Human in the Loop

By Teikametrics

This brand new show explores the dynamic intersection of human intelligence and cutting-edge technology within the ever-evolving landscape of ecommerce.

From in-depth discussions on artificial intell... more

· Business

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Human in the Loop:

How many episodes does Human in the Loop have?

The podcast currently has 49 episodes available.

Human in the Loop episodes:

September 17, 2024 Amazon Accelerate Predictions: AMC, Generative AI, Sponsored TV & More
🚨 Predictions for Amazon Accelerate 🚨
Amazon Accelerate is here, and that means the latest and greatest announcements and innovations for sellers on Amazon..
What do our experts expect to see this year in Seattle?
Spoiler alert: Potentially lot of AMC and AI involvement this year.
...more
4min
September 11, 2024Building Your Moat: How to Make Your Brand Irreplaceable with Steve Rolle
Episode Summary
In this episode, Steve Rolle shares his e-commerce journey and delves into the concept of "the moat." The moat represents creating a robust defense around a brand, making it irreplaceable in the marketplace. Steve emphasizes the necessity of a great product, effective marketing, and protection strategies to establish a moat. He underscores the importance of dominating top search positions on platforms like Amazon to drive sales.
Steve and Cameron Yoder discuss how a true moat comprises well-reviewed quality products at various price points, forming a coalition of competitors. They explore strategies to create a competitive advantage and protect businesses from new entrants. Innovation, customer obsession, and hiring the right people are highlighted as key elements in building a sustainable and successful brand on Amazon.
The conversation provides valuable insights into the mindset and strategies needed to scale a business, emphasizing the importance of exceptional customer service and continuous improvement.

Key Takeaways
Creating a moat around your brand is essential for making it irreplaceable in the marketplace.

A moat is built with a great product, effective marketing strategies, and strong protection measures.

A true moat exists when there are well-reviewed quality products at every price point, forming a coalition of competitors.

Innovation and continuously solving customer problems are key to maintaining your moat.

Customer obsession should be ingrained in your business, with constant feedback, product improvement, and exceptional service.

Hiring the right people and delegating tasks are crucial for scaling your business and focusing on strategic decisions.

Advertising requires the owner's involvement initially, but hiring experts is important as the business grows.
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction: Steve's Journey in E-commerce
24:35 - Building a Moat: Making Your Brand Irreplaceable
29:19 - The Key Elements of a Strong Moat: Product, Marketing, and Protection
31:38 - Winning the Top of Search: The Gateway to Establishing a Moat
32:37 - The Coalition of Competitors: Forming a True Moat
33:01 - Building a Moat: The Importance of a Competitive Advantage
38:51 - Positioning and Branding: Creating an Impenetrable Moat
41:17 - Entering a New Market: Strategies for Success
45:19 - Capital and Payment Terms: The Power of Net Payment Terms
48:31 - Owner Involvement: The Role of Advertising and Strategic Decision-Making

Connect with Steve:
TikTok

YouTube

LinkedIn

Instagram

Steverolle.com
Quotes from this Episode:
"The moat is there to make sure that they can't get a foothold in our industry."

"Great marketing means trademarks, branding, and winning top of search."

"A true moat means having well-reviewed quality products at every price point."
"You have to decide if you're one of these 700 people a day on Amazon coming in on the U.S. or 2000 around the world, and you want to compete with us, you have to decide."

"The combination of that coalition of sellers that is unspoken to me, that's your moat."
...more
1h 6min
August 27, 2024Walmart Q2 Earnings Call Recap: Ad Growth, Food Prices, & Global Expansion
Summary
In this episode of Human in the Loop, we dive into Walmart's latest earnings call and explore the key highlights from their major annual event, Let's Grow 2024. Laura Pattison, Senior Director of Strategy and Insights at Teikametrics, and Ben Ray, Chief Revenue Officer, provide expert analysis on Walmart's growth strategies and Q2 Earnings Call, focusing on international expansion, Walmart Connect's advertising success, the impact of grocery price trends on consumer behavior, and much more.
Key Takeaways:
International Growth: Walmart's international markets, particularly in China and India, are driving significant revenue growth, with international sales growing at nearly double the rate of domestic sales.

Advertising Strength: Walmart Connect saw a 30% increase in ad revenue. Teikametrics' Walmart clients experienced incredible growth as well.

Grocery Prices: While grocery prices increased year-over-year, they decreased quarter-over-quarter, which could attract more shoppers to Walmart, boosting overall sales.

Let's Grow Event: This year's Let's Grow event doubled in size, reflecting growing seller confidence in Walmart's marketplace. Predictions include potential announcements around Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) and new advertising tools to compete with Amazon's Marketing Cloud.
Tune in to hear more about the future of Walmart's marketplace and how sellers can capitalize on these trends.
...more
12min
August 21, 2024Brand Building on Amazon: The Importance of Measurability
In this episode, we dive into brand building on Amazon with guest Nikhita from Amazon. Nikhita explains the crucial differences between a brand and a seller, emphasizing the importance of brand recognition for accessing programs that enhance customer education and brand awareness.
We also introduce the Build Your Brand page, a comprehensive resource within Seller Central offering tailored recommendations and programs for various brand-building goals. Key metrics discussed include branded search ratio, repeat customer rate, conversion rate, and star rating. Looking ahead, Amazon plans to introduce additional metrics and personalization features to help brands focus on specific goals and measure their progress effectively.
Takeaways
Being recognized as a brand on Amazon opens up access to programs that help educate customers and improve brand awareness.

The Build Your Brand page within Seller Central serves as a one-stop destination for brand building, providing recommendations and programs based on different goals.

The current brand building metrics available are branded search ratio, repeat customer rate, conversion rate, and star rating.

The future direction includes introducing more metrics and personalization to help brands focus on specific goals and measure their progress.
Sound Bites
"In order to make brands successful at brand building, it needs to be measurable."

"We now have a program called the Build Your Brand page."

"The Build Your Brand page sits within Seller Central and it's accessible to all brands."
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Importance of Measurable Brand Building
03:05 - Introducing the Build Your Brand Page
10:37 - Accessing the Build Your Brand Page within Seller Central
16:45 - Measuring Brand Building Success with Metrics
23:37 - The Future of Brand Building: Personalization and More Metrics
...more
29min
August 07, 2024AI and Omnichannel Excellence: A Blueprint for Success with Lauren Livak Gilbert
Summary
In this episode, host Cameron Yoder sits down with Lauren Livak Gilbert to delve into the intersection of omnichannel strategies and artificial intelligence (AI) in the e-commerce landscape. They cover the current selling environment, the hurdles brands encounter, and the crucial need to excel at foundational practices. The discussion highlights the benefits of diversifying across various marketplaces and the pivotal role data plays in shaping strategy.
On the topic of AI, they examine its impact on scalability, efficiency, and the evolving consumer shopping experience. Emphasizing the importance of clear goals and value when integrating AI, they advocate for a strategic approach to testing and learning. The conversation also ventures into the future of AI, discussing potential shifts in search and regulation.
Takeaways
Being brilliant at the basics is crucial in the ever-changing digital landscape of e-commerce.

Profitability is a major challenge for brands and retailers, and they need to get creative and work smarter to reach consumers.

Data is essential for informing strategy and decision-making, but brands need to bring together different data sets and understand what the data is telling them.

Omnichannel is important because brands need to be where their consumers are, and it requires internal collaboration and flexibility.

AI is changing how brands work by providing scalability and efficiency, and it is also changing how consumers shop by enabling mission-based searches and personalized recommendations.

To integrate AI in an accessible way, brands should have a clear goal, test and learn in a strategic way, and involve experts from different functions within the organization.

The future of AI in e-commerce includes changes in search, increased regulation, and improved accessibility.

Quotes from this episode:
"Digital is always changing. There's something new. There's going to be a new technology, a new channel."

"The top challenge for brands today is profitability."

"Brands need data to inform their market strategies."
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Overview
04:31 - Challenges in the Current State of Selling
06:22 - The Role of Data in Strategy
10:40 - The Importance of Omni-Channel
23:47 - The Impact of AI on E-commerce
27:56 - Integrating AI in E-commerce
34:29 - The Future of AI in E-commerce
...more
43min
August 02, 2024Amazon Q2 Earnings Call Recap: Growth in Amazon's Ads & AI Business
Amazon's recent earnings call revealed a revenue increase year-over-year, but a miss in terms of expected growth, leading to a slide in Amazon shares.
The enormity and success of Amazon's diverse portfolio, including AWS and content on Prime Video like The Boys, is still impressive.
This conversation recaps the primary takeaways from Amazon's Q2 earnings call, including a specific focus for advertisers and ecommerce sellers alike.
We discuss everything from Amazon's growth in the ads business compared to Meta and Google, to AWS and AI investment, Rufus (an AI-powered product recommendation engine within Amazon's app), Amazon's potential response to Temu and Shein, and much more.
Takeaways
Amazon's earnings call revealed a slight revenue miss, leading to a slide in Amazon shares.

Despite this, the enormity and success of Amazon's diverse portfolio, including AWS and content like The Boys, is still impressive.

Amazon's ads business showed strong growth compared to competitors like Meta and Google.

The discussion highlighted the advantage of having AWS in-house and the power of Amazon's data set.

Rufus, an AI-powered product recommendation engine, is expected to improve the user journey and increase conversion rates.

Amazon's focus on sponsored TV and its closed-loop system for measuring efficiency in advertising stood out.

The call addressed the impact of the economy and pricing pressures on sellers, with competition from Tmoo and Shein affecting average sales prices.

Chapters
00:00 - Amazon's Earnings Call: Revenue Miss and Disappointing Guidance
01:34 - Impressive Enormity of Amazon's Diverse Portfolio
02:32 - Strong Growth in Amazon's Ads Business
03:57 - Advantage of AWS and Power of Amazon's Data Set
05:22 - Rufus: AI-Powered Product Recommendation Engine
07:46 - Focus on Sponsored TV and Closed-Loop Advertising
10:31 - Impact of Economy and Pricing Pressures on Sellers
...more
21min
July 24, 2024Benchmark Blitz: Prime Day 2024 Summary & Teikaways
Join us in this lightning-fast episode of Benchmark Blitz as we dive into the metrics and trends that shaped Prime Day 2024. Host Cameron Yoder and data expert Laura Pattison break down the most crucial data points from this year's Prime Day, offering insights into traffic, costs, conversions, ad sales and more.
📈 Highlights:
Discover the significant year-over-year traffic increase, particularly in the 10 days leading up to Prime Day.

Learn about changes in ad spend and how it influenced overall cost and click-through rates.

Understand the nuanced changes in conversion rates and average order value (AOV).

Get insights into which product categories thrived and which saw unexpected declines.
📊 Whether you're an eCommerce professional looking to optimize your strategy or simply interested in the latest trends, this episode is packed with valuable data and expert analysis. Tune in to get the inside scoop on what drove success during Prime Day 2024 and how you can leverage these insights for future events.
...more
25min
July 10, 2024Benchmark Blitz: Key Insights from H1 on Amazon & Walmart
In the latest episode of Human in the Loop, our very own Laura Pattison explores key data and insights from H1.

Laura will help unpack exactly what's happening across Amazon and Walmart - how they compare against each other, and what's happening individually in each marketplace as well.

We've summarized key data points, below, but highly encourage listening to the full episode to understand what's happening in the market.

🔍 Efficiency Comparison:
Walmart's efficiency declined by 11% year over year in H1 2024, while Amazon saw a smaller decline of 4%. This reflects Walmart's increasing competition in the marketplace.
💲 Cost per Click (CPC):
Walmart's CPC increased by 24% year over year, while Amazon's increased by 17%. Despite these increases, sales per click also rose (10% for Walmart, 12% for Amazon), indicating higher click values.
🛒 Conversion Rates and Sales Growth:
Amazon experienced a 9% increase in conversion rates and a 4% increase in average order value (AOV). This suggests growing consumer confidence and spending on the platform.
📈 Future Outlook:
Laura anticipates CPCs stabilizing in Q3 post-Prime Day, with potential fluctuations due to market updates. Overall, she expects continued growth in sales per click and conversion rates for both platforms in H2 2024.
...more
25min
June 26, 2024The Battle of Giants: Walmart's Strategy Against Amazon's Dominance
Podcast Description:
Join Cameron Yoder on this insightful episode of Human in the Loop, where he dives deep into the dynamic competition between Walmart and Amazon with special guest Ryan King, CEO of BlueRyse. They explore Walmart's evolving marketplace strategies, its unique strengths, and how it’s setting itself apart from Amazon. Discover the technological advancements Walmart is implementing, the role of its physical stores, and its future in the omnichannel retail landscape. Whether you're an experienced seller or new to the e-commerce game, this episode offers valuable insights and fresh perspectives on the Walmart vs. Amazon debate.

Key Takeaways:
Walmart's Unique Strengths: Walmart leverages its vast network of physical stores to offer services like order pickup and grocery delivery, giving it a significant edge over Amazon in these areas.

Technological Advancements: Walmart is investing in digital pricing labels, augmented reality shopping experiences, and virtual try-ons to enhance both the online and in-store customer experience.

Future Speculations: Walmart’s experiments with platforms like Roblox hint at its efforts to engage younger audiences and integrate physical and digital shopping experiences.

Comparison with Amazon: While Amazon leads in e-commerce, advanced advertising tools, and niche market depth, Walmart excels in leveraging its physical presence and grocery offerings.
Quotable Moments:
“Walmart’s physical footprint is a significant advantage, being within ten minutes of a majority of the U.S. population.” – Ryan King

“The endless shelf of e-commerce can never be fully translated to physical stores, but Walmart is experimenting with blending these environments.” – Ryan King

“Walmart is trying new features and investing resources to enhance the consumer experience, from augmented reality to virtual try-ons.” – Cameron Yoder
Ways to Find Each Guest:
Ryan King: Connect with Ryan King on LinkedIn and learn more about his work at BlueRyse.

Cameron Yoder: Follow Cameron Yoder on social media and check out more episodes of Human in the Loop.

Outline:
Introduction (00:00 - 00:01:04)
Welcome and episode overview by Cameron Yoder.

Introduction of the topic: Walmart vs. Amazon.

Setting the Stage (00:01:04 - 00:02:01)
Cameron's goals for the conversation.

Exploration of Walmart's strengths compared to Amazon.

Deep Dive into Walmart's Market Position (00:02:01 - 00:05:16)
Discussion on Walmart's unique identity and strengths.

Comparison of Walmart’s and Amazon’s strengths in the marketplace.

Ryan King’s insights on Amazon’s e-commerce lead and Walmart’s physical retail advantage.

Technological Innovations (00:05:16 - 00:10:03)
Digital pricing labels and their impact on shopping.

Walmart's advancements in online and in-store technology.

The role of augmented reality and virtual try-ons.

Omnichannel Strategies (00:10:03 - 00:16:56)
Discussion on Walmart’s omnichannel play and micro-fulfillment centers.

The future of e-commerce and physical retail integration.

Challenges and opportunities for third-party sellers on Walmart.

Future Speculations and Experiments (00:16:56 - 00:23:06)
Walmart’s experimentation with platforms like Roblox.

The potential impact of these experiments on future shopping experiences.

Final thoughts on Walmart’s future direction and ongoing innovations.

Conclusion (00:23:06 - End)
Summary of key points discussed.

Closing remarks by Cameron Yoder and Ryan King.

Information on where to find and connect with each guest.
...more
44min
June 12, 2024 Lala Hijabs: Tie-Dye, TikTok, and the Future of Content in Commerce
Summary
In this episode, the founders of Lala Hijabs, Sanaa and Will, discuss the intersection of technology, content, and e-commerce.
They share how their brand started out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly gained attention through TikTok, and how they set themselves apart in a hyper-competitive market.
The founders emphasize the importance of their partnership and how their different strengths contribute to the success of the brand, and highlight the impact of their content in educating and connecting with their audience.
Lala Hijabs has experienced rapid growth and expansion, including the launch of a clothing line and collaborations with other retailers. This episode is a perfect example of what content creators are doing to succeed in new ways in today's rapidly-changing ecommerce market.

Takeaways
Lala Hijabs started out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic and gained attention through TikTok.
The unique and colorful hijabs offered by Lala Hijabs set them apart in the market.
The partnership between the founders, Sanaa and Will, and their ability to work together with their different strengths has been crucial to the success of the brand.
Content creation has played a significant role in educating and connecting with their audience.
Lala Hijabs has experienced rapid growth and expansion, including the launch of a clothing line and collaborations with other retailers.
Gaining media attention can be a significant boost for a brand's visibility and growth.
TikTok has played a crucial role in the success of Lala Hijabs, and they have built a strong community through the platform.
The content on TikTok has evolved over time, becoming more scripted and less raw.
TikTok has the potential to continue evolving and offering new opportunities for content creators and brands.
Being true to oneself and staying authentic is essential for success in content and product creation.
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Background
03:00 - Starting Lala Hijabs
06:00 - Launching the Brand
09:00 - Challenges and Growth
12:00 - Balancing Product and Content
15:00 - Current State and Future Plans
17:00 - Key Factors for Success
18:20 - The Impact of TikTok
20:00 - The Evolution of TikTok
25:00 - Advice for Content Creators & Producing Content
...more
35min

FAQs about Human in the Loop:

How many episodes does Human in the Loop have?

The podcast currently has 49 episodes available.