Ecommerce Conversations

Barry Hott is a longtime Facebook advertising consultant. He says first reactions to an ad largely determine its performance. He advises merchants to create ugly ads, those that people won't skip over.

"I'm the Ugly Ads Guy," he stated.

In this episode, Hott addresses key Facebook ad metrics, budgeting, testing, and, yes, ugly creative.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6sy2

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   


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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Lukas Tanasiuk once paid a firm to redesign his Shopify site, a seller of electric scooters. The result was slow page loads and his efforts to improve them. What he found, he says, was a lot of false claims.

"I discovered corruption among folks who say they are page-speed optimizers," he says.

Page-speed optimization became Tanasiuk's next opportunity. In 2023 he launched The Nice Agency, focusing on Shopify page loads.

In this episode, he shares his journey from merchant to agency owner, slow Shopify sites, and more. 

He addresses:

• His firsthand experiences with slow page speeds.
• The root causes of slow Shopify sites.
• The downsides of adding third-party Shopify apps.
• His efforts to out a company making false page-speed claims.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6ssX

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Corey Wilks is a clinical psychologist turned business coach. He helps entrepreneurs and creators improve their mindset and overcome self-imposed obstacles.

He says a common obstacle is overthinking a problem. Others involve perfectionism, doubt, and even fear. In this episode, he addresses those mental hurdles and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6smD

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

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The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com

Natalie Mounter is a stay-at-home mom and entrepreneur. Her company, Totally Dazzled, sells craft supplies for weddings and creative projects. She says the business has prospered due to other stay-at-home moms — her employees and affiliates.

"Being a stay-at-home mom and hiring other stay-at-home moms has been key to our success," she stated.

In this episode, she shared Totally Dazzled's origins, its affiliate marketing success, and the value of smart, hardworking moms.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6shr

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

******
The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Bill D'Alessandro is a 14-year ecommerce owner. Natural Dog Company, an omnichannel seller of canine health products, is his eighth brand. "My niche is acquisition entrepreneurship," he stated. 'll buy a small brand, grow it, improve it, and eventually sell it."

Along the way, he's learned lessons such as focus, industry selection, and product pricing. He shares those experiences and more in this episode.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6scy

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

******
The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com

Shahzad Chagani runs operations for PE Energy, a Houston, Texas-based supplier of industrial equipment and supplies. The company collects leads online from worldwide B2B buyers and relies on its Colombia-based sales team to convert them into sales.

"Colombia is pretty Westernized," Chagani stated. "We find a lot of college-educated talent there."

In this episode, Chagani addresses his company's backend setup for 100,000 SKUs, the benefits of an offshore sales staff, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6s96

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

******
The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

For years Brandon Eley's online shoe company, 2BigFeet, prospered by reselling prominent brands. But the profit margins slowly narrowed as did the sources for large footwear sizes, Eley's niche.

The solution is Michael Ellis Footwear, Eley's direct-to-consumer brand, launched in 2021. "We finally decided to take matters into our own hands," he said.

In this second appearance on the podcast, Eley shares the evolution of 2BigFeet, the launch of Michael Ellis, custom manufacturing, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6s2H

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

******
The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Mickey Friedman co-launched Flair.ai in 2022, a year after graduating from the University of Chicago. The company, which has raised $5 million in seed funding, deploys artificial intelligence to perfect product photos, providing entire virtual scenes and setups.

The process, Friedman says, dramatically lowers the cost of photo shoots while improving quality.

In this episode, she addresses the rise of visual AI, the necessity of human intervention, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6rYb

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   


******

The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Matt Ragland is a 10-year email marketer, first at ConvertKit and now at Good People Digital, the Nashville-based agency he launched in early 2023. His approach to superior email performance is storytelling.

He says, "Brands that excel at email marketing frequently tell a story to their ideal audience."

In this episode, he addresses storytelling tactics, email design, automation strategies, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6rUb

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

******
The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

In 1962 Arto Alajian arrived in the U.S., having fled Egypt and his shoe-manufacturing business. He became a milkman in Los Angeles, and then a ceramic tile installer, and then a tile maker. That was 1966.

Fast forward to 2024, and ARTO, the company, is a global supplier of handcrafted ceramic, porcelain, and concrete products. Armen Alagian, the founder's son, now co-owns the business.

In this episode, he addresses the challenges and rewards of generational, family-owned companies. 

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6rNN

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

******
The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com