Black Friday is coming up and a lot of people are wondering what the best way to take advantage of the sales is. This bonus episode is going to answer all your questions about Black Friday so you can be fully prepared.

ABOUT CHLOE

Chloë Thomas is a globally recognised eCommerce marketing problem solver. Author of several bestselling books, keynote speaker, and host of both the award-winning eCommerce MasterPlan Podcast, AND Keep Optimising Podcast.

Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:

• There's a movement against the big blanket discounts that only last for 24 hours and things like this. Everyone now feels like they have permission to create the promotion that works for them. And then the second side of it is, as an industry we have got much savvier at organizing the operations side of it - changing the postage methods, changing the messaging on speed of delivery, working with our couriers, our 3PLs, our own inhouse warehouses - to be ready and to manage that bump when it comes.
• Black Friday doesn't have to be for everyone. If you've got good reason not to do it, don't do it. A good reason could be that it doesn't fit with your brand or it doesn't fit with your sales model or that you only have limited stock. There is a big customer intention to spend money on that day, whether you run an offer or not. So you will probably see a sales uplift even if you don't do anything.
• Use social proof to build and retain customer loyalty. Social proof comes in so many different flavors. You've got the overall score of the site; you've got actual quotes from actual customers to put in places. You can also take some control over what appears on the homepage and what is on your emails by including place that you've been featured or where you've been quotes. Tell your story too - how long you've been around, how many orders you've shipped, how many happy customers you've had. Reveal the humanity behind the business.

For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

Running a business that relies on delivering products from warehouse to customer can be daunting, especially when your company is growing quickly.

In this week’s episode Harry Drajpuch talks about ways to build a scalable fulfilment infrastructure and avoid the common pitfalls.

ABOUT HARRY

Harry Drajpuch is the CEO of Amware Fulfilment. He's a 30+ year logistics industry executive with a breadth of experience in executive management. In his previous role as COO of Amware Logistics, he was responsible for technology and the performance of eight nationwide fulfilment centers. Prior to that, Drajpuch was President and CEO of Weber Logistics, where he had full P&L responsibility for 15 distribution centers and a large regional truckload fleet. He also served as COO at third-party logistics provider Kane Is Able.

When he's not shaking things up in the boardroom, Harry will be likely off flying his plane - he’s an instrument rated pilot too!

Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:

• The eCommerce industry has changed drastically over the years. It’s a volatile industry and as an eCommerce entrepreneur, you have to adapt to the customer’s growing expectations in terms of speed of delivery, quality of service, product customisations/personalisations, etc. The ability to adapt with the changing demands of the customer will help you differentiate yourself in the marketplace and stand out from the crowd.
• The pathway to success begins with the right people. You have to ensure that the people in your organisation and those that you hire have the right attitude. Be selective in your hiring, look for people that want to do something a little bit differently, that see it as a challenge, and are willing to put themselves in the customer’s shoes to ensure they deliver excellent service, every single time. And then create a positive atmosphere that walks the talk, that supports and appreciates them.
• As your business grows, you must think about whether or not you need to outsource your fulfillment and what it’s going to cost you. Outsourced companies are a little more efficient and when you outsource, you generally save money and you can scale very quickly. Once the back-end is taken care of, you can focus on getting your message out to people to buy.

For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

In a world where people are increasingly conscientious of the environment, it is important to be aware of the impact your product has. 

In this week’s podcast, Austin Simms joins Matt to help us explore the different ways our products can reduce our environmental impact and make an effort to become more sustainable.

Austin is the co-founder of Dayrize.

After 20+ years spent working in senior positions at major corporations like Nike, Philips and Brooks Running, Austin had a desire to use his skills to address climate change. With a strong commercial background, he believed that putting the power in consumers hands was important to make real change. He recognized that the first thing that consumers needed to make positive change was access to information to make better decisions, which is why he started Dayrize to make impact assessment transparent for business and consumers.  

For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

Shopping used to be about finding what you wanted at a price that suited your budget. But with AI-powered product recommendations, the process has become much simpler and more enjoyable!

In this episode we chat with Oliver Edholm who tells us how this technology is changing both consumers' shopping experiences as well as businesses'.

ABOUT OLIVER

Oliver Edholm is the Co-founder and CEO of Depict.ai. 

At 15, Oliver dropped out of high school. At 16, he moved across the world and hustled his way into an ML research position at the National University of Singapore. At 17, he founded Depict and joined Y Combinator to revolutionise the way we discover products online. Now at 19, Oliver leads a team of 35 employees at one of the most cutting-edge Ecommerce startups in Europe.

Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:

• If you want to get started out with AI, your traffic and the number of SKUs that you have must be at a reasonable level before AI makes sense for you. Several 100 SKUs and probably a couple of 1000 people at least visiting your website. The more the data, the better the AI tends to be the rule of thumb.
• Depict can work with more sparse data sets, which have less data. Product information is incredibly useful when recommending a product like going to a physical retail store and asking the salesperson for advice. Almost all existing recommender systems ignore that. Depict can apply incredibly smart image recognition algorithms, understanding subtle patterns, which was impossible a few years ago, but is now possible. When combined with the user data, it can generate really good results.
• There are a lot of buzzwords around AI and many people exploit that fact. The way to avoid gimmicks then is to become really good at asking yourself, what problems do I need to solve and does the solution actually solve this problem? And then don't care if it uses AI or not. Simple solutions tend to work surprisingly well, a lot of times.

For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

Entrepreneurship is one of the most difficult things to do well, but it's also incredibly rewarding. You'll want this episode for all your entrepreneurial needs because in today’s talk with Omar Zenhom he shares some valuable lessons that any entrepreneur should take note of as they start their own business or grow an existing company!

ABOUT OMAR

Omar Zenhom is the co-founder and CEO of WebinarNinja. He founded the company in 2014, and it has since grown to become one of the world's leading webinar platforms. Over a million people have attended a webinar on WebinarNinja, and it has been named as one of the fastest growing SaaS companies in 2018.

In addition to his work at WebinarNinja, Omar is also the host of The $100 MBA Show. With over 2,100 episodes this iTunes Best of 2014 podcast has been downloaded over 197 million times and ranked as a top business podcast in over 30 countries. 

Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:

• In the modern digital world, it’s easy to think that you need to copy someone else to be successful. The danger with that is you can end up being just another guy and not really making any difference. Running a business is hard work. So, when you are building one, find something that you really enjoy and run it in a way that works and makes sense for you.
• When it comes to content marketing, there's so much opportunity. Teaching is the new selling and there are so many ways to turn your eCommerce store into more than just a store. It's a community, it's a movement. People are just excited about what you have because you're not just showing them the product, you're showing them how it fits in in their life.
• Blogging is still one of the most powerful ways to get traffic to your website because of the power of SEO. Even though we're in the digital age with video and audio, text SEO is still the most powerful way for people to find you. People don't just go from “I don't know anything about your product” to “I want to buy it now” instantly. There is a process of education, there's a process of them envisioning themselves and their lives with your product.

For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

This episode is all about learning how to use acquisition as a growth strategy for your business.

A lot of people think that the only way to grow a business is through organic growth - but that's not true. You can also grow your business by using acquisition as a growth strategy for your business and there are a lot of different ways that you can do this. 

In this video, Matt is joined by Stephen Speer and together they explore the topic of business growth through acquisition. They discuss what it means for a company to grow by acquisition and some of the key benefits and considerations involved in this type of growth.

ABOUT STEPHEN

Stephen Speer is the founder and CEO of Ecommerce Lending. He has over three decades of lending experience, and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs achieve business success through acquisition. Stephen is an ecommerce leader, guest speaker, and M&A instructor. With his firm, he has funded over 350 transactions totaling over $400 million- making them the top lender in the country in this very specialized niche.

Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:

• If you have an eCommerce business, you should definitely think of growth by acquisition. When you buy a business, it’s already been brought to a certain level and with the right business acumen you can really catapult the business and continue to grow. And if you're able to grow a portfolio of similar businesses, running them the same way, ultimately it can be a great way to grow and succeed.
• Usually, sticking to your lane and buying businesses you’re familiar with and running it roughly the same way is a great way to ensure success. Through leverage financing, smaller businesses can even acquire larger ones, as long as the buyer has the right business acumen.
• As much as acquiring an eCommerce business is a great idea, it is not really a straightforward process because there are a lot of moving pieces. At Ecommerce Lending, Stephen and his team help build a team around their clients to ensure they do have post acquisition success. They’re not just a lender, but offer a lot of ancillary services to help their clients succeed post acquisition.

For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

If you're like most business owners, you know that customer retention is key to your success.

In this episode, Daniel Budai joins Matt to talk about the secrets to email marketing that will keep your customers coming back for more.

ABOUT DANIEL

Daniel always had a knack for business, but it wasn't until he started learning about marketing and e-commerce that he truly found his calling. As a former geology student, he never would have guessed that he would end up owning a 7 figure marketing agency, Budai Media. But Daniel realized early on that most eCommerce business professionals lacked the skills to implement emails professionally. And that's why he founded Budai Media with the sole purpose of helping eCommerce brands build strong relationships with their customers.

These days, Daniel spends most of his time drinking Americano and running Budai Media and , but when he's not working you can find him playing basketball or spending time with his wife and two kids. He loves Americano and travelling around the globe. 

Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:

• The Budai Media helps eCommerce businesses with direct response marketing such as Email, SMS, and Messenger marketing and loyalty programs focusing on customer retention.
• If you're in a business that thrives on repeat customers, then tracking metrics such as average days between transactions is quite important. If you are a big brand with a big list of subscribers, tracking metrics such as RFM can give you valuable insights and help you segment your customers into various categories. Tools such as Reveal or Metrilo can help you with that.
• Building a solid Email flow and introducing your brand to your customers is a great way to increase Customer Retention. Also, don’t just offer discounts, but come up with creative ideas such as offering a sample product, hosting a Facebook Live, running a great customer loyalty program, or even providing live consultations to your top customers.

For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

Wanna learn how to take your product and turn it into a successful direct marketing campaign? This episode is for you!

A lot of people think that direct marketing is only for big businesses, but that's simply not true. You can use these techniques with any size business. So whether you're just starting out or you've been in business for years, listen to this episode and start generating more sales using direct marketing.

Cody Bramlett joins Matt on the eCommerce Podcast to discuss how any business (no matter its size) can take a product into direct marketing. Cody talks in depth about what this process looks like for eCommerce businesses. 

ABOUT CODY

Cody Bramlett is the founder of a multimillion-dollar nutritional supplement empire. After years of struggling as a personal trainer and gym owner, Cody's life changed when he solved his father's chronic inflammation problem with his own custom-formulated products. 

This empowered Cody to start growing his company, Science Natural Supplements, to help other people get pain-free, lose weight, and overall just feel great about themselves! As a result of starting and scaling Science Naturals, Cody now also teaches other driven entrepreneurs how to profitably start, scale, and sell their own nutritional supplement brands through his coaching and mastermind called, Supplement Millionaire.

Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:

• If you have a great product, you can start generating more sales by using long form sales pages, which can either be text or video, that’s telling a compelling story of how your product has transformed people’s lives. And the way to you can drive traffic to this page is using affiliates. Joining different community groups and coaching programmes can help you find the right affiliates that work for you.
• You will need quality writers to make your content stand out and to do that you must find out what you want and why. Once you have your product, you can then look at pages that are doing well and reverse engineer them. The people who visit your site do not know you or your product. So you want to build friendship and give them a great deal to build their trust and confidence in you.
• Cody has built a programme called Supplement Millionaire and teaches people how to launch and build a direct marketing, affiliate-based supplement brand or health brand in that space. He helps a huge plethora of people from diverse spaces start and build a health or supplement business online.

For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

In this episode we’re going to talk about the importance of customer experience and how you can improve it before, during and after the sale.

Customers are more savvy than ever before and they know what they want. If you don't give them what they want, they'll go somewhere else.

Adam Pearce joins Matt to explore how to give our customers an amazing experience that will keep them coming back for more.

ABOUT ADAM

Adam is the co-founder and CEO of Blend Commerce, the eCommerce Customer Experience Agency. Adam and his team have worked with over 200 Shopify retailers to help them provide memorable customer experiences that drive growth in revenue and profit.  

Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:

• Customer Experience is the overall experience that a customer has with your brand even before they click on your website till the point where you make your very final sale. So, it’s not just their experience while making a purchase but before and after the purchase as well.
• A good Conversion Rate doesn’t necessarily mean good Customer Experience. It gives a very narrow view whereas what’s important is the Customer Lifetime Value. You can increase the lifetime value of a customer by avoiding gimmicks and increasing value additions by creating more touch points to understand the customer better and helping them understand you and your products better.
• Personalising your homepage, improving the navigations, and adding a great search feature are some effective ways to improve your customer experience. Being smart with your emails, conducting quizzes or surveys to help you understand your customer better and then offering services that’s tailored to their specific needs or interests goes a long way in ensuring customer loyalty and lifetime value.

For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

Looking for a winning product idea? You're in luck! 

In this episode, Tim Jordan joins Matt Edmundson on the eCommerce Podcast to share foolproof tips for choosing a product that will make you money. So whether you're just starting out or you've been in the game for a while, these tips will help you find a winner every time.

ABOUT TIM

Tim Jordan is the Founder of Private Label Legion, a community of sellers and entrepreneurs who come together to share ideas, impart knowledge, and create a solid network. He is a well-known Amazon seller, host of the AM/PM Podcast, and Chief Growth Officer at SellersFunding.

Tim sells on both Amazon and Shopify and is currently working on a crowdfunding project which he is documenting to share his path to success with other entrepreneurs.

Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:

• Finding the right product to sell is crucial to ensuring a profitable online business. Earlier, it was believed that the way you sell a product on Amazon is to go and see what everybody else is selling well and replicate it. But that approach has problems.
• The smarter way to go about it is to start looking at Keyword Search Volumes and to realise that it’s not products that sell on a marketplace, its keywords. There's inspiration everywhere, online and offline places that you can go to for product ideas and look for the trending items. You take the product idea, find the keyword that relates to it, check keyword demand, or keyword search volume versus competitive product demand. And then you start to find those products that people are looking for.
• Software tools such as Seller.tools, Marmalead etc. can help you with product research and finding keyword search volumes of different products. You can also check out Private Label Legion, which is a community of sellers and entrepreneurs who come together to share ideas, impart knowledge, and create a solid network.

For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.