The JetRails Podcast

In eCommerce, you need to get a lot of things right. Your checkout may be the most important of them. If you can't get shoppers across the finish line, all of your hard work quickly goes down the proverbial drain. That's why we invited a company that does nothing but focus on delivering an improved checkout experience for Magento stores to chat with Robert for this episode.

***Be sure to listen through the end of this track to catch a great blooper from the taping of this episode!***

Guest: Thien-Lan Weber, OneStepCheckout.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Reference Materials & Additional Resources:

Why Magento 2 doesn't address the key reasons for cart abandonment (video): https://youtu.be/hBLOnDucLEs

Magento 1 End of Life Update, including Magento usage stats: https://jetrails.com/blog/magento-1-security-updates/

How to choose Magento Extensions: https://jetrails.com/blog/how-to-choose-magento-extensions/

ExtDN resources (do and Don't flyers): https://extdn.org/resources/

ExtDN latest tools: https://extdn.org/2020/10/08/announcing-the-extdn-github-actions-for-m2/

Showcases of Magento 2 stores: https://blog.onestepcheckout.com/2020/04/magento-2-showcase-13-us-online-stores/

https://jetrails.com/blog/magento-2-open-source-site-examples/

Magento Speed Test: https://jetrails.com/speed/

Magento Security Check: https://jetrails.com/security/

Magento Association: https://www.magentoassociation.org/

Thien-Lan's talk about remote work and flexibility at Meet Magento NY: https://blog.onestepcheckout.com/2018/11/remote-flexible-work-life-balance-talk-video/

eCommerce brands differentiate themselves in a number of ways, including by providing stellar customer service experiences. However, as brands scale-up, that can be exceedingly difficult. In this episode, we talk about Knowledge Base (KB) software, and opportunities to document pretty much every process, procedure, and piece of information that's important to your organization and your customers.

Guest: Matt Romans, GetGuru.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Instead of looking at a specific technology or challenge, we've brought together 3 friends that have some very big things in common. All 3 have worked for firms that integrate eCommerce software with other systems. In fact, one still does.

When your work is at the crossroads of online and offline commerce, and you're receiving feedback from merchants and development teams in real-time, you gain a valuable perspective on the evolution of the industry.

Get insights about changes they're all seeing in the market this year.

Guests:

Dave Malda, eBridgeConnections.com

Wayne Thompson, Optasy.com

Host:

Robert Rand, JetRails.com

The eCommerce industry puts a ton of focus onto getting shoppers to make purchases. However, what happens post-purchase matters just as much when it comes to retention and customer lifetime value (CLV). It's also important for gaining positive reviews, avoiding chargebacks, and keeping down customer-service expenses - which can quickly erode profits.

Guest: James Denker, RelayCloud.io

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Friendly fraud isn't particularly friendly to eCommerce merchants. In fact, for many, it's the most frequent and damaging type of fraud they're experiencing right now. Learn what the payment card industry has put forth to help merchants avoid chargebacks, and what it means to your business.

Guest: Yitz Mendlowitz, Paay.co

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Additional resources about fighting eCommerce fraud:

https://jetrails.com/podcast/?season=1&episode=28

https://jetrails.com/podcast/?season=1&episode=34

https://www.bestworlds.com/blog/keeping-fraudsters-from-disrupting-your-magento-business-10-kinds-of-ecommerce-fraud-to-avoid/

Many software platforms reach their peak within a decade. However, at 20 years old, Drupal is still going strong and differentiating from the competition. A lot of Drupal's success can be attributed back to the open-source nature of this CMS platform and the community and ecosystem that continues building up around it.

Learn about the past, present, and future of this content management system from one of the key people helping to ensure that future is bright.

Guest: Tim Lehnen, CTO, Drupal Association, Drupal.org

Host: Robert Rand, Director of Partnersions & Alliances, JetRails.com

...and if you're a member of the Drupal Association, don't miss out on these special member benefits that JetRails just announced:

https://jetrails.com/drupal-association-member-benefits/

Not a member of the Drupal Association yet? Support this great non-profit organization by becoming an Individual Member: https://www.drupal.org/association/individual-membership

Paying for goods and services hasn't changed very much since the inventions of checks and subsequently, credit cards. As Peer-2-Peer (P2P) payment platforms are becoming popularized, what's stopping eCommerce websites from getting paid faster and with fewer fees by interfacing more directly and securely with banks? How long will it be until the eCommerce checkout process includes a more modern payment processing standard, and is it the old guard payment processors that are holding up the evolution of payment technology?

Guest: Max Robbins, Paystand.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Recommended Reading:

B2B Digital Payments Stats for Merchants to Know in 2020, authored by Paystand: https://bit.ly/3hGIH31

Search Engine Optimization is a moving target, but it turns out that the recipe for long-term success is more predictable than some people tend to suggest. Learn how an SEO agency has evolved to help clients rank, and what strategies they're recommending for eCommerce sites.

Guest: Vlad Mkrtumyan, LogicInbound.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Recommended Reading:

Best SEO Backlinking Sources for eCommerce Websites -

https://jetrails.com/blog/best-seo-backlinking-sources-for-ecommerce-sites/

On one side, you have your ERP and Point of Sale (POS) software. On the other, you have your eCommerce platform and digital sales channels. How do you manage inventory and orders? What happens when shoppers expect faster, more seamless shopping experiences across your sales channels than you're able to provide?

As we uncover in this episode, many businesses either find themselves stuck on old software, or they've moved to a new eCommerce platform with the promise of modernization, but their software is still siloed. In today's world of click-and-collect ordering and curbside pickup, you need more than old multichannel integrations to meet the expectations of your shoppers.

Guest: Anil Patel, Hotwax.co

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com

Wouldn't it be nice if website and application development projects were simple? It would be great if you could have all of the tech of Amazon's marketplace in minutes and for a low fixed price. However, like so many things in life, it's just not that simple. What looks easy to the user can require a tremendous amount of complex coding to deliver.

How have agencies stepped up their game when it comes to project management and communications? What do buzzwords like Waterfall, Agile, and Scrum have to do with it? How can you set yourself up for success in a complex project, like the buildout of an eCommerce website? We cover it all in this episode!

Guest: Matthew Krecker, Liventus.com

Host: Robert Rand, JetRails.com