To state the obvious, in order to be a successful ecommerce brand, you have to be able to win across digital channels. But just because it’s obvious doesn’t mean it’s easy. DTC and ecomm companies big and small are coonstantly challenged to find new approaches in ever-changing online channels to engage customers and ultimately get them to hit that buy button. So how do you do it? Link Walls is the VP of digital marketing strategy for ChannelAdvisor, and it’s his job to answer that question. On this episode of Up Next in Commerce, Link and I discussed what kinds of strategies are working — and more importantly which ones aren’t — and he let us in on how he thinks about advising digitally-native brands that are considering a move to brick and mortar. Plus, he gives advice on how to navigate through the holiday season, why shoppable TV is going to be the dominant channel of the future for brands, and which niche channels you should keep your eye on. Enjoy this episode.

Main Takeaways:

• Understand and Speak To Your Audience: Building robust first-party data around your customers is the first step to ostaying ahead of the curve in the shifting world of ecommerce. Doing so will allow a brand too dive deeper into personalization, relationship-building, and bringing added value to the customer.
• Should You Open a Store?: Recently, many digitally-native, DTC companies have been investing in retail and opening brick and mortar stores. But how do you know if this is the right strategy for your own business? The critical question you have to ask is whether or not having a store will create a unique experience that adds value and sets you apart from the competition in a real way. If not, then it’s likely better to save the cost and stick with selling online and investing in more digital channels.
• Where are the Eyeballs?: When thinking about where to put your advertising dollars, you have to understand where customers are consuming content. These days, that means streaming and digital social channels. But still, brands aren’t investing fully in shoppable TV. They should be, though, and it can be done even on a small budget because with digital channels, there are better analytics that will help you hypertarget your audience at an economical price.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we’re ready for what’s next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.

The way you position your company in the eyes of your customers is the most make-or-break decision you can make. Who are you selling to? What problem are you solving for them? Why should a customer buy from you? All these questions need answers, and if they aren’t the right answers, it’s going to be a pretty rocky road. 

So when you hear about a humidifier that’s being positioned as a beauty product, what do you think? Good idea or bad? Well, for the guys at Canopy, it turned out to be a great idea and we got into it on this special in-person roundtable episode of Up Next in Commerce. 

Joining me in-studio here in Austin, Texas was Eric Neher, CMO at Canopy, Justin Seidenfeld, CEO at Doris Dev and Co-Founder of Canopy, and Lucas Lappe, Head of Product and Co-Founder at Doris Dev. We talked all things Canopy, but we also dove into Doris Dev, a product development agency that has helped scale companies like Blueland, Magic Spoon, BioLite, Supply, Lalo, and many more. During this epic chat, we touched on a little bit of everything -- from branding and logistical issues to product design and marketing, and beyond. I hope you have as much fun listening as I had hanging out with this lively trio.

Main Takeaways:

• An Obvious Way In: When you are thinking about using a subscription model, you should have an obvious reason to get in touch with your customer or a product that they need to replace or replenish that is the basis of your subscription. When you force goods on customers that they don’t need or even necessarily want via a subscription, you spoil the relationship you have built with them. 
• Trendspotting: One of the most recent trends, particularly in the world of beauty, is blending innovative, creative experiences with products that are created with sustainable materials. Today’s customers have higher expectations than ever before and they are looking to support brands that rise to the occasion in every way.
• The Need For Newness: Bringing new products, experiences, and opportunities to customers is one of the best ways to keep them engaged. But in creating new things — even if it’s just an updated version of something that exists — you are constantly struggling to make sure that what you build works, does what you want, does what the customer needs, and never takes away from the brand or the experience. But those are challenges you need to face in order to not pigeonhole your business by relying on one or two products forever.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we’re ready for what’s next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.

When you think about small businesses and local merchants, you know that they are the engine that fuels economies all over the world. This is true everywhere you look, including in Africa, where Anu Adasolum works as the founder and CEO at Sabi, a company that is helping informal merchants and businesses reach new heights. For too long, the tens of thousands of small, local merchants in Africa have operated without much help, credit, or access to technology. But while they have stayed the course, the world has moved forward toward a more digitally-focused future. To succeed long-term — in Africa and everywhere else — all businesses need access to opportunities to build credit, digitize their operations, and connect with suppliers and buyers everywhere. On this episode of Up Next in Commerce, Anu explains how Sabi provides those opportunities. She also discusses how B2B companies should be thinking about helping their clients succeed by focusing only on a narrow set of goals. Plus, she dives into what it takes to navigate through scaling a company. Enjoy this episode!

Main Takeaways:

• The Pain Point is Access: For too long no one was doing the work of helping small businesses in Africa gain access. Small, local merchants were out on their own, and no banks or other creditors were even trying to lend to them, which has stunted their growth. By granting access to these merchants, they have an opportunity they never had access to before.
• It’s Not Just About Digitization: Sabi is really about understanding the network of traders, building profiles, and then helping small businesses establish themselves and build trust in a way that allows them to succeed. Small businesses and informal traders have often been seen as a risk for investors, and in order for them to grow, a middle party is needed to de-risk the opportunity to build up these businesses.
• Focus On What Matters: When you think about how you can improve sales and reduce costs for your customers, then you start to eliminate the tendency to force users into apps or channels or to use tools that don’t serve them. When you avoid that pitfall, you create a much better experience for your customers and you force yourself to focus only on what will help your company grow.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we’re ready for what’s next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.

Picture this: You’re driving down the road and you see a familiar sign that gets your stomach grumbling, so you quickly pull into the drive-through, place an order and, within minutes, you’re enjoying a tasty bite of what you were craving. That’s not a hard scenario to imagine. Odds are, we’ve all gone through that exact sequence of events in our lives. And that’s great for those businesses, and even for other stores where the foot traffic drives people in to shop. But that kind of customer isn’t the only one you should be relying on. Smart operators know that there are huge portions of the population who don’t often find themselves in those serendipitous moments when they can make that impulsive decision to buy something on the spot. Angelo Frigo is one of those smart operators, and as the head of customer experience at Burger King, he is trying to move beyond the drive-through and reach customers in new, exciting ways — particularly online and through Burger King’s digital app. On this episode of Up Next in Commerce, Angelo and I go into some of the ways businesses can think about targeting and engaging with customers outside of in-person and spur-of-the-moment experiences.  Plus, we also dug into Angelo’s background, which is fascinating, and includes stops at McDonald’s, Feeding America, and even the White House. Enjoy this episode!

Main Takeaways:

• A Bigger Burden: In the government sector, customer experience is often boiled down to measuring the “burden” of something. And, thanks to an old school definition, “burden” is sometimes thought of literally as paperwork. So, reducing “burden” means reducing paperwork. As a result, the customer experience when dealing with government agencies hasn’t been optimized in all the ways we’re used to. Part of improving the customer experience at the government level begins with simply redefining what is included in the experience, and then removing friction at all points.
• Moving Beyond The Drive-Thru: Expanding reach beyond the drive-thru is one of the main areas of focus for chains like Burger King, which are attempting to market to people who traditionally only buy from quick-service restaurants when they see them close by and it becomes top of mind. To combat that, chains need to develop digital apps and ordering services with profiles, personalization, and creative marketing, design, and participation opportunities.
• Testing, Testing: It’s important to think outside the box in all areas of the business. In the app space, you should look outside your industry for ideas and inspiration rather than copying what’s most trendy or what’s working with your immediate competition. Then create prototypes and test ideas whether that’s with customers or with team members at all levels across your company.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we’re ready for what’s next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.

Does the world really need another subscription box? Do parents really need to buy more things for their kids? Well, when we’re talking about Lovevery, the answer is yes and yes. In the crowded spaces of DTC subscription services and childrens products, Lovevery is making its presence known. On this episode of Up Next in Commerce, I talk to Rod Morris, the co-founder and president of Lovevery, who told me all about the development of the company’s amazing products, and, more importantly, how he and his team went about making them stand out among the rest. It takes a lot of hard work — but it all starts with a complete obsession with creating a brand that you believe in and products that fill a gap in the market. Rod took me behind the scenes of getting press and testimonials for Lovevery, he told me how they create social content that sees engagement that blows the competition out of the water, and we also dug into his tips for fundraising and what the upside is to going public. Enjoy this episode!

Main Takeaways:

• Winning with Connected TV: If you can break format and do something divergent, you will be able to find success in the world of connected TV. People are engaged by unique content, so you should constantly be looking for ways to take wha’s working and flip it on its head.
• Understanding the International Market: When you take your company abroad, there is a steep learning curve to understand how to win customers and take a part of the marketshare. Even if your product works the same wherever you sell it, the process of marketing it and adhering to regulations varies. These are important things to consider and prepare yourself for if/when you are seeking to expand overseas.
• It Takes Heart, Soul and Obsession: The way to keep LTV high and keep growing you need a mix of ingredients. First, you have to truly be obsessed with your product, love it, and constantly strive to improve it. Second, invest in content and reaching the audience you care about with useful and engaging content. Finally, you have to stay connected and work with customers so that they feel invested in the product and the company rather than being on-off shoppers.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we’re ready for what’s next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.

The old saying goes that men are from Mars, women are from Venus. And while that’s not literally true, when it comes to marketing, men and women do seem like two different species. What resonates with a man is wildly different than what resonates with a woman. For instance, I love a good ingredients list and couldn’t care less about how much lather I get from my body wash. A lot of men apparently feel the exact opposite. These are the kinds of things that all businesses need to think of when it comes to targeting and sending the right message. And it’s a topic I went deep on in the episode of Up Next in Commerce with Matt Mullenax, the Co-Founder and CEO of Huron. Matt talked me through all the ways he had to test, poll, and iterate on his advertising to get his men’s body care brand off the ground. But when he found the right formula, all of a sudden it was like striking gold. We’re talking crazy click-through rates, plummeting CPAs, and a direct line into the messaging that men are aligned with. Do you want to know what it is? And are you interested in what other heavy lifts Matt is working on now for long-term payoffs? Find out on this episode!

Main Takeaways:

• The Humanization of Brand: People used to be excited by the novelty of buying online. As the DTC world evolved, consumers have gotten smarter and these days, your brand has to resonate in ways beyond just having a good product available. Some of the aspects of humanizing the brand, such as building personal connections, will require a heavy lift upfront, but the long-term value.
• An Atypical CX Strategy: Historically, CX has been seen as reactive, but there are ways to be proactive and ensure an exceptional customer experience no matter the situation. You should not wait for a problem to arise to help a customer out. If you know there might be a delay in shipping or some other situation arises, by reaching out before the product is delayed, you build trust with your customer.
• Find Your Internal Cheat Codes: Whether you have a founder with deep connections in manufacturing or you’re friends with an Instagram influencer, there are certain elements you bring to that table that you should tap into to give you a leg up in one way or another.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we’re ready for what’s next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.

There are about a million different inspirational quotes about being your authentic self and how to bring authenticity to everything you do — including your business. Matthew Herman and his company, Boy Smells, brings those cliches to life in real and very cliche ways. Boy Smells produces candles, fragrances, and more that defy the traditional gendered lines that have been drawn for decades in favor of creating a genderful experience that allows all customers to bring a mix of masculinity and femininity to their lives as they see fit. On this episode of Up Next in Commerce, Matthew and I talked about what that looks like in practice, and we dove into how and why Boy Smells has pivoted from focusing on wholesale, to DTC and now to retail and partnerships. 

Main Takeaways:

• Finding Functional Experts: Adding headcount is one of the most stressful parts of scaling. To make things easier, the focus should be on finding and bringing in functional experts. You will save time and money bringing in a better candidate who might cost more but can get to work quickly rather than bringing in a novice and trying to train them to work in your system.
• A Pyramid of Products: Creating products that can stand the test of time is important. But having one evergreen product won’t sustain a business. You have to strive to have a three-tiered pyramid mix of products, which starts with a base of core products, followed by seasonal products, and topped with special, one-of-a-kind, buzzy products that can drive sales and engagement.
• Don’t Jump In: You hear all the time that when you have an idea, you should jump in and do it. In reality, you’re often much better served by gaining experience at already-established companies so that you can learn from their successes and failures and bring that knowledge to your own venture.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we’re ready for what’s next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.

Every company will tell you it sells something that will make your life better, easier, or more efficient. But at the end of the day, how happy are consumers with all of the things they buy? Or, better yet, how happy are consumers in general? Hapbee is a company that is focused on both of those questions, and on this episode of Up Next in Commerce, I talked to the founder of Hapbee Technologies, Scott Donnell about how they find the best answers. Scott told me all about how he learned of the technology that powers Hapbee’s device, which sends out frequencies that give you the effect of certain drugs or chemicals without needing to ingest them. So if you’re looking for a kick of caffeine, or some melatonin to get to sleep, Hapbee creates what’s called blends to give you that effect just through low frequencies. It’s intense technology, and it takes a lot of consumer education and testimonials to get the word out. Scott told me how he went about doing that and building Hapbee into a company with a line of consumers just waiting to give it a try — and Scott explained how he’s meeting that demand in a time of supply chain issue galore. This was a really fun episode, I hope you enjoy! 

Main Takeaways:

• Tapping Into Einstein’s Ideas: Einstein had an idea that everything is connected, and he was right. Your cells interact in an interconnected way and in an effort to prove him right, Hapbee created a technology that could be produced and sold. By constantly asking “what if,” you give yourself an opportunity to do the same thing — find new ideas, potential business ventures or products, and build something the world didn’t know it was missing.
• Who Not How: Part of being a leader is knowing your strengths and weaknesses. And it’s about being willing to bring in people who can level you up in both areas. You should constantly be looking for people who are smarter than you so that you can bring them into the company, learn from them, and help do a better job than you ever could. Task lists for leaders shouldn’t be actual things to do, but instead should be about finding people they need to bring in to accomplish tasks.
• Your Network is Your Net Worth: Building relationships and having strong connections is the most important thing you can do as an entrepreneur. Not only can these people be a source of support and advice, they can also be recruited to help you lead, to solve a problem, or to bring in other people who can broaden your network even more.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we’re ready for what’s next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.

So much from the past is long gone — corded phones, the food pyramid, writing checks at the grocery store. But on the flip side, there are things from years gone by that have come back — mom jeans anyone? And then, there are the things that last the test of time. Traditions, styles, and yes, even businesses. Pioneer Linens is one of those companies that has stood strong for more than 100 years and sure, it has gone through its fair share of changes and pivots over the years, but as President, Penny Murphy, told me on this episode of Up Next in Commerce, the commitment to serving its customers has remained through it all. And today, Pioneer Linens is succeeding by giving customers the best experience not just in-store, but online as well. In fact, Pioneer moved into the ecommerce world way back in the 1990s, and Penny led the charge. We got into that story and dug into the company’s long history, the lessons Penny and her daughters have carried into running the business today, and where this century-old company is headed next. Enjoy this episode!

Main Takeaways:

• A Lasting Legacy: Although a company may pivot or change throughout its history, what customers remember most is the experience they had and the people within the company they interacted with. No matter where your business is headed, the most important thing to remember is to create the best customer experience possible and connect with customers as much as you can.
• Lessons From The Past: Even if you don’t have a 100-year company history to rely on, you can always look to the past for trends and ideas that are likely to come back around. There is a saying that history repeats itself — and it’s true. So be a student of history and prepare yourself with knowledge of what has happened before so you can be ready for the future.
• Instant Gratification: Although it is sometimes risky to carry a lot of inventory, it’s equally risky to not have enough of what customers want readily available. When customers shop, they are often looking to solve a problem right now, and if you can’t meet their needs, you will lose out on a sale today, and also the possibility of future sales from that same customer.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we’re ready for what’s next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.

Do you know where the shirt you’re wearing came from? Not the brand, the actual fabric. Do you know who constructed the shirt? If you’re a brand owner, do you truly know the conditions of the workers who you are sourcing goods from? Are they being paid fair wages? Do they have a safe environment to work in? For far too long, these questions were left not just unanswered, they weren’t even being asked. But in today’s world, the consumer is more aware of and cares about all aspects of their products, and they are voting with their dollars to support the brands that are doing things the right way. The problem is, though, that it’s often hard to know for sure which brands are true to their word when they say things like they are “ethically-sourced,” “fair trade,” “vegan,” or any of the other buzzwords that they have identified. That’s where Maisa Mumtaz-Cassidy comes into the picture. Maisa is the Founder and CEO of Consciously, a curated marketplace made for sustainable fashion. On this episode of Up Next in Commerce, I talked to Maisa about how she built her marketplace, what she looks for when she invites a brand onto the platform, and she gave some tips to sustainably-minded consumers on what questions they should be asking of the brands they want to support. Enjoy this episode!

Main Takeaways:

• The Big Disconnect: The Western buyer is, unfortunately, not often clued into the working conditions of garment workers around the world. Many third-world countries are the source of the garments we wear every day, and the conditions there are too often unsustainable and unsafe. When consumers dig into where their brands source their goods, there is more of an opportunity to improve the conditions and therefore the lives of the people who do the work.
• Don’t Trust, Verify: As a brand or as a consumer, you should not simply take someone at their word. If the suppliers you work with say that they pay fair wages, make them prove it. Ask for pay stubs and go visit the factories or talk to the workers one-on-one to ensure they are being treated fairly. As a consumer, if a brand says they are ethically sourced, research what that means and ask them for proof. Request information about the products they offer and do your homework before you hand over money to a brand that is not operating in good conscience. And, by asking questions, you may bring to light issues that the brand didn’t even consider and thus contribute to finding solutions.
• Built to Serve: If you state that you are built to serve the customer, you have to actually follow through. Stay engaged as much as possible. Have human-to-human interactions. Run polls and ask questions across platforms, and respond when customers reach out. These are simple but often-forgotten steps many brands should be paying more attention to in order to ensure customer satisfaction remains high.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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Up Next in Commerce is brought to you by Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Respond quickly to changing customer needs with flexible Ecommerce connected to marketing, sales, and service. Deliver intelligent commerce experiences your customers can trust, across every channel. Together, we’re ready for what’s next in commerce. Learn more at salesforce.com/commerce

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.