The JetRails Podcast

Learn how eCommerce stores continue to experience growth through ad networks like Google Shopping and Instagram. Beyond simply setting up campaigns, you'll hear about common challenges and strategies for achieving success.

Guest: Tony Capetola, SalesAndOrders.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Additional Resources:

If you enjoyed this episode, catch Tony and Robert's first appearance together on the Sales&Orders "Ask an eCommerce Specialist" series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6H1Kn_qVSc

While Robert was going to provide compromising information about Tony in this space, we were informed that wouldn't be permitted. This is why we don't invite legal counsel to sit in on the recordings themselves: https://youtu.be/CggADi00cvY?t=104

Recently, some popular tools that marketed themselves as tools to make websites accessible to people with disabilities have been coming under fire for not living up to their mission. So we thought it would be interesting to look at this topic from the ground up.

In this episode, we discuss the role of your CMS or eCommerce platform in ADA Compliance, but we don't stop there. We share information on just how far tools can go in solving your compliance needs, and what else you still need to be aware of. We even get insights into the legal ramifications of non-compliance, and who is getting sued.

Guest: Scott Trachtenberg, ADASiteCompliance.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

The eCommerce industry tends to put a lot of emphasis on getting shoppers to purchase immediately. Every store owner wants a higher conversion rate. This had led many shops to shy away from linking to off-site content.

However, what's not talked about nearly as often is that online shoppers aren't ready to buy something 100% of the time.

In this episode, we discuss when linking to off-site content can actually increase important metrics like customer lifetime value, best practices for outbound linking, and how this practice can be healthy for your marketing campaigns too!

Guest: Scott Rogerson, Upcontent.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Mentioned Resources:

https://www.semrush.com/blog/outbound-links/#header9

https://www.marsatta.com/pages/what-we-re-reading

https://sniply.io/

In our last episode, Ben Marks and Robert Rand took a deep dive into eCommerce platform Total Cost of Ownership. That conversation leads directly into this episode, in which Ben and Robert discuss Open Source vs. Closed Source eCommerce.

If you're tired of sales teams pitching what's great about their eCommerce platforms and simply want to learn the actual pros and cons to look out for, this episode is for you!

Guest: Ben Marks, Shopware.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Captains Log, Stardate -302360.5

We've entered a new reality in which eCommerce platforms can't stop talking about their low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). They all seem to believe that they provide the lowest TCO, although our data scientists have proven that can't be correct.

How are they all coming to different conclusions... and should TCO really be as big a decision-making factor as these platforms are trying to make it when there are other considerations to take into account, like opportunity costs?

Guest: Ambassador Ben Marks, Shopware.com

Host: Ambassador Robert Rand, JetRails.com

The Backdrop:

Luma is the default theme that Magento 2 websites around the world have been using for years.

It's several years old, trying to compete in the fast-paced world of eCommerce. So the question is "Is it the best solution?".

There are Magento themes for sale that are full of bells and whistles. They're intended to give you lots of extra features quickly, but also add complexity and technical debt for your developers.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are another way to go, but as newer entrants into the market, they bring their own challenges.

Enter Hyvä:

An experienced Magento developer was planning to build an eCommerce site for his wife's business and wanted to use Magento. However, he was dissatisfied with Luma and its old coding languages and methodologies. He wanted something cleaner, built with newer coding languages.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. In this episode, we chat about the variety of theming options that led Willem Wigman to create Hyvä, as well as what a theme like Hyvä can mean to the Magento community - from the happiness of developers to the Google Core Web Vitals scores earned by merchants, and the billable hours needed to build and upkeep a Magento 2 store.

Guest: Andreas von Studnitz, integer-net.com

Host: Robert Rand, jetrails.com

Additional Resources about Hyvä that you may find helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qftuffCI8m8

https://www.slideshare.net/AndreasvonStudnitz/successful-projects-with-hyv-the-impact-of-developer-happiness

The longer your business is operating and growing, the more software you've inevitably deployed. Over time, your organization can easily wind up with a variety of software subscriptions and solutions that aren't in alignment with your needs or goals. Some aren't well used or are redundant and should be eliminated. Others stop being a good fit as your business evolves.

Whether you're an eCommerce manager, IT director, CMO, COO, or someone else that's responsible for signing off on a lot of software, choosing and tracking those systems rarely gets easier. That's why we're excited to release this episode about tech stack optimization. We discussed how both end-users like merchants, and aggregate users like digital agencies, can better manage their tech stacks.

Guest: Sheryl Shultz, CabinetM.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

For eCommerce stores, 2020 was heavily focused on acquiring and supporting new customers. In 2021 those same eCommerce merchants are putting a bigger focus on retention and customer lifetime value (CLV).

So, we wanted to spend some time discussing organized ways to keep your shoppers engaged with your brand and loyal to your store. Through the process, we also touch on a lot of things that don't work well and should be avoided.

Guest: Fiona Stevens, LoyaltyLion.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

eCommerce shoppers, in the words of a famous cartoon character, will "gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today". While the words of J. Wellington Wimpy, a well-known character from Popeye were meant to be entertaining, there's a serious underlying concept.

Shoppers don't all have lines of credit at the ready. They may have steady incomes but haven't built a credit history yet. Whether they're young adults or immigrants, it can be tough in our credit-centric society.

It's the same for folks whose credit took a nosedive in the past and is still recovering.

Add in shoppers that want to minimize credit checks and maintain low balances so they can get a good mortgage or car loan in the near future, and you'd be amazed at how large the market for consumer financing options in eCommerce checkouts really is.

This episode sheds light on this sizable market and the variety of financial technologies that are empowering these shoppers to pay over time.

Guest: Kali Keesee, Katapult.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Some items don't belong on a standard UPS or FedEx truck. Perhaps the items are heavy or big. Maybe you're just moving items in bulk quantities. That's where less-than-truckload (LTL) freight comes in. These services have been in high demand in recent times, delivering items from B2B and B2C orders alike.

As a merchant, if you need to spread out your goods between multiple warehouses so that they can be delivered in 1-2 days after they're purchased by consumers, LTL can really come in handy. It's also a great way to deliver particular goods, from desks to surfboards, even if you're just getting the goods to a brick-and-mortar location for store pickup. Intrigued? Want to learn more about best practices for LTL? Need to stay ahead of the curve as this delivery channel evolves? Then this episode is for you!

Guest: Anthony Charland, Kuehne-Nagel.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

More LTL Freight Educational Materials: https://us.kuehne-nagel.com/additional-resources-ltl-ecommerce