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On this episode I'm joined by Lucy Davis, my co-founder at Factory, as we unpack the messy reality of AI in commerce – beyond the hype and into the hard questions.We get into whether traditional discovery processes still matter when AI can simulate, generate, and iterate at speed. Are briefs still useful? Is AI discovery even a thing? Or is it just a shiny wrapper on what strategy teams already do?We talk about sustainability in AI, how brands like L'Oréal are experimenting with Nvidia to create more personalised beauty experiences, and why so much of what's sold as intelligent automation is still smoke and mirrors. You'll hear why smaller brands might actually be better placed to move fast, where AI is helping with internal efficiencies, and when it's just adding noise.If you've ever found yourself wondering whether an AI tool is a real unlock or just a pitch deck promise, this one's for you.This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn't send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend's 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it's boring! Try for free today.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm talking about brand loyalty in a hyper personalised AI world with Emily Gray, Founding Partner of Untangld: an international Strategy Studio defining how businesses win.We get into what loyalty really means today, from communities and connection to the risk of over optimised personalisation, and why Emily believes true loyalty is earned through relevance, not reliance.We talk about the impact of AI on brand relationships, how to design for meaning instead of mechanics, and what marketers can learn from the likes of Starbucks, Elf and Rapha. Emily also shares how brand strategy needs to evolve in a world where customer expectations are fluid and attention is scarce.If you're thinking about retention, CRM or how your brand shows up in a world shaped by automation, this one is for you.This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn't send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend's 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it's boring! Try for free today.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm breaking down Shopify's Summer Editions 2025 with Ben Homer, Senior Solutions Engineer at Shopify.We cover Shopify's new AI-powered Horizon theme and what it means for design freedom, explore the interplay between consumer- and merchant-facing AI, and dig into standout updates—from Sidekick's new voice and screen-sharing capabilities, to split fulfilment via Ship and Carry Out, and big unlocks like Multi-Entity and Multi-Currency Payouts.We also talk about the role of partners and agencies in a post-AI world, the future of immersive checkouts like Roblox, and whether this Editions release is quietly reshaping the platform for the next era of commerce.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm talking about investing in creator brands with CJ Daniel-Nield, co-founder of Planes Studio.We unpack why creator-led businesses are booming, the shift from personal brand to product ecosystem, and why CJ believes creators have already solved the hardest part of building a business: distribution.We dive into projects like Skin Rocks and Mila, explore the challenges around LTV and long-term engagement, and discuss what it takes to spin a creator brand out into a standalone company. CJ also shares more on Kites—Planes' new initiative to support creators with capital, product, and operational backing—and what the modern playbook for audience building looks like in a post-D2C world.If you're building, backing, or advising a creator-led brand, this one's full of lessons and signals.This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn't send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend's 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it's boring! Try for free today.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

In this episode, I'm joined by Matty to talk about his journey from studying marketing to shaping some of the most well-known brands in the DTC space. We go back to his days at MyProtein and Represent, where he cut his teeth in SEO and digital PR, learning first-hand how community building can and should be the core of a modern brand proposition.Now at Cadence, Matty shares how the brand has evolved from a small startup to a company lazer focussed on fuelling athletes. We discuss what it takes to innovate in a crowded space, the importance of real connections with athletes, and why organic marketing is underrated.We also get into the realities of scaling a business quickly, adapting to constant change, and the lessons learned along the way. If you're interested in what it takes to build brand loyalty in competitive markets, this one's for you.This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn't send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend's 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it's boring! Try for free today.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with Hamish McKay, co founder of Order Editing, and we're discussing what it's like to build a $20m app in public.We discuss how the origins of Order Editing, the moat they've built by building in public, the realities and exhaustion that comes from building in public, his personal branding framework, the importance of vulnerability, why they encourage their team to build their own personal brands, the stark reality of bootstrapping, where they sit within commerce technology landscape and what life would be like after they sell for $20m.This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn't send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend's 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it's boring! Try for free today.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with the Jeremy Horowitz, managing partner at Because Ventures and writer of the very excellent newsletter - Let's Buy A Biz!, and we're debating whether buying a business is the the best business in 2025?We start by exploring why buying a business has become popularised by social media and retiring baby boomers, why understanding financial statements is crucial for any business buyer or owner, how AI is transforming the business acquisition landscape, the power of a due diligence checklist, green and red flags to look out for when buying a business, how the current market conditions might actually be a positive and why trust is the ultimate deal breaker.This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn't send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend's 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it's boring! Try for free today.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we're re-exploring a subject we discussed a few weeks back - the technology state of play.We start with the impact of tariffs on backend operations and tech choices, the demand for low code solutions, the likelihood and shape of consolidation for the rest of the year, who the commerce platform winners and losers will be, the opportunities for new tech ventures in a volatile market, what is going on with the MACH Alliance, Shopify's recent partnership with ChatGPT and whether AI maximalists have got it right or wrong?This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Inventory Planner by Sage. What do brands like like Astrid & Miyu, ROKA London and Passenger have in common? They all use Inventory Planner by Sage to cut excess stock by a third and scale multi-locations with confidence. Get two month's free by following this link.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we're debating whether system design is a luxury or a necessity for modern brands?Before jumping into it, we touch on how TikTok is becoming the battleground for Trump's trade tariffs and whether Strava buying Runna is a playbook for running brands acquiring niche running clubs.Then we get into system design. We explore the importance of establishing systems from day one, common mistakes brands make, the interplay between data and system design, the impact of AI on system design and why good system design is often a function of an ‘oh shit' moment.This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Inventory Planner by Sage. What do brands like like Astrid & Miyu, ROKA London and Passenger have in common? They all use Inventory Planner by Sage to cut excess stock by a third and scale multi-locations with confidence. Get two month's free by following this link.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we're discussing New Product Development 101.Before jumping into it, we recap on last week's episode and bring you up to speed with Trump's tariffs. We also explore what we're hearing on the ground from brands who are trying to navigate this new trade normal.Then we get into New Product Development 101. We start with the triggers that spawn a New Product Development process, how to forecast demand and effectively use marketing data, the importance of supplier relationships, how AI is impacting NPD, product launch failures of the last 10 years and whether Sketchers bet on Harry Kane will pay off.This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Inventory Planner by Sage. What do brands like like Astrid & Miyu, ROKA London and Passenger have in common? They all use Inventory Planner by Sage to cut excess stock by a third and scale multi-locations with confidence. Get two month's free by following this link.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we're discussing whether stock management is your secret marketing weapon.Before we kick off we quickly discuss H&M announcing that they'll be using AI models and Napster's recent sale for $200m. Yes, Napster just got sold for $200m.Then we get into the meat of the conversation and debate whether stock is actually a secret marketing weapon. We touch on why stock management is often overlooked compared to marketing, why brands should focus on selling everything they buy, the power of personalised promotions, the fallacy that tech is the solution to stock issues and why all brands need a stock health checkup by a qualified stock doctor.This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Inventory Planner by Sage. What do brands like like Astrid & Miyu, ROKA London and Passenger have in common? They all use Inventory Planner by Sage to cut excess stock by a third and scale multi-locations with confidence. Get two month's free by following this link.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we're discussing whether stock management is your secret marketing weapon.Before we kick off we quickly discuss H&M announcing that they'll be using AI models and Napster's recent sale for $200m. Yes, Napster just got sold for $200m.Then we get into the meat of the conversation and debate whether stock is actually a secret marketing weapon. We touch on why stock management is often overlooked compared to marketing, why brands should focus on selling everything they buy, the power of personalised promotions, the fallacy that tech is the solution to stock issues and why all brands need a stock health checkup by a qualified stock doctor.This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Inventory Planner by Sage. What do brands like like Astrid & Miyu, ROKA London and Passenger have in common? They all use Inventory Planner by Sage to cut excess stock by a third and scale multi-locations with confidence. Get two month's free by following this link.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we're discussing going global!Before we kick off we quickly discuss the Gary Stevenson Diary of CEO debate, Magento's move to the cloud and Klarna teaming up with Door dash.Then we get into the meat of the conversation. We discuss why brands go global in the first place, what they need to consider to do so from a CX and tech perspective, the intricacies and considerations of supply chain and logistics (were I think most of the thinking needs to happen) and whether Trump's tarrifs are encouraging or discouraging brand to expand to the US.This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with with Ed Whelpton Co founder of Bold Bean Co and we're discussing why the world should eat more beans.We start with Ed's journey and obsession with food operations, the idea and early stages of Bold Bean Co, their D2C versus trade strategy and why D2C is so important, the power of community and how it can shape ones new product development, where Bold Bean will be in 2030 and whether they as a brand are normalising the weird or weirding the normal?This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.Check out Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm back with Luke Hodgson, co founder at Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion and we're tackling some hot commerce and business news - including Pretty Little Thing's rebrand, Tala's retail expansion and Bryan Johnson (the bloke who won't die) staring a religion. We then dive into a discussion about how to budget for a big digital transformation project. We cover the complexities of budgeting, whether AI will make it easier, budget allocation, blindspots to look out for, how to handle push back and whether or not communicating a budget before a project has begun is a good or bad idea.This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with David Franks, co-founder of Kick Game and building Zelph, and we're discussing whether D2C exits are back. Which is topical as VGC just bought a controlling stake in Kick Game.We rewind and get a sense of those early days of Kick Game, the power of celebrity collaborations, why they bucked the trend during COVID and pushed hard on their bricks and mortar strategy, why they sold their stake to VGC and transition into their new roles and then we switch gears to talk about Zelph - a solution to that aims to help Retailers, Brands and Suppliers manage and scale their marketplace & dropship businesses.This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm back with Luke Hodgson, co founder at Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion and we're tackling some hot commerce news - including the demise of the Humane AI pin, and Skims and Nike teaming up - then diving into a discussion about digital transformation projects. We define what a digital transformation project is, the reasons for embarking on one, how to approach such a project and the big question - is a legacy mindset the biggest challenge to success?This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode we're exploring whether new media is redefining the way we consume business news, with Sammi Cohen, Consumer Expert & Founder of Social Currency.I first came across Sammi via TikTok and was immediately impressed with her ability to distill interesting business topics. So I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk to her about how new media is reshaping the consumption of business news, the concept of 'business lore' and why it's important for story telling, the rise of TikTok as a platform for B2B content, the launch of her Social Currency newsletter, the success of creator-led brands such as Chamberlain Coffee and whether the rebirth of Enron is real or a hoax?This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.Checkout Factory here.Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with James Collier - a Nutritionist, Author and Co-Founder & Chief Sustainable Nutrition Officer at Huel. On the back of his new book, Well Fed, we're discussing whether we need to change the way we eat. We discuss the complexities of the food system, the ethical considerations of food choices, the importance of consumer education, the challenges of overconsumption, why misinformation is impacting food and what James would do if he was advising the UK Government on food policy today.This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them outhere.Checkout Factoryhere.Sign up to our newsletterhere.

On this episode I'm back with Luke Hodgson, co founder at Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion and we're discussing his recent time in LA.We touch on the dynamics of operating in the US, the challenges and opportunities for brands and services providers in LA, the investment landscape compared to the UK, the cultural perceptions between the US and here and a side detour of reflections on the UK government's approach to business strategy.This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them outhere.Checkout Factoryhere.Sign up to our newsletterhere.

On this special live podcast, I sit down with Rosie Duffy (Head of Customer Care, ME+EM) and Hannah Bennett (Head of Digital, Paul Smith) to discuss whether post-purchase is your secret CLTV weapon? What did we chat about? how effective post-purchase communication can unlock retention the internal resources you need to craft excellent post purchase experience the interplay between loyalty and post purchase the role of stock experience the tech stack to make this all possible...and a smidge of AI. This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Ingrid.

On this episode I'm back with Luke Hodgson, co founder at Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion and we're discussing his recent time in LA. We touch on the dynamics of operating in the US, the challenges and opportunities for brands and services providers in LA, the investment landscape compared to the UK, the cultural perceptions between the US and here and a side detour of reflections on the UK government's approach to business strategy. This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here. Checkout Factory here. Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with Olly Hudson - D2C Growth expert, Founder of Soar With Us & For You Advertising, CMO of JAQ Group - and we're discussing whether disrupter brands are dead. We start by exploring Olly's journey to consumer, what it's like to run an agency and work inside a brand. Then get into the meat of the conversation where we define what a modern disrupter brand looks like, whether creator or founder-led brands are the new disrupter and if one is going to disrupt - what does that look like in 2025. This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here. Checkout Factory here. Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm back with my co conspirator and regular guest Luke Hodgson - co founder of Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion. Today we're discussing the week's most interesting commerce news. Which are: Klevu and Searchspring's partnership, Yotpo sunsetting subscriptions and Adanol's collab with Kendal Jenner. We then deep dive on Operator Experience. What is it and should it be your number one priority this year? This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here. Checkout Factory here Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm back with my co conspirator and regular guest Luke Hodgson - co founder of Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion. Today we're discussing the 2025 predictions report we (Factory) released last week. The report was a bit of a big dog, so we decided to tackle a few but not all subjects. However, I highly recommend you go and check out the full blog at Factory-digital.com So what did we talk about? The importance of community as a central element of brand strategy, the evolving nature of commerce platforms into customer experience platforms, the changing eCommerce technology landscape, the implications of AI adoption for brands, where we are with sustainability and why stock turn will be the most important topic in 2025. This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here. Checkout Factory here. Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with Rob Watkiss, CTO at Sungod and we're discussing whether composable stack's are the future of commerce? We touch on Rob's journey from aerospace engineering to consumer, Sungod's transition from monolithic to composable, why choosing the right stack is crucial for scalability, how internal resources can be both a strength and a challenge, the power of composable architecture when it comes to experimentation, why it's so important to balance the skills in your internal team and answer the question - is composable the future of commerce? This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here. Checkout Factory here Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm breaking down the most boring product update of 2024: Shopify's Winter Editions with Ben Homer Senior Solutions Engineer at Shopify. We touch on Ben's journey from agency to tech, the pros and cons of RFPs, Black Friday Cyber Monday stats and how Shopify held up over the period, a deep dive on Edition announcements - specifically, customer accounts, checkout, POS, semantic search and Shopify Flow, and why this Editions release was so so boring. This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here. Checkout Factory here. Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with Miranda Shanahan a very excellent brand consultant and we're discussing whether brands are becoming TV shows? We touch on the evolving landscape of brand marketing, the impact of platforms like TikTok and Instagram on content distribution, the role of brand hosts, how brands can create compelling content on a budget, the significance of targeting niche communities for brand relevance and whether brands are indeed becoming TV shows? This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here Checkout Factory here Sign up to our newsletter here

On this episode I'm back chatting with my mate, and tech strategy guru, Luke Hodgson - co founder of Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion - and we're dicussing whether UK brands need to worry about Trump's tariffs. We touch on what UK brands need to think about in order to assess their exposure to US tariffs, the de minimis rule changes and their impact, why brands should model potential scenarios to prepare for tariff impacts before policies are formalised, why opening a US distribution center may be a strategic move, what the tariffs mean for consumer price, whether these tariffs will repair the frosty EU and UK relationship and pose the question - is Trump bluffing? This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here. Checkout Factory here Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with Louise Macnab, founder of JERMS - a brand creating A Holistic Approach to Gut Health and we're discussing why bacteria has a bad reputation? We touch on the mission to make gut health accessible to everyone, cutting through the gut health market which is becoming more and more saturated, why scientific credibility is crucial for building trust in health brands, the power of customer engagement through consultations and how it helps build community and loyalty, how Louise's background in law aids her in navigating business challenges and why bacteria is often misunderstood but so incredibly beneficial and essential for health. This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here. Checkout Factory here. Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with my with Morgan Fowles - CEO at active wear brand Tala - and we're debating whether customer obsession is overrated. We discuss why customer obsession is not a box ticking exercise, the power of involving customers in the product development process, why understanding the customer profile is both qualitative and quantitative, how creators play a significant role in modern branding dynamics and why customer obsession should be a core value from the start. This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here: https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise?utm_source=your-basket-is-empty&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=24q4_cneparme_ne_media_partnerships&utm_content=enterprise-uk-en-newsletter-1 Checkout Factory here Sign up to our newsletter here. LinkedIn

On this episode I'm chatting with my friend and long time collaborator Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce Thinking & High Cohesion. This is a new format I'm trialing where Luke and I pick off topics and debate them. I'll admit I'm taking a lot of reference from Pichfork's under or over Youtube series and Food 52's overrated content. For this conversation, we're debating experiential retail. We cover why new luxury focuses on knowledge rather than just price ,the Commerce Thinking team's Field notes from cities and how it reveal consumers interests, why community plays a crucial role in modern retail, how luxury experiences can sometimes feel intimidating, how brands like Kith, Arket and Rapha are approaching retail, and of course, our final thoughts on whether experiential retail is underrated, overrated or just rated. This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here: https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise?utm_source=your-basket-is-empty&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=24q4_cneparme_ne_media_partnerships&utm_content=enterprise-uk-en-newsletter-1 Checkout Factory here Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with Rob Abrahams, Founder & CEO at COAT Paints and we're discussing what it's like to reimagine a 1,000 year old product. We discuss Rob's transition from automotive to consumer products, how Coat is aiming to modernise both the front end and back end of the paint industry, why the DTC model is central to Coat's business strategy and certainly NOT dead, how TikTok is gaining importance for engaging their consumers and its impact on the home DIY movement, and how a pair of sweatpants was central to the inception of the brand. This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here: https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise?utm_source=your-basket-is-empty&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=24q4_cneparme_ne_media_partnerships&utm_content=enterprise-uk-en-newsletter-1 Checkout Factory here. Sign up to our newsletter here.

On this episode I'm chatting with James Kearns, Managing Director at Rapanui Clothing. Part of the Teemill group and a brand that focusses on natural and recycled materials. We discuss his journey in retail, transitioning from corporate giants to direct-to-consumer, and the intricacies of migrating to Shopify. specifically, the importance of technical resources during migration, risk management strategies, the significance of prioritisation, why the reason behind a migration is so important and how to avoid major migration miss steps. This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify. Shopify is a key player that's revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we're excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here: https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise?utm_source=your-basket-is-empty&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=24q4_cneparme_ne_media_partnerships&utm_content=enterprise-uk-en-newsletter-1 Checkout Factory here Sign up to our newsletter here.

We discuss Holly's transition into a CEO role whilst acquiring Hera, the inception of their rewear programme, the commercial reality of recycle concepts for D2C brands, the importance of consumer experience when it comes to these programmes, why they decided to build instead of buy a recycle platform, the logistical considerations of rewear and why it can be both a retention and acquisition strategy. ………….

We discuss his transition from car salesman and DJ to the world of D2C, why unlearning can be an advantage in a commerce world that is changing so fast, the new D2C playbook built on scaling profitably, the realities and challenges of new international markets and how to win at opinion leader marketing. ………….

We discuss the skill set solutions people need, the ideal tech stack evaluation process, what tech companies can do to help their chances during a discovery process, the power of flex in a project, how brands can best prepare for a discovery and why perfection should not be the enemy of good. ………….

We discuss why post purchases experiences are generally poor, the impact Amazon has had on consumer expectation, what it's like to build a modern B2B SaaS roadmap, why eCommerce operating systems are important, taking incumbents like Global E and the power of a cool B2B brand. ………….

We discuss why Luna Daily started as an omnichannel brand, the advantages and realities of working with retail partners like Sephora, the playbook for successful retail partner selection, the key ingredients and people one needs to scale a B2B operation, and why why more brands should embrace Amazon. ………….

We discuss the complex nature of modern B2B and why it's hard to define, the similarities and differences of B2B strategy circa 2017 and now, Chloe's top B2B guests on her podcast and what others can learn from them and what's exciting and what's scary about B2B in 2024. ………….

We discuss the advantages and challenges of independent retailers, what it's like to work with distributors, why international expansion is an good B2B strategy - albeit harder than most think, balancing D2C and B2B and why the brand world trumps agency land. ………….

We discuss where the biggest B2B opportunity are (B2B2C or B2C2B), whether modern D2C playbooks are informing modern B2B playbooks, the B2B and broader market opportunities in LATAM - where Jason currently lives, and what market places are winning and losing in 2024.

We discuss the definition and confusion of B2B, the different angles and channels B2B brands are faced with, what B2B2C and B2C2B brands can learn from each other, the emergence of B2B buyer experiences and what it means for B2B buyer personalisation and whether we need to rebrand or democratise the concept of omnichannel. ………….

We discuss Martin's journey from McKinsey to Centra, how a technology roadmap is developed and deployed, the impact VC funding has had on the eComm vendor market, the convergence of generative Ai and low code, what low code is doing to the agency landscape, the pros and cons of Headless and whether Centra will or won't IPO in five years. ………….

We discuss the reasons behind their move away from Magento, their technology decision process, the unique relationship they have with their agency (Limesharp) and how this helped shape a successful replatform, timeline and KPI expectations of the project, the keys to success of managing a project of this scale and why it's good to think about migration first and growth second. ………….

We discuss what structured content is and why it's important, how much airtime Ai should be given when it comes to content, the differences commerce, media and tech companies take when approaching content, what it's like to work with Morning Brew (one of my big inspirations) and where content and commerce will be in 5 years. ………….

We discuss why they were early adopters of Magento, the impact of their Paul Smith case study on them and the wider market, how agencies make platform decisions, balancing platform relationships and the big question - will Magento be around in 10 years? ………….

We discuss how they think about Ai internally, whether Ai will power all personalisation, whether brands are actually adopting Ai, what verticals are best suited for Ai, general musing on MACH and Headless and whether we'll be talking about Ai and MACH in 5 years. ………….

We discuss the history of eComm tech from custom to open source to SaaS, the impact automation and commoditisation is having on platforms and service providers, the convergence of commerce and media and how that impacts the market, whether agencies will become more boutique, ShopifyGPT prompt predictions and why Ai WON'T end the agency model ………….

We explore what design-significant brands are, why Headless accelerators are useful from a speed to market perspective, the key to finding harmony between brand and eCommerce metrics, the power of subscription design services, the importance of a CMS in a Headless architecture and why Grebban bet on Centra. ………….

We start by defining the mid-market - a topic with many perspectives, how Headless offers a future-proofed vision, why ‘never having to replatform' needs more airtime in terms of marketing, the huge advantages of Headless for editorial and brand-led companies, the misconceptions of losing the app market, the pros and cons of inhouse versus outsourced teams, the mechanics of total cost of ownership analysis and why 2024 will be the renaissance of Headless. ………….