The Digital Deep Dive With Aaron Conant

Max Sinclair is the Founder and CEO of Azoma (formerly Ecomtent), which generates AI-powered product content across eCommerce sites. Before founding Azoma, he spent six years at Amazon, where he launched Amazon Business in the UK, Amazon.sg in Singapore, and Amazon Grocery across the EU. Max is also the host of New Frontier: The AI for ecommerce podcast. In this episode… Traditional search engines are losing their dominance as consumers turn to AI-powered tools for product discovery. This shift challenges eCommerce brands to stay visible in a digital landscape driven by conversational interfaces and personalized recommendations. How can businesses optimize their online presence when search requires context, intent, and interaction? AI-driven search optimization expert Max Sinclair maintains that brands can remain competitive by aligning their content strategies with the mechanics of large language models. Appearing in AI search results involves more than traditional SEO; it requires crafting semantically rich content that aligns with customer personas, goals, and use cases. Max emphasizes the importance of visual elements, customer sentiment, and AI's multimodal capabilities, allowing brands to improve visibility and relevance on emerging platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Amazon's Rufus. Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Max Sinclair, Founder and CEO of Azoma, to discuss the evolution of product search in the age of generative AI. Max talks about the rise of conversational and voice-based search, how direct checkout integrations could disrupt traditional online marketplaces, and his predictions for AI shopping assistants.

Justin Ruiss is the SVP of the Media Sector at BWG Global, a knowledge-sharing network hosting in-person and virtual industry events. In his role, he hosts Q&A forums with executives from various sectors, including social media, advertising, connected TV, streaming, and gaming. Before joining BWG Global, Justin was the Investor Relations Activations Developer at Cision and an Equity Analyst at The Benchmark Company. In this episode… Retail media, CTV advertising, and AI-powered search are evolving faster than many brands can adapt. Marketers are grappling with fragmented content strategies, fluctuating CPMs, and uncertainty around how to allocate budgets effectively across platforms. With performance expectations rising and consumer behaviors shifting, how can brands stay competitive without overspending? According to media and eCommerce analyst Justin Ruiss, now is an ideal time to invest in CTV due to oversupply, lower CPMs, and advanced targeting capabilities. He recommends increasing production budgets to create modular, high-quality content that can be repurposed across channels like TikTok, Amazon, and streaming platforms. Brands can also adopt centralized content planning and leverage tools like Amazon Marketing Cloud to drive enhanced targeting and performance while planning for economic volatility and regulatory changes. In this episode of TheDigital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant interviews Justin Ruiss, SVP of the Media Sector at BWG Global, about the future of digital media buying and AI in eCommerce. Justin explores CTV trends, the rise of agentic AI, and how brand guidelines shape content in gaming environments.

Kelly Goetsch is the Chief Operating Officer of Pipe17, which specializes in AI-powered composable order operations. Before joining Pipe17, he served as the Chief Strategy Officer at commercetools, where he played a pivotal role in scaling the company to over $100 million in annual recurring revenue. Kelly also co-founded MACH Alliance, a nonprofit industry organization advocating for Microservices, APIs, Cloud-native, and Headless (MACH) technologies.  In this episode… Customers expect fast fulfillment and delivery across various selling channels, including social media and marketplaces. Traditional systems struggle to keep pace, leaving companies tangled in connectivity issues between their sales, inventory, and fulfillment networks. How can brands deliver seamless, cost-effective experiences while scaling across these fragmented digital touchpoints? With experience in AI-driven order management, Kelly Goetsch advises brands to adopt a connectivity-first model. This requires integrating a flexible routing layer that connects selling channels, back-office systems, and fulfillment partners, enabling dynamic order flow based on cost, speed, and product needs. Kelly also recommends embracing emerging sales platforms like TikTok and leveraging AI tools to align with how customers discover products, noting that companies must modernize their operations or risk falling behind in today's competitive landscape. In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Kelly Goetsch, COO of Pipe17, about reshaping order management for AI-driven shopping. Kelly explains how selling channels have evolved, marketing gaps in midsize brands, and how voice commerce has shaped emerging conversational shopping experiences.

Denis Dyli is the Founder and Principal of Uncap, a Shopify B2B eCommerce agency. He has led the company to become a Shopify Premier Partner, delivering over 350 eCommerce projects and replatforming more than 100 Shopify Plus stores. With over 15 years of experience in eCommerce development and strategy, Denis helps B2B and B2C sellers optimize their eCommerce platforms.  In this episode… For DTC brands expanding into B2B, legacy platforms can create significant friction. Outdated technology, slow feature deployment, and mounting maintenance costs often hinder growth, especially when buyers expect seamless, digital-first experiences. How can companies modernize their B2B operations to stay competitive and meet evolving customer expectations? According to digital commerce expert Denis Dyli, DTC brands with Shopify Plus stores can activate B2B capabilities by enabling features like custom pricing, net terms, and B2B storefront templates. He recommends updating themes to support new Shopify accounts and tailoring the logged-in buyer experience to streamline ordering. By leveraging native functionality and apps like Gorgias and Klaviyo, DTC brands can create polished, scalable B2B portals without a complete replatform. In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Denis Dyli, the Founder and Principal of Upcap, to discuss the future of B2B eCommerce on Shopify. Denis talks about digital transformation in the B2B space, B2B companies that would benefit from Shopify's capabilities, and the impact of tariffs on the digital commerce landscape. 

Danny Silverman is the Founder and Digital Strategy and Growth Consultant at Silverstream Strategic Consulting. As a digital commerce executive, he has over two decades of experience in eCommerce, marketing, and general management consulting. Throughout his career, Danny has scaled a digital commerce agency 10x in three years, led marketing efforts for a global SaaS platform, and navigated Amazon's landscape since 2006.  In this episode… Recently, eCommerce teams have faced intense pressure from all sides, including organizational flattening, budget cuts, and mandatory AI integrations. Many leaders find themselves stuck in reactive mode, unable to assess strategy, structure, or performance. How can brands stay agile and make informed decisions without getting overwhelmed? Brands face three common barriers: misaligned go-to-market strategies, outdated marketing tactics, and fragmented organizational design. To regain control and drive profitable growth, seasoned eCommerce strategist Danny Silverman recommends beginning with candid, cross-level interviews to identify hidden challenges before conducting deep data analyses to reveal underlying trends. For mid-sized brands especially, he stresses the importance of empowering decision-makers with budget control and executive sponsorships while leveraging AI tools for content creation and operational efficiency. In this week's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Danny Silverman, Founder and Digital Strategy and Growth Consultant at Silverstream Strategic Consulting, about adapting organizational structures to an evolving digital landscape. Danny explains how Chief AI Officers are gaining traction amid AI integrations, how Amazon sellers can maintain profitability in a volatile economy, and how he diagnoses structural issues in an organization.

Jon Harding is the Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer at Conair LLC, a multibillion-dollar consumer products company. In his role, he has driven major initiatives, including implementing a global SAP system and other eCommerce platforms. Before joining Conair, Jon held senior leadership IT roles at Kellogg Company, where he spearheaded enterprise system transformations across Europe and the US. In 2023, he was recognized as the New York CIO of the Year in the enterprise category.  In this episode… Enterprise IT leaders are often expected to maintain flawless systems while simultaneously driving innovation. As digital tools evolve, companies must adopt new technologies while avoiding disruption and risk. How can organizations balance innovation with stability and strategic alignment? When managing IT transformation at the enterprise level, veteran technology executive Jon Harding recommends aligning tech initiatives with clear business outcomes rather than chasing the latest trends. This requires initiating early cross-functional collaboration in tech planning, focusing on change management, stakeholder buy-in, and long-term thinking. To integrate AI efficiently, Jon suggests prioritizing high-ROI use cases like customer support automation and content creation while maintaining governance and budget control. In this week's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Jon Harding, the Senior Vice President and Global CIO at Conair, about enterprise-level tech stack innovation and digital transformation. Jon shares change management strategies, vendor selection considerations, and the future of enterprise advisory work.

Hannah Blackburn is the Co-founder and Director of The Hawkers Club, a company that helps vendors and sellers solve their most pressing challenges and navigate eCommerce marketplaces, including Amazon and Target. In her role, Hannah advises online sellers and vendors on how to directly position their brands and value offerings as Amazon partners to increase profitability and revenue.  Before co-founding The Hawkers Club, she joined Amazon as a brand specialist with an initial focus on vendor excellence and marketing before transitioning to stock management and profitability. Since she's written the business logic powering some of the algorithms that run Amazon, Hannah knows how you can systematically make profitable decisions that Amazon's algorithms reward. In this episode… Recent sweeping changes to how Amazon Vendor Central calculates and processes chargebacks, shortages, and overbilling have left many brands scrambling to adjust their internal processes and preserve cash flow. What do these updates entail, and how can vendors stay ahead of the curve? Former Amazon insider Hannah Blackburn explains that overbilling calculations have shifted from “distributor shipment” to “Amazon payables,” potentially reducing double billing and improving predictability if brands adapt quickly. Brands must now track and forecast co-op charges based on expected payments rather than shipments. Additionally, Amazon no longer accepts bulk aged shortages, so brands should track aging internally and file disputes for shortages immediately. Hannah maintains that staying proactive prevents long-term revenue loss under Amazon's new conditions.  In this episode of the Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Hannah Blackburn, the Co-founder and Director of The Hawkers Club, back to the show to discuss Amazon's evolving Vendor Central policies. Hannah talks about rising packaging chargebacks, updated dispute workflows, and how to protect future chargeback recoveries.

Charlie Cole is the President of XGEN AI, a composable AI platform for eCommerce. As a seasoned eCommerce executive, he has over two decades of experience leading digital transformations for global brands. Before XGEN AI, Charlie served as the CEO at Tribute Technology and FTD and held leadership positions at Samsonite and TUMI, where he drove significant digital growth. In this episode… Online commerce search has long frustrated both brands and consumers. Whether it's typing in a detailed query and getting zero results or sifting through hundreds of irrelevant products, traditional search engines can't keep up with consumers' evolving shopping habits. As search behavior evolves and expectations rise, how can brands deliver a shopping experience that feels intuitive, personal, and helpful? According to digital executive and eCommerce operator Charlie Cole, generative AI presents unique opportunities for search personalization. These tools can understand natural language, learn from user behavior, and surface relevant results — even for complex, descriptive queries. Charlie urges companies to invest in technologies that apply AI image recognition, contextual search, and predictive merchandising. By focusing on genuine customer needs and creating frictionless, conversational experiences, brands can drive loyalty and revenue. In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Charlie Cole, the President of XGEN AI, about revolutionizing eCommerce search with generative AI. Charlie discusses the future of search marketing, how to capitalize on industry events like Shoptalk, and how XGEN AI's platform powers innovative search solutions.

Eric Sheinkop is the CEO of The Desire Company, a platform that connects brands with industry experts to create high-quality, conversion-focused video content. With a background in entertainment marketing, Eric co-founded Music Dealers, a pioneering music licensing platform that partnered with global brands like Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Disney. He is also an author, speaker, and thought leader in content strategy, recognized in Billboard's 30 Under 30 and Crain's Tech 50 list. In this episode… In today's fast-moving digital landscape, brands face the challenge of creating high-quality, scalable content that converts. While influencer marketing and UGC once seemed like the answer, new FTC regulations and diminishing returns have left brands searching for a more effective approach. How can businesses generate content that builds trust and drives sales — without constantly reinventing the wheel? According to brand partnerships and content strategy thought leader Eric Sheinkop, expert-driven content — featuring real professionals who use the brand's product in their field — builds consumer trust and confidence at the point of sale. By investing in evergreen, professionally produced videos optimized for various digital platforms, brands can increase conversion rates, reduce returns, and enhance the customer experience. Eric also emphasizes the importance of aligning content strategy with new FTC regulations to ensure compliance and credibility while maximizing digital marketing efforts. Tune in to this week's episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant chats with Eric Sheinkop, CEO of The Desire Company, about the next evolution of digital content. Eric shares how AI-driven shopping assistants can reshape brand loyalty, how to create cohesive, story-driven content, and the new FTC regulations on influencer and UGC content. 

Andrea Leigh is the Founder and CEO of Allume Group, an eCommerce knowledge-sharing network. She is also the co-host of The CPG Guys podcast. With over 20 years of eCommerce experience working with thousands of brands, she is an educator, speaker, and writer involved with various organizations, including The Digital Shelf Institute and Path to Purchase Institute. Andrea spent 10 years as a Senior Executive at Amazon, where she led over 15 categories, helped launch Amazon's automated pricing system and other programs, and managed Amazon Prime in Canada. In this episode… Amazon vendor negotiations differ from standard, relationship-based retailer negotiations. With Amazon prioritizing data, algorithms, and automation, brands often feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to approach the process. How can you leverage your strengths to arrange favorable trade terms? As an early Amazon adopter, Andrea Leigh has developed the FIRM framework — find your data, isolate your leverage, relax and go slow, and make requests — to help brands take a strategic, data-driven approach. After discovering and harnessing your data sources, you should identify the unique value you bring to Amazon, leverage delaying tactics to strategize further, and request concessions in areas that benefit the retailer. Andrea also recommends aligning trade terms with retail media planning to communicate your investments.  In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Andrea Leigh, the Founder and CEO of Allume Group, to talk about navigating Amazon vendor negotiations. Andrea shares common mistakes brands make in the process, what to expect from Amazon's evolving negotiation process, and how to mitigate tariff-related cost increases.

Tim Wilson is the Chief Revenue Officer at ProductWind, which offers influencer-as-a-service products to help brands win online. He's an experienced sales and business development professional focused on helping the world's largest advertisers understand how eCommerce and digital marketing impact their brands. Before ProductWind, Tim was an Affiliate Partner at Pattern, guiding partnerships and driving global eCommerce sales for brands. In this episode… Navigating eCommerce conferences can be a frustrating experience. While networking opportunities are abundant, many presentations fail to provide authentic, actionable insights, leaving attendees wondering if these events are worth the investment. How can professionals maximize their time at these gatherings and extract real value beyond surface-level discussions? Digital commerce expert Tim Wilson believes in building strong relationships and strategically leveraging AI-driven tools. He suggests that professionals should focus on unstructured networking opportunities, such as impromptu meetups and informal discussions, rather than relying on scripted presentations. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of training retail algorithms well in advance of major sales events to ensure optimal product visibility.  In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Tim Wilson, the Chief Revenue Officer at ProductWind, joins Aaron Conant to discuss maximizing networking opportunities in the eCommerce space. Tim shares product launch strategies, the importance of data security in AI, and how the financial landscape will impact eCommerce brands in the future.

Nii Ahene is the Founder and Managing Director of Net Influencer, a publication offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Previously, he co-founded CPC Strategy, which was acquired by Tinuiti, where he served as Chief Strategy Officer. Nii is also an angel investor in 5G, CPG, and B2B SaaS companies. In this episode… Retail media has exploded in recent years, with hundreds of networks vying for ad dollars. While some brands see significant returns, others struggle to justify their investments. With so many options and increasing pressure from retailers, how can brands determine which retail media networks truly drive incremental growth? Nii Ahene, an expert in eCommerce and digital marketing, emphasizes the importance of first-party data and strategic investments. Nii advises brands to evaluate whether a retail media network drives new customer acquisition or simply shifts existing demand. He suggests focusing on platforms where consumers actively research products and ensuring ad spend aligns with offline and online sales impact. Additionally, brands should integrate retail media with broader shopper marketing efforts, leveraging digital advertising to drive in-store purchases. In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Nii Ahene, the Founder and Managing Director of Net Influencer, about the evolving landscape of retail media. Nii shares insights on data-driven ad spending, the consolidation of retail media networks, and TikTok's growing role in product discovery.

Aaron Conant is the Co-founder and Chief Digital Strategist at BWG Connect, a leading platform for executive strategy and networking sessions. In conjunction with BWG Strategy, BWG Connect has built an exclusive network of over 125,000 senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events annually. With over a decade of experience in digital commerce, Aaron provides advisory services to brands on Amazon sales strategies, retail media, DTC platform selection, and SEO. Before starting BWG Connect, Aaron was the Head of eCommerce Sales and Business Development at Perrigo and a Research Scientist at Pfizer. He is also the host of The Digital Deep Dive. In this episode… Many brands invest in digital advertising and retail media to drive growth, but understanding when and how to allocate budgets effectively is crucial. Developing a strategic approach to Amazon Ads, logistics, and AI automation can help businesses scale while maintaining profitability. What key insights are industry leaders leveraging to stay ahead in the evolving eCommerce landscape? Five eCommerce and media experts share strategies for maximizing your company's digital footprint. Adam Epstein explains that Amazon Streaming TV ads are most effective for brands that have optimized their sponsored ads and DSP strategies, making them a powerful tool for expanding awareness. Todd Hassenfelt highlights the importance of subscribe and save programs in securing customer loyalty during economic uncertainty, advising that brands allocate their budgets across multiple digital channels. Avi Moskowitz emphasizes that brands don't need hyper-fast shipping — just the ability to set and meet clear delivery expectations. Nate Pinkston and Lauren Livak reveal how misalignment in joint business planning (JBP) between retail media and business teams can create inefficiencies, leading to missed opportunities and budget mismanagement. Kashif Zafar has leveraged AI in DSP, retail media, and programmatic ads. In this special compilation episode of The Digital Deep Dive, host Aaron Conant revisits his most insightful conversations with industry experts. The episode covers key strategies for brands looking to refine their advertising, fulfillment, and automation efforts. With eCommerce continuing to evolve, these experts provide actionable takeaways to help businesses navigate digital growth, optimize ad spend, and enhance the customer experience.

Meghan Corroon is the Co-founder and CEO of Clerdata, a marketing intelligence platform that drives sales. As a data scientist, she has completed data science research for several national governments in Africa. Before co-founding Clerdata, Meghan was the Technical Director for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation portfolio evaluation. In this episode… Retail media has evolved from a “growth at all costs” strategy to a demand for measurable ROI, forcing brands to rethink their ad investments. With nearly 700 retail media networks, companies struggle to allocate their budgets. As executives face increasing pressure to justify spending, incrementality measurement has emerged as a crucial tool for identifying retail media's impact on sales and profitability. How can brands optimize their ad spend while ensuring data neutrality? Data-driven professional Meghan Corroon helps brands assess the effectiveness of their retail media investments. Instead of relying on self-reported metrics from ad platforms — often skewed by conflicts of interest — companies should use third-party measurements to make data-driven decisions. Meghan explains how the halo effect influences buying habits across multiple retailers, emphasizing that retail media approaches must extend beyond just traditional performance metrics. By shifting to a neutral, evidence-based approach, brands can identify high-performing networks and reallocate budgets to maximize returns. Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Meghan Corroon, the Co-founder and CEO of Clerdata, to discuss the future of retail media measurement. Meghan shares insights on optimizing retail media spend, evaluating ad performance, and navigating the growing complexities of retail media. She also highlights how brands can balance performance marketing with long-term profitability in an increasingly data-driven landscape.

Justin Leigh is the CEO of Workflow Labs, an automation software for eCommerce management. Before founding Workflow Labs, he was the Founder and CEO of Ideoclick, an online marketing services company. Justin began his career as a Product Manager at Amazon and a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft. In this episode… With Amazon updating its platform regularly and operational costs rising, brands struggle to maintain profitability. Where should brands focus their efforts to achieve sustainable growth? According to eCommerce entrepreneur Justin Leigh, brands spend too much time focusing on mundane tasks like catalog and content updates. This prevents them from strategizing customer engagement efforts and adapting to trends and platform changes. Justin recommends leveraging AI-driven automation tools to identify and correct site inefficiencies, monitor sales and pricing, and maintain compliance.  In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Justin Leigh, the CEO of Workflow Labs, to discuss automating your Amazon business. Justin shares how Amazon's new review system has eroded customer trust, the platform's algorithmic changes that have impacted sales, and his recommended automation tools.

Jana Weinstein is the Director of Social Commerce at Blue Wheel, an omnichannel marketing and operational agency. As a sales leader, she specializes in TikTok Shop, business development, go-to-market strategies, and creator and affiliate marketing. Before Blue Wheel, Jana was the Director of Partnerships for TikTok Shop at Pattern® and managed TikTok Shop partnerships at TikTok. In this episode… TikTok's role in social commerce has rapidly evolved, presenting both opportunities and challenges for brands. Recent uncertainties, including a Supreme Court ruling on a potential ban, have raised questions about the platform's future. Despite these challenges, TikTok's innovative approach to engaging content has made it a dominant player in the space. How can brands leverage TikTok Shop to boost revenue? Social commerce expert Jana Weinstein emphasizes the importance of long-term strategies over short-term gains. Large enterprises often struggle to adapt to TikTok's fast-paced environment due to complex approval processes, while smaller brands excel by responding to trends quickly. Jana highlights the need for personalized approaches, from testing various products with creators to aligning promotional tactics with TikTok's unique ecosystem. She also warns against relying on heavy discounts, instead encouraging brands to focus on creating engaging content and exclusive offerings to sustain growth. In this week's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Jana Weinstein, Director of Social Commerce at Blue Wheel, about TikTok's impact on social commerce. Jana shares insights from her experience launching TikTok Shop in the US, the role of AI in scaling content, and the platform's influence on competitors like YouTube and Meta.

Benjamin Davis is the Founder and CEO of TryNow, which has pioneered the “try before you buy” model to improve conversion rates for eCommerce brands. Under his leadership, TryNow has raised approximately $24 million in funding. Before TryNow, Benjamin founded an apparel brand and worked in private equity.  In this episode… eCommerce brands are so focused on minimizing returns that they often don't consider how to enhance the online customer experience fundamentally. Consumers want the same experience online as they have in-store, like trying on clothes before purchasing them. How can you unify the online customer experience to increase conversions? Benjamin Davis has pioneered the “try before you buy” method, which allows customers to sample items before purchasing them and decide which ones to keep or return. Rather than analyzing each customer's return rate, brands can encourage them to sample multiple items to increase purchase rates and profit per order. This model also drives lifetime value since brands demonstrate trust in their consumers by allowing them to try products before charging them. Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Benjamin Davis, the Founder and CEO of TryNow, to talk about implementing a “try before you buy” solution. Benjamin discusses this model's impact on cart value, how D2C categories are adopting this solution, and how TryNow reduces CAC.

Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at Path to Purchase Institute. With over 12 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs. In this episode… As brands grapple with small teams and increased content demands, compelling, optimized content remains a priority. In a landscape where even a 1% improvement can produce significant gains, how can brands ensure their content resonates with target audiences across channels? With platform and retailer algorithms ranking content based on qualitative and quantitative factors, eCommerce thought leader Chris Perry emphasizes the importance of conducting content page audits. This includes measuring keywords for specific categories, identifying your target audience, including relevant images, and ensuring your titles reach the required character count. Updating your PDPs with a single image can increase conversion rates by 2%. Chris also recommends optimizing your content for mobile devices to meet customers where they shop. This involves creating user-friendly designs and prioritizing image creation. Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Chris Perry, the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, to discuss optimizing content for the digital shelf. Chris explains how to test content creation tools, how to produce and measure full-funnel content, and firstmovr's ENDCAPS educational program.

Mike Black is the Chief Growth Officer at Profitero, a leading eCommerce acceleration company offering intelligence-driven solutions for profitable growth. With a background in marketing, he held leadership positions in product marketing and demand generation at various global analytics companies. Before Profitero, Mike was the Vice President of Product Marketing at Nielson. In this episode… According to a recent eCommerce organizational benchmark study, eCommerce has become increasingly democratized, with brands embedding its capabilities into each business function. This has led to joint business plans that prioritize eCommerce in every business goal. How can organizations collaborate with interdepartmental teams to accelerate eCommerce efforts throughout? Traditionally, eCommerce has been confined to a single team that executes media and content single-handedly without input. Yet, the landscape has become more nuanced, with organizations needing to implement change management practices to outperform competitors and manage omnichannel selling and advertising. eCommerce leader Mike Black emphasizes a holistic eCommerce approach that involves collaborating with teams to align omnichannel strategies and expand roles and capabilities. He also notes the role of organization-wide education in promoting eCommerce efforts. In this week's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Mike Black, the Chief Growth Officer at Profitero, about the future of eCommerce capabilities in businesses. Mike discusses results from Profitero's 2024 eCommerce Organizational Benchmark study, the rise of integrated eCommerce teams, and the importance of collaborating with retailers.

Tim Zawislack is a senior eCommerce executive for global DTC and B2B brands. He most recently served as the Chief Digital Officer and Senior Vice President of eCommerce at Conair, where he managed the company's eCommerce channels for its brands. With over a decade of management experience leading consumer and digital strategies, Tim has delivered rapid, profitable digital growth for multi-brand portfolio companies. He is also an Advisory Board Member for BWG Strategy. In this episode… In the early days of eCommerce, brands could advertise and sell on Amazon without a defined strategy. Today, Amazon should be used as a storytelling medium. How can you optimize your presence on Amazon? With new brands hijacking market share from brands with an established Amazon presence, eCommerce executive Tim Zawislack says to expand your channels and advertising strategies. This requires integrating top-of-funnel advertising with branding and retail efforts to increase platform visibility and generate customer loyalty. Tim also recommends hiring an Amazon agency as an extension of your marketing team to ensure adequate market share and optimize ad spend. Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant chats with Tim Zawislack about the past, present, and future of Amazon. Tim shares how to develop an omnichannel Amazon strategy, how to integrate AMC into your ads strategy, and what he learned from leading eCommerce efforts for legacy brands.

Chris Orzechowski is the Founder of West Egg Agency, an X Ads agency that helps brands acquire new customers using X. As an email copywriter, he helps eCommerce brands grow their revenue using email automation. Chris is also the author of Make It Rain and Scale While You Sleep. In this episode… Advertising on X isn't new, yet many brands avoid it in favor of platforms like Meta and Google that produce faster results. However, these platforms are becoming increasingly saturated and competitive, making X a cost-effective and untapped alternative. How can you optimize your existing ads for X? Brands that haven't achieved results on X likely haven't targeted or engaged with enough followers. X Ads trailblazer Chris Orzechowski recommends targeting brands with your ideal customer profile and creating follower look-alikes to convert their followers into your customers. This requires developing creative copy to rank for specific keywords. While you can reuse high-performing content from Meta on X, you must modify the copy to align with X's requirements, like character limits and parameters for other creative mediums like video.  Tune in to this week's episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant invites Chris Orzechowski, the Founder of West Egg Agency, to discuss launching ad campaigns on X. Chris shares X's upcoming integrations, the platform's profitability, and how to structure an ad budget for X.

Justin Ruiss is the SVP of the Media Sector at BWG Strategy, a knowledge-sharing network hosting in-person and virtual industry events. In his role, he hosts Q&A forums with executives from various sectors, including social media, advertising, connected TV, streaming, and gaming. Before joining BWG Strategy, Justin was the Investor Relations Activations Developer at Cision and an Equity Analyst at The Benchmark Company. In this episode… As consumers search for curated answers to specific questions, community-focused platforms like Reddit and TikTok have gained prominence over Google. With content creation shifting, how can brands engage with consumers to meet their expectations? Social engagement expert Justin Ruiss notes that consumers seek answers to complex questions from other community members on their chosen platforms, initiating what he terms community-based marketing and commerce. By leveraging these platforms, brands can tap into high-intent communities and gain access to conversations that blend social and search attributes. This approach fosters brand loyalty by collecting and adapting to consumer feedback and community insights. The shift toward community-driven engagement allows brands to identify their target demographics and create content that resonates.  In this week's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Justin Ruiss, the SVP of the Media Sector at BWG Strategy, about community-focused marketing and commerce. Justin also shares insights into the evolution of search, the rise of connected TV streaming, and the future of retail media. 

Avi Moskowitz is the Co-founder and CEO of PrettyDamnQuick, a fast-growing eCommerce delivery app facilitating delivery experiences for top DTC and CPG brands. As an eight-figure veteran entrepreneur, he specializes in improving brands' checkout conversions and shipping revenues. Avi also hosts the Delivering Delight podcast and co-founded BeerBazaar, a top-rated craft brewery with an online shop that became one of the top 10 Shopify stores in Israel. In this episode… Brands expend money and resources acquiring customers just for them to abandon their carts at checkout. This is an industry-wide epidemic, with yearly revenue losses of up to $270 billion. How can you optimize the checkout experience to convert customers before they churn? Avi Moskowitz, an eCommerce delivery optimizer, says that brands spend a lot of time creating content and advertising campaigns to acquire customers but overlook the checkout experience. Rather than employing quick fixes and hacks to solve the abandoned cart issue, brands must identify and segment their consumers into subscribers and first-time, returning, and high-value customers. This allows you to personalize their experiences with relevant messaging and product offers. You can also optimize the checkout page by experimenting with various layouts and simplifying shipping options. When it comes to delivery times, customers expect transparent communication and consistency. In this week's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Avi Moskowitz, the Co-founder and CEO of PrettyDamnQuick, about optimizing the checkout experience to convert customers. Avi explains how checkout optimization enhances profitability, how to segment customers for the holiday season, and the future of the checkout experience.

Max Sinclair is the Founder and CEO of Ecomtent, which generates AI-powered product content across eCommerce sites. Before founding Ecomtent, he spent six years at Amazon, where he launched Amazon Business in the UK, Amazon.sg in Singapore, and Amazon Grocery across the EU. Max is also the host of New Frontier: The AI for ecommerce podcast.  In this episode… As content creation becomes increasingly sophisticated, brands rely on AI to produce visual and written product content. Additionally, Amazon's new AI-powered search engine, Rufus, has created more personalized and in-depth searches, making optimized content essential. How can you adapt to the future of AI-powered search and content? Amazon's Rufus AI assistant allows consumers to ask specific questions to receive highly personalized search results. This tool analyzes product copy and images to produce relevant results, so Amazon veteran Max Sinclair recommends refining AI models using data to optimize content for search. Rufus has altered SEO, so rather than ranking for specific keywords, you must adjust your content to accommodate the AI search algorithm, ensuring your products appear in the list of relevant results.  In this week's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Max Sinclair, the Founder and CEO of Ecomtent, about optimizing product content for Amazon's AI-powered search engine. Max talks about Rufus' role in the future of search and SEO, the barriers to widespread AI adoption, and the use cases for AI-generated content and search. 

Mark Lotman is the Co-founder and COO of Monocle, which creates AI-powered customer incentives for businesses. After developing product strategies and pricing and fostering customer engagement at Stripe and McKinsey & Company, Mark founded Monocle to optimize incentives. Noam Szpiro is the Co-founder and CEO of Monocle, where he leverages his experience as an engineering manager and director at Lyft and Instacart. Noam is also the former Co-founder of Interviews.tech, a marketplace for mock interviews with tech companies that he sold in 2022.  In this episode… Customer incentives are gaining significant traction in the eCommerce space, with brands offering exclusive deals to drive conversions. Yet with customer acquisition costs rising, discounts have become costly, so brands must be strategic with their offerings to maintain profitability. How can you optimize your incentive programs? Customer engagement experts Mark Lotman and Noam Szpiro leverage causal AI to personalize customer discounts and incentives. This analyzes key customer behaviors, preferences, and engagement rates to determine ideal offerings. Personalizing incentives based on how customers interact with your brand allows you to identify the offers' incremental value so you can drive conversions and increase lifetime value. You can also utilize A/B testing to establish ideal discounts that boost profitability and ROI. In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Mark Lotman and Noam Szpiro of Monocle about how to leverage customer incentives to drive conversions while maintaining profitability. Together, they discuss how to integrate Monocle into email, SMS, and direct mail campaigns, customer personalization trends, and their recommended software platforms.

Adam Epstein is the Co-founder and CEO of Gigi, which helps brands and agencies buy and measure Amazon Streaming TV ads. As a technology entrepreneur and executive, he has experience in SaaS, business and corporate development, sales, operations, strategy, partnerships, and product management. Before Gigi, Adam was the Co-president and VP of Growth at Perpetua, a growth infrastructure software for eCommerce.  In this episode… The Amazon advertising space is evolving constantly, with budgets for on-site sponsored ads plateauing. Streaming TV has emerged as a profitable advertising channel integrated with Amazon Marketing Cloud. With streaming TV still in its infancy, how can you evaluate if it's right for your business, and how can you incorporate it into your existing Amazon ads strategy? As a pioneer of Amazon Streaming TV ads, Adam Epstein has advised brands and agencies on this imminent channel, emphasizing that it's not for everyone. Smaller brands that invest less than $250,000 a month on sponsored ads should consider investing more to build awareness before diversifying to streaming TV. For brands that have exhausted their sponsored ads spend, Adam suggests investing 10% of their total Amazon ad budget into streaming TV to generate a broader reach. Once you've obtained exposure on streaming TV, you can allocate your budget evenly across all Amazon ad channels and even leverage Amazon's partnerships with other streaming platforms like Disney+ and Hulu.  In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Adam Epstein, the Co-founder and CEO of Gigi, about the emerging potential of Amazon Streaming TV ads. Adam talks about its seamless integration into other Amazon advertising channels, its potential to become table stakes for brands, and how to leverage its profitable opportunities. 

Andrea Leigh is the Founder and CEO of Allume Group, an eCommerce knowledge-sharing network. She is also the co-host of TheCPG Guys podcast. With over 20 years of eCommerce experience working with thousands of brands, she is an educator, speaker, and writer involved with various organizations, including The Digital Shelf Institute and Path to Purchase Institute. Andrea spent 10 years as a Senior Executive at Amazon, where she led over 15 categories, helped launch Amazon's automated pricing system and other programs, and managed Amazon Prime in Canada. In this episode… As the eCommerce landscape grows and evolves, businesses face many conundrums. They hire for new roles and integrate the latest technology only to realize they've gone too far. Middle management runs amok, and traditional business models begin to crumble. How can companies bounce back to navigate this space effectively? As a brand educator in the digital space, Andrea Leigh understands that it's difficult to identify an ideal starting place. It's no longer practical to rely solely on cross-functional teams to execute eCommerce strategies. Instead, businesses need participation and collaboration from the entire organization, requiring teams to build strong relationships for idea-sharing and digital strategy alignment. Team members and stakeholders must also adopt new skills to stay abreast of digital trends and develop ways to pivot in unexpected situations.  In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Andrea Leigh, the Founder and CEO of Allume Group, about navigating and adapting to the digital shift. Andrea talks about pivoting your business model from analog to digital, embracing consumers' digital-first demands, and the complexities of digital decision-making. 

Matt Dornfeld is the Senior Director and Head of Global Partnerships at Feedonomics, a subsidiary of BigCommerce and an enterprise that provides leading product feed management solutions for brands, retailers, and agencies. Feedonomics offers brands a robust platform to aggregate their product data and syndicate it to marketplaces, ads, and affiliate channels worldwide. Matt's role is pivotal in facilitating global business partnerships and helping brands scale their operations, resulting in win-win-win outcomes for clients, partners, and Feedonomics. In this episode… Instant commerce allows customers to receive their orders within hours of purchase. Platforms like Amazon, DoorDash, and UberEats have pioneered this commerce method, and with more customers expecting same-day delivery for every order, brands are capitalizing on this trend. How can you break into the instant commerce space while driving long-term profitability? According to feed management expert and strategist Matt Dornfeld, consumers shop mainly on Google and Amazon, making these channels their primary starting points. Google's local inventory ads feature targets consumers with ads for locally available products and directs them to the merchants' websites where they can select from same-day pick-up or delivery. This tool allows brands to foster transparency and build trust with customers online and in-store, which are crucial for elevating experiences and driving conversions. Facebook and Bing have similar local inventory features, so you can expand into additional marketplaces to reach more shoppers. This requires understanding where your customers shop and investing in channels that align with your overall brand strategy. In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Matt Dornfeld, the Senior Director and Head of Global Partnerships at Feedonomics, who shares insights about instant commerce for brands. Matt talks about the importance of providing customers with multiple shopping options, North Star strategies for executing instant commerce, and how to boost profitability on your DTC site.

David Katz is the Co-founder, Lead Product Designer, and Director of Sales at Archer Affiliates, an affiliate network enabling Amazon sellers to connect with publishers, influencers, and bloggers. The company has generated millions of dollars in Amazon sales and increased affiliate revenue to 18% of generated sales. As a former Amazon seller, David struggled to incentivize influencers to promote his products and reach out to new affiliates, leading him to launch Archer Affiliates.  In this episode… With customer acquisition costs rising and profitability becoming more critical than ever, affiliate programs have emerged as a performance-based marketing tool to drive sales and revenue. Yet this space is still relatively new, and brands often struggle with affiliate product promotions and sales attributions. How can you break into this space and establish a mutually beneficial partnership with affiliates? Rather than paying influencers up front, affiliate marketing is a commission-based partnership that allows you to track product performance directly. Affiliate expert David Katz maintains that you can incentivize publishers, content creators, and other affiliates by offering commissions and promotions, allowing them to focus on generating sales and revenue for specific products. To fully capitalize on this partnership, David says to let the affiliates decide what products to promote and how to promote them since they're experts on content creation and audience targeting. Affiliates will promote credible products with a high sales probability, focusing on larger brands with a solid presence and awareness. Tune in to the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts David Katz, the Co-founder, Lead Product Designer, and Director of Sales at Archer Affiliates. They break down the current affiliate marketing space for brands. David also talks about Archer Affiliates' unique value proposition, how to leverage AI and machine learning to reduce operational costs, and Amazon's referral bonus incentive for 3P sellers. 

Lauren Livak Gilbert is the Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute (DSI), which shapes the future of digital and advances commerce through community, content, and education. In her role, she defines the strategy for creating a global industry commerce community to support brands, retailers, and future leaders in the complex digital environment. As a thought leader in digital and design, Lauren has experience driving impactful multi-channel design content, transformative digital shelf solutions, and high-conversion web UX designs across multiple regions. Before DSI, she held numerous roles at Johnson & Johnson, where she owned the digital shelf for consumer products in North America.  Nate Pinkston is the Head of Growth for Retail Media at Microsoft, where he manages end-to-end ownership of sales, customer success, and account management for the world's largest retail media networks. As a digital marketing and engagement leader, he uses analytics to develop innovative solutions in the AdTech, MarTech, and retail industries. Nate has led teams to design and launch new products, reach new customer segments and markets, and work with C-suite executives to drive growth. In this episode… With more companies adopting retail media advertising, joint business plans (JBPs) between retailers and brands have become a requirement. Yet these plans are still in the initial stages, with both parties unsure of how to proceed. What steps can you take to collaborate with retailers and ensure your JBP reflects your business goals? As early adopters of retailer media, Lauren Livak Gilbert and Nate Pinkston have invested countless hours and resources helping brands and retailers navigate JBPs. Industry standards for joint business plans haven't been established yet, so Lauren and Nate recommend formulating recurring cross-functional meetings with internal teams and retailers to collaborate on strategies. This should be an integrated, holistic process that aligns the practices and goals of each team and party. Additionally, retailers are open to brand insights and ideas, so offering data and innovative approaches is crucial for establishing standardized business practices. In this week's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Lauren Livak Gilbert of the Digital Shelf Institute and Nate Pinkston of Microsoft to discuss the ins and outs of joint business plans. Together, they explain how to optimize this digital strategy session, the importance of data-sharing and cross-functional collaboration, and the eCommerce team's role in JBPs.

Marc Walkin is the Co-founder and Head of Marketing and Growth at Turbyne, a vertically integrated B2B SaaS platform that simplifies retail media. With over 15 years of experience as a marketing leader, he has built modern retail and CPG brands, including Stop & Shop, Popcorners, Beech-Nut, and Staples. Marc specializes in brand transformation, corporate strategy, and shopper and digital marketing playbooks.  In this episode… The retail media space is in disarray, with brands and retailers at odds over expectations and experiences. What's more, digital and in-store tactics are not fully integrated, so 80% of brands struggle to justify increasing retail media investments. How can retail media networks streamline the experience for their brand customers? Traditionally, retailers purchased products from brands to sell to consumers. With retail media, brands become customers by leveraging retailers' advertising platforms. With a rich background in retail strategy, Marc Walkin stresses that retailers must create user-friendly platforms that unify data and offer real-time inventory tracking for greater ROI. Additionally, merging digital and in-store advertising strategies allows retailers to position themselves as profitable networks for brands looking to optimize campaigns. In this week's edition of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant interviews Marc Walkin, the Co-founder and Head of Marketing and Growth at Turbyne, about the disconnect between retail media networks and brands. Marc discusses the retail media mirage phenomenon, strategies for retail media sales attribution, and the importance of clean, unified customer data. 

Will Christensen is the Head of Marketing at Seller Labs, which provides eCommerce and advertising solutions for Amazon stores. He is also the Co-founder and President of DataAutomation, a software company that automates data-heavy processes and builds custom integrations. As a go-to-market specialist, Will takes product iterations from zero to 10 customers. He also founded the Entrepreneur's Apprentice program at EquityHammer, which pairs enterprising students with mentors. In this episode… The fear of missing out on new tools and technology is at an all-time high, but if you still spend hours copying and pasting or manually inputting information into spreadsheets, you're missing out on valuable time and money. How can you streamline productivity to stay on top of digital trends? With a commitment to automating data and other processes, Will Christensen is well-versed in the top productivity tools for efficient operations. ChatGPT's new voice capabilities allow you to request detailed advice, obtain research into industry trends, and draft documents based on real-time conversation summaries. Will has also discovered that syncing the clipboards on your phone and computer eases information transferring by allowing quick access to copied content. Additionally, tools like Fathom take automated notes and extract actionable items from virtual meetings. In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Will Christensen, the Head of Marketing at Seller Labs and the Co-founder and President of DataAutomation, about digital productivity hacks. Will talks about revolutionizing data efficiency, demonstrates the novel capabilities of ChatGPT-4, and shares strategies for staying relevant in the digital age.

Jon Bausman is the VP of Marketing at Outward Hound, a pet lifestyle brand. In his role, he oversees content creation, the brand's website, and paid media. With over 15 years of experience developing marketing strategies, Jon has held leadership and management positions in Fortune 500 companies and startups, including Airhead and Columbia Sportswear.  In this episode… Rapid advancements in the digital space have created a workforce culture that demands instant gratification. Executives from digital organizations are shifting roles constantly, leading to fractured leadership structures. How can businesses foster adaptable, committed, and success-driven teams among workforce and industry pressures? Rather than hiring an executive who has transitioned from multiple leadership roles in a short time span, digital team builder Jon Bausman says to nurture your talent to progress through the ranks. This allows them to gain invaluable experience and builds resilience and adaptability to the fast-paced digital landscape. Cultivating shared values among team members and encouraging transparent communication creates a robust culture where challenges become opportunities for growth and innovation. Join Aaron Conant in this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he welcomes Jon Bausman, the VP of Marketing at Outward Hound, for a discussion about creating powerful digital teams. Jon talks about developing hiring practices rooted in trust, how to develop a culture of accountability and transparent feedback, and how to align team efforts with core values. 

Kashif Zafar is the CEO of Xmars, an AI-powered platform for advertising on Amazon. With over 25 years of eCommerce and digital marketing experience, he has built and guided high-performing teams across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Kashif has worked in several industries, including CPG, retail, outsourcing, technology, and blockchain.  In this episode… With digital marketing and eCommerce strategies evolving rapidly, businesses are constantly seeking ways to stay competitive. From choosing the right technology to launching effective campaigns, the stakes are higher than ever. How can brands navigate this complex digital terrain to maximize growth? As AI becomes a widespread presence in eCommerce, digital marketing maven Kashif Zafar advises Amazon brands to adopt various AI tools for content creation and innovation. This includes investing in AI-driven ad tech platforms to streamline and optimize advertising campaigns while minimizing hands-on involvement. Generative AI can also be used to create compelling PDPs that influence the Amazon algorithm and drive conversions. For a more supportive approach, invest in an Amazon agency that specializes in retail media and advertising, allowing you to gain insights into profitable strategies. In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Kashif Zafar, the CEO of Xmars, about the role of AI in advertising. Kashif talks about the untapped potential of Amazon Marketing Cloud, the newfound emphasis on tech stack rationalization, and his involvement in the Amazon advertising landscape. 

Andrew Schydlowsky is the Founder and CEO of TrackStreet, a cutting-edge SaaS platform that empowers brands by leveraging eCommerce data. He has been involved in eCommerce since 1998, starting with an innovative idea to sell sports nutrition products online. As a serial entrepreneur, Andrew founded Performance Unlimited, Inc., Soma Distribution, Inc., and Kala International, Ltd. He also established Soma Internacional, S.A. in Peru. His diverse experience includes roles as Chief Growth Officer for a retail chain and Corporate Trainer for Unisys in Beijing. In this episode… With the digital landscape evolving and new technologies emerging, brands must navigate rapid eCommerce growth and AI integrations. Where should businesses focus their energy to avoid being misled by shiny objects or overwhelmed by an influx of data?  With over 25 years at the helm of eCommerce, Andrew Schydlowsky affirms that brands can leverage technology and AI to make strategic business decisions but must recognize their risks and potential to derail progress. Before adopting any new tool or software, systemize your data and assess your tech stack regularly to ensure responsible use and long-term stability. By maintaining a clear vision for your business, you can evolve your business with the market while staying savvy about the implications and pitfalls of trends. Tune in to the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant speaks with Andrew Schydlowsky, the Founder and CEO of TrackStreet, about the intricacies of eCommerce, technology, and AI. Andrew talks about leveraging AI to automate data and decision-making, the evolution of the digital landscape, and TrackStreet's mission. 

Matt Snyder is the Founder and CEO of Brands Excel, where he helps brands scale on Amazon. As a revenue generator, he has over 15 years of experience growing DTC, B2C, and B2B companies within the eCommerce space and Amazon's marketplace. Matt focuses on building long-term growth by developing alternative sales channels and product lines that complement overarching omnichannel strategies. Before Brands Excel, he was the Vice President of Online Retail at Vari. In this episode… With eCommerce competition intensifying, brands are scrambling to fulfill customer requests and manage inventory costs. How can Amazon's Seller Fulfilled Prime enable operational and cost efficiency? Seasoned eCommerce leader Matt Snyder leverages SFP in his business to streamline logistics, reduce costs, and improve the customer experience. Before investing in this fulfillment method, conduct a self-audit to ensure SFP aligns with your product types and business model. Seller Fulfilled Prime requires brands to meet specific performance metrics, including 93% on-time deliveries and precise product tracking, to maintain Prime status and customer trust. Matt suggests cultivating partnerships with SFP 3PL partners to manage logistics and complex fulfillment requirements. Tune in to the latest installment of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant meets with Matt Snyder, the Founder and CEO of Brands Excel, who shares the ins and outs of Seller Fulfilled Prime. Matt explains the impact of Amazon Marketing Cloud and AI on future eCommerce strategies, how to maintain profitability with SFP, and the benefits of inventory control.

Mandar Shinde is the CEO of Blotout, a Y Combinator restoring identity and data accuracy in a cookieless era. He also volunteers with ProductNation/iSPIRT, a nonprofit sourcing public goods for Indian product startups. In this role, Mandar helps enable data democratization with zero trust. As a data-driven entrepreneur, he has experience in privacy, analytics, blockchain, advertising, compliance, and cloud computing.   In this episode… The deprecation of third-party cookies threatens the stability of targeted marketing, and businesses are navigating uncharted territories. With the cornerstone of personalized advertising crumbling, how can companies navigate the landscape without relying on third-party data? Apple's aggressive stance on data privacy has placed limitations on digital advertising, specifically after the advent of iOS 14, which allows users to opt out of third-party tracking. Data-driven eCommerce entrepreneur Mandar Shinde emphasizes adjusting your lifecycle and performance marketing strategies to align with the shifts in data regulations and online tracking. This involves conducting an internal assessment of your customer data collection, storage, and processing systems to ensure compliance and effective adaptation. Transitioning to first-party data collection by adopting CDPs and server-side tracking is a viable solution to privacy concerns in a cookieless environment. In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Mandar Shinde, the CEO of Blotout, joins Aaron Conant for a discussion about adapting to a cookieless landscape. Mandar talks about the imminent shifts and the necessary actions brands must take to ensure their digital presence and customer relationships remain strong.

David Sanborn manages strategy and operations for GIZMO, a developer and manufacturer of consumer electronics. He is also the Co-founder of Kiid Coffee, a unique food brand that uses creative marketing to target nutritional gaps in children's food. As an inventive entrepreneur, David has built and sold several brands, including Basics Brands, which he expanded into the pet retail space before selling it.  In this episode… Starting a brand from scratch, creating an unparalleled product, and selling it successfully are seemingly basic yet daunting challenges in today's competitive eCommerce marketplace. What does it take to cut through a saturated market and carve out a space for your products? David Sanborn, a serial entrepreneur, has conquered the challenge of branding and innovation in the modern digital landscape. He maintains that strategic partnerships and mentors are invaluable resources for product development. These industry professionals can share ideas and strategies that can expedite launch and enhance innovation. Before launching your product, test its market fit to allow for customer feedback and ample refinement. Additionally, digital marketing is essential for brand awareness, so by integrating a mission-driven approach into your creative strategies, you can stimulate authentic consumer engagement and cement a long-term presence in the market.  In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant meets with David Sanborn of GIZMO to share innovative approaches to launching an eCommerce brand. David breaks down the intricacies of product development, the importance of market-fit testing, and how to stand out in a competitive market through creative marketing and genuine value creation.

Aaron Schwartz is the Co-founder and President of Orita, a software company that improves email deliverability. He is also an advisor and investor in various commerce tech companies, including Passport and EcoCart. Previously, Aaron spent seven years building and managing DTC brand Modify Watches and was the President of Loop. Daniel Brady (DB) is the CEO of Orita. As a neuroscientist turned data scientist, he has helped leading eCommerce brands organize their data sets. DB has also worked with CEOs, CTOs, and other leaders to build eCommerce companies.  In this episode… Customers are often overwhelmed by an inbox flooded with marketing emails, leading them to unsubscribe, much to brands' dismay. Yet these brands are constantly grappling with finding the right balance in their communication frequency to keep customers engaged without driving them away. How can you maintain engagement in your email campaigns while saving money? Using machine learning, data scientists and brand builders Daniel Brady (DB) and Aaron Schwartz have revolutionized customer data usage and engagement. You can implement AI into your email and SMS campaigns to analyze consumer data and identify communication patterns. This allows you to discover optimal touchpoints and avoid inundating your customers with emails. Periodically auditing your email lists can improve deliverability and help maintain higher subscriber engagement. Ultimately, building and nurturing long-lasting customer relationships through email marketing engagement boosts brand loyalty and customer lifetime value. Tune in to the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant welcomes DB and Aaron Schwartz of Orita to discuss enhancing your email marketing campaigns. Together, they share the financial benefits of leveraging AI to enhance email campaigns, how to select tech vendors, and how to optimize your tech stack. 

David Cost is the VP of Digital and eCommerce at Rainbow Apparel Co, an omnichannel fast-fashion retailer offering women's, plus-size, and children's clothing. In his role, he manages over 1,000 stores in the US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands and has grown the eCommerce business over 9x.  David has developed new eCommerce technologies as a beta tester and early adopter for companies, including Oven Bits, BloomReach, and Instant Labs. He has also served on customer advisory boards for Salesforce and Shopify and has spoken at CommerceNext and other industry events.  In this episode… Third-party cookies are sunsetting, and although an official date hasn't been set for their demise, brands must consider alternatives. How can you continue targeting customers in a post-cookies world? Website cookies include first-party, generated from the brand, and third-party, originating from outside sources. Third-party cookies only store information for seven days, whereas first-party cookies can retain data for up to 20 years. According to eCommerce executive David Cost, You can bypass third-party cookies by gathering relevant consumer information through a brand-exclusive data layer and sharing it with others. This allows you to create and optimize marketing messages to retarget customers and boost conversions. Leveraging first-party cookies also lowers customer acquisition costs, ensuring you can easily identify and retain your top purchasers. In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes David Cost, the VP of Digital and eCommerce at Rainbow Apparel Co, to discuss solutions for the demise of third-party cookies. David shares his thoughts on using AI to create first-party cookies, how product videos drive conversions, and why you need segmented first-party data.

Andrea Moore is the Chief Digital Officer at NEST New York, a fast-growing, leading fragrance lifestyle brand. As a C-suite executive and omnichannel leader, she has experience launching, building, and scaling digital businesses to $100 million. Andrea is also an angel investor, an advisory board member at ShopTalk, and an Adjunct Professor at FIT.  In this episode… During the pandemic, brick-and-mortar brands began shifting to digital, with pandemic-born brands launching DTC exclusively. In the pandemic's aftermath, DTC has become less profitable, so brands must integrate online and in-store efforts to survive. How can you build a robust omnichannel strategy? As omnichannel brand builder Andrea Moore says, it doesn't matter where your consumers shop as long as they purchase from you and not your competitors. You can establish storefronts on Walmart, Amazon, and Target's online marketplaces as well as your personal website and brick-and-mortar shop. By targeting your customers where they shop, you can dominate the market. Omnichannel strategies often require a significant amount of tech tools to execute effectively, and it can be challenging to determine the precise fit for your tech stack. Andrea advises assessing your business goals, go-to-market strategy, and margin structures to capitalize on profitable growth opportunities. Join Aaron Conant in today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he sits down with Andrea Moore, the Chief Digital Officer at NEST New York, to discuss omnichannel brand strategies. Andrea shares how brands should consider data when utilizing AI, the digital landscape's most urgent issues, and how AI will impact leadership roles. 

Matthew Rosenfeld is the Founder and CEO of Crush, which provides boutique Amazon management services for retail and DTC brands. He is also the Founder of Retail Racer, which leverages proprietary software to automate retail outreach for DTC brands. As a former Amazon seller, Matthew has launched, acquired, and sold multiple brands. In this episode… As Amazon gains a greater presence in the market, launching your brand on the platform is crucial for driving awareness. Yet some brands are hesitant to take this leap, fearing that Amazon will drop product prices and allow others to resell products on their sites. How can you generate sales and profitability on Amazon without exhausting resources? Selling on Amazon provides an opportunity to drive traffic to your DTC storefront, but Amazon veteran Matthew Rosenfeld warns that the platform's landscape is constantly shifting, so you must develop calculated strategies to avoid major losses. The two main components retail-first brands should focus on are demand capture and net new customer acquisition. Without capturing sufficient demand on social media platforms like Meta and TikTok, brands that exceed $3-5 million in annual revenue experienced profit losses. Consumer purchase intentions are substantially higher on Amazon, so brands must acquire new customers on the platform to boost conversion rates. In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Matthew Rosenfeld, the Founder and CEO of Crush, to make the case for why your brand should have an Amazon presence. Matthew shares his perspective on brand aggregations in the Amazon space, the future of Vendor Central, and how to analyze profitability on the platform.

Amitai Sasson is the VP of eCommerce at overstockArt.com, the largest online retailer of handmade oil paintings in the US. In his role, he has designed and developed the company's online store, with annual sales of over $2 million. Amitai is also responsible for enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and supply chain systems. As an eCommerce authority and web marketer, he specializes in developing innovative technology solutions to improve sales and performance. In this episode… Online shopping has become the norm, and some brands operate entirely from an eCommerce model. Despite this, eCommerce is still in its infancy, so brands are struggling with the basics, like sales, shipping, and traffic. What strategies can brands employ to stay ahead of the eCommerce game? According to eCommerce specialist Amitai Sasson, shipping costs are rising, but packaging products in smaller boxes can reduce fees. He also recommends that brands with essential products utilize Shopify for third-party shipping to provide consumers with a seamless shopping and checkout experience. You must also understand your website traffic drivers by analyzing first-party data, available inventory, best-selling products, and ad spend. Additionally, integrating new technology into your website may increase your traffic and conversion rates. Welcome back to The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant welcomes Amitai Sasson, the VP of eCommerce at overstockArt.com, to discuss the latest eCommerce trends. Amitai talks about overstockArt.com's early online presence, how the demise of third-party cookies impacts data collection, and how to drive free traffic to your website.

Todd Hassenfelt is the Global Digital Commerce Senior Director of Strategy and Execution at Colgate-Palmolive, an innovative growth company that reimagines a healthier future for people, pets, and the planet. He has extensive leadership experience in brick-and-mortar and eCommerce channels, serving as a leader on both sales and marketing teams.  Todd has also sold some of the top brands in the US to multiple channels, including C-stores, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, and eCommerce. As an eCommerce and content contributor, his articles appear in publications such as BRAVE Commerce, Ecommerce Braintrust, and The Digital Shelf Cast. In this episode… Following post-pandemic spending sprees, credit card interest debt in the US has reached a staggering $578 billion. With consumers cutting back on spending to pay off their debts, how can eCommerce brands adjust their strategies to retarget them? The proliferation of retail media has simplified online shopping significantly, with consumers making purchases through buy now, pay later options after using a QR code through a connected TV ad. To address consumer spending cuts and increased budgeting, eCommerce and digital strategy engineer Todd Hassenfelt advises offering discounts and perks like subscribe and save initiatives to encourage quick purchases. You can also bundle products to provide consumers with greater value for their money and promote routines and regiments. When retargeting customers through retail media, advertise your lowest-priced products first and reevaluate your messaging to capture budget-conscious consumers. The Global Digital Commerce Director of Strategy and Execution at Colgate-Palmolive, Todd Hassenfelt, returns to The Digital Deep Dive to talk with Aaron Conant about pivoting eCommerce strategies during economic turmoil. Todd shares frontrunning financial trends in the DTC space, how to manage and diversify ad spend to align with consumer spending habits, and how to make informed business decisions.

Destaney Wishon is the Co-founder and CEO of BTR Media, a retail media company empowering growth for brands. The company rebranded from BetterAMS, where Destaney started as an Account Executive, providing perspective on new industry standards for brands' eCommerce strategies. She is passionate about providing in-depth, strategic recommendations on sponsored products, brands, displays, and DSP. As an Amazon advertising thought leader, Destaney has spoken in over 9,000 podcasts and events. In this episode… As the digital landscape evolves seemingly by the day, Amazon is no longer the only advertising platform to invest in, and entrepreneurs are inundated with business growth strategies. How have advertising and media evolved, and how can entrepreneurs adapt to the constantly shifting space? As a digital advertising strategist regularly pivoting to address challenges in the digital landscape, Destaney Wishon notes that Amazon has transitioned into a media company to compete with retail media networks like Walmart. Rather than investing solely in niche Amazon ads like PPC, brands must diversify their spending to include sponsored product, brand, and display ads and social media platforms like TikTok. As entrepreneurs transition out of their companies' daily operations, they must create effortless, consistent, and engaging content to scale. Destaney recommends hosting networking events or podcasts to develop partnerships and create outreach strategies on LinkedIn to navigate the digital space effectively. Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant talks with Destaney Wishon, The Co-founder and CEO of BTR Media, about the current state of Amazon advertising and entrepreneurship in the space. Destaney explains how paid media has skyrocketed, how to scale an agency strategically, and content creation strategies.

Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at Path to Purchase Institute. With over 12 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs. In this episode… The eCommerce landscape is advancing rapidly, and first-mover organizations are capitalizing on digital trends for 2024. What eCommerce projections should you observe, and how can you implement them to drive explosive growth in 2024? First mover and change leader Chris Perry notes that shoppers expect omnichannel integrations at every touchpoint, so everything from online and in-store shopping experiences to retail media should include omnichannel strategies. With the rapid adoption of retail media, first movers must dismantle advertising and media silos to develop a full-funnel approach that engages audiences. As Gen Z consumers shop on social media platforms like TikTok, social commerce has become the leading driver of digital, making it crucial for first movers to leverage. Additionally, increasing acquisitions and partnerships have led to competition, so by partnering with agencies of record (AOR), you can enable long-term leadership and growth. Category management strategies are imperative in generating incremental omnichannel growth. To ensure effective omnichannel capabilities, you must update your processes, details, and workflows. In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Chris Perry, the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, to discuss the leading digital commerce trends for 2024. Chris shares how to develop winning online and in-store shopping strategies, how to promote first-mover leadership training and education, and how to execute omnichannel strategies.

Spencer Millerberg is the Founding Partner of DetailPage, which helps brands optimize traffic and gain Amazon market share. He founded OneClickRetail, the first Amazon market share measurement tool that was sold to Asscential. As an eCommerce and data analytics expert, Spencer has helped over 650 brands improve sales, margins, and search positions on eCommerce sites. Justin Maner is the Founding Partner of DetailPage. He was also the CEO of Data Spark, a startup that offered actionable insights to brands and sellers on Walmart Marketplace. Having spent 10 years as an Amazon director, Justin led the baby registry to become the #1 US registry, reinvented the vendor negotiation process, and created a new communication system for vendors and sellers. In this episode… As brands compete for shelf space on digital retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target, market share has become top of mind for many. With fragmented data sources, outdated PDPs, and competition at an all-time high, how can you drive retail sales and market share on Amazon? Data insights masters Spencer Millerberg and Justin Maner stress the importance of acquiring accurate first- and third-party data sources to measure performance and market share. These can be collected and analyzed using disruptive, AI-driven technology that's affordable and 95% accurate. Driving retail sales requires increasing traffic and conversions, so Justin and Spencer advise optimizing your PDPs for competitor keywords. Yet rather than gauging competition based on specific categories, you must analyze keywords customers use when searching for similar products. This allows you to segment competition effectively.  Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant invites Spencer Millerberg and Justin Maner, Founding Partners of DetailPage, to speak about gaining market share in the competitive Amazon landscape. Together, they talk about disruptive technologies in eCommerce, how to update PDPs using relevant competitor keywords, and how to allocate first- and third-party data.

Ajay Kapur is the GM and CTO of Security and Applications at Edgio, a platform helping companies deliver online experiences and content. In his role, he handles product management and marketing, engineering, infrastructure, and technology operations. Ajay was the Co-founder and CEO of Layer0, a developer-focused platform-as-a-service that was acquired by Edgio. Before founding Layer0, he published mobile apps and invested in technology companies for Goldman Sachs' private equity arm. In this episode… Website speed and performance are at the forefront as many eCommerce brands try to secure conversions. Yet instantaneous and seamless site experiences can be compromised by unwanted traffic, data theft, and other security concerns. How can you integrate site speed, performance, and security to improve online shopping experiences and generate quality conversions? According to web developer Ajay Kapur, unauthorized traffic and compromised data diminish site speed, resulting in a cumbersome user experience. CDN security removes unwarranted traffic and safeguards workflow data to free up your infrastructure. However, achieving instant website speed and above-average performance requires recreating retail shopping experiences and increasing available products by eliminating page load times. This optimized performance accelerates conversion rates and revenue per user.  On today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Ajay Kapur, the GM and CTO of Security and Applications at Edgio, for a conversation about site speed, performance, and security. Ajay shares strategies for analyzing website speed and performance, how to surpass competition through high-performing websites, and online shopping trends and experiences.

Kim Rayburn is a Client Engagement Advisor at Cohley, a content generation and testing platform that helps brands create content for social ads, email marketing, websites, and more. She is also a Principal and Consultant at Topnotch Consultancy, where she helps companies transform their sales growth strategies. With 25 years of consumer-focused experience in various global executive roles, Kim has worked in research, finance, product development, retail, and analytics. In this episode… With brands competing for consumer attention, observing shoppers' behaviors, preferences, and demands has become crucial for engagement and sales. How can you capture the shopper's voice to foster lifetime brand loyalty? As a consumer insights analyst, Kim Rayburn emphasizes creating a content strategy to recognize and adapt to customer feedback throughout each stage of their journey. This involves generating authentic content like video testimonials highlighting a brand's compelling features to drive purchasing decisions. Consumers rely heavily on reviews to make decisions, so Kim recommends integrating text and video reviews demonstrating daily use cases and overall value. Brands can harness and summarize insights from shopper responses to refine and optimize their strategies. In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Kim Rayburn, a Client Engagement Advisor at Cohley, for a discussion about leveraging the shopper's voice through UGC content. Kim describes how to optimize UGC content, how AI is fundamentally altering paid media, and the top retail trends and priorities for 2024.

Udayan Bose is the Founder and CEO of NetElixir, a digital marketing agency designed to help the growth of eCommerce businesses, B2B companies, and retail brands through strategic solutions and an AI-powered platform. Udayan is also the Co-founder of The Udaan Trust, a nonprofit foundation of NetElixir that supports underprivileged young women in India to pursue their education goals and build successful careers. In this episode… As brands gear up for 2024, there are three major shifts they must navigate: the widespread use of AI chatbots, the end of third-party cookies, and the metaverse revival. How can you capitalize on these trends to gain a competitive advantage in 2024 and beyond? With AI fundamentally altering the digital marketing agency structure, online marketer Udayan Bose has observed leading companies leveraging chatbots to generate consumer data insights, personalize the online shopping experience, and enhance search results. Udayan emphasizes these chatbots' roles as personal search assistants, facilitating personalized and accurate answers to complex questions. By the end of the year, Google will disable third-party cookies completely. Yet only 15-20% of marketers are prepared for this change. Alternatively, you can leverage retail media to combine in-store and online advertising, circumventing new privacy regulations. Although the metaverse has primarily targeted gamers in the past, Udayan predicts that Apple's release of a mixed-reality headset in February will restore interest by revolutionizing social commerce. Tune in to this segment of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant welcomes Udayan Bose, the Founder and CEO of NetElixir, back to the show to discuss the pressing digital marketing trends of the near future. Udayan explains his company's AI-first efforts, how to manage rapidly changing digital marketing trends, and the growing potential of retail media.

Nate Pinkston is the Head of Growth for Retail Media at Microsoft, where he manages end-to-end ownership of sales, customer success, and account management for the world's largest retail media networks. As a digital marketing and engagement leader, he uses analytics to develop innovative solutions in the AdTech, MarTech, and retail industries. Nate has led teams to design and launch new products, reach new customer segments and markets, and work with C-suite executives to drive growth. Paul Brenner is the SVP of Retail Media and Partnerships at Vibenomics, an in-store advertising audio and display media publisher for retailers. With 30 years of experience in retail media technology, he has worked across areas, including media and entertainment, advertising, manufacturing, pharma, retail, and automotive. Paul specializes in helping brick-and-mortar businesses enhance their in-store shopping experiences by leveraging retail media. In this episode… Retail media is gaining traction in the digital advertising ecosystem, and retailers are leveraging it to drive in-store conversions. Yet with multichannel advertising a growing necessity and ad dollars spread thin, how can you incorporate retail media seamlessly into your strategy? Digital impressions drive many point-of-sale conversions online, but with 80-85% of these conversions occurring in-store, retailers must engage shoppers through visual and auditory mediums. However, retail media mavens Nate Pinkston and Paul Brenner say you must combine in-store and digital advertising and retail media to generate conversions across multiple channels. This requires attributing impressions to specific campaigns and retail media networks through transparent data analytics and distributing ad spend across corresponding channels. A strong relationship with retail media networks is the foundation for an effective strategy. Join Aaron Conant in this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he chats with Nate Pinkston of Microsoft's retail media department and Paul Brenner of Vibenomics about developing a retail media advertising strategy. Together, they share best practices for adopting retail media, how AI enhances retail media effectiveness, and how to leverage retail media for creative ad campaigns.