Today, we have an exciting guest on the podcast - Rah Mahtani from Alibaba.com. We dive into the impact of tariffs on Alibaba's business, the shifts in sourcing behavior among American importers, and the biggest emerging countries in manufacturing that might be worth considering in the future.

Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let’s talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business.

For today's episode, we have a special guest. 

We have the Head of Commercial Strategy of Alibaba, Rah Mahtani. 

We talk about tariffs, other countries that are seeing rising demand and what Alibaba is currently focused on to grow their portfolio of manufacturers. This episode is one not to miss!  

The Big Takeaway

• Tariffs create cash flow challenges for businesses.
• Alibaba saw a surge in new customers during high tariff periods.
• Sourcing behavior is shifting towards larger orders and long-term planning.
• Vietnam and Mexico are emerging as key sourcing countries.
• Alibaba is committed to increasing supplier diversity.
• Community engagement is a priority for Alibaba.
• Alibaba offers various services beyond sourcing, including logistics support.
• The company is focused on educating suppliers in emerging markets.
• There is a growing demand for nearshoring and offshoring.
• Alibaba's headquarters in Hangzhou is open for tours.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introduction to today's guest
• 05:02 - Impact of Tariffs on Alibaba's Business
• 09:49 - Shifts in Sourcing Behavior
• 15:03 - Emerging Markets and Supplier Diversity
• 19:57 - Community Engagement and Alibaba's Services

As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.  

Thanks for listening!

Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave explores the differences between manufacturing in China, India and the USA after ordering some products from all three countries. We talk about the good, the bad and the ugly between all three areas and the factors that you should consider if you do choose to move your manufacturing to India or to America. Specifically, we'll dive into the lead times, the cost differences between each country (including tariffs), the quality differences and the other pros and cons we found. 

Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let’s talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business.

Now that the tariffs have been somewhat finalized, we can now do a clear and accurate breakdown of the pros and cons of manufacturing in China, India and the US. 

So for the sake of our audience, Dave ordered products from each country to breakdown the differences in quality, costs, and lead times that you should know about. 

If you've been considering moving your manufacturing base, then this episode is definitely for you. 

In a rush? Here's the high-level takeaways: 

• Manufacturing in China currently comes with the caveat of 50%~ tariffs.
• Lead times in India are basically unpredictable because everything is handmade. 
• Prices in India are generally higher than in China, despite lower tariffs but the quality of products from India is high, especially in textiles and handicrafts.
• American manufacturing offers lower lead times but comes at 2x the cost of Chinese prices.
• Finding manufacturers in America can be challenging because of high MOQs and lack of responsiveness.
• Most manufacturers in America are already selling D2C. 
• A lot of American manufacturers have a lot of requirements to create your product. 
• American manufacturers typically also do not do any additional kitting for free. 
• Online marketplaces for manufacturing are emerging as valuable resources in the US. 
• E-commerce entrepreneurs may need to consider in-house manufacturing as a long-term strategy.
• The future of manufacturing may involve a mix of domestic and overseas production.
• Understanding the specific product requirements is crucial when choosing a manufacturing location.

Here's some timestamps if you'd like to skip around: 

• 00:00 Manufacturing Landscape: China, India, and America
• 08:20 The Pros and Cons of Indian Manufacturing
• 15:21 Navigating American Manufacturing Challenges
• 22:24 Future of Manufacturing: Trends and Predictions

As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.  

Thanks for listening!

Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave breaks down his personal strategy and process for launching new products on Amazon, detailing a four-stage approach that spans from the first few weeks after launch to ongoing strategies for maintaining sales and optimizing listings. We talk about why its important to have a pricing strategy and an ACOS goal, to have only exact match turned on, and to have reviews as soon as possible. 

 

Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let’s talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business.

 

Launching a product isn't as crazy as it used to be. 

 

Back in the 2010s, you could put up anything on Amazon and it would do huge numbers. 

 

But today, its a different story. 

 

You have to have enough reviews for your product and a low price to stand out from the competition at the minimum. 

 

How do you get this all done? More importantly, what else can I do to guarantee success? 

 

Here's the ultimate 3 month launch plan that we incorporate in our businesses for each new product we launch. 

 

Takeaways

• In the first few weeks of launch, price your product 40% lower to attract buyers.
• Focus on exact targeting for PPC in early stages.
• Send your products into Amazon Vine to get reviews early.
• Gradually increase prices; Amazon hates when you increase prices abruptly.
• Utilize promotions based on how competitive your product category is.
• Auto campaigns help identify effective keywords that you can eventually add to your manual keywords.
• Aim for 30+ reviews for basic social proof.
• Incorporate top keywords into product imagery.
• If you get a lot of bad reviews, consider relaunching your product.
• Continuously improve your product based on customer feedback.

Timestamps

• 00:00-  The Launch Process Overview
• 02:22 - Stage One: Weeks One and Two
• 05:44 - Stage Two: Weeks Three to Six
• 09:23 - Stage Three: Weeks Seven to Twelve
• 11:35 - Stage Four: Month Three and Beyond

As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. 

 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.  

 

Thanks for listening!

 

Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave talks about the recent IPO of a major Chinese Amazon seller, SainStore, and explores key insights from their filings. He covers the diverse brand strategies employed by the company (and a lot of other Chinese companies, in fact), the viability of the aggregator model in China, and the company's profitability metrics, inventory management practices, and even their social credit score. 

Another Amazon seller has gone public... but in China. 

It seems that the aggregator model has been working well over in the East, but what specifically are they doing to succeed? 

Here's the 5 takeaways that I learned when looking over this company's IPO fillings. 

Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let’s talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business.

The Big Takeaways

• The aggregator model in China is thriving, with companies creating multiple brands in-house (rather than purchasing companies at 4x and 5x).
• Profit margins for major Chinese sellers are significantly lower than Western expectations.
• SainSmart holds about 25% of their revenue in inventory, which could turn out to be a HUGE risk in cash flow.
• The social credit score in China is a real and impactful metric for businesses.
• 75% of SainSmart's revenue comes from Amazon, but they also diversify across other channels that you wouldn't expect.
• The need for sellers to chase off-Amazon sales for better pricing power is ABSOLUTELY crucial.
• Chinese sellers are adept at utilizing multiple sales channels, including lesser-known marketplaces.
• The business model for Amazon sellers is evolving towards higher revenue with lower margins.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introduction to Chinese Amazon Sellers Going Public
• 02:12 - Diverse Brand Strategies of Chinese Companies
• 04:37 - The Aggregator Model in China
• 06:31 - Profitability and Revenue Insights
• 08:28 - Inventory Management Strategies
• 10:52 - Understanding China's Social Credit Score
• 12:12 - Revenue Channels Beyond Amazon

As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.  

Thanks for listening!

Until next time, happy selling!

 

In this episode, Dave dives into the 10 biggest sellers (by revenue) on Amazon, delving into their business models, what types of products they offer, and what small businesses can learn from them. Dave talks about  discuss the importance of targeting the right demographic, the competitive landscape of supplements, and the rise of Amazon-native brands like Anchor.

Did you know that the top 10 third party amazon sellers combine for over $3 billion a year in sales?

And I’ll bet you think they’re making millions selling toilet paper and airpods.

But you couldn’t be more wrong.

In this episode, Dave deep dives into the 10 biggest sellers on Amazon by revenue — what industry they sell in, what their best selling products are, and how much revenue they generate for Amazon per month. 

Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let’s talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introduction to Amazon's Top Sellers
• 02:44 - Bigger Than Lululemon? 
• 03:50 - The Gardening Giant
• 05:28 - The Rise of Korean Beauty
• 07:16 - The Snail Slime Phenomenon
• 08:46 - Targeting the Right Demographic As A Strategy
• 10:34 - The Competitive Lighting Market
• 11:52 - The Supplements Boom: Key Players
• 13:10 - A Subscription Model Success
• 15:21 - The Amazon Native Brand Leader

As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.  

Thanks for listening!

Until next time, happy selling!

Mike is back on the podcast to finally reveal what he's been up to in the past year. He shares his journey from e-commerce to going full-time content creation on launching a YouTube channel while also talking about the importance of video content in promoting e-commerce brands and the potential for YouTube as a business opportunity. 

Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let’s talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business.

Timestamps

• 00:00 – The Journey of Mike Jackness
• 02:32 – Transitioning from E-commerce to New Ventures
• 04:03 – The Impact of Amazon and Tariffs on E-commerce
• 12:01 – The Future of E-commerce and Emerging Opportunities

As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.  

Thanks for listening!

Until next time, happy selling!

If you've been listening to the podcast recently, you must have asked yourself, "where did Mike Jackness go?".  Today, he's on the podcast to talk about his journey from running multiple e-commerce brands to transitioning out of the industry.

 

Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let’s talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business.

 

Timestamps

• 00:00 - The Journey of Mike Jackness
• 02:32 - Transitioning from E-commerce to New Ventures
• 04:03 - The Impact of Amazon and Tariffs on E-commerce
• 12:01 - The Future of E-commerce and Emerging Opportunities

 

As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.  

Thanks for listening!

Until next time, happy selling!

Dave dives into Amazon's Q1 2025 earnings report and how it will impact sellers. He dives into Amazon's online store revenue growth, FBA fee growth, and the huge growth in advertising revenue, which is one of the major sources of income for the e-commerce giant. This is the earnings report right before the new tariffs start, so it's not indicative of how Amazon will be affected. 

Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let’s talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Understanding Amazon's Earnings and Its Impact
• 02:16 - Tariffs and Their Implications for Sellers
• 04:34 - FBA Fees: Trends and Insights
• 08:16 - Advertising Fees: The Growing Burden
• 11:10 - Market Reactions and Future Outlook

As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content.  

Thanks for listening!

Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave shares some easy Amazon image hacks that can help you improve your click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates. We'll talk about how important it is to show your packaging in your main images, how you can sneak in some keywords without alerting Amazon's ban hammer,  and how you can A/B test against your competition.   

Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let’s talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you – so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business. 

As an Amazon seller, you always have to be ahead of the competition. This means offering a better customer experience overall, but what does that look like in e-commerce?    This means better product imagery. Images are the only way for customers to truly know what they're getting and better images often means higher click-through rates and higher conversion rates.    How do you get better product images? Here's 7 easy ways you can make your product imagery better than your competition.  The Big Takeaways

• Include a keyword in your main image packaging and add your packaging to your main Amazon image.
• More items in the main gallery image convey better value.
• A/B test your product image against competitors using PickFu.
• Check Amazon brand analytics for the performance of keywords for your product.
• Regularly update product images to reflect trends.
• Do not fear Amazon's TOS when it comes to images.
• Review competitors' images in competitive categories.
• Sometimes, ugly images perform better than beautiful ones.
• Continuously refresh your images to avoid looking dated.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introduction to Amazon Image Hacks
• 01:55 - Utilizing Packaging for Keywords
• 03:48 - Enhancing Product Images for Better Value
• 05:15 - A/B Testing Against Competitors
• 06:38 - Leveraging Amazon Brand Analytics
• 08:33 - Regularly Updating Product Images
• 09:59 - Pushing the Limits of Amazon's TOS
• 10:56 - Learning from Competitors' Successes

And that's the 7 ways you can improve your images. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below! 

Thanks for listening and happy selling! 

In this episode, Gary Huang is on to discuss 3 potential predictions for the future of e-commerce within the next three years. Gary and I touch on topics like globalization, the impact of AI, and the potential return of aggregators while emphasizing how important it is to start moving manufacturing out of China. 

Struggling with tariffs? Unsure about upcoming changes? Let’s talk! With Portless, you only pay tariffs after your customers pay you - so your cash always moves faster than your costs. Schedule a risk assessment and leverage tariff deferment today. All new customers get $1,000 to reinvest in their business. 

Big Takeaways

• Globalization is shifting towards a model that may exclude China.
• AI will significantly impact businesses, potentially leading to many closures.
• Aggregators in e-commerce are predicted to return with a focus on credible brands.
• New challenges often give way to new opportunity. New marketplaces present opportunities for sellers to expand beyond Amazon US.
• YouTube has the opportunity to become a major competitor to Amazon in retail.
• Diversification away from Amazon is crucial for long-term success.
• The current economic climate creates both challenges and opportunities for e-commerce.
• AI tools can enhance efficiency but may also threaten traditional business models.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - E-commerce Predictions and Global Sentiment
• 02:57 - Globalization 2.0: The Future of Manufacturing
• 05:50 - The Impact of AI on Business Survival
• 08:59 - The Return of Aggregators in E-commerce
• 12:09 - New Market Opportunities Amidst Uncertainty
• 15:02 - YouTube as Amazon's Biggest Competitor
• 17:57 - The Seven Figure Seller Summit and Future Trends

Gary, thanks for joining us on the podcast today. It was great having you on to talk about your upcoming event and some of your predictions for e-commerce in the future! 

If you're interested in 7 Figure Seller Summit which will be held on April 22 - 24th, you can get your limited time Free Pass by clicking on this link.