Functional and Fabulous

In this season finale, Ger and Gordon look back on Season 2 and discuss the highlights and key learnings.

Together they explore the wealth of knowledge that was so generously given by our guests over the past nine episodes.

No stone is left unturned. Proposition, branding, storytelling, product launch, entering new markets, marketing, customer experience, customer trust, customer loyalty, the democratisation of e-commerce tech... it's all here. 

In short, this episode is a formidable exploration of successful e-commerce, drawing on the thinking of some of the keenest practitioners today — and Ger and Gordon.

If you only ever listen to one episode of Functional & Fabulous, make sure it's this one.

Our guest this time round is the 'notorious' Rick Watson. If e-commerce platforms were restaurants, Rick would be the food critic who would make them tremble most.

Rick, Ger and Gordon talk about the big things that get in the way of online retail success. Overindulgence in bespoke technology solutions. Not even knowing what customer problem the business solves in the first place. Rick has seen it all.

And the boys spend time discussing why Temu will open its jacket wide and invite you to go on a treasure hunt, while Amazon most definitely will not.

In short, this episode is about earning customer trust, creating a customer experience and managing customer data.

But the most important question of all goes unanswered. Where is sound engineer Elaine?

In this episode, omnichannel specialist Ntola Obazee talks about the reality of going where no brand (or at least your brand) has gone before.

Ntola speaks with Ger and Gordon about entering new markets successfully, inspiring your team to give their best, segmenting your market and curating your collections. She also gives first-hand insight into a successful entry into China. 

Thinking of breaking into the Chinese market? Or any new market, for that matter? This episode is for you.

Want to bring about effective, and above all smooth, change? This episode is also for you. 

Wondering where to concentrate your retail efforts? Guess what, this episode is for you too.

Join Ntola, Ger and Gordon in a conversation grounded in change and innovation.

Join Jamie Roller, Marketplaces Director at Dr Squatch, as she talks Gordon and Ger through the trials and tribulations of marketplaces.

Find out why she's the Amazon Queen, as she explains how to tame the intricacies of the world's biggest online marketplace and keep winning the Buy Box.

Jamie also discusses balancing Amazon with other marketplaces, how to fight competitors selling your actual products for less on Amazon, and why now is the time to be looking seriously at TikTok Shop.

Enter the world of 1P, 3P, FBA, FBM and Amazon Ads with Jamie—and learn how to survive and thrive in the online jungle that is Amazon.

In short, Jamie provides a foundation course in selling through Amazon—drawing on years of daily, practical experience gained at the sharp-end of the platform. With Amazon.ie rising up over the horizon, this is a must-listen episode for Irish retailers.

But beware. Even Jamie is looking beyond Amazon...

Mike Ryan, Head of Ecommerce Insights at Smarter Ecommerce, talks to Gordon and Ger about the potentially unholy marriage between data and advertising automation that can erode your control of your ecommerce performance.

Specifically, Mike takes the boys through how to manage ecommerce marketing tools like Google's Pmax, which, left unchecked, can give unintended or unwanted results. How do you tame it and make sure it delivers in line with your strategic business goals?

Inevitably, it comes down to what data you feed it. But that's not always easy when tools like Pmax seem to be shifting to automated, unstructured data inputs and the ability to source data themselves.

Is control slipping from our hands?

If it is, maybe critical analysis of our KPIs will help us get our hands on the levers again? But which KPIs? ROAS? MER? CPC? KFC?

And just when Mike and the boys seem to be heading into calmer waters, the big 800lb Gorilla that is Temu beats its chest into the discussion. But Mike is ready and shows how Temu's seemingly bottomless ad spend is actually benefiting online advertisers in some ways.

Join Mike, Gordon and Ger on an epic rollercoaster of a quest into the realm of ecommerce marketing.

How do you manage two brands that provide overlapping services? That's the job facing Jessica Lesesky, Vice President & General Manager of Shutterfly & Snapfish, which both offer customised online printing on to a wide range of media. 

In this episode, Jessica tells Ger and Gordon how her team keep both brands distinct and thriving, using a blend of data analysis, common sense and the kind of instinct that comes from many years of e-commerce experience.

Also, Gordon sings a very short song.

In this episode, Gavin Williams, former Global Director of Digital and E-commerce with luxury fragrance brand Creed, says we should put a ban on squirrel hunting, until we've figured out whether the squirrel is worth the hunt.

He takes Gordon and Ger (and you too, if you hit the play button) through the many things (so many) luxury retailers and brands are doing wrong (so very wrong). He pulls no punches. In fact, Gavin predicts that he'll never work in luxury again once this episode airs.

He talks the good, the bad and the insanely ugly when it comes to chasing the latest fad, building an attractive e-commerce experience, listening to customers, and putting your focus where it really matters for your business.

Listen and learn how, if it's on the skin, you win.

Gordon and Ger are joined by Paul Sherratt, CEO and Founder of gloveglu, to talk about making goalkeeping gloves grippy and sticky. Is it cheating? (No, it isn't.) Is it innovative? (Yes, it absolutely is.)

You'll learn how Paul came up with the idea, what went into developing gloveglu, and how he used the power of a teenage TikTok producer to tap into a global market for a product that didn't exist before.

Paul also talks candidly about balancing a multitude of sales channels, including marketplaces (Amazon alert!) and retailers.

A gloveglu product is sold every two-and-a-half minutes somewhere in the world. Listen to hear the whole gripping tale.

Gordon and Ger are joined by Shane Linehan, VP Marketing with Raylo, to talk about the circular economy and electronic consumer goods.

Shane talks about unlocking huge residual value for customers (and revenue for businesses). He also discusses launching an unknown brand with an unknown offering—one that now has 100,000+ paying subscribers.

The boys talk customer funnel analysis, customer acquisition costs and life after cookies.

And you'll find out the answer to the big question, 'Where is Gordon?'

In this episode, recorded live at The Laughter Lounge in Dublin at StudioFory9's Transformation: Excellence in Ecommerce conference, Ger and Gordon talk on stage with Paul Rogers, ecommerce consultant and founder of Vervaunt, a London-based eCommerce consultancy and performance marketing agency.

They discuss clienteling, unified commerce, Shopify's big data play (bye bye GA4) and the importance of the order confirmation page in boosting sales and data acquisition.

There are also bouncy couches, complete silence and poetic language.

Can you afford to miss this episode of Functional and Fabulous? No, you cannot.