The Ecommerce Leader Series

In Episode 40 of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Bryan Kinghorn sits down with Erin Murray, CMO of Avatara Skincare, to explore a question every growing brand eventually faces:

Why do some brands create loyal communities while others are constantly chasing new customers?

Products can attract attention.

Communities create loyalty.

Drawing on leadership roles at brands including Sephora, Tatcha, K18, and Avatara, Erin shares why modern marketing is no longer about shouting the loudest. It's about earning trust, creating belonging, and building relationships that last long after the first purchase.

Bryan and Erin discuss how consumer behaviour is changing, why younger generations discover brands through creators and communities instead of traditional advertising, and how the most successful companies balance storytelling with education and transparency.

The conversation also explores how AI is changing the way marketing teams work. From reporting and forecasting to customer segmentation and content creation, Erin explains how AI is helping marketers make better decisions faster—while leaving creativity, empathy, and human insight firmly at the centre of great brand building.

You'll learn:

• Why community is becoming a stronger competitive advantage than advertising
• How younger consumers discover and trust new brands
• Building loyalty through storytelling, education, and transparency
• Measuring success beyond clicks and short-term conversions
• Why customer lifetime value matters more than acquisition alone
• Practical ways AI is improving modern marketing teams
• Balancing data-driven decisions with human creativity
• Lessons from scaling some of the world's best-known consumer brands

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, technology, and better decision-making help businesses strengthen customer relationships, build enduring brands, and create sustainable growth.

Connect with Erin Murray

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/airynn00

Learn more about Avatara Skincare

https://avataraskin.com

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1

In Episode 39 of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Eric Bidinger sits down with Borja Iribarne, Founder & CEO of ProfesorCBD, to explore a challenge that every business eventually faces:

How do you build trust when customers are naturally sceptical of your industry?

For Borja, the answer wasn't louder marketing.

It was education.

Inspired by his mother's search for relief following cancer treatment, Borja founded ProfesorCBD with a simple belief: customers make better decisions when they're given honest, transparent information.

That philosophy transformed a small Spanish retailer into one of Europe's leading CBD businesses, serving customers across 26 countries in one of the world's most heavily regulated industries.

Eric and Borja discuss why trust is built through education rather than persuasion, how creating genuinely helpful content became the company's greatest growth engine, and what founders can learn from building a business where credibility matters more than clever marketing.

The conversation also explores how AI is changing the way founders operate. Borja shares how he uses AI as a personal executive assistant to prioritise work, monitor business performance, analyse inventory, draft communications, and surface insights across the business—helping him make faster, better-informed decisions without growing a large team.

You'll learn:

• Why education creates stronger customer trust than marketing alone
• Growing a business in one of the world's most regulated industries
• Turning content into a sustainable competitive advantage
• Overcoming the challenges of payments, advertising, and regulation
• Practical ways founders can use AI to improve decision-making
• Building AI workflows that support leadership rather than replace it
• Scaling internationally with a lean organisation
• Lessons in resilience, focus, and long-term thinking

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, technology, and better decision-making help businesses earn customer trust, solve meaningful problems, and build sustainable long-term growth.

Connect with Borja Iribarne

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketingdigitalmadrid

Learn more about ProfesorCBD

https://profesorcbd.com

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1

In Episode 38 of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Eric Bidinger sits down with Gautier Sesmat, CMO at Degusta Box, to explore one of the biggest challenges facing every growing business:

How do you create an experience customers genuinely want to come back for?

Winning a customer once is difficult.

Keeping them month after month is where great businesses are built.

Gautier shares how Degusta Box has grown by turning everyday shopping into something people look forward to. Rather than simply delivering food, the business creates moments of discovery—introducing customers to products they might never have chosen themselves while helping emerging brands reach households in a meaningful way.

Eric and Gautier discuss why retention is built across the entire business, not just the marketing team. From product selection and logistics to customer communication and storytelling, every touchpoint influences whether customers stay, leave, or recommend the service to others.

The conversation also explores how AI is reshaping modern marketing. Gautier explains how his team uses AI to automate reporting, analyse performance, streamline workflows, and accelerate content creation—freeing marketers to spend more time understanding customers and improving the experiences that drive long-term growth.

You'll learn:

• Why retention matters more than acquisition for long-term growth
• Creating customer experiences people want to return to
• How discovery becomes a competitive advantage
• Building subscription businesses around value instead of discounts
• Helping emerging brands reach new customers through product sampling
• Practical ways AI is improving marketing and business operations
• Why authentic marketing is becoming more valuable in an AI-driven world
• Building a culture of continuous testing and optimisation

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, technology, and better decision-making help businesses improve customer experiences, strengthen retention, and build sustainable growth.

Connect with Gautier Sesmat

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsesmat

Learn more about Degusta Box

https://partners.degustabox.com/

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1

In Episode 37 of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Bryan Kinghorn sits down with Matt Murphy, Founder & Managing Director of Feel Supreme, to explore one of the toughest challenges in consumer health:

How do you build trust when customers can't immediately see whether your product works?

After leaving a career in construction to study naturopathic nutrition, Matt didn't set out to build another supplement company.

He set out to build products he would confidently recommend to his own family.

What began with a single product has grown into a premium wellness brand with more than 40 formulations, built around careful ingredient sourcing, in-house product development, and a commitment to quality over trends.

Bryan and Matt discuss why trust has become the ultimate competitive advantage in health and wellness, how educating customers creates stronger long-term relationships than chasing quick sales, and why identifying emerging categories early has helped Feel Supreme stay ahead of the market.

The conversation also explores how AI is becoming an everyday tool for founders. From accelerating research and product formulation to improving operations, finance, and inventory management, Matt shares how AI is helping businesses make better decisions while leaving expertise and judgement firmly in human hands.

You'll learn:

• Why trust matters more than marketing in the wellness industry
• Growing from a single product to a premium supplement brand
• Identifying emerging trends before they become mainstream
• Building customer loyalty through education and subscriptions
• Developing products instead of simply reselling them
• Practical ways AI is accelerating research and business operations
• Balancing innovation with authenticity in a regulated market
• Leadership lessons from building a challenger brand over more than a decade

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, technology, and better decision-making help businesses earn customer trust, improve operations, and create sustainable long-term growth.

Connect with Matt Murphy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-murphy-672a68b0/

Learn more about Feel Supreme

https://feelsupreme.co.uk

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1

In Episode 36 of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Eric Bidinger sits down with Will Hunter, Founder & CEO of Rent with Thred, to explore a question that could reshape the future of retail:

What if customers don't actually want to own your product?

For decades, e-commerce has been built around selling more products.

Will believes the next generation of businesses may be built around something entirely different: access.

After recognising that many men rarely wear expensive clothing enough to justify buying it, Will founded Rent with Thred—a subscription service giving customers access to premium fashion without the cost, commitment, or clutter of ownership.

Bryan and Will discuss why changing customer behaviour is creating entirely new business models, how subscription commerce removes friction from purchasing decisions, and why understanding the outcome customers want is often more important than the product itself.

The conversation also explores the operational realities of building a rental business, where every garment must be shipped, returned, cleaned, inspected, and prepared for its next customer. Will shares why reverse logistics has become one of the company's greatest competitive advantages, how careful inventory selection drives customer retention, and where AI is helping improve operations and customer acquisition.

You'll learn:

• Why access is becoming more valuable than ownership
• Building a subscription business around customer convenience
• The hidden operational complexity behind fashion rental
• Why reverse logistics can become a competitive advantage
• How product selection drives customer retention
• Growing organically through product-market fit instead of paid advertising
• Practical ways AI is improving retail operations
• Lessons from creating an entirely new category in commerce

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, technology, and better decision-making help businesses solve real customer problems, rethink traditional business models, and build sustainable growth.

Connect with Will Hunter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-hunter1/

Learn more about Rent with Thred

https://rentwiththred.com

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1

In Episode 35 of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Eric Bidinger sits down with Andrew Brown, CEO of myGemma, to explore one of the biggest questions in modern commerce:

Can trust become your greatest competitive advantage?

When customers are spending thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—of pounds online, they're not simply buying a product.

They're buying confidence.

Andrew shares how myGemma evolved from purchasing unwanted jewellery from pawn brokers into one of America's leading luxury resale platforms by focusing on something many businesses overlook: earning trust at every stage of the customer journey.

Rather than relying on marketing alone, myGemma has built its reputation through expert authentication, transparent processes, exceptional customer service, and one of the highest-rated customer experiences in the luxury resale industry.

The conversation also explores how AI is changing e-commerce operations behind the scenes. From merchandising and website optimisation to workflow automation and operational efficiency, Andrew explains why technology should eliminate friction—not replace the human conversations that build lasting customer relationships.

You'll learn:

• Why trust is the most valuable asset in online commerce
• Building confidence around high-value purchases
• How authentication creates competitive advantage
• Why customer reviews matter more than ever
• Balancing operational efficiency with exceptional customer experience
• Practical ways AI is improving e-commerce operations
• Using data to make smarter merchandising decisions
• Lessons from scaling a trusted luxury marketplace

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, technology, and better decision-making help businesses earn customer trust, improve operations, and build sustainable competitive advantage.

Connect with Andrew Brown

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-brown-11786122

Learn more about myGemma

https://mygemma.com/en-gb

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1

In Episode 34 of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Eric Bidinger sits down with Deborah Bennett, Co-Founder & CEO of ORKAI, to explore a challenge every entrepreneur eventually faces:

How do you compete with companies that have bigger budgets, bigger teams, and decades of history?

After a 37-year career leading technology teams, Deborah entered the golf industry with no manufacturing experience, no logistics background, and no established brand.

She simply believed customers deserved something better.

What began as a search for a single custom golf bag has grown into ORKAI—a premium lifestyle brand built around craftsmanship, personalisation, and exceptional customer service.

Rather than trying to outspend industry giants, Deborah explains how ORKAI created a competitive advantage by listening more closely to customers, designing products around their individual stories, and delivering experiences that larger brands struggle to replicate.

The conversation also explores how AI is helping challenger brands move faster. From accelerating product design and streamlining operations to improving customer experiences, Deborah shares how technology is removing repetitive work while allowing her team to focus on the creativity and relationships that truly differentiate the business.

You'll learn:

• Why challenger brands shouldn't compete on price alone
• Building a premium business around craftsmanship and customer experience
• Turning customer stories into lasting brand loyalty
• Competing against established market leaders with a lean team
• Practical ways AI is improving product design and operations
• Why technology should support—not replace—human relationships
• Choosing partners that strengthen long-term growth
• Lessons from building a purpose-driven premium brand

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, technology, and better decision-making help businesses stand out, earn customer trust, and build sustainable competitive advantage.

Connect with Deborah Bennett

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/golfncio/

Learn more about ORKAI

https://orkai.life

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1

In Episode 33 of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Eric Bidinger sits down with Victor Halvarsson, Founder & CEO of Vanbruun, to explore one of the hardest challenges in e-commerce:

How do you earn someone's trust when they're making one of the most important purchases of their life?

Buying an engagement ring isn't just another online transaction.

It's a once-in-a-lifetime decision filled with emotion, uncertainty, and expectation.

After leaving a career in banking, Victor set out to challenge the traditional jewellery industry by combining luxury craftsmanship with the convenience of e-commerce. But instead of competing on price, Vanbruun built its reputation around something far more valuable: trust.

Bryan and Victor discuss why hospitality—not technology—has become the company's greatest competitive advantage, how personalised service creates confidence in high-value online purchases, and why every interaction, from the first conversation to the moment a customer opens the ring box, shapes the customer experience.

The conversation also explores how AI is transforming luxury retail behind the scenes. From automating operational processes and product rendering to improving customer service and quality control, Victor explains why AI should create more space for human connection—not less.

You'll learn:

• Why trust is the ultimate competitive advantage in luxury e-commerce
• Building premium customer experiences through hospitality
• Selling highly emotional products online with confidence
• Growing an international luxury brand with a lean team
• Why custom systems became a competitive advantage
• Practical ways AI is improving luxury retail operations
• How founders can use technology without losing the human touch
• Leadership lessons from building a premium global brand

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, technology, and better decision-making help businesses earn customer trust, create exceptional experiences, and build enduring brands.

Connect with Victor Halvarsson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorhalvarsson/

Learn more about Vanbruun

https://vanbruun.com/en-se

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1

In Episode 32 of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Bryan Kinghorn sits down with Ana Caria, CFO at Churned.io, to explore a question that catches many founders by surprise:

Why do so many fast-growing businesses still struggle with cash?

The answer often isn't sales.

It's retention.

Having worked with startups through every stage of growth, Ana has seen the same pattern repeat itself: companies invest heavily in acquiring new customers while quietly losing the ones they've already paid to win. The result is weaker cash flow, lower profitability, and slower long-term growth—despite impressive revenue numbers.

Bryan and Ana explore why customer retention is one of the most important financial metrics in any business, how churn impacts everything from fundraising to company valuation, and why modern CFOs are becoming strategic partners rather than spreadsheet managers.

The conversation also examines how AI is transforming financial leadership. From predicting customer churn before it happens to connecting fragmented business data and automating analysis, Ana explains how AI is helping finance teams spend less time reporting on the past and more time shaping the future.

You'll learn:

• Why customer retention is fundamentally a finance challenge
• The hidden cost of chasing growth without reducing churn
• How AI predicts customer behaviour before customers leave
• Why Net Revenue Retention (NRR) is one of the most valuable growth metrics
• How modern CFOs are using AI to make faster, smarter decisions
• The relationship between retention, cash flow, and company valuation
• Building sustainable growth instead of expensive growth
• Why finance leaders are becoming strategic co-pilots to founders

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, technology, and better decision-making help businesses improve profitability, strengthen customer relationships, and create sustainable growth.

Connect with Ana Caria

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamcaria/

Learn more about Churned.io

https://www.churned.io/

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1

In Episode 31 of the Luca Ecommerce Leader Series, Bryan Kinghorn sits down with Sam Mulroe, Co-Founder & Creative Director of Lucy & Sam, to explore a question every consumer brand eventually faces:

How do you compete when you refuse to be the cheapest?

After years manufacturing products for some of the UK's biggest high street retailers, Sam saw first-hand the waste created by fast fashion and mass production.

Instead of making more of the same, he chose a different path.

Together with his co-founder, he built Lucy & Sam—a children's clothing brand centred on original design, organic materials, and products made to last, be passed between families, and create value far beyond a single purchase.

Bryan and Sam discuss why originality has become one of the strongest competitive advantages in modern e-commerce, how thoughtful product design creates customer loyalty, and why sustainable businesses still have to win on quality, experience, and commercial performance.

The conversation also explores how AI is helping lean brands compete with much larger businesses. From marketing and financial planning to inventory management and creative production, Sam shares practical ways AI is becoming an everyday teammate—reducing costs, improving decision-making, and giving independent brands capabilities that were once reserved for much larger organisations.

You'll learn:

• Why originality is a stronger competitive advantage than price
• The hidden challenges behind traditional fashion manufacturing
• Building a premium children's brand around long-term value
• Designing products that customers keep, reuse, and recommend
• Creating a plastic-free supply chain
• Practical ways AI is improving marketing, finance, inventory, and creative production
• Building a lean business that competes through better systems—not bigger budgets
• Lessons from more than a decade of building an independent e-commerce brand

The Luca Ecommerce Leader Series features conversations with founders and operators building the future of commerce. Each episode explores how AI, technology, and better decision-making help businesses create stronger products, build more resilient operations, and compete in increasingly demanding markets.

Connect with Sam Mulroe

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-mulroe-b48ba1165/

Learn more about Lucy & Sam

https://www.lucyandsam.com/

Connect with Luca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ask_Luca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asklucaai/

Website: https://ask-luca.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askluca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askluca1