Inside Commerce: Ecommerce Strategy, CX and Technology Podcast

Loyalty is a hot topic in ecommerce. For this podcast, we're joined by Ed Bull, owner of leading ecommerce agency Limesharp. We discuss the evolving landscape of loyalty programs in the luxury and premium brand sectors, exploring how brands are redefining loyalty beyond traditional points systems, focusing on strategic approaches to customer behavior, the balance between rewards and profitability, and the importance of measuring success through key metrics.

The discussion highlights the need for brands to adapt their loyalty strategies, especially during peak trading periods, and the changing perceptions of loyalty programs in the industry. We delve into the intricacies of loyalty programs, discussing tier movements, the impact of gamification and community engagement, common pitfalls in managing loyalty initiatives, and future trends in the loyalty landscape.

The episode emphasises the importance of understanding customer behaviour, the need for personalisation, and the potential of leveraging influencers to enhance customer experiences. It also highlights the evolving nature of loyalty programs and the necessity for brands to adapt to changing consumer expectations.

Key takeaways:

There's a feeling in the industry that some AI tools are solutions looking for a problem. In this podcast, we explore an AI solution that has a clear ecommerce use case and is focused on improving customer experience.

James Gurd speaks to Klevu co-founders Nilay and Niraj about their new product, Asklo, which integrates AI chatbots into ecommerce product journeys to enhance customer experience. This is the a logical evolution to PDP Q&As, with customers able to get real-time responses to product and service questions, rather than waiting for a reply.

The episode discusses the importance of optimising user journeys, the technology behind Asklo, and how it can improve conversion rates. The conversation also explores case studies demonstrating Asklo's effectiveness in reducing PDP bounce rate by 30%.

Key takeaways:

Summary:

In this episode of the Inside Commerce podcast, Paul Rogers and Joe Fletcher discuss the critical aspects of ecommerce reporting, focusing on the importance of data measurement, key performance indicators (KPIs), and the challenges posed by new tools like GA4.

They explore the significance of conversion rates, tracking, and common mistakes businesses make in their reporting processes.

The conversation also delves into how businesses should approach their reporting needs, the value of understanding customer behaviour, and the various methods of attribution that can be employed to gauge marketing effectiveness.

Key takeaways:

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In this episode of the Inside Commerce podcast, Luke Hodgson from Commerce Thinking explains the common issues with ERPs and their integration with ecommerce platforms.

The conversation explores the importance of understanding ERP systems for ecommerce leaders, the evolving role of ecommerce directors post-COVID, and the demand for ERP in new businesses.

The discussion also delves into the role of middleware in ecommerce integrations, challenges related to peak order volumes, and strategies for maximising back office performance. Finally, we discuss the significance of technical leadership in ecommerce and provide practical advice for businesses facing integration issues.

Key takeaways:

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In this episode of Inside Commerce, James Gurd and Paul Rogers discuss the critical decision-making process surrounding technology investment versus viewing technology migration as a cost reduction opportunity. They emphasize the importance of focusing on value rather than merely cutting costs, exploring the nuances of licensing fees, the significance of building business cases to justify technology investment. The conversation also highlights the need for customisation in SaaS platforms and the importance of planning for cost neutrality in long-term strategies via offsetting existing costs.

Key takeaways

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🔥 This podcast will interest a broad audience. Paul Rogers and James Gurd discuss how the B2C ecommerce marketplace has become crowded, and where vendors need to focus to get attention, and why.

If you're working for:

A retail ecommerce business

An ecommerce platform

An agency/consultancy that advises/builds tech stacks

Get your comfy seat ready 😃

Why is this episode important?

The ecommerce vendor market is crowded. There are a lot of platform telling similar product suitability stories, albeit through different lenses and campaigns.

For merchants, unless you're niche, it's hard to cut through the volume of content to discern meaningful differences that give you the confidence to decide which route to take.

What we discuss:

🥱 Why changing terminology doesn't cut through e.g. omnichannel to unified.

🚤 Ecommerce businesses want speed to market, agility, automation.

🔎 DTC mass market has no space left for new players - Shopify dominates but niche / vertical specific solutions have potential.

🥸 Some vendors have already recognised this e.g. Centra, BigCommerce.

🔬 The winning vendors will be those who focus on burning challenges and critical use cases to deliver battle ready solutions.

Key takeaways:

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In this episode of the Inside Commerce podcast, James Gurd interviews Seb Villien, the Digital Director at Smythson, discussing the nuances of customer experience and personalisation in the context of luxury brands.

They explore the differences between high street fashion and luxury retail, the importance of user experience, and how Smythson enhances customer service to drive revenue.

Seb shares insights on the role of AI, the significance of empowering customer service teams, and the strategies for measuring success and fostering customer loyalty. The conversation also touches on the challenges of internationalisation and localisation in delivering a consistent brand experience across different markets.

Key takeaways:

In this podcast, Paul Rogers interviews Philipp Mensch, head of growth at Luca Faloni, an Italian premium menswear brand.

We explore the brand's recent replatforming to Centra from Shopify, focusing on the need for a scalable and flexible tech stack to support international growth.

Philipp shares insights on managing internal resources during the migration, the importance of internationalisation and localisation, and the brand's commitment to a direct-to-consumer strategy.

We also explore the omnichannel experience, customer services, and the evolving approach to loyalty programs, emphasising the need for a unique and engaging customer experience.

Philipp also provides his thoughts on the future roadmap for Luca Faloni, highlighting the focus on continuous innovation and improvement in the omnichannel space.

Key takeaways:

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Paul Rogers speaks with Anton Johansson, founder of Grebban, about the evolving landscape of ecommerce design and branding. They discuss the importance of creating a compelling brand experience, the shift towards investing in creative over development, and the role of AI in enhancing customer interactions.

The conversation also touches on the significance of community engagement, the impact of dopamine culture on design, and emerging trends in ecommerce. Through case studies like Djerf Avenue, they explore how innovative design can drive customer loyalty and conversion.

Key takeaways:

1. Investing in creative is essential for brands to engage customers.

2. Ecommerce design should focus on brand experience, not just transactions.

3. AI will significantly change the shopping experience in the future.

4. Community engagement is crucial for building brand loyalty.

5. Dopamine culture influences how users interact with websites.

6. Design subscriptions offer a continuous approach to creative needs.

7. Personalisation will become more advanced with AI technology.

8. Static websites struggle to retain user attention; interactivity is key.

9. Using two agencies can enhance both creative and technical aspects of projects.

10. Emerging design trends emphasise community and interactive elements.

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Flexible working is a hot topic. Amazon is the latest company to stir up debate around the virtues of giving employees the best possible work/life balance.

A CBI Employment Trends survey found that 99% of all businesses surveyed believe that a flexible workforce is vital or important to competitiveness. BUT...

Flexibility means different things to different people e.g. working around school runs, being able to work from home, starting later and finishing later, not having to take annual leave for appointments etc.

And you need to consider diversity and inclusivity.... it's not as easy as it looks!

We borrowed a quote from Sara Russell, Marketing Director at 5874 Commerce to kick start our debate:

“So does the eCommerce industry need flexible working? If we want to attract and retain top talent, keep our teams engaged and provide top-level customer satisfaction then yes we do.”

Tune in to listen to different approaches from three highly respected digital leaders: Ross Allsop, Director of Growth at PANGAIA, Dan Partridge, CEO at leading Shopify partner Swanky (Shopify Plus Agency) and Paul Rogers, MD at award winning digital agency Vervaunt.