Commerce Minded

In this final episode of his first season, instead of an interview, Stephen is reflecting on the revelations from his guests, in particular the episodes featuring Jeremy Daalder of Image Science and Lee Goldberg of Happy Cog. (If you haven’t tuned in to them already, they’re really worth a listen.) He also talks about why he continues to be such a huge fan of Craft Commerce and his thoughts on the future of Craft Commerce. On a side note—Stephen will be talking at the Dot All Conference, the official Craft CMS conference held in Montreal, September 18-20, 2019. Key takeaways: The great things about Craft Commerce for developers How Craft Commerce are improving their offerings How CraftCMS compares to Shopify Why Craft should promote its agencies beyond the Craft partners’ page The importance of email marketing for ecommerce vendors URLs/resources/social media links: devMode.fm with Andrew Welch Mailchimp Klayvio

Not everyone comes into website development through the same route. Today’s guest, Josh Angell, studied music production at university and in his final year lived with a bunch of nerds (his words) who were hacking away on HTML and coerced him into it. They taught him the fundamentals of HTML and he quickly realised with these new skills he could make websites for all of the bands he was in, including friends’ bands and other projects. Having graduated from university with first class honours, he gave himself one week to make money out of music, but failed spectacularly. However this failure paved the way for his first proper job building websites, and from there he never looked back. Key takeaways: How Josh went from being a music graduate to building websites What he learned working at Supercool How having a child affected Josh’s mental health and fast forwarded his career aspirations How his Marketplace for Craft rivals Etsy Why shipping isn’t a cut and paste feature Why you don’t want to leave your software in older versions Resources: https://marketplace.angell.io/ https://angell.io/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshangell/ https://www.joshangell.co.uk/

Lee Goldberg is President at Happy Cog, an award-winning, full-service digital agency which he runs with his childhood friend, Matt Weinberg. Lee shares some golden nuggets about conversion rate optimization. Lee and Matt were close friends since they were five. They went to elementary school together, grew up in the same town, and before they graduated high school, they had already started their business. They tried to juggle the business with their post-graduation full-time jobs, but ultimately decided “to hell with it.” With no formal business plan, they went all out, and haven’t looked back since. Their success has been purely organic: they realized that happy clients breed more happy clients, and they’ve been holding the same philosophy since. Today, Happy Cog offers web development, design & branding, and digital marketing services. Tune in to hear Lee’s conversion rate optimization tips and where many businesses go wrong with their sales funnels. Key takeaways: Every business and industry is different, but the fundamentals of business and marketing success are the same. At its core, conversion rate optimization is about removing doubt at every stage. It is possible to compete against the big players, but only with the right strategy. Content is still king and one of the best ways to reach users at the top of the funnel. Start by fixing the leak at the bottom of the funnel and work your way up. Resources: https://www.happycog.com/

Ecommerce isn’t always glamorous. It’s hard work, and at times it can be daunting. The client relationship is something that today’s guest takes seriously, and delivering value is one of his main priorities. Mark Dunbavan is a detail-oriented developer passionate about his builds and taking care of his clients. He believes in a flexible team structure as long as it’s effective, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s proud of the work he does. Listen to hear about one of Mark’s clients, a furniture sourcer in the UK, and the kind of site he’s built for them using Craft Commerce. Mark also shares how having his first child has changed his approach to problem solving at work and overcoming the challenges of maintaining a unique and complex site. Key takeaways: How having a child has affected Mark’s approach to work and problem-solving As long as a team works together effectively, the other details don’t matter Mark’s client Viaduct, a UK furniture sourcer, has an interesting business model and unique set of needs Shipping, tax, and variants were the most complex problems to solve for this site The importance of keeping sites updated, despite the difficulties Resources: http://www.markdunbavan.co.uk/

On today’s episode, our guest is Roger Glenn of Mach 1 Media out of Austin, Texas. He’s working on a Craft Commerce build for a furniture store, and we lay the groundwork for the most flexible, efficient, and future-proof way to set up the site. We start by looking at the big picture and walk through the process and steps all the way down to the nitty gritty details of how to plan and implement the site in a way that makes sense to the client as well as to shoppers. If you’re a developer who’s developing Craft Commerce stores, you’ll find this episode useful as we explore how to handle some of the complexities of multiple variants, SKUs, and manufacturers. Key takeaways: How to deal with multiple large catalogues from separate manufacturers in the most efficient way possible Planning: have a discussion with the client and create a spreadsheet Looking at the way competitors are structured and the way people shop How to treat SKUs, dimensions, variations, attributes, and how to use channels How to make input on the back end easiest and the most logical for the administrators Resources: Mach1Media.com

Stephen chats with Seb Dehesdin who came up with a clever multiple currency setup solution in Craft Commerce for his client’s designer clothing ecommerce site. While Craft Commerce is a powerful platform offering businesses the ability to write the story for their brand with content and present it in a unique way for their niche, when it comes to some of the commerce-specific features merchants are asking for, there is still some room to see improvements. Tune in to learn about the challenges of multi currency as Seb walks us through the setup, technical aspects, and customer experience flow of his solution. Key takeaways: Seb’s solution is straightforward for users The backend setup is simple with a few minor drawbacks and workarounds One plugin currently exists to provide a similar solution for multi currency Once this feature is baked into Craft Commerce, it’s going to put them ahead of the pack The success and future of Commerce will be determined by how merchants start talking about it Resources: BleepsandBlops.com @sebdehesdin Commerce Currency Prices by Kurious Agency

Dave Ritter has always been interested in the intersection between art and tech, and with over 10 years of ecommerce experience and a background in marketing and design, he has valuable insight to offer on the topic of choosing the right content management system for the job. Working closely with clients throughout the iterative process of developing a successful ecommerce site and strategy, Dave knows the importance of design and brand when it comes to selling online. Tune in to learn how Craft Commerce works for clients with an established business logic, how the intuitive backend makes it a breeze for clients to work with, and listen as Dave shares some advice for developers who may be working with Commerce for the first time. Key takeaways: Craft gives you the ability to relate content with commerce Craft Commerce is great for clients who want software and technology to follow their business logic Most clients aren’t designers, but design really matters Clients are quick to pick up and learn the backend with Craft’s intuitive UI Ecommerce essentials and best practices--Dave offers some advice Resources: RitterKnight.com

Today we take a sneak peek behind Snipcart developer Matt Stein’s curtain. Matt is a developer with a design background, who has recently developed the Snipcart plugin for Craft CMS. Matt talks about his motivation to create Snipcart when there were already two great ecommerce plugin options on the market currently - Commerce Pro and Commerce Lite, and gives us insight into where Snipcart sits between the two, and who should be using it. Listen as I chat to Matt not just about his professional life as a developer, but how he achieves his work/life balance. We talk about: Key takeaways: Why he chose to settle in Seattle rather than Boston after university. How Snipcart differs to Commerce Pro and Commerce Lite. Why, even though he’d been developing Snipcart since 2014, he only made it public recently. How he determined the cost of the plugin ($179). Why he’s a perpetual learner who just loves learning new things (and why his home sewn, manly reading pillow is a solid invention). What makes Columbus, Ohio so great. URLs/resources/social media links: Twitter: @mattrambles Snipcart plugin: https://workingconcept.com/plugins/snipcart Snipcart: https://snipcart.com The Beer Junction: https://twitter.com/thebeerjunction

Ryan Masuga, the founder and Principal of Masuga Design, has more than a decade of experience growing and running his business. He has learned (sometimes the hard way) what it takes to be profitable. Ryan takes his cues on business strategy from the school of Profit First. He advocates for sticking to your financial plan, and not reacting to the waves of disruption on a month-to-month basis. Tune in for an insightful conversation about running your business finances, grading your clients, the three questions you should always ask when making decisions, and why hiring a project manager is a real game changer. Key takeaways: Cut unnecessary expenses and having a real-time view of what you have in each account. Grade your clients and deciding who you jump for and who maybe aren’t really a fit. Project for profit sharing and charitable donations. Identify what only you can do and delegate other tasks to your team. URLs/resources/social media links: Masuga Twitter @gomasuga @masuga LinkedIn Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field by Mike Michalowicz Louder Than Ten apprenticeship Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits by Greg Crabtree

Fred Carlsen has only been developing plugins since 2015, but in this time he has gone on to become one of the most prolific Craft CMS plugin developers in the business. Since the release of Craft 3, he’s come out with more than 25 plugins, with more on the way, averaging a new plugin every two weeks. Fred joined Stephen for an open and honest discussion about creativity, time management, and setting priorities. From his desire to help others, how he conquered his fears, and how he is learning to practice self-preservation. Tune in to hear from one of the true experts in plugin development, and hear about some of the exciting new plugins he is planning to push this year. Key takeaways: Balancing time and energy as a creator Conquering imposter syndrome, and putting yourself out there Pricing your plugins in a way that values your efforts Refactoring a plugin to support multiple providers URLs/resources/social media links: StraightUp Craft Superbig @sjelfull

Concierge Commerce is a new service — built on Craft Commerce Pro’s subscription feature — that promises to be a game changer for ecommerce retailers and vendors looking to connect by providing a one-stop platform to shop services and set up sales meetings. Founders Tae FitzSimons and Doug Hollinger have spent years working in the commerce world and discovered a common problem that required a solution: ecommerce retailers don’t know how or where to shop for the tech services they need when they need them. Likewise vendors are often not connecting with the right person at an organization, or even their ideal customer. A big pain point for many retailers is there is no easy list or search service to find the vendors they need. With Concierge Commerce serving as the “counselor,” they are helping vendors talk about their products and services more articulately, and helping retailers learn to ask the right questions. But, like counselors, they are only facilitating the relationship - not giving advice or opinions. Unlike most sites that create matrices with weighted arguments for one product or another, the Vendors on Concierge Commerce speak for themselves. Ultimately, Tae and Doug are building a roadmap toward a full service vendor selection platform where users can can search vendors and schedule meetings live on the site. Tune in to learn how Concierge Commerce is about to become the ultimate matchmaker for vendors and ecommerce sites. Key takeaways: Playing matchmaker between technology vendors and ecommerce retailers The questions you should be asking before you even think about looking for a new product or vendor Finding the solutions you need for your business, and not relying on reviews or popularity to make business decisions for your requirements Tapping into what your company does best so you can better articulate your products and services What you should be considering if your company is thinking about going headless Resources: Concierge Commerce Shoptalk

Having that great relationship between developer and business is something that is often difficult to achieve, but today’s guests are an excellent example of what that looks like. Eric Marthinsen of Built and Tracey Corbitt of Rochester Electronics discuss the unique challenges of building an ecommerce site selling over 350,000 SKUs and the company’s fascinating business model. They also each give some insightful advice at the end, so be sure to stick around for that. Tune in to learn why Craft Commerce was the right choice for Rochester’s site build, what it means to look at sales and digital marketing from a technical perspective, and what to watch out for when rebuilding, re-platforming, or building a fresh site. Key takeaways Craft Commerce saved the day for Rochester, giving them a better build but also making it affordable for them to have a custom site that fit their business needs They faced a unique challenge, with likely the highest number of SKUs in their system of any Craft site Rochester Electronics has a fascinating business model They take a technical approach to sales and digital marketing operations Eric and Tracey each give some valuable advice Resources: Bui.lt AgileCommerce.com Rochester Electronics

Pixel & Tonic’s greatly anticipated release of Craft Commerce 2 — now with Pro and Lite editions — brings several improvements and new features that make it an even more powerful tool for building a customized ecommerce site. Luke Holder is on the show to discuss some of these new features and give a few sneak peeks at what’s to come in future versions of Craft and Commerce. And if any developers are listening, Pixel & Tonic is hiring a new senior Commerce developer--accepting applications now. Listen to learn about the differences between Commerce Pro and Lite as well as some of the use cases and additional features now available in both versions. Key takeaways Craft CMS has three big announcements: Craft 3.1, Commerce 2, and the new Craft plugin store Commerce 2 has been released with a Pro and Lite version What’s on the horizon? More plugins and features in the works Craft is looking to hire another Commerce developer DotAll is in Montreal this year in September Resources: CraftCMS.com PixelandTonic.com

How does brand identity inform your ecommerce approach and growth strategy? For Jim Coudal of Field Notes, it’s about putting the brand first and then figuring out how to “make the ecommerce piece of it work to show the brand in its best light.” Noah Bernsohn of One Design Company joins the conversation as well to help shed some light on why Craft Commerce was the best fit for the Field Notes site. Listen to learn how Jim’s focus and consistency around knowing the Field Notes brand identity creates a clear sense of who they are and what they’re willing to do (and not do), and how they reconcile those boundaries and limits with growth and sales. Key takeaways The original audience for Field Notes were other design nerds Field Notes wanted something specific and unique for their site, so they chose Craft Commerce Field Notes puts brand first One Design Company also built the Craft site Resources: FieldNotesBrand.com One Design Company

What are the unique challenges of creating a social enterprise with a subscription box model on an ecommerce platform? For CAUSEBOX co-founder Brett McCollum it’s about providing the most value to customers while maximizing positive impact and sharing the stories of amazing brands. On the tech side of things, it’s making sure the tech is serving a purpose, which, at the end of the day, is about creating the best product experience possible. Listen to hear the story of how CAUSEBOX got started and what it means to approach business from a perspective of not assuming anything and asking questions every step of the way. Key takeaways CAUSEBOX co-founders Brett and Matt have been creating businesses together since college Selling a subscription service comes with a different set of challenges One of their major focus areas is delivering really great products that are actually giving back On the tech side of things, the goal is creating the best product experience for customers Resources: Causebox.com

Down in the Southern Hemisphere, there’s a web developer with a penchant for building Craft plugins and a keen eye for design. Josh Crawford of Verbb talks about spending his Christmas in Tasmania, how he got into web development, and the future of Verbb and its plugins. With a number of incredible plugins out there, Josh is not only prolific, but he really sets the bar with his attention to detail and emphasis on user experience. In the world of plugins, when organizations are relying on your work, there’s a big responsibility to the client to produce a reliable, polished product. Listen to learn about Josh’s plugin development process, how his design background influences his style and approach to user experience, and the importance of working smartly and sustainably. Key takeaways Josh is the owner and lead developer at Verbb creating incredible plugins A design background has influenced Josh’s plugin style and UX focus Pixel & Tonic have set a high standard in care, quality and attention to detail with Craft Work-life balance can be a struggle when you say yes to too many things Resources: Verbb S. Group It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work

He’s contributed some great tools to the community, including the Commerce Widgets plugin, and he’s the co-founder of Shape, a web design studio based in Manchester, United Kingdom. Jason Mayo joins Stephen to chat about Commerce 2’s new subscription feature, the implications of plugins that come out of projects, and the importance of prioritizing physical activity for health. Listen to hear what Jason has learned using subscriptions in Commerce 2 and how the data provided by the Commerce Widgets plugin is helpful for both clients and agencies in understanding and shaping the ecommerce process flow. Key takeaways Cycling to work is Jason’s way of staying physically fit and boosting mentality, especially during stressful or high volume work times Jason met co-founder Andy at university, and they have been working together at Shape eight years The Commerce Widgets plugin tracks stats and conversions, providing useful data There’s a bit of a learning curve with Commerce 2’s new subscription feature Resources: Shape

What’s the deal with GDPR and what does it mean for how ecommerce sites handle abandoned cart emails? Craft Commerce developer Pete Eveleigh, technical director of Moresoda, shares some valuable insights on the topic. It’s a fun conversation, and Pete talks about some of the amazing work and Craft Commerce builds Moresoda is currently doing and a few exciting things in the works. Listen to learn how the flexibility, simplicity, and intuitiveness of Craft Commerce makes it great for both clients and developers to work with it, and why GDPR compliance isn’t quite as complicated as it sounds if you’re upfront and honest on your site and in your communication. Key takeaways Craft Commerce ticks all of the boxes for Pete and Moresoda because it’s flexible, intuitive, and simple--yet incredibly powerful Working with Craft Commerce is a great experience for both developers and clients GDPR compliance and abandoned cart emails don’t have to be super complicated--as long as you’re honest and upfront with your customers Resources: Moresoda Climate Action Hub Tileflair http://twitter.com/foamcow

Is Craft Commerce the right solution for your ecommerce platform? When a feature, integration, or required outcome doesn’t fit into an existing system, chances are, Craft Commerce is the answer. Leslie Camacho is the Chief Customer Officer at Pixel & Tonic, and he believes that customer success is a genuine opportunity to help people solve a real problems in an authentic and empathetic way. Listen to learn about Craft’s strengths and how they provide value to clients in search of unique solutions, plus get a preview of an exciting new element of partnerships and relationships within Craft. Key takeaways As Pixel & Tonic’s Chief Customer Officer, Leslie is the primary connection between all parties who use Craft How can self-awareness help you sell more genuinely? Pixel & Tonic is ensuring Verified Craft Partners bring value to their clients so the Craft ecosystem remains trustworthy Leslie offers insight on how to determine if Craft and Commerce will provide a valuable solution for your ecommerce needs URLs/resources/social media links The Feeling Good Handbook Cognitive Behavioral Therapy The Drum Recommends

When selling a product that’s a little bit outside the box, you need a flexible solution for building your ecommerce site, especially if you’re the first one on the scene and doing something totally different. Vijay Sitaram of Wipertech sits down for a chill, yet inspiring conversation on how he got his start selling wiper blades online when no one else was doing it. He also dives into why Klaviyo is essential to his customer retention strategy and what it takes to succeed in ecommerce. Listen as Vijay gives some excellent advice on taking care of customers in the digital age, and find out why he made the decision to move the Wipertech site from Magento over to Craft Commerce 2. Key takeaways Vijay saw an opportunity to sell wiper blades online to customers in an accessible way The two main challenges were the technical aspects of selling online and customer acquisition Making the switch to Craft Commerce from Magento is right for Wipertech because of the flexibility it affords Customer care in the digital age is shifting, and Wipertech has an effective customer retention strategy Resources: Wipertech

Is it possible to survive in the world of ecommerce with big box competitors like Amazon? Jeremy Daalder’s ecommerce business, Image Science, has more than survived--it’s been thriving for over 15 years. Jeremy believes the key to future success is in expertise-based commerce and businesses knowing their niche in an exceptional way. He’s built a website that really exemplifies this idea, and he’s also created a few essential Craft Commerce plugins such as Register on Checkout, Friendly Order Numbers, Multi Add. Listen to better understand just how powerful the combo of Craft CMS with Craft Commerce can help you turn content into conversions. Key takeaways Jeremy’s diverse background and experiences led him to start an “accidental business.” Image Science took on a life of its own, and over 15 years later he’s still running the company. Craft Commerce is the perfect system for taking content and commerce and intertwining them seamlessly without sacrificing quality and efficiency for either one. Jeremy has built his website as a reflection of his business, with a focus on education, quality, and knowing his niche. The world of ecommerce is moving toward big box stores like Amazon, the massive looming competitor, but all they are is a marketplace. That means the future of ecommerce for everyone else is expertise-based commerce: knowing and communicating about the domain exceptionally well. Resources: Image Science

He’s one of the best Craft developers out there, a prolific blogger, and a podcast host, but how did Andrew Welch get to where he is today? Andrew’s hunger for learning began early when he started his own software company as a teenager, and it’s that same desire to learn that drove him to explore new interests and ultimately dive into the world of web development years later. Tune in to learn how Andrew’s curiosity and willingness to teach others has helped him become an industry leader. Key takeaways Before he was a web developer, Andrew designed fonts, owned a software company, and went to school for photojournalism. Andrew discovered early on the value of teaching--you have to do deep dives and become well-versed in the subject first. The world of web development is changing. Don’t be intimidated by Composer for Craft 3, because there’s a big payoff in using it, and the Craft team is there to guide you through any issues. Resources: Humans of New York From Alice to Ocean: Alone Across the Outback ProFont 2012 Walmart study Addy Osmani: “The Cost of Javascript”

Craft Commerce expert Jonathan Melville discusses the impact his personal life has on his business goals, his work on the Barefoot Contessa site, and navigating the tricky issue of ecommerce shipping. Through experience and recent personal hardships Jonathan has developed a set of lifestyle-based goals for his solo business that include prioritizing time with family and scaling in a way that supports these goals. Listen for an insightful conversation that covers the business side of ecommerce--and why Jonathan thinks the key to successful, profitable projects is finding the right clients. Key takeaways Jonathan has overcome personal hardships that have shaped the way he structures his solo business. Choose goals based on a desired lifestyle rather than a number. Jonathan chose ShipStation for the Barefoot Contessa site’s shipping fulfillment. Dealing with the issues of ecommerce shipping can be tricky, but the key is not surprising your customers. Why choosing your clients wisely is essential. Resources: Jonathan Melville Barefoot Contessa Case Study The story of Wesley and Elizabeth Melville Pia Silva Profit First Web Developer Support & Maintenance Retainers Apartment One ShipStation

As a relative newcomer to the custom ecommerce CMS world, Craft Commerce is pushing the envelope with new, powerful authoring and developer capabilities. Brands looking at Shopify Plus, BigCommerce and Magento as options, should add Craft Commerce to their platform review conversations. With Craft CMS 3 released in April 2018, Craft Commerce 2 just weeks away from its own release, and the excitement around Dot All 2018, I chatted with Pixel & Tonic CEO Brandon Kelly and original primary Commerce developer, Luke Holder. Listen to learn the back story on Craft Commerce 2 and to see why now is the perfect time to consider Craft Commerce 2 for new store builds of any complexity. Bonus, Brandon tells about what to expect for Craft CMS 4! Key takeaways The advent of Craft CMS 3 and Craft Commerce 2 will allow the Pixel & Tonic team to focus on rapid iteration of new authoring features, so developers won’t have to worry about breaking changes in a looming Craft CMS update. Luke Holder is dedicated fully to the development of Commerce. The goal of Commerce Lite is to reach a wider audience that doesn’t require a feature-rich ecommerce store. Pixel & Tonic’s marketing efforts will expand to focus on end user businesses, not just developers and agencies, as they release new features that fulfill the needs of whole teams. Improved APIs and a plugin store will encourage contributions from the community in the realm of more integrations and data reporting tools. This year’s Dot All conference will “turn it up to eleven.” Resources: Craft CMS Craft Commerce Pixel & Tonic Craft CMS on Twitter Craft CMS on Facebook Dot All 2018 Dot All on Facebook Dot All on Twitter Dot All on Instagram Foster Commerce

Welcome to Commerce Minded. A new podcast hosted by Foster Commerce CEO Stephen Callender. Subscribe to hear bi-weekly interviews with ecommerce merchants. Learn what's working and what to avoid from online business owners that are deep in the trenches. The show premieres September 4. Be sure to subscribe and visit http://fostercommerce.com/ for more details.