In this episode, we talk to Kelly Vaughn, the founder of an Atlanta-based Shopify Plus agency called The Taproom.

We talk about conversion-focused store design and what considerations should be top of mind for early and mid-stage ecommerce brands who are looking to crack into that seven or eight figure revenue territory. It might surprise you to learn that most brands don't actually need a custom theme until the are much larger, which is good news for companies who are worried about leaving money on the table with off-the-shelf themes.

So, if you're interested in learning about what design decisions are actually important to your sales performance, how you can attract your first customers without throwing money at Facebook, or what you should be looking for in a development agency, then this is the episode for you. 

Want to be a guest on our show? Have feedback or ideas for how we can improve? Send your thoughts over to [email protected]. We'll be keeping an eye on that inbox. :)

The Ecommerce Insights Show is brought to you by The Good, a Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) consultancy specializing in helping ecommerce businesses accelerate their growth through better research, testing, and design. Learn more about our team, our work, and our services at www.thegood.com.

In this episode, we talk to Fynn Glover, the founder of an ecommerce-focused content marketing tool called Matcha.

The tried-and-true ecommerce playbook is to launch your business with a barrage of paid advertising to "get people in the door" and then experiment with a handful of tactics to encourage things like repeat purchases or referrals to friends and family.

In this episode, we talk about the value of content marketing as more sustainable, predictable growth strategy. Of course, that requires taking a long-term view of your business. Still...we can't help but wonder why content marketing (and sophisticated tools to support it) isn't a more prominent topic of discussion in the ecommerce space.

So, if you're interested in learning about blogging and content marketing, how it can fit into your overarching growth strategy, and what you need to get started on the right foot, then this episode is for you.

Listen, and you'll learn about:

1. The tangible value of content marketing, with examples from Fynn's past
2. Why adoption is comparatively low in ecommerce, and how it's getting better
3. How effective content marketing can accelerate your sales performance
4. How to get started and make every dollar or minute you invest be effective

Want to be a guest on our show? Have feedback or ideas for how we can improve? Send your thoughts over to [email protected]. We'll be keeping an eye on that inbox. :)

The Ecommerce Insights Show is brought to you by The Good, a Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) consultancy specializing in helping ecommerce businesses accelerate their growth through better research, testing, and design. Learn more about our team, our work, and our services at www.thegood.com.

In this episode, we talk to Phillip Jackson, a prolific publisher and co-founder of Future Commerce.

Phillip is well-know for his hair, but we were more interested in what's underneath. He brings a unique perspective to the convergence of traditional retail and ecommerce and how this evolution will continue to shape the rest of the world around us.

We also talk about changes in consumer psychology and behaviors, and how savvy ecommerce leaders can use those as early indicators of challenges and opportunities on the horizon.

So, if you're looking for something a little bit more cerebral and far-reaching than our usual conversations, but still packed with a lot of actionable takeaways, then this is the perfect episode for you.

Listen, and you'll learn about:

1. The convergence of brick & mortar retail and ecommerce
2. The characteristics and mindset that make for resilient retail businesses
3. How new technology and changing consumer behaviors will impact your business
4. The importance of establishing and strengthening a customer-centric culture
5. Emerging trends that will change the way ecommerce businesses operate

Want to be a guest on our show? Have feedback or ideas for how we can improve? Send your thoughts over to [email protected]. We'll be keeping an eye on that inbox. :)

The Ecommerce Insights Show is brought to you by The Good, a Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) consultancy specializing in helping ecommerce businesses accelerate their growth through better research, testing, and design. Learn more about our team, our work, and our services at www.thegood.com.

In this episode, we talk to Val Geisler, an email marketing expert and founder of Fix My Churn.

Val is known for being the go-to resource for "all things email marketing," but we give special attention to two areas in this episode:

1. The must-have campaigns and automations to reach "good enough" 
2. Intermediate strategies for converting and retaining more of your subscription customers

In other words, we share how to check the box for the 20% of email marketing strategies that will get you 80% of the financial results.

We also included a little surprise for our loyal listeners – a live email campaign teardown. Val walks us through her real-life purchasing experience with a brand in the personal care space and shares her thoughts on what they get right as well as where they can improve.

So, if you're looking for a playbook for leveling up your email marketing, or if you want to learn from the actual experiments and campaigns being run by an active brand, this is the episode for you.

BONUS Resource:
Make sure to check out Val's Dinner Party Strategy. It's a collection of resources to help you build an email welcome series that will create an army of loyal customers.

Want to be a guest on our show? Have feedback or ideas for how we can improve? Send your thoughts over to [email protected]. We'll be keeping an eye on that inbox. :)

The Ecommerce Insights Show is brought to you by The Good, a Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) consultancy specializing in helping ecommerce businesses accelerate their growth through better research, testing, and design. Learn more about our team, our work, and our services at www.thegood.com.

What happens after someone buys a product from you?

Chances are, they get a templated order confirmation email, maybe a shipment tracking email, and that's usually all they receive.

Here's the thing...these transactional emails get open rates as high as 70% or more. So, if you're using an off-the-shelf template, you're missing out on a lot of undivided attention. Instead, you could be using these touchpoints to continue to expand your relationship with the customer and increase your chances of earning a repeat purchase or a referral.

Getting those repeat customers is a critical part of running a healthy ecommerce business. If you can generate a 5% increase in customer retention, studies have shown that it can lead to as much as a 75% increase in price stability. Additionally, repeat customers spend 67% more than new customers, on average.

If your post-purchase emails are underutilized, please make time to listen to this episode, where our CEO Jon breaks down the timing, purpose, and business value of each message.

And if you want even more information, including screenshots of real-world examples, check out this article – 5 Important Post-Purchase Emails You Need to Drive Sales.

Want more actionable insights like this one? Subscribe to receive a new one each week at https://thegood.com/sign-up/

In this episode, we talk to Ilana Davis, an independent ecommerce consultant and advocate for accessibility, inclusivity, and equality.

We talk about Ilana's flagship service, the Website Rescue, and how she communicates with clients who land in her inbox saying, "I want to improve my conversion rate...what should I do?"

After going back and forth on CRO philosophy and strategies, we dive into the importance of considering accessibility and inclusivity when you launch a new product or review your store design. Neglecting this topic is literally costing you money.

So, if you're looking for a playbook for auditing your site and identifying areas where you can make some small usability changes to drive a significant improvement in your conversion rate and revenue, this is the episode for you.

Here are a few resources that we covered:

1. Ilana's Website
2. Amani Coffee Company
3. Fetch Roasters
4. Answer The Public
5. Hair Love by Matthew Cherry

Want to be a guest on our show? Have feedback or ideas for how we can improve? Send your thoughts over to [email protected]. We'll be keeping an eye on that inbox. :)

The Ecommerce Insights Show is brought to you by The Good, a Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) consultancy specializing in helping ecommerce businesses accelerate their growth through better research, testing, and design. Learn more about our team, our work, and our services at www.thegood.com.

What if you could look over the shoulder of every visitor that encountered your website? What would you pay extra attention to? What questions would you ask? What unexpected observations might you encounter?

That's the scenario we placed ourselves in when we put together this 5-minute lesson on the most important questions you should be asking every shopper who comes to your site.

Finding the answers to these questions will:

1. Help you better understand the actual (not assumed) needs and motivators of your customers.
2. Identify areas where visitors are getting lost, confused, or annoyed.
3. Put together a plan for removing these points of friction, which will increase your conversion rate.

In this episode, Jon MacDonald, our CEO, shares all five of the questions you should be asking as well as the specific information you should be listening for and the specific steps you should take after the interview. Enjoy!

Want more actionable insights like this one? Subscribe to receive a new one each week at https://thegood.com/sign-up/

In this episode, we talk to Nick Disabato, the founder of an interaction design consultancy called Draft.

We kick things off by reviewing Nick's approach to conversion rate optimization and coerce him into sharing some actionable advice for Ecommerce leaders who are looking to spin up their own CRO function or are looking to bring on external help.

Then, we talk about one of Nick's latest projects, a book called Finding Clarity in Uncertainty, that focuses on helping you manage stress and protect your mental health more effectively – and become a better steward of your life and business in the process.

So, if you're looking for a systematic approach to improving your website performance or some guidance on how to be more intentional about self-care so that you can optimize your personal performance, this is the episode for you.

Here are a few resources that we covered:

1. Draft's Website
2. Draft's Case Studies
3. Nick's Trello Board Template
4. Draft Revise – Nick's Flagship Service
5. Interviewing Users by Steve Portigal
6. Finding Clarity in Uncertainty by Nick Disabato
7. Black Friday/Cyber Monday Bonanza

Want to be a guest on our show? Have feedback or ideas for how we can improve? Send your thoughts over to [email protected]. We'll be keeping an eye on that inbox. :)

The Ecommerce Insights Show is brought to you by The Good, a Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) consultancy specializing in helping ecommerce businesses accelerate their growth through better research, testing, and design. Learn more about our team, our work, and our services at www.thegood.com.

An ecommerce product detail page design can often make or break a sale. It's the critical point where a potential customer will determine whether to purchase your product, keep browsing, or to seek out an alternative option.

That means your product detail page must do three things well:

1. It must give detailed, benefit-focused information about the product in question,
2. It must offer an easy and obvious way for buyers to take the next step towards ownership
3. It should provide a way for shoppers to be presented with alternative suggestions.

In this episode, Ethan Cotton, one of our CRO strategists, shares a few of our favorite strategies for optimizing your product detail page to convert more of your website visitors into customers. Enjoy!

If you want even more information on this topic, click the link below to read our Insight article:

16 Product Detail Page Design Best Practices (with Examples)

In this episode, we talk to Casey Armstrong, the Chief Marketing Office of a third party logistics partner called ShipBob.

At the time of publishing, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a lot of holiday shoppers online, which is straining the U.S. logistics industry to the point where industry experts have coined terms like "Shippageddon" or "The Shipocalypse."

Keep that in mind as you listen to this episode. We recorded our conversation prior to the holiday season and we tried to focus on tried-and-true fulfillment advice that will serve you through and beyond the current situation. Hang in there!

Casey was kind enough to share some of his favorites tools of the trade and walk us through his thought process for determining if an ecommerce brand is a good fit for working with a third party logistics partner. If you're struggling to efficiently and effectively pick, pack, and post your orders to customers, this episode is for you!

Want to be a guest on our show? Have feedback or ideas for how we can improve? Send your thoughts over to [email protected]. We'll be keeping an eye on that inbox. :)

The Ecommerce Insights Show is brought to you by The Good, a Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) consultancy specializing in helping ecommerce businesses accelerate their growth through better research, testing, and design. Learn more about our team, our work, and our services at www.thegood.com.