stuff. How t

Jared Mitchell has a unique perspective on the eCommerce industry.  He and his wife, Alana, run two eCommerce sites - skincarebyalana.com and alanamitchell.com.  He’s also the lead eCommerce consultant for Neil Patel and he runs an eCommerce training group at beefysites.com.  This guy has forgotten more good eCommerce ideas than most will ever learn.    Jared is also a close friend and he’s my surfing mentor.  We do take a very brief detour to talk surfing on this episode, but mostly we talk about overlooked growth ideas! Here’s a look at what we explore on the podcast: How to NOT be a one-trick pony.  And many, many successful eCommerce businesses are far too reliant on just one traffic source or one product. Why Jared recommends at least 10 sources of sales and what channels make his top 10 list. Push notifications - how and why they work and why you shouldn’t over-think them Phone sales - customers who buy over the phone often have twice the average order value of other buyers.   Postcards - how Jared and

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 Sma

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 focu

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 P

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

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 ac

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.