E-Commerce with Coffee?!

E-Commerce with Coffee?!

By Amber EngineBusiness
Download on the App Store

E-Commerce with Coffee?! episodes

  • 06. Stronger E-commerce SEO for Today and Tomorrow with Barb Davids, Owner of Compass Digital Strategies

    Barb Davids joins E-Commerce with Coffee?! to talk about the power of SEO now and how to prepare for the future. Just like Google changes its algorithm all the time, user behavior changes continually. With this growing tech and shifting paradigm, search optimizations are continually changing, too.

    To get found and make the most of your content and product data, Barb dives into topics like the different product attributes on different sales channels, SEO advantages small and medium businesses have over the big dogs, tangential content, and more.

    The biggest gap in SEO strategy and brands’ desired end results, Barb says, is when product listings don’t have their product data optimized (or even filled out completely). She then talks about this missed opportunity and others like it. Brands listening in can easily avoid these mistakes.

    Finally, Barb dives into the last 15 months since the start of the pandemic and what it’s all meant for e-commerce. She even leaves E-Commerce with Coffee?! listeners with special SEO strategy resources on her website!


    What to listen for: 

    • If you sell your products on different platforms including Amazon, Wayfair, and others, your wording probably changes a little platform-to-platform. (Or, at least, it should.) Different platforms will have different product attributes to fill out. That said, the core of SEO strategy is the same across platforms, and Barb explains why.
    • Start with each platform’s “Help” information to learn how to best utilize the system. You can also look for online communities of other business owners selling there. This kind of proactive learning is a key strategy, and Barb discusses the benefits.
    • With all the product pages, content, social profiles and more your brand has online, learn how to prioritize which pages to rank.
    • “Tangential content” is also worth learning about, and Barb gives you a quick 101 of what it is and how it’s beneficial. 
    • Savvy keyword research is a big part of how small and medium-sized brands compete with the big dogs. After all, there’s a finite number of search terms to compete on. Barb walks through how this is done.
    • Barb also talks about the advantages smaller organizations have over the big guys in branding and even SEO. 
    • Competitors in SEO aren’t just the other brands that sell what you sell. They’re also the other entities that compete with the search terms you want to rank for, whatever their reason. Listen to Barb’s take on how to manage this.
    • Email marketing might be the “dinosaur” of the digital marketing world, but it’s still an important piece of the marketing puzzle. It has, however, changed. Barb talks this over.
    • Barb then goes into what's changed—and surprised her—the most in e-commerce in the last 12 months.
    • The biggest gap in digital marketing for e-commerce is when products don’t have optimized product data, or are missing field data altogether. Barb explains what that means to Google.
    • Barb also put together some resources just for the listeners of E-Commerce with Coffee?! Check them out here on the Compass Digital Strategies website. 


      • A love letter from our sponsor:

      If you're a brand listening and can relate, don't stop here! Visit the Amber Engine blog for more tips, strategies, and insights to sell more online. We love e-commerce, and our product information software (PIM) and data enrichment strategies simplify and speed up your rollout to Amazon and other marketplaces. Our clients launch in weeks instead of months, eliminate the guesswork, and enable interdepartmental collaboration to drive a winning presence online.

      Stay awesome,

      Amber Engine


      20 min
    • 05. The Value of Transparency in E-Commerce with Sean Kopen, President and Founder of Cinder Inc.

      Today’s consumer expectations include near-instant replies on multiple channels, greater accessibility, and a more immersive shopping experience. A big part of this rising trend seems to be the tech that makes it possible, from chat apps to social media.

      Did consumers start to expect instant replies on chat, messengers, and text because of the new apps they have? Or did the apps come to exist as a response to consumers’ rising expectations?

      Sean Kopen, the President and Founder of Cinder Inc., joins E-Commerce with Coffee?! to talk about this and more.

      Sean also provides a deep look into brand transparency and how it meets today’s consumer expectations in important ways. Transparency can be a game-changer when applied internally from the top down, and Sean explains why.

      Finally, Sean digs into new tech integrations into e-commerce processes and how to choose the right solutions for each need. From “opportunity analysis” to getting stakeholders fully on board, it’s all in this episode of E-Commerce with Coffee?!

      What to listen for:

      • Increasing transparency can seem like a business “risk” in some contexts because brands want to protect themselves; Sean talks about how acting on behalf of the consumer is a good investment
      • Getting stakeholders on board with new levels of transparency is hard, but it's the best long-term strategy, especially in the context of e-commerce where consumers easily navigate to the competition
      • Sean also talks about what transparency has to do with the brand and product accessibility
      • Sean then discusses the equation to decide what tech solutions to integrate into e-commerce management
      • Listen to Sean touch on one of the biggest things an organization needs in order to shift to e-commerce: internal champions who can face the inevitable challenges
      • Transparency is important internally, too, especially when pitching opportunities for tech solutions that phase out archaic legacy processes
      • Sean dives into how to make some of the hard decisions, especially when organizations face analysis paralysis
      • The terms of a contract with any new tech solution are one of Sean's talking points, in the context of today's e-commerce agility needs
      • In talking about consumer expectations, Sean has some great insights on online chat, too
      • Many brands are missing opportunities in the “post-purchase” customer experience, and Sean talks about what those brands can do


        • A love letter from our sponsor:

        If you're a brand listening and you can relate, don't stop here! Visit the Amber Engine blog for more tips, strategies, and insights to sell more online. We love e-commerce, and our product information software (PIM) and data enrichment strategies simplify and speed up your rollout to Amazon and other marketplaces. Our clients launch in weeks instead of months, eliminate the guesswork, and enable interdepartmental collaboration to drive a winning presence online.

        Stay awesome,

        Amber Engine

        36 min
      • 04. Today and Tomorrow in E-commerce Marketing with Ben Zettler from Ben Zettler Digital Media

        In this episode of E-Commerce with Coffee?! we interview Ben Zettler of Ben Zettler Digital Media. Listen to the episode to hear about his start in managing the online presence of professional athletes, and how he then moved to digital consultation and e-commerce for brands on Shopify.

        The expertise Ben acquired from all this hyper-niche experience informed everything he’s done since then—and that’s been a lot.

        Since starting his own e-commerce consultation firm, Ben has worked with hundreds of brands selling on Shopify. He’s worked with established companies who are just migrating from another e-com platform to Shopify, and he’s also helped build brands from the ground up.

        Some of the topics Ben touches on in this episode include marketing channels, dropshipping, and the KPIs a brand on Shopify really needs to know.

        Ben has some interesting advice on market saturation, too. This, mind you, is coming from a guy who successfully started and sold his first online sunglasses brand in just a few short years.

        This episode of E-Commerce with Coffee?! covers a lot of ground for the brands interested in ramping up their online strategy with Shopify. Hear what Ben has to say!

        What to listen for:

        • Ben's preferred hot beverage is tea, not coffee—that still has caffeine, right?
        • Ben also talks about the evolution of Shopify from when he opened his store (number 41,000 on the platform, compared with the 2 million storefronts there now)
        • Social selling is something Ben talks a lot about, namely the shift from idle scrolling to “discovery shopping”
        • Ben then explains the marketing channels you “own” and how they're more relevant today than ever
        • According to Ben, the name of the game in marketing these days is to get users interested enough in what you're saying that they'll opt-in
        • 99% of the brands Ben works are on or moving over to Shopify, which gives him extraordinary insights into best practices on the platform
        • Ben also talks about “overthinking” the saturation of your market—because it doesn't necessarily happen that way (and Ben explains why)
        • There was a recent craze for dropshipping businesses, but Ben has seen why this doesn't work—listen to how he talks about getting behind unique products instead
        • Unless you're getting 20% or more of your sales from email and text marketing, Ben talks about the opportunity that your brand is missing

          • A love letter from our sponsor:

          If you're a brand listening and you can relate, don't stop here! Visit the Amber Engine blog for more tips, strategies, and insights to sell more online. We love e-commerce, and our product information software (PIM) and data enrichment strategies simplify and speed up your rollout to Amazon and other marketplaces. Our clients launch in weeks instead of months, eliminate the guesswork, and enable interdepartmental collaboration to drive a winning presence online.

          Stay awesome,

          Amber Engine

          45 min
        • 03. B2B Ecommerce: Real ROI and why the time is now with Brian Beck, Managing Partner at Enceiba

          In this episode of E-commerce with Coffee?! we talk to Brian Beck, E-Commerce Expert Advisor and the author of Billion Dollar B2B Ecommerce. The B2B world hasn’t gotten as much press this last year as B2C, but it’s seen just as many changes (maybe more).

          In this interview, Brian brings us a fascinating analysis of what that means.

          Brian covers multiple B2B-specific topics, including:

          • Key differences in B2B vs. B2C
          • Surprising similarities in B2B and B2C
          • Top KPIs for B2B e-commerce
          • Amazon Business (and major upcoming changes)
          • “Channel conflict”

            • “Too often I hear manufacturers using ‘channel conflict’ as a reason not to engage [in e-commerce],” Brian says, “and...that's a losing strategy.” Brian offers case study after case study of what brands and manufacturers are doing successfully and not-so-successfully in B2B.

            Then, Brian digs deep into Amazon’s strategy, talking about everything from 1P vs. 3P sellers to the rich possibilities for brands with more visual-audio-rich product information.

            Listen to hear these tips and more in this episode of E-commerce with Coffee?!

            What to listen for:

            • Listen up for how Brian describes caffeine!
            • Brian also reminisces about the e-commerce scene in the ‘90s when he got started
            • Next, Brian talks about recent shifts in B2B and how they’re similar but different from the B2C consumer expectations
            • When Brian talks about KPIs in B2B e-commerce, he has some exceptional insights on what changes certain metrics like conversion rates in the B2B world compared with B2C
            • Brian also talks about “channel conflict,” an ever-changing challenge business face in today’s multichannel world
            • Amazon Business has become the fastest-growing part of Amazon’s distribution, so the monster platform is already in the B2B world; Brian talks about what that means for brands
            • 70% of brands don’t even know all the sellers selling their products on Amazon, and Brian talks about how brands can take more strategic control
            • Brand loyalty has been “turned on its head,” Brian says, and you can hear what COVID-19 has to do with it
            • Brian also describes meeting new consumer expectations (especially the B2B industry) as “existential,” and his rationale is fascinating
            • One of the best parts of this interview is all the real examples Brian gives—listen for yourself to hear them all!

              • A love letter from our sponsor:

              If you're a brand listening and you can relate, don't stop here! Visit the Amber Engine blog for more tips, strategies, and insights to sell more online. We love e-commerce, and our product information software (PIM) and data enrichment strategies simplify and speed up your rollout to Amazon and other marketplaces. Our clients launch in weeks instead of months, eliminate the guesswork and enable interdepartmental collaboration to drive a winning presence online.

              Stay awesome,

              Amber Engine

              40 min
            • 02. How to make it in today's e-commerce world with Jim Loden, VP of Sales at Petra Industries

              In this episode of E-Commerce with Coffee?! we talk to Jim Loden, Vice President of Sales at Petra Industries. Petra is a wholesale distributor that partners with omnichannel and e-commerce brands to supercharge their presence online.

              Jim rolls into this episode with a wealth of experience to back him up. He’s been around the block for sure, and has spearheaded major strategic shifts at Petra (and for the clients they serve).

              On E-Commerce with Coffee?! Jim starts off by talking about what’s at stake for brands in e-commerce. “If you choose not to participate in the e-commerce world,” he says, “you’re not going to make it.”

              He makes one heck of a case to back that up.

              Jim also talks about key partnerships, without which your brand’s profit margins seriously erode. Every channel (from Amazon to Home Depot) has different requirements for brands selling their products there, and it’s the strategic relationships that help you navigate those waters.

              50 min
            • 01. Inaugural Episode with Eddie Porrello, Director of Product Management at Amber Engine

              In this inaugural episode of E-Commerce with Coffee?! we talk to our very own Eddie Porrello, Director of Production Management at Amber Engine. He hit the tech scene when Twitter was new (wow), and here he tells the story about how he wound his way to Amber Engine and PIM technology.

              Of course, Eddie's passionate about e-commerce, starting with his verdant days in ads and marketing for online brands.

              With experience in the commodity market after that, Eddie got deep into the algorithms and strategies behind e-commerce. That's what later pointed him to the software development world.

              With that backdrop, Eddie talks about the changes that have popped up in e-commerce more recently and those that are yet to come. Don't miss out! Give the whole episode a listen.


              What to listen for:


              • Eddie worked for a firm with 30 million SKUs sold across 60-70 different channels, hear what that was like
              • Eddie also has an interesting relationship with caffeine he wasn't shy to share!
              • As a consumer, Eddie hasn't stepped foot in a grocery store for over a year thanks to the ease of delivery services, and he believes this model is more important than most realize
              • PIM technology "then and now" is broken down in this episode, too
              • Learn about the key "chapters" of market shifts Eddie defines
              • Brand "personality" is also discussed as the most valuable asset brands have today


                • A love letter from our sponsor:


                If you're a brand listening, and you can relate, don't stop here! Visit the Amber Engine blog for more tips, strategies, and insights to sell more online. We love e-commerce, and our product information software (PIM) and data enrichment strategies simplify and speed up your rollout to Amazon and other marketplaces. Our clients launch in weeks instead of months, eliminate the guesswork, and enable interdepartmental collaboration to drive a winning presence online.


                Stay awesome,

                Amber Engine

                24 min

              About E-Commerce with Coffee?!

              From the publisher's feed

              E-Com secrets for brands over your favorite brew.