Ecommerce Masterplan: Interviews And Advice To Help Build Your Online Retail Business Faster

Every January, we come up with an episode that serves as your comprehensive guide to achieving success.This year, our guest experts are again sharing their top tips for eCommerce success in 2024. They are:Emily Long from Genie Goals,Rosie Bailey from Nibble,Kathleen Sullivan Garman from SullyGarman & Associates,Peter Beckman from Treyd,Anita Kulkarni from SHOPLINE,Dave Smallwood from Super Payments,And Janis Thomas from Look Fabulous Forever.Plus! You'll also hear the thoughts of our host Chloe Thomas. Tune into this expert mash-up episode as we find out how to ensure profitable growth, what personalization and efficiency mean this 2024, how planning is key, and why you should really be listening to your customers – and so much more.Access our notes via https://ecmp.info/474Want even more 2024 tips? Sign up for our Free webinar here: https://ecmp.info/explore Contact SHOPLINE >>> https://ecmp.info/shopline Book your Super Payments Demo >>> https://ecmp.info/super .This podcast uses t

Our host Chloe's going solo for this episode - sharing her tips on how to make the most of events, and picking some of her favourites for 2024...Hit PLAY to hear:What events you should attendHow to maximise these eventsMust-attend eCommerce events in the UKMust-attend eCommerce events in the USTips for attending virtual eventsTaking a sustainable approach to events and conferencesKey timestamps to dive straight in:[06:21] Tips for choosing and maximising upcoming industry events.[18:52] Must-attend UK events.[23:45] Must-attend events in the USA.[26:43] Making the most of virtual events.[31:20] Taking an eco-approach to attending events.Contact SHOPLINE >>> https://ecmp.info/shopline Book your Super Payments Demo >>> https://ecmp.info/super . See Chloë’s full list, and the one’s she recommended on the podcast, here https://ecommercetech.io/blog/top-ecommerce-events-2024This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/leg

Haydn Parks is a CRM specialist.He now consults for brands like Balance Me, Hunter Boots and Sisley Paris via his firm Digital Fit. And before that, was Head of Performance at LoveCrafts, Global Head of CRM at Moet Hennessy, and Head of Digital at Agent Provocateur.Hit PLAY to hear:Haydn’s eCommerce journeyWhy defining the goals is the first stepThe importance of data in identifying opportunitiesWhat’s involved in planning the activation strategyStep four that is executing the strategyHow tracking metrics ties back to the first stepPlus, Haydn’s top tips!Key timestamps to dive straight in:[04:58] CRM is understanding the customer at every level of the buying journey.[08:29] Understanding customer behavior and how to influence it.[12:21] Defining clear goals crucial for successful projects.[15:13] Understanding customer data for better business decisions.[17:40] Leverage existing infrastructure for business growth.[19:59] Involving everyone in the business and getting processes in place.[21:29] Look at the dat

Arin Schultz is VP of Sales and Marketing at natural mattress brand Naturepedic.Founded in 2003, Naturepedic sell via their Magento website, 22 stores, and via wholesale. Sales-wise they’re in the mid-high 8 figures, and have tripled in size since Arin joined 9 years ago.Hit PLAY to hear:Arin’s journey into eCommerceHow Naturepedic found success with affiliate and influencer marketingTheir strategic use of SEONaturepedic’s commitment to environmental consciousnessCustomer education and its contribution to brand growthBalancing internal and external resourcesKey timestamps to dive straight in:[04:08] Shifting from sales to marketing.[05:34] Taking over Naturepedic’s affiliate program in 2020 and getting great returns.[07:39] Get the basics of SEO right to build and grown your brand.[09:56] Plans for bringing more traffic to the website.[12:18] Naturepedic focuses on customer education.[13:11] Getting repeat customers due to great customer service.[16:22] Brand educating on healthy living, environmental impact.

Michele Ferron is the founder of fully bootstrapped Once Upon A Tuesday–selling calendars and planners for design lovers.Founded in 2020, Once Upon A Tuesday now sells via their Shopify store, Etsy, and Wholesale. They’re on track to hit £1,000,000 in annual sales this year, and have a growth rate of 100% year on year.Hit PLAY to hear:Michele’s accidental eCommerce journey from Etsy to Shopify to wholesaleTheir motivation to venture into wholesaleHow they handle the ever-changing stationery marketWhy selling dated and seasonal products works for Once Upon a TuesdayHow collaborations, affiliates, and partnerships fit into their eCommerce strategiesThe importance of getting both negative and positive customer reviewsWhy becoming a B Corp certified brand is a goal that goes beyond sustainabilityKey timestamps to dive straight in:[03:37] Successful calendar design led to a successful Etsy business.[08:12] Challenging process, but created reusable acrylic wall decor.[09:20] How they create products that stay on-br

Bartosz Skwarczek is the founder and CEO at G2A, the world’s largest marketplace for digital entertainment enabling the trading of games and other digital items.Founded in 2010, they now have over 25 million users who have purchased over 100 million items.Listen to discover:Bartosz’s eCommerce journeyWhat a product eCommerce business can learn from a digital eCommerce businessHow G2A became the world’s largest digital entertainment marketplaceThe importance of security and the strict verification process sellers go throughWhy communicating your business values is crucial for building trust and growing your brandThe significance of community in G2A’s growthKey timestamps to dive straight in:[05:14] Starting a business by grabbing the opportunities given to you.[09:31] Ensuring the quality of sellers on the G2A marketplace.[11:17] Strict verification process for sellers, but fast sell-through rate.[16:20] To build your business, clearly communicate what you stand for.[18:33] Community is essential for growth an

Daniel Parekh-Hill is the Co-Founder & CEO of Flare, where they’re on a mission to create more profit and less waste for eCommerce businesses.In this episode, we discuss:The motivation behind FlareCurrent strategies for overstock problemsThe case of preordersThe benefits of FlareAlps & Meters case study[00:59] Merchandising, overstocks, and surprising customer behavior.[04:00] Building a better future by connecting businesses and customers.[07:57] Customer data: better than what they say. Solution: customer preorders.[10:12] Scaling SKUs drives sales, cash flow, cost.[14:28] Alps and Meters: Managing seasonal stock effectively.[16:57] Flexible ordering: capture demand, sell current stock.[21:06] Teams use Notion and Slack software....This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/--- Download our ebook... https://ecmp.info/ebook 500 Tips to Increase Your Profits Get all the links and resources we m

Danny Garg is the CEO & founder of Valka Yoga. Founded in New Zealand in 2017, Valka Yoga now also sells to the US, UK, and Australia and is growing 30% year on year. They now sell via their Shopify site and wholesale offering via their own site and Faire and do about $500,000 per year.Listen to discover:Danny’s eCommerce journey to consistent 30% annual growthValka Yoga’s international team structureHow Valka Yoga keep costs and carbon down with their global fulfillment methodsHow Danny decided to expand the range from purely Cork to Copper!The huge marketing channel shift from Ads to Affiliates and Influencers that's driving growthHow Danny's put Social Proof at the heart of their growth strategyWhy listing on wholesale marketplace Faire has been a great step to B2B eCommerce sales growthKey timestamps to dive straight in:[04:28] India and New Zealand influenced sustainable mindset. Researched yoga mat materials, discovered cork.[08:03] Mix of factors: Carbon footprint, shipping costs. Locally-m

Ian Leslie is the CMO at US homewares brand Industry West. It all started with Industry West in 2010… now they have a Shopify store and B2B sales reps, with sales of over $20m a year.He's back on the show AGAIN to share his latest insights on the eCommerce market with host Chloe Thomas and all of you listening.Always insightful, in this episode we discuss:The main decision to move from Magento to ShopifyHow do you enhance interaction with B2B customers on Shopify?Why they're redesigning their Shopify store alreadyThe four best marketing strategies used by Industry WestWhat is the significance of customer research in decision-making?The surprising role of SMS marketingTime stamps:[08:19] Hoping for the best iteration of the site. [11:52] Encourage the team to understand customers and trade.[13:55] Direct mail with unique promo codes drives results.[18:31] Catalogs are costly, but direct mail is more manageable.[20:50] The Book explores free will and decision-making process.[23:21] Essential analytics a

Alison Metcalfe is a Merchandiser. She ‘does stock’ to create efficiencies in the supply chain and maximise profit for retailers. She’s worked at many high street brands including BHS, Woolworths, and M&Co, and most recently spent 13 years as Merchandise Co-ordinator for fashion at John Lewis.In this episode we discuss:How to effectively promote and mark down stock that is not sellingWhy is June a time for deeper discounting?Merging sales data and stock informationWhy do you need to analyse sales in units rather than just cash turnover?Key signs or indicators of a stock problemTime stamps:[04:24] Ideal plan: offer customers what they want.[08:37] Clear roles for buyer, merchandiser and marketer.[11:07] Sales first, stock units indicate problems.[15:25] Get rid of unnecessary stock through promotions.[17:54] Retailers not effectively using paid systems.[25:18] Merchandising: key to managing stock for profit.[26:10] Exit strategy, key sales periods, and stock management....This podcast uses the following th

Maxim Gelmann is the founder and Chief Stroodle at Stroodles, DTC sellers of eco-tableware. Founded in 2018 they now sell via a B2B trade site, a B2B sales team and a D2C site, both built on Shopify. With sales to over 250 businesses in the hospitality industry.In this episode we discuss:How can a business effectively balance B2B and D2C operations?Portraying sustainability positivelySuccessful brand partnerships in the eCommerce spaceThe importance of giveaways and joint marketing effortsHandling logistics in-house versus outsourcing to a third-party fulfillment centerTime stamps:[00:56] Importance of brand, outsourcing logistics, building partnerships.[03:38] Changing negative stereotypes, promoting fun sustainability.[09:02] Transition into growth after overcoming obstacles. [10:40] 2 warehouses for distributors and direct consumers.[16:03] Benefit from partnerships to maximise resources and audience.[19:09] Social media marketing.[20:08] Partnerships and benefits.[23:30] Giveaways open you to large audien

We’re in a fascinating time in the world of eCommerce websites. We’ve left the era of “just use Shopify”, and getting back into the world where which platform you choose to be the basis of your tech stack can have a fundamental impact on your success over the next 5-10 years.A replatforming project isn’t one to be taken lightly. It can have a huge impact on your future success – screwing it up, or enabling it It can have a huge impact on your team and their effectiveness. And during the project, it can have a huge impact on day-to-day workloads. A little (well, a lot) of thinking and planning can go a long way.We've asked our 6 experts to answer this question "What does a merchant planning a replatform need to know about right now?"Our experts:Lee Frankland, DWSJames Gurd, Re:platform Podcast / Digital JugglerMontserrat Cano, International ConsultantSimon Wharton, PushONSandra Markey, LoqateGabe Macaluso, OmnisendTime stamps:[01:40] Thinking and planning saves time, money, and sanity.[05:41] Clear

Christina Dean is the founder and CEO of The R Collective, an upcycled fashion brand and social impact business that rescues luxury brands’ excess materials and collaborates with award-winning sustainable designers to create circular fashion. Founded in 2017 they are selling via their Shopify store and wholesale. They have rescued 238,000 yards of fabric and 8,100 square feet of leather.In this episode we discuss:Why excessive textile materials pose a challenge for charities and businessesThe issue of excess and waste materials in the fashion industryRepurposing and reusing fabric and clothing protected by intellectual propertyHow do partnerships with luxury brands help in creating circular fashion?Why is getting control of inventory crucial in becoming more sustainable?Time stamps:[03:57] From dentist to journalist to sustainable fashion.[06:31] Businesses donate excess materials to nonprofits.[11:19] Complexity of using luxury brands' excess stock.[14:55] Recycling luxury brand materials into new produc

Kalle Sjöholm is the eCommerce manager at Swedish fashion brand Dedicated. Founded as an environmental retail chain in 2006, Dedicated is now selling from 3 stores in Sweden, various retailers around the world, and globally via its Centra eCommerce store. In total they did sales of just under 10 million euros in 2022 about half via the eCommerce store.In this episode we discuss:How does Dedicated communicate their sustainability efforts?What is the significance of their "Plant Friday" initiative?What role does the wholesale aspect of business play in the overall sales strategy?New areas of sustainability… and how to not sound like your greenwashingTime stamps:[04:27] Selling clothes with sustainability focus.[06:44] Action over talk, prioritise sustainability in practice.[09:36] Office team with production, design, eCommerce, and sustainability.[13:34] Understanding the team and questioning the choice of platform.[16:59] Season is important despite world instability.[19:47] Collaboration key.[23:08] I

Mark Rushmore is the co-founder at SURI – short for Sustainable Rituals – a future focused wellness brand, most famous for their electric toothbrush, the world’s most sustainable electric toothbrush! Founded in 2021 they started shipping in May 2022, and grew to 7 figures in the first 13 months via their Shopify site and Amazon, and have now launched in High Street Retailer Boots.In this episode we discuss:Creating the Minimum Lovable ProductThe impact of customer reviews play in influencing purchasing decisionsAddressing the issue of toothbrush wasteWhy be fully focused on growing your direct-to-consumer (D2C) channel?Reaching customers through major retailers like Amazon and BootsTime stamps:[02:31] Co-founders tackle waste in the FMCG industry with sustainable toothbrushes.[07:43] Minimum lovable product and customer reviews.[10:27] Becoming competent at spinning plates.[13:06] Focusing on other areas of growth.[16:14] Unaddressed problem in toothbrush market.[19:41] Growing D2C, but also utilising Amazon

Ryan Alovis is the CEO at LensDirect. The latest iteration of the eyewear business founded by his great grandfather in 1910. Ryan bought back the family business in 2009 growing it 30,000% since then. The current set up is a fully custom eCommerce store doing over $25million per year.In this episode we discuss:Building a custom website and operating within healthcare regulationsThe significance of the LensDirect brand namePatience versus impatience in businessLensDirect's offerings and customisation optionsThe complex process of replacing lenses and glasses in the optical businessTime stamps:[05:20] How LensDirect built a custom site for their business.[08:27] Combining relationships, technology, and customer satisfaction for success.[10:48] Seizing opportunities wisely.[16:34] On success from 80% culture and 20% leadership[18:51] Using SMS is highly effective for building a customer list and pushing sales.[22:26] Adopting a profit-first mindset.Free 1 Hour Consultation with Connected Sourcing >> ht

Stacey Grant-Canham is the creative director and founder of Black & Beech, a feminist fashion brand. Founded in 2016 they sell via their Shopify site. Black & Beech are a 6-figure retailer and are currently doing double last year’s sales.In this episode we discuss:Incorporating political and social issues into the brandHave a strong presence on special occasions or holidaysThe impact of mindset on Stacey’s business growthWhy you need good people in a business for it to growTime stamps:[06:48] Develop, sell, and expand product range consciously.[11:03] Black & Beach’s success after mindset shift.[15:43] Taking business seriously and scaling with good people.[19:02] Challenges with Royal Mail strikes and growth.[22:32] Campaigning for International Women's Day drove traffic.Free 1 Hour Consultation with Connected Sourcing >> https://ecmp.info/sourcing Save 15% with Zitec >> https://ecmp.info/zitec ..This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analyti

Elisabeth de Gramont is the Head of Impact at Canadian fashion brand Frank And Oak. A bricks and clicks B Corp retailer founded in 2012 that now has 15 stores in Canada and does the other 50% of its sales via its Shopify site. Elisabeth is also Chief Brand Officer at Unified Commerce Group.In this episode we discuss:How do you determine your top customers?How does Frank and Oak communicate their sustainability practices to their customers?Lessons from a brand strategist and consumer marketing expertThe key considerations for Western brands looking to expand into the Chinese marketTime stamps:[05:01] The brand’s focus on sustainability and timeless pieces.[09:15] Using innovative materials for sustainable fashion.[17:18] Need someone on the ground in China.[22:45] Identify loyal customers and reward their loyalty.[24:23] Encourage team to share weekly recommendations for inspiration.[29:54] Insights from Elizabeth on sustainable brand evolution, transparency, and China expansion.Contact SHOPLINE >>> h

Jess Fleischer is the Co-Founder & CEO of Son of a Tailor, a clothing technology company making custom fitted casual clothing for men. Founded in 2014 they’ve served over 160,000 customers so far. In this episode we discuss:Peer-to-peer models with returns and secondhand products in the fashion industryHow can you create a personalised shopping experience AND be sustainable?What are the benefits of using video content in Facebook ads?Improving sustainability practices in product lifecycle and end-of-life solutionsModels for sustainability in the fashion industryTime stamps:[03:35] eCommerce transformed fashion supply chains, sparking change.[07:51] Small brands need to address sustainability issues.[11:02] P2P businesses increasing.[15:34] Challenges of customer onboarding process in business.[18:21] Video ads on Facebook showing website checkout process.[22:44] Entrepreneurs should start with non-online options.[26:30] Keep it simple, no need for calculations.[27:28] Fashion sustainability: streamline su

Andy Davies is an eCommerce recruitment specialist working for Vertical Advantage and Nurture Talent. Working across Europe, he’s helped brands big and small to grow their teams the right way, including everyone from Nestle, to DTC brands making their very first hire.In this episode we discuss:How does the concept of "Moneyball" apply to recruitment?How can smaller, lesser-known brands compete for talent?The advantages and disadvantages of dividing specialisms within a teamThe pros and cons of simple subscriptions for both businesses and customers Time stamps:[04:09] Tech impact on market not as pessimistic.[06:48] Finding value in recruitment, particularly in Amazon.[10:24] Why big brands not always worth the cost.[18:52] Growth role in companies are not linear[22:36] Tips for hiring: define needs, understand growth and use LinkedIn for networking.[25:09] Top Tips.Contact SHOPLINE >>> https://ecmp.info/shopline ..This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad A