Future Commerce

• Bryan Mahoney is back today to talk about recent news at Chord such as launching Chord Commerce Hub
• “We see Chord Commerce Hub as the mission control for business users.” -Bryan
• If you’re trying to be efficient, you’re doing it wrong. The right way is oftentimes the hard way.
• “The core tenant of headless for me, is taking a first-principles approach to building. It's not the technology behind it. It's that it obviates you to have to build, starting with no assumptions and starting with the questions: who do we want to be and what do we want our identity to look like.” -Phillip
• In order to build a great business, you have to understand your customer
• “You understand your customer with data and not tricking them into making a purchase by following them around the internet, but really collecting great data, being upfront about the data that you're collecting, and then using that data to make better experiences.” -Bryan M.

• Learn more about Bryan Mahoney and Chord
• The Family Board Meeting
• Subscribe to Insiders and Senses to read more of our hot takes!
• Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce
• Tune into Infinite Shelf Season 2!

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

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• On March 21st, the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), issued proposed climate-related disclosures. The rules were proposed for publicly traded companies that report to the SEC.
• The SEC is proposing these rules to protect investors because they felt that the current rules did not adequately protect investors when it comes to climate-related risks.
• “The SEC wanted to bring less fragmentation into the way that you report and how they report.” -Gaida
• SustainaBase provides a climate accounting platform for brands, software companies, and governments. Giada has been tracking this disclosure for quite some time, so it's not a big shock to her or others in the industry.
• These climate disclosures are going to be tied to a line item in a financial statement, and that's really a great thing for investors to be able to see because they can assess a company based on how they're planning for this transition in the world, and how they're planning for climate risks.
• “I believe it's going to become just like any other compliance measure.” -Gaida

• Learn more about Gaida Zirkelbach and SustainaBase
• SECs Press Release 
• Subscribe to Insiders and Senses to read more of our hot takes!
• Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce
• Tune into Infinite Shelf Season 2!

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

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• Everything and everyone is all about the metaverse right now. Brian is starting to think that the “metaverse is just the internet now.” Maybe it is, hence why some think NFTs, crypto, and bitcoin are part of the metaverse as well.
• When we think about DTC we have to remember what the entailed vision was: “to disrupt the existing industry or category with a product that is equal to or better than the existing products that are available and make them more affordable and get them to you quicker.” -Ingrid
• Everyone is capable of doing everything because there is an audience
• “Crypto bros are basically just this generation's example of extreme couponers.” -Phillip
• A company-curated around being highly curated and centered around good company culture, and innovation will beat out money every single time.
• “The biggest opportunity in this current market is right now, everything that is going to be worth anything is entirely based on curation.” - Ingrid

• Our 2022 Predictions Episode
• Tune into Infinite Shelf Season 2!
• Subscribe to Insiders and Senses to read more of our hot takes!
• Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

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• Peter is the manager of Strategic Partnerships at BigCommerce and works to help solve the pain points of tax and cross-border 
• “Tax is one of the more complex issues that merchants have to work through when it comes to cross-border commerce.” -Peter
• Localization, offering the correct payment gateways, and fraud management are just a few things that will help make a seamless experience for your customers
• Shipping can be a big problem when it comes to cross-border. You need to look at having the right partnerships and you also have to consider how you are going to manage returns.
• “Returns is often overlooked as a really core component of eCommerce, but it's so important when you consider the cost to acquire a new customer versus retaining a customer and keeping a customer happy and coming back.” -Peter
• There’s a risk in that part of your experience as a brand operator is fractured and part is localized. 
• “If you just do a little bit of research, have your homework done and in place, and have the right partner stack, it's very doable and the opportunity becomes better every day as a lot of these markets continue to grow. So I wouldn't focus on the complexity. I would just get the right strategy in place, get the right partnerships in place to help you take advantage of the opportunity.” -Peter

• Want to learn more about going cross-border? Download our free Step by Step guide!
• Get connected with Avalara!
• Learn more about Peter van der Westhizen and BigCommerce
• Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
• Find our other Future Commerce episodes on our website

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.fm, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

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• As companies scale their operations into new markets, it's important to have the people, partners, and processes to scale efficiently.
• “We need technology to help us manage exceeding our own capacities and limits.” -Phillip
• It’s about the relationships on the other side and how we relate to them, in order to make all things come together and bring product to the hands of the person trying to order from us.
• “Once you've launched that crawl, walk, run process, if you've done that once in a new market, the next market you enter your tolerance for complexities up dramatically.” -John
• When figuring out inefficiencies in your supply chain, go to your front-line workers and ask them about their days and where they feel the most inefficient. They’ll help you uncover the issues in your processes.
• “Every person's capacity for change management is wildly different.” -John

• Want to learn more about going cross-border? Download our free Step by Step guide!
• Get connected with Avalara!
• Learn more about John Heulskamp and Flexport
• Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
• Find our other Future Commerce episodes on our website

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

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• Craig Reed is the GM of Cross-Border at Avalara and has watched the industry develop over the last 20 years. He’s truly one of the godfathers of cross-border eCommerce.
• An HS code is the code that an individual country expects you to give them to tell them what you're importing. This is important because all the other rules and restrictions flow from HS codes. Craig likes to label HS codes as “The Rosetta Stone of eCommerce.”
• The way we think about goods is different for every country and is different in every country.
• “A marketing description of a good and a country's description of a good are vastly different things, and they don't work well together. But getting that description is important. Getting to that Rosetta Stone is important, and that's the art behind trying to do cross-border eCommerce well.”- Craig
• If you’re doing anything cross-border, it is all about having the right information, and the right data.
• “It's about having good data and providing the right data to the right party at the right time, whether that's the consumer, whether it's a government, whether it's your suppliers, etc. You really need to have good data.”- Craig
• Customer expectations have changed, which means that the cross-border customer expectations have shifted. It's important to provide a good buying experience because the buying experience is also the shipping experience.
• “The way that you deliver your customer supply chain is your customer experience” -Brian

• Want to learn more about going cross-border? Download our free Step by Step guide!
• Get connected with Avalara!
• Learn more about Craig Reed
• Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
• Find our other Future Commerce episodes on our website

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

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• Kent Allen is the Co-Founder of GELF, who has been in the ecosystem and helping lead the conversation of cross-border for 25 years
• “We've got to realize that the very nature of digital commerce is cross-border.” -Kent
• In the last few years we’ve seen a boom in eCommerce, which has inherently led to a boom in cross-border
• The monkey paw of cross-border is having to be extremely specific when manifesting things in the eCommerce world
• Cross-border eCommerce is a diversification play. It’s an opportunity to be relevant to your consumer and the next-decade consumer.
• You don’t have to go strictly direct-to-consumer; marketplaces can be a huge opportunity for selling internationally. If you’re able to adapt your domestic operations, you can quickly and easily fulfill international orders from your domestic operation
• “When you're ready to kind of go into new markets and you need to find customers and things like that, marketplaces are usually the best way to do it.” -Kent
• If you ignore selling internationally, others aren’t and you will lose markets in the future
• “You have to have a more holistic global view of the world” -Kent

• Want to learn more about going cross-border? Download our free Step by Step guide!
• Get connected with Avalara!
• Learn more about Kent Allen and GELF
• Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
• Find our other Future Commerce episodes on our website

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

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• Jason Nyhus is the SVP of Global Sales at Digital River, focusing on helping brands go global
• “The honest reality of today is a lot different than it was a decade ago. If you make any product, you are inherently global overnight.”- Jason
• Just because you’re able to take people’s money, doesn't mean you will be able to fulfill the brands promise. You have to make sure that you will still be able to deliver an on-par experience. You have to be able to serve the demand
• There are two categories to consider:
  1. Where is the product coming from? Does it have to cross the border?
  2. Where is the payment being taken? Does that also have to cross the border?
• The more onshore, the better. Better in terms of products, how long it takes to get there and making sure you have the appropriate payment methods.
• A brand can really screw up when they go global if they surprise their customers in a negative way.
• “It's not just your flagship. If you're going cross-border, it's your only ship.” -Brian
• “A lot of people think that they can execute an international global expansion. The question is, should they do it themselves or should they find help from some of the companies that you have on this podcast? Because I think that's probably the most likely best path for a lot of them.” -Jason

• Want to learn more about going cross-border? Download our free Step by Step guide!
• Get connected with Avalara!
• Learn more about Jason Nyhus and Digital River 
• Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
• Find our other Future Commerce episodes on our website

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

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• We admit, we were talking s**t about Tushy on a recent Senses email, only because our team was very intrigued by the Super Bowel campaign, and of course this prompted conversation between our teams and here we are, dropping poop jokes on the show
• TUSHY is the modern bidet brand that washes your butt clean after you poop.
• “Make something that you would be curious to click on. It changes the way you make art and the way you create and do things. It truly is all about authenticity.”-Miki
• Showing authenticity in marketing and in gerneral, in being a brand, is important because it matches people up with a brand
• Miki looks at things in a three prongs thesis:
  • Best in class product. No matter the product, it has to be cool, intriguing, delicious and elevate your life.
  • Artful design across every touchpoint of the brand/product. “It's considered artful design across every touchpoint of our brand, when it makes you open your heart.” -Miki
  • Acessible, relatable language. Have the authentic conversation like you're texting your best friend
• “The things that we do aren’t just for the sake of them, but to open up a broader conversation.” - Miki
• “The antidote to late capitalism is more human connection and more fulfillment of us having deeper conversations.” -Phillip

• Learn more about Miki Agrawal and TUSHY- Use FUTURETUSHY for 10% off your purchase!
• Tushy’s Super Bowel Campaign 
• Subscribe to Insiders and Senses to read more of our hot takes!
• Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce
• Infinite Shelf Season 2 OUT NOW!
• Stay tuned for our newest season of Step by Step…coming soon!

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

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• Everyone is still suffering through the turmoil of work from home life, job transitions, not knowing how to interact with customers, and so much more but Etail West was able to provide a way for everyone to relate and be in person again for the first time in a long time.
• “The struggles that any company has to build out culture, whether it's in-person or even more challenging when it's remote, those challenges are no different than when you're trying to build a relationship with your customer.” -Tommy
• Culture transparency is important, from company culture all the way down to building relationships with your customers.
• Mary Grace has a brilliant way of thinking called X-Factor, where she analyzes everything on three levels, execution, raw nerve or bravery, and the overall X-Factor (or wow factor) to the thing being analyzed.
• Etail West provided the opportunity for everyone to connect again, it provided the safety net for life to feel free and for those attending to interact and share successes and helpful strategies of how they pushed through the times of COVID.

• Learn more about Tommy Lamb, Mary Grace Tift and WITHIN
• Watch us build in public. Subscribe to our YouTube or Twitch and never miss a Casting Visions Episode!
• Subscribe to Insiders and Senses!
• Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce
• Infinite Shelf Season 2 coming in March!
• Stay tuned for our newest season of Step by Step…coming soon!

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.