For Ep.34 Ben connects with the team at Okendo again, this time to talk to co-founder and Chief Technical Officer, Matt Garven. Okendo is a cleverer-than-most Customer Review app, specifically for Shopify. Matt talks about the start of the company, how reviews help ecommerce businesses grow and why they are so important.

Visit Okendo here

Read more Shopify content here

We have spoken to Okendo before and have another interview with Scott Goodman, their Partnerships Manager. Find Episode 26 to learn more about Okendo. The Okendo team is small and smart, and their app does clever things, most of which have been the brain child of Matt Garven, This Shopify Partner interview is very interesting for any merchant who is looking at launching or improving the way they manage and benefit from customer reviews.

Matt starts the story in the beginning, when he and co-founder Matt Goodman (yes, Scott's brother) met and the idea for Okendo was born. Matt understands every detail of their technology, how it works, what makes it powerful, and also their plans for future features.

In simple terms, the key benefits that make Okendo the new benchmark in customer reviews for ecommerce is the flexibility it offers brands regarding integration, and the ability to customise and display content-rich reviews. That means customers can use text, photos, videos, rankings and many more options when they drop their review with Okendo. Each Shopify business can extensively, and simply, customise the Okendo review for their business to include sliders for rating factors like fit for clothes or flavour for foods, for example.

Not only does Okendo make customer reviews richer, easier and more fun for customers to submit, the way the reviews display makes them more interesting and engaging for potential customers to read. The customers win on both sides of the review equation.

It was great to catch up with Okendo again, this time in their Sydney offices, and we hope you enjoy the interview.

Our big THANKS to Matt Garven, and the Okendo team for their time, insights and passion for ecommerce.

If you want to be a guest on The Cut’s podcast, just ask, we love to talk to new merchants, agencies and app developers.

In Ep.33 Ben speaks with Aaron Koo, one of 3 co-founders and entrepreneurs at Hydra. Hydra is a sports and fitness brand specialising in large capacity water bottles, duffle bags and accessories and they are starting to experiment with apparel too.

Visit Hydra here

Read more Shopify content here

This Shopify Merchant interview is going to give maximum value to ecommerce founders who are in the planning stages, or the first 3 years of their business.

Aaron shares a wide range of stories from the very beginning of the Hydra business, to launching, learning and working hard to achieve steady growth.

The Hydra story is an interesting one based on a simple idea, a compact range of products, a small team of people with ‘day jobs’ and how they are growing an evolving ecommerce business.

At its core, the Hyra offering is very simple - Big, tough drink bottles that are ready to take the punishment of active, outdoor lifestyles. They match form with function by looking cool and offering carry straps, easy open lids and large openings for easy water in, and fast flow when drinking. Hydra customers love these simple and effective features and points of difference.

Any business with a small product catalogue may face the challenge of diversifying and giving customers a reason to return and purchase again. Aaron and his team are working out those challenges as they go.

At the September Shopify Meetup, Aaron and his co-founders Leigh and Yujun did a tag team presentation of the Hydra story. What stands out with this business is that each co-founder brings a different skill set into the business that is complimentary to the others, and adds clear value to the overall picture.

A big Shopify THANKS to Aaron, Leigh and Yujun for giving their time to The Cut, and our listeners, to share the Hydra story.

If you want to be a guest on The Cut’s podcast, you only have to ask.

Retail's not dead, it's still moving! In this Ep Ben shares his thoughts on the hard truth about retail's move away from bricks and mortar, and the opportunities that gives all retailers. Retailers of physical stores are the people who will find this ecommerce podcast most interesting, especially those who can see the opportunity, and want to follow their customers online.

Connect with more Shopify content here.

Contact The Cut today, we're here to help.

Yes, retail is hurting, but is it really dying? We say no, but it has moved online, and in some sector's customers are still moving online, so this change and shift in location is still happening.

The fact that the location of the shopping experience is moving online is scary for many traditional retailers.

But on the bright side, while bricks and mortar retail is declining, ecommerce retail is exploding, and there are so many opportunities in this change.

Join Ben as he chats about the good news - Almost every owner of a physical, bricks and mortar store has the opportunity to take their business into ecommerce.

And some more good news - Investing in ecommerce increases your potential customer base from your suburb, to your city, from your city to your state, from your state to the whole country, and from there, into international markets.

All sorts of business owners are making retail success stories happen. They are expanding and growing in retail, and using ecommerce to achieve that.

And there's no limit to the products they are succeeding with, from bikinis to confectionary, from faux eyelashes to eye liners, from boutique gin to vacuum repairs.

Retailers, take a listen, and start thinking about the opportunities ecommerce has for your business.

Contact The Cut today, we're here to help.

Connect with more Shopify content from The Cut here.

If you want to hear from some Sydney experts on ecommerce digital marketing, this podcast is for you. Listen in to Mez Homayunfard, co-founder of Online Marketing Gurus (OMG) as he shares his ideas and predictions on what is critical for ecomm marketing, and where it is moving in the future.

Connect with OMG here.

Contact The Cut today, we're here to help.

For Episode 31, Ben met with Mez at the Sydney offices of OMG for an interview to talk about the start of the agency, their focus and specialisations and what they see as being the most important factors for success in ecommerce. Ben and Mez chat about OMG's approach to new clients, the importance of data and strategy, being accountable and delivering ROI.

For OMG, it is all about working out the best strategy and solutions for each client's unique position and products. Executing to the plan, and adjusting and refining according to the data.

This Shopify interview covers digital marketing specifically for ecommerce, the importance of website design and customer experience, and having the right foundations in place, before building traffic and sales with digital marketing. 

Mez shares his insights and experiences on meeting the digital challenges that are specific to ecommerce businesses. and emerging tech trends in this space.

OMG are a Sydney-based digital agency, specialising in SEO strategies and marketing campaigns. While ecommerce is not all they do, it is a focus for the agency and they work with a large number of Shopify ecommerce businesses.

If you want to talk to a dynamic digital agency in Sydney, connect with Online Marketing Gurus here.

Contact The Cut today, we're here to help.

Connect with more Shopify content from The Cut here.

And take a look at a vid of our Shopify Meetups Here.

Join Ben as he chats with Natalie Guy, owner and co-founder of vegan speciality store, La Vida Vegan. Natalie is an experienced Shopify ecommerce merchant with healthy insights to share on branding, products and marketing.

Visit La Vida Vegan here.

Find more content from The Cut here.

You'll find this Shopify Merchant interview valuable if you're an ecommerce business owner and running your own Shopify store, or you're considering starting up. Natalie shares some awesome insights into a wide range of ecomm topics from product knowledge to marketing and customer value.

La Vida Vegan is a business with a focus on physical and online selling. The vegan-only food specialists have a bricks and mortar store in Perth's western suburbs, as well as their online Shopify store that was launched in 2016.

Natalie and her team are passionate and knowledgable vegans, driven by a love of animals and a passion for keeping food tasty, flavourful and interesting.

At La Vida Vegan customer service is the number one priority and Natalie and her team get to know and understand their customers in store and online, and their product knowledge runs deep. The whole team are well placed to help dedicated vegans, new vegans and the food-curious find what they need, and discover new food options too.

Natalie is hands on with the business's Shopify website and has a great understanding of apps and plugins and her own favourites across marketing and customer value strategies. And she's not afraid to share.

Natalie also presented the La Vida Vegan story at our Shopify Meetup in September 2019, and did a great job with tons of helpful content delivered live and in person.

Our Shopify thanks to Natalie and her partner David and their team at La Vida Vegan.

Customer Loyalty can be your most effective sales strategy because it maximises the value of the people who are already your happy customers. Find out more about your options and the power of well thought out Customer Loyalty activations for Shopify ecommerce businesses.

Contact The Cut, we're here to help. Contact The Cut.

Connect with more Shopify content from The Cut here.

And take a look at a vid of our Shopify Meetups Here.

Shopify Merchants and ecommerce business owners will find this Podcast very useful and full of valuable advice from The Cut Directors Ben and Scott, as they talk about Customer Loyalty, and extending the lifetime value of your ecommerce customers.

There are many Customer Loyalty apps to choose from for Shopify ecommerce, but before worrying about exactly which ones offer your business the best features, the best thing to do is understand the concept, what can be achieved and some of your options.

Customer Loyalty is a lot like the Frequent Flyer programs run by the airlines. For your Shopify ecommerce business, a Loyalty Program allows you to reward the people who are your most loyal customers. You can choose exactly how you want to reward them, for example with discounts or gifts etc. But you can also choose different actions to reward them for, like referring a friend or posting a great review of your business.

Loyalty Programs for ecomm are not just about giving reward points, they also give your business a great reason to stay in touch with your Customers, to communicate with them, and incentivise them to take positive actions that will benefit your business, and help to spread the word about how awesome you are.

The great thing about Customer Loyalty apps and the strategies that go with them, is that they provide a win-win for your business and your customers. Your customers enjoy the rewards and advantages you give them, and your business benefits from increased sales conversions from the people who are already your customers, plus the ability to attract new customers via your existing customers.

Make no mistake, Customer Loyalty programs for ecommerce businesses have the power to be an important part of your customer engagement and retention strategies, plus add massive value to your marketing efforts.

If you have Shopify questions or challenges, contact The Cut, we're here to help. Contact The Cut.

Hear Jack Lu, Managing Director of watch brand Hervor, talk about the importance of good product design and branding, plus niching, digital marketing and the importance of investing where your market is strongest.

Take a look at Hervor here.

Connect with more Shopify content from The Cut here.

And take a look at a vid of our Shopify Meetups Here.

From this Shopify Merchant interview, you'll get maximum value if you're a Shopify Merchant or ecommerce business owner, and it will be even more relevant if you are in the fashion accessories sector and have young women as a primary target market.

In this podcast, Ben chats with Jack who is Founder and Product Designer or Hervor, as well as being MD, so Jack has plenty of high value insights to share, across a wide range of topics and insights. 

Hervor launched in 2017 and the Perth-based, Australian watch brand are doing good business, with a focus on designing simple, classic watches for women, with a skew to a simple, and visually strong design aesthetic.

Hervor specialise in creating watches that are classic and versatile, with premium quality materials and manufacturing, at accessible prices. Jack was careful to identify a clear niche for his brand, before designing watches and achieving a price point that is the best match for that niche.

As the Founder, and a hands-on business owner, Jack shares some awesome insights across a wide range of ecommerce topics, from the importance of spending time on products, design and manufacturing, to maintaining consistent branding and messaging.

Jack also talks about the importance of responding to your markets, and adjusting your business and focus to the areas where there is the greatest interest and return on investment. Understanding customers is so important in ecommerce, and Jack is right there meeting the ongoing challenges of thinking up new ways to engage and re-engage with customers to optimise their life time value to a business.

Our thanks to Jack for sharing his time and ecommerce experience with The Cut's Shopify audience.

Take a look at Hervor here.

Connect with more Shopify content from The Cut here.

And take a look at a vid of our Shopify Meetups Here.

Customer retention and maximising the lifetime value of customers is a crucial key to ecommerce success and this podcast is dedicated to that powerful concept.

Visit Rise AI here.

Contact The Cut today, we're here to help.

In this episode, Ben interviews Nadav Berger, VP of Marketing at Rise AI. Nadav comes down the line crystal clear from Tel Aviv, an exotic and out of the box location for this podcast.

Shopify Merchants who are looking to grow, and increase conversion from their databases of existing customers will find this episode very interesting as Nadav talks about Rise AI, the Gift Card concept, how it works for ecommerce and the potential 'gifting' has to achieve substantial revenue growth for ecommerce business owners.

Gift Cards give existing customers, who are already happy with your brand and products, a simple, easy and fast way to share your business with their friends and family. They can give a gift, and at the same time bring your business a new customer. In that way, Gift Cards function as a sale, combined with an endorsement of your brand. Win-win!

Rise AI specialise in automated and branded currency solutions for ecommerce including Gift Cards, Rewards, Store Credits and Incentives. So many conversations in ecommerce revolve around how to achieve more value from existing customers, and this is what Rise AI specialise in.

Rise AI's offering extends beyond the Gift Cards to integrated services including Marketing Campaigns, B2B & Corporate Gift Cards, Loyalty Incentive Programs, eGifts and Fraud Protection.

Come on in, meet Nadav and Rise AI and learn something new for your Shopify business.

Visit Rise AI here.

Remember, the team at The Cut are here and ready to help Shopify and other ecommerce business owners improve websites and revenue via new themes, customisations, apps and new customer retention and conversion strategies.

Contact The Cut today.

Connect with more Shopify content from The Cut here.

And take a look at a vid of our Shopify Meetups Here.

In ecommerce, we talk a lot about optimising the value of existing customers and customer reviews are a big part of that process and this podcast is all about the power of Customer Reviews from people who know. 

Okendo is a Customer Review app built especially for Shopify ecommerce.

Find Okendo here.

Contact The Cut today, we're here to help.

In this episode, Ben speaks to Scott Goodman, head of APAC partnerships at Okendo, about the app, how it works, how it's different and how it's better.

Shopify merchants and ecomm business people will get high value from this episode because customer reviews (done right) are such a powerful way to engage with new customers, based on testimonials and endorsements from your existing customers.

In general, Okendo has a more sophisticated offering than many review apps, with a focus on richer media. With Okendo, it's simple to have your customers include photos and video with their text-based reviews. The added value of that is obvious. 

Plus, Okendo offer a number of different ways to use their platform to gather data on customer insights using simple surveys and profiling tools.

The team at Okendo also place big importance on the integration of their app with the merchant's brand, so the experience for customers is on-brand and seamless, which in itself improves engagement rates and overall effectiveness.

Okendo is a Sydney based company, founded by Matt Goodman (yes, Scott's brother) and Matt Garven, and they have recently opened an office in Miami, USA.

Take a listen and learn more. Enjoy.

Find Okendo here.

Contact The Cut today, we're here to help.

Connect with more Shopify content from The Cut here.

And take a look at a vid of our Shopify Meetups Here.

If you're exploring options around SEO and digital marketing, or simply want to learn more about this strategy, this podcast is a great one for you.

Connect with Bonfire here.

Contact The Cut today, we're here to help.

In Episode 25, Ben talks to Alex Gavalas, Senior Digital Advisor at Bonfire. Alex talks about Bonfire's approach to assessing the digital challenges of new client's and working out how the best solution can work for them. The conversation covers SEO for ecommerce, dealing with the digital challenges that are specific to ecommerce and emerging tech trends in this space.

Bonfire are a digital agency, specialising in SEO and Google digital marketing. If you operate a business in Perth and don't know their name, from their well-known billboards, you should Google them. They'll love that.

Alex has been with Bonfire for many years and understands digital marketing inside and out. The team their take a goals and growth focussed approach, built for each individual business they partner with. Bonfire work with all sorts of sectors, from trades and ecommerce to big national brands, like Bonds for example.

The Cut have been friends with Bonfire for over 5 years, and sometimes share clients and projects. We admire the Bonfire approach to digital because it is open and transparent, tactical and best practice.

If you want to speak to trustworthy digital people, like Alex, connect with Bonfire here.

Contact The Cut today, we're here to help.

Connect with more Shopify content from The Cut here.

And take a look at a vid of our Shopify Meetups Here.