Podcasts about irce

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2018

Is open source the future of enterprise? Is open source a safe bet? This episode of MageTalk After Dark we run the gamut of IRCE review to PWA niceties.

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[One Question] How to Own Your Breakthrough with Eddie Levine Co-Founder of Wholesale Breakthrough

Growth Experts with Dennis Brown

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2018 16:37

Today we have Eddie Levine co-founder a wholesale ecommerce and brand management company which he started in 2012 with his business partner, Greg Gilpin. They have created a multi-million-dollar ecommerce operation in a short period of time and specialize in purchasing products directly from manufacturers, distributors, brand owners, and then warehouse them all under their own roof to sell on various channels. If he were not busy enough, Eddie has an information and consulting arm of his ecommerce business found at WholesaleBreakthrough.com where he teaches others how to tap into the business opportunity. In his limited free time, he also is Director of Operations for the non-profit, Laughs For the Troops which helps raise funds to help increase awareness of traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [1:20] Jeremy welcomes his guest, Eddie Levine. [2:50] Eddie talks about why he created Wholesale Breakthrough. [6:00] Who is a good fit to work with Eddie and his team? [8:00] A low moment that Eddie has faced along the way. [10:15] Eddie shares a moment he is proud of from his career. [11:15] What is Laughs for the troops? [13:50] An innovative idea that Eddie has recently heard. In this episode… What would it mean for your business if you could get access to one of the top minds in the ecommerce industry? Imagine the insights and breakthroughs you could achieve with that type of resource! On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from ecommerce expert Eddie Levine. In his conversation with Jeremy, Eddie opens up about why he started Wholesale Breakthrough, why he loves giving back to the ecommerce industry, high and low points he’s faced along the way, why he got involved with Laughs for the Troops, and much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this engaging episode featuring Eddie! Let’s face it, there is only so much you can learn by reading books and going through courses, at some point, you need to learn from someone who’s been where you are trying to go! You need access to someone who’s got battle scars and war stories, you need to learn from leaders who can identify with your struggles and help you see the big picture. This is where Eddie and his team at Wholesale Breakthrough come in. They have built a reputation around helping high capacity leaders like you cut through all the complexities and get to the heart of what will take your business to the next level. What are you waiting for? Take this opportunity to engage with the best! How do you plan on giving back and investing in the lives of others in your community? Is it something that is even on your radar? Once you find that one issue or cause that is close to your heart, your time, energy and resources can make all the difference! For Eddie Levine, that cause is Laughs for the Troops. Laughs for the Troops is a non-profit organization that creates events that bring people together in laughter and also increase awareness of the plight that many military members face upon returning from combat. Hearing from Eddie, you really get the sense that he is passionate about not only giving back to the ecommerce community but giving back to help others in any way he can. What can you learn from Eddie’s story? Resources Mentioned on this episode Wholesale Breakthrough Laughs For the Troops Intro Music by Kidd Russell Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 creates 100% outsourced VIP days for software companies and conference organizers to serve their highest level customers. Rise25 VIP Days have a proven track record of helping companies to get more referrals, increase retention with their VIP customers, and get more engaged new customers without adding extra work to that company’s plate. Rise25 partners and collaborates with entrepreneur-focused communities, with particular emphasis on creating events for high volume Amazon sellers, Walmart sellers, multichannel ecommerce sellers, and founders who want to take their business to the next level. Rise25 has hosted VIP events in cities such as Austin, Chicago, Santa Barbara, San Diego, New York, Sonoma, and Las Vegas to name a few. If your company appreciates the value of bringing your highest level customers together to connect and collaborate, you can learn more and contact us to find out if your company qualifies at Rise25.com. Rise25 was cofounded by Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran.

E52 - 6 Proven YouTube Targeting Strategies to Get More Clients

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2018 28:04

Brett Curry is the CEO of OMG Commerce, a digital marketing agency and Google Premier Partner. Brett is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Google Shopping published by Shopify. He is also the host of the eCommerce Evolution Podcast highlighting what’s new and what’s next in eCommerce. He and his team manage Google, Amazon, and YouTube ad campaigns for over 100 growing brands. His insights into Amazon and Google Advertising have been featured on stage at top industry events like IRCE, Seller Summit, and Social Media Marketing World. During our interview we discuss: - Brett hates cold calling so he shares the #1 strategy that his company uses to get clients today. - Brett shares why he loves video marketing so much and why he believes there is such a big opportunity for entrepreneurs and marketers. - We discuss whether it's better to have a highly produced video or just using an iPhone and the #1 key to success. - Brett shares how to target true view pre-roll ads in order to get your video ads in front of your exact target market. - Then Brett shares his strategy for re-targeting your competitor's visitors. - Brett talks about some of the newest features for YouTube advertiser including target CPA. - Brett also shares his favorite growth tool/software. - Then he recommends a good book for the Growth Experts audience/listener. Brett's website: www.omgcommerce.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ http://ecommerceevolution.com/

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Episode #10-Frank Hwang/VP Marketing- Education First Cycling Team

Executive Athletes

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2018 36:35

Frank Hwang is Vice President of Marketing for the EF Pro Cycling Team. This role encompasses bringing the global mission of EF Education First to life through the context of sport. In his past, he has worked at consumer brands including Sperry and Timberland, focusing on bringing their stories and products to life across the consumer journey, pioneering holistic strategies from salience to sale in high growth global categories. He also was the Global and North American Marketing Director for Cannondale Bicycles and ran the digital experience for Gillette while at Digitas. He is a speaker at Boston College, IRCE as well as for SocialMedia.org. He’s a graduate of Bowdoin College as well as Boston College’s MBA program. Most importantly, he’s a dad and a husband, keeping up with his family on snow, surf, bike and anywhere in-between. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/executiveathletes/support

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"Choose Your Own Adventure" (w/ Dave Pelton, Vertex)

Future Commerce - A Retail Strategy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2018 30:18

LIVE from IRCE 2018! The Supreme Court of the United States is about to make a decision in a landmark case which may affect how sales tax nexus is calculated for merchants in all 50 states. Dave Pelton, Product Line Leader at Vertex, breaks down how this decision could affect retail and how - regardless of the outcome - online merchants may be impacted going forward. Listen now!

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Best Ecommerce Expo / Convention - IRCE Conference Chicago

EcomLife

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2018 15:27

Recap of Sales and Orders, Gorgias.io and Rank Sense and insight about attending IRCe in downtown Chicago Illinois. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/apploud/support

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Ep 33: Adobe Acquires Magento with Kalen Jordan of Commerce Hero

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2018 34:25

Ep 33: Adobe Acquires Magento with Kalen Jordan of Commerce Hero In Episode 33, Kalen Jordan, the Founder of Commerce Hero and host of the Mage Talk Podcast, talks about all things E-Commerce and the recent news of the acquisition of Magento by Adobe. Kalen begins by giving his thoughts on the acquisition from the top down and shares some of his knowledge around Adobe's purchase of Magento and the ecosystem that comes with it. He and Tyler discuss Adobe providing what looks to be a permanent home for the Magento product and its community hundreds of thousands of developers, agencies, and merchants. Tyler and Kalen continue to discuss Magento and the future possibilities it has within the Adobe family. They speak on how this move could effect new and current clients, and what new innovations Adobe might have in store for Magento. Kalen also shares his advice for merchants who are looking to re-platform this year and discusses the process he uses when hiring a new developer- it involves goats! Join Tyler and Kalen in this special edition of the Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast on all things Magento and Adobe and how the acquisition affects the eCommerce industry. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 00:43 – Featured Guest Intro | Kalen Jordan 02:01 – Acquisition of Magento by Adobe 05:46 – Effects of the Merger 10:58 – Future of Magento 15:44 – Advice for Merchants Looking to Re-Platform 20:07 – What to look for in a Developer 21:01 – Hiring Great Talent 23:06 – IRCE 27:07 – Should You Keep Development Work In-House or Outsource It? 32:00 – MageTalk Podcast 33:16 - Outro Featured Guest | Kalen Jordan Twitter - @KalenJordan Promo Code: GOATHERO | https://commercehero.io/ IRCE - CHICAGO: https://www.irce.com 10% off conference passes (Exhibit Hall Only passes excluded) and will be valid starting on 1/1/2018. Code: LIONS18 Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast Learn More About Tyler Music Intro Music – Colony House – Buy “2:20” on iTunes Outro Music – Skillet – Buy “Lions” on iTunes

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[IRCE Series] Helping Ecommerce Businesses Become Globally Competitive with Tommaso Tamburnotti Co-Founder of Easyship

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2018 51:10

Today we have the co-founder of Easyship, Tommaso Tamburnotti. He started the company with Augustin Ceyrac and Paul Lugagne Delpon. Easyship is a Hong Kong-based ecommerce platform that aims to simplify logistics for small to medium-sized ecommerce sellers to help them become globally competitive. Easyship works with more than 100 couriers and provides visibility on international shipping regulations, taxes and duties from one account. They have a team of 38 people in four offices around the world and are used by over 15,000 businesses. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [1:35] Jeremy welcomes his guest, Tommaso Tamburnotti. [3:30] What is needed to take your brand global? [5:00] How Easyship helps ecommerce businesses. [10:30] Pain points Tommaso and his team addressed when they started Easyship. [13:30] Tommaso talks about his family and childhood. [15:30] Should ecommerce brands get on Lazada? [19:00] Following the data and incorporating ecommerce platforms along the way. [22:30] Tommaso talks about working with Go Fish Cam. [28:00] How did Tommaso and his team get their early clients? [31:30] What was Tommaso’s mindset that allowed him to persevere? [34:30] Expanding the team and bringing on more developers. [36:30] Which events and conferences does Tommaso like to attend? [38:30] The decision to spend big on a domain name and plans for the future. [41:30] Were some markets harder to get started in than others? [44:00] The lowest moment in business for Tommaso. [47:20] The proudest moment for Tommaso so far. In this episode… What will it take to make your ecommerce business globally competitive? Is it wise to move your company in that direction? What steps are necessary to begin the transition? What are the risks? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and innovator, Tommaso Tamburnotti. In his conversation with Jeremy, Tommaso opens up about his childhood, how Easyship can help your business go global, what it takes to build a company from the ground up, and so much more! You don't’ want to miss this engaging episode featuring Tommaso and Easyship! With the rate that the global economy is growing and the increasingly interconnected nature of the business sector, how will your company remain competitive? Do you have a strategy to keep ahead of your competitors? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Tommaso Tamburnotti as he shares how his company, Easyship can help your organization go global. While it sounds scary and intimidating, taking your brand to the next level by going global doesn’t have to be. Tommaso and his team at Easyship are experienced professionals who know what it takes to expand into new markets because they've been there themselves. To hear from Tommaso and how Easyship can help businesses like yours, make sure to listen to this helpful episode! One of the best ways to judge the health of an organization is to look at how they adapt to challenges and changes that they face along the way. What grade would your organization receive when it comes to this important area? On this episode of Inspired Insider, Tommaso Tamburnotti shares how Easyship has adapted to new opportunities and challenges as they've grown over the years. Due to the constantly growing and expanding nature of the ecommerce industry, Tommaso and his team were forced to learn how to adapt to new integrations and changes from the onset. Now, Tommaso and his team are seasoned professionals who can handle just about anything the market or a client brings their way. Learn more about Easyship and the amazing work they are providing by listening to this episode! When you start a new business, you are hungry for any work that comes your way. What does it take to get clients to take a chance on a new organization? How does a fledgling business grow and expand their customer base? On this episode of Inspired Insider, Tommaso Tamburnotti shares what he and his partners did to grow Easyship from its early days into the thriving business it is today. Tommaso recalls going door to door to ecommerce businesses on the streets of Hong Kong giving them his sales pitch and facing rejection after rejection. Thankfully, Tommaso’s perseverance paid off and enough businesses gave Easyship a chance to prove themselves. What can you learn from Tommaso’s story? Discover more great insights and lessons from Tommaso by listening to this episode! What is it that your business needs right now to take it to the next level of growth? Do you need to set some serious stretch goals that cause you and your team to do some heavy lifting in ways you haven't’ in a long time? Do you need to bring on new team members to grow your reach and your capacity? For Tommaso Tamburnotti and his team at Easyship the next step became clear when their business really started to take off. In quick order, they needed to build more systems and structures and bring on more developers to keep up. To get the full scoop on what Tommaso and his team had to do to make sure Easyship kept growing, make sure to listen to this exciting episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode www.easyship.com https://www.lazada.com/ Shopify Shopmatic https://www.weebly.com/ https://gofishcam.com/ CES https://shoptalk.com/ https://imagine.magento.com/ https://retailglobal.com/ Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

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[IRCE Series] Developing a Holistic Ecommerce Marketing Strategy with Mike Belasco Founder of InFlow

Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2018 21:30

Today we have CEO and founder of Inflow, Mike Belasco. Inflow is a national provider of cutting-edge ecommerce inbound marketing and search engine optimization services including conversion optimization and paid search marketing. Inflow works hard to provide clients with unique and valuable positioning strategies that drive bottom-line results. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [0:45] Jeremy introduces his guest, Mike Belasco. [1:20] How Inflow helps ecommerce sellers. [2:30] Common mistakes that ecommerce leaders are making. [4:30] Mike shares a case study that stands out. [8:00] How can Inflow help with SEO optimization? [9:30] Who should use Inflow? What are some success stories? [12:00] Inflow’s popular services and why Mike started Inflow. [14:00] How does Mike keep a healthy team environment at Inflow? [17:00] Core values at Inflow. [18:20] Asking for help and learning from coaches. [20:20] Milestones reached along the way. In this episode… What does it take to create a holistic ecommerce marketing strategy? Is it even possible to have a streamlined approach? What does an organization that focuses on ecommerce marketing look like? How do they push innovation in their organization? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and business leader Mike Belasco. In his conversation with Jeremy, Mike opens up about why he started Inflow, how they help ecommerce businesses, some of the most popular services that Inflow provides, what they’ve done to cultivate a healthy team environment, milestones they’ve reached along the way, and much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this engaging episode with Mike! Is your business prepared to engage an increasingly mobile target audience? What have you done to make your brand more compatible with your mobile users? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Mike Belasco as he highlights the need for mobile engagement. Mike says that the lack of a well thought out mobile engagement strategy is a common mistake that many ecommerce businesses are making in the marketplace today. Don’t let that be true for your company! Learn how Mike and his team at Inflow can help businesses like your stay ahead of the competition and incorporate mobile engagement by listening to this helpful episode! What steps has your organization taken to create a healthy work environment? Can you honestly say that your business is attracting and retaining the best talent in your industry? On this episode of Inspired Insider, Mike Belasco shares how he has developed and nurtured a thriving work environment at Inflow. While it hasn’t always been easy, Mike says that this focus on listening to and learning from his team members through the use of innovative tools has helped him keep key leaders and develop new ones. Find out what you can learn from Mike’s story and the awesome culture they are building at Inflow by listening to this exciting episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode www.GoInflow.com The Inflow Blog Inflow eCommerce Best-in-Class Research Study 2018 Round Peg 15 Five Strengths Finder Scaling Up The E Myth Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

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[IRCE Series] Acquiring and Distributing Wholesale Merchandise with Eddie Levine Co-Founder of Wholesale Breakthrough

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2018 56:58

Today we have Eddie Levine co-founder of a wholesale ecommerce and brand management company which he started in 2012 with his business partner Greg Gilpin. They have created a multi-million-dollar ecommerce operation in a short period of time and specialize in purchasing products directly from manufacturers, distributors and brand owners and warehouse them all under their own roof and sell on various channels. If he were not busy enough he has an information and consulting arm of his ecommerce business found at WholesaleBreakthrough.com where he teaches others how to tap into the business opportunity. In his limited free time, he also is Director of Operations for the non-profit Laughs for the Troops which helps raise funds to help increase awareness of traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [1:20] Jeremy introduces his guest, Eddie Levine. [3:00] Eddie talks about early struggles in business. [5:30] Challenges for brands that want to get into ecommerce. [9:00] Surprising pain points for sellers. [11:00] Eddie talks about his love for logistics. [13:00] Why hasn’t Eddie hired out more responsibilities? [15:30] Challenges that come up on a daily basis. [17:30] Embracing automation and hiring the right team. [20:00] How did Eddie’s current business start out? [23:00] Why did Eddie and his business partner get into wholesaling? [26:00] Eddie shares his thoughts on the Private Label aspect of Amazon. [29:00] What other platforms does Eddie sell on? [31:30] Difficulties with sourcing products overseas. [33:30] Eddie talks about working with the US government. [37:00] Researching new products to wholesale. [41:00] Categories that Eddie stays away from selling. [43:00] Eddie talks about Wholesale Breakthrough. [48:30] A low moment in business for Eddie. [50:30] What milestone is Eddie the most proud of? In this episode… What can you learn from a business leader who had dedicated his career to his love for logistics and bringing wholesale merchandise to the ecommerce marketplace? How can you apply some his insights and lessons to your business? What aspects of his story will resonate with yours? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and innovator, Eddie Levine. In his conversation with Jeremy, Eddie opens up about his background, how he got started with wholesale distribution, the challenges with sourcing products overseas, categories that are more trouble than they are worth, and much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this engaging episode with Eddie! Is there an aspect of your job do you absolutely love? Is it something that you’ve learned to love over the years or is it the reason why you went into the career field that you pursued? What can you learn from the passion and excitement that other leaders express from their own journey? On this episode of Inspired Insider, Eddie Levine shares his love for logistics and how that plays out in his work with wholesale merchandise. While logistics doesn’t sound like a sexy subject, Eddie lights up when he gets to explain how this subject matter resonates with him. To learn more about Eddie’s story and his passion for logistics, make sure to listen to this informative episode! How has your organization embraced automation? Are you moving closer to the cutting edge, stuck back in the stone age, or somewhere in the middle? What would it mean if you and your team were able to adopt tools and systems that allowed you to move forward with greater efficiency? According to Eddie Levine, automation is the key to future business growth not only in the ecommerce sector but all across the board. Find out what Eddie and his team are doing to stay on the cutting edge and ahead of their competition by listening to this powerful episode of Inspired Insider, you don’t want to miss it! Do you understand your industry inside and out? Do you know where the most money and resources go or do you find yourself always playing catch up? How can leaders like you keep your finger on the pulse of what is going on in your sector of the business world? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from innovator and entrepreneur, Eddie Levine. Eddie prides himself on keeping up to date with all the changes, big and small in his corner of the ecommerce industry. Discover how Eddie’s lessons and insights can help you and your team perform at the top of your game by listening to this exciting episode! At what point in your career do you plan on giving back and investing in others who are on their way up? Have you already started? What can you do right now to help empower and encourage the next crop of young leaders? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from business leader and innovator Eddie Levine. In his conversation with Jeremy, Eddie shares his passion for showing budding leaders how to effectively market wholesale merchandise through his project, Wholesale Breakthrough. Learn more about what Eddie is up to with Wholesale Breakthrough and much more on this fascinating episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode https://wholesalebreakthrough.com/ Dropbox Asana Outlook Skype Teamviewer Laughs For the Troops

[IRCE Series] Staying Hungry and Pursuing Ecommerce Business Growth with Dylan Whitman Co-Founder of BVAccel

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2018 95:34

Today we have Dylan Whitman co-founder of BV Accel - full name Brand Value Accelerator (BVAccel). They are one of the fastest growing Shopify focused agencies in the world. Acquisition + Conversion + Retention which are the three pillars of their ecommerce philosophy and when you go to their site BVAccel.com that is front and center. They provide disruptive ecommerce strategy and implementation and have served high-growth brands including MVMT Watches, Red Bull, Mizzen and Main, Bark Thins, and many more. BVAccel is headquartered in San Diego, California with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Columbus and Mexico and Melbourne. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [1:30] Jeremy introduces his guest, Dylan Whitman. [2:50] Dylan talks about his favorite Shopify apps. [9:30] Why did Dylan decide to focus on solving retention difficulties? [18:30] The future of ecommerce is automation! [20:30] Some helpful subscription apps. [24:30] Where is ecommerce tech going? [27:00] Dylan talks about email service platforms. [29:30] Why did Dylan join the Navy? [36:30] Dylan’s post Navy career path. [51:00] Bootstrapping a business vs. growing quick! [53:00] Milestones and challenges faced along the way. [55:30] Cutting through the BS and growing the business. [1:03:00] Staying hungry and pushing forward toward excellence. [1:05:00] What was it like acquiring Rocket Code. [1:12:00] Dylan talks about the impact of his family history. [1:16:00] Acquisition, conversion, and retention. [1:20:00] How can BV Accel help with retention? [1:22:00] What can BV Accel do to help with acquisitions? [1:25:00] Who are the best-fit clients for BV Accel? [1:32:30] The lowest point in business for Dylan. [1:33:30] Landing the first big client. In this episode… What does it take to build an ecommerce business from the ground up? How do you, as a leader, stay hungry and pursue growth? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and innovator Dylan Whitman. In his conversation with Jeremy, Dylan opens up about his childhood, his favorite Shopify applications, the future of the ecommerce industry, milestones and challenges faced along the way, and much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this engaging and informative episode featuring Dylan and his company, BV Accel! Did you know that many ecommerce businesses are leaving too much money on the table each and every day? It’s true! What would it take to solve this common problem in the ecommerce industry? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Dylan Whitman as he explains how BV Accel has provided helpful market solutions to this issue. Dylan and his team have devoted their time and energy to develop solutions that most ecommerce businesses can implement right away that will end up saving them valuable resources down the road. To hear more about BV Accel and their great work in the area of retention, make sure to check out this episode! While new ecommerce businesses rise and fall on a rapid basis, have you ever stopped to wonder what the future of ecommerce may hold? What will be the next great wave of innovation in this skyrocketing industry? On this episode of Inspired Insider, Dylan Whitman takes the time to provide his insights on this important question. As Dylan sees it, automation is the driving element that will continue to pave the way for innovation in the ecommerce industry. Much of Dylan’s observations come from his work with Shopify but he is seeing automation quickly move to the forefront in other areas of ecommerce. Learn more from Dylan’s valuable perspective by listening to this episode, you don’t want to miss it! Would you describe your attitude toward personal and professional growth as “Hungary?” Seriously?! Do you continue to work hard and strive not only for personal growth but growth for your business as well? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from a leader who prides himself on staying hungry as his own personal goal for growth and success. Dylan Whitman says that he hates losing more than he loves to win! Think about that for a minute, can you say the same? If you don’t have the drive to push yourself and your business forward like Dylan describes, you may end up on the “Average” performance side of things. Find out more about Dylan’s mindset and how learning from him may help you up your game by listening to this episode! What is your level of tolerance for BS? Do you have the patience to see things through in a slow and methodical way or do you need to see immediate impact and action? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and innovator Dylan Whitman. It’s part of Dylan’s signature style to cut through the BS and push toward growth. How can you learn from Dylan’s unique perspective? At the end of the day, each leader has to find out what works best for them and their team they are responsible for. What’s the best way forward for your team? Should you take it up a notch or do you need to enter into a season of patience? Learn more from Dylan’s depth of experience and expertise by listening to this helpful episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode https://www.bvaccel.com/ Shopify Magento https://www.flow.io/ http://www.nosto.com/ https://www.yotpo.com/ https://boldcommerce.com/ https://rechargepayments.com/ https://www.rebeccaminkoff.com/ https://www.mvmtwatches.com/ Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

[One Question] Expanding into New Markets with Tommaso Tamburnotti Co-Founder of Easyship

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Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2018 14:33

[IRCE Series] Highlighting Relationship Marketing with Amit Bivas from Optimove

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Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2018 14:54

Today we have Amit Bivas, Head of Marketing at Optimove. In addition to serving as a key member of Optimove’s management team, Amit is a seasoned marketing executive with extensive experience planning, developing and executing B2B and B2C marketing strategies from the ground up. Optimove’s mission is to help marketers drive measurable growth by autonomously transforming customer data into actionable insights, which then power thoughtful customer communications, at scale. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [0:45] Amit Bivas joins the podcast to talk about Optimove. [2:45] How did Optimove get off the ground? [5:00] Who is the ideal client for Optimove? [8:30] Customer success stories. [10:00] Amit talks about partnering with Stitch Fix and onboarding new clients. [12:30] What is it like operating an international business? In this episode… Is there a role for relationship marketing in the ecommerce industry? Would you say that your organization engages in relationship marketing? What if there was a way to for marketers to outsource the tech aspect of their job so they can focus on creatively engaging with their clients? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from marketing expert Amit Bivas. In his conversation with Jeremy, Amit explains what solutions to relationship marketing Optimove brings to the table, who are Optimove’s ideal clients, customer success stories, what it’s like operating an international business, and much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this engaging episode featuring Amit! One of the most important aspects that are needed for an ecommerce business to grow is to focus on efficiency. You don’t have any chance of profitability or expansion if you have multiple places in your organization where multiple people or processes are doing the same thing. On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from business leader Amit Bivas as he shares how Optimove is helping their clients embrace automation. The software that Optimove has developed is specifically designed to empower marketers with the tools they need to hone their process and eliminate redundancies. To hear more about Optimove and their amazing services, make sure to check out this fascinating episode! In an increasingly interconnected marketplace, what can organizations do to leverage their position and get an edge over their competition? Are there advantages for businesses that remain small and nimble? What advantages exist for more international organizations? On this episode of Inspired Insider, Amit Bivas shares how Optimove embraces its international image. While it’s not always easy, Amit and Optimove know that the challenges and difficulties of running an international organization are outweighed by the benefit of operating on a global stage. Learn more about the great work that Amit and his team are providing by listening to this exciting episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode https://www.optimove.com/ https://www.stitchfix.com/ Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

[IRCE Series] Helping Ecommerce Businesses Accelerate Their Growth and Save Money with Dylan Whitman Co-Founder of BVAccel

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2018 17:55

How You Can Double Your Amazon Revenue with Vendor Central

The Quiet Light Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2018 41:15

In the last six years I (Joe) have only had two people tell me that Vendor Central is a great opportunity for Amazon sellers to grow their business. The first was at IRCE in Chicago in 2015 when an ex-Amazon Vendor Central executive told me his view of Vendor Central. The next time – was on this podcast. Both opinions were very favorable! And you know…I believe them both. If I owned an Amazon FBA business or was purchasing one, I would look very closely at Vendor Central and at least test it out with a SKU or two. That's right – you do not have to make the leap of faith with Vendor Central. At least not any more. According to our guest expert, Fahim Naim, Vendor Central is a viable option that most Seller Central sellers should consider. He openly states it is not for everyone, yet he took his first client from $4,000,000 in Q4 revenues to $16,000,000 by expanding the customer reach using the Vendor Central tools. Do I need to say more? Yes (apparently)…you do not need to be selling 4m per quarter to make Vendor Central work for you. Listen to Fahim's expert advice and make your own decision, it could be the best investment of time you have ever made. Episode Highlights: Hear firsthand how Fahim's Clients have done when engaging with Vendor Central. You don't have to make a “leap of faith” and leave Seller Central. If you haven't gotten an invite to Vendor Central – find your representative and contact them. Learn how to get more attention from a hugely overwhelmed Amazon representative. Vendor Central is not right for every product or seller. Some categories are more competitive and require higher volumes to be accepted to Vendor Central. Vendor Central is not just for brands…distributors can use it as well. “Seller Central” on steroids…that is what Vendor Central is. Links: www.eshopportunity.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fahimnaim/ 10 Tips When Considering Vendor Central Transcription: Mark: Joe how are you? Joe: I'm doing great Mark. How are you, sir? Mark: Good, good I heard you explored the depths of the mysterious Vendor Central recently? Joe: Yeah. Listen, the good, the bad, the great Amazon sellers that we know…that we've talked to over the last decade for the vast majority they all say no way don't lose control to Vendor Central, don't do it, don't do it. When you when I went to IRCE in Chicago in 2015 I talked to somebody that was an ex-Amazon Vendor Central manager, he's the first person that ever told me that it was great and that he could double somebodies business using vendor Central and I believed him. We never reconnected afterwards; this guest today is the second one. His name is Fahim Naim, he's from…originally he was an Amazon Category Manager and he left and went and started his own company called ‎eShopportunity. And he gave me one example and this is a huge one so don't get scared away if you're doing $50,000 a month in revenue listeners. His first client he took and quadrupled the revenue in Q4 alone by using Vendor Central Tools. So he took it from 4 million dollars a quarter to 16 million by using Vendor Central. Mark: Oh wow, a huge growth. Joe: So that alone is reason enough to listen. And as firsthand information from somebody that's actually done it, and seen it, and uses it services and he's quite honest and open about it. It's not for everyone and it's not take a leap of faith and you no longer run Seller Central anymore. It used to be that way and I think that's why people feared it. He's got some great ideas on how to take just one skew and test it out and slowly move over and things of that nature. I'll make a whole lot of sense if I were a seller, if I were a buyer, I would very very closely at Seller Central. Mark: Fantastic. Well, I can't wait to get into this before we get into the episode though I'm going to make a public plea to the listeners out there. I want to know what conferences you guys go to because we like to go to conferences. We'd like to meet you so send me an e-mail at mark@quietlightbrokerage.com with your favorite conferences to go to throughout the year and I know that's completely unrelated to what we were just talking about but you mentioned the IRCE and it just sort of triggered that. All right with that, I'm actually anxious to hear this because like you I've heard the same sort of feedback from most Amazon Sellers. They're saying no way, I don't want to do it but it's really hard to ignore quadrupling revenues by jumping over there so let's get into the episode and hear what he has to say. Joe: Hey folks it's Joe with Quiet Light Brokerage and today I've got Fahim Naim with me on the call today. How are you Fahim? Fahim: Wonderful how about yourself? Joe: I'm doing good man. Welcome to Quiet Light Podcast. Listen, you've got a ton of experience from being at Amazon as a Category Manager and now running eShopportunity I was going to try to do the intro and talk about you a little bit but I just want to make sure it's done right. So if you could brag about yourself a little bit, tell everybody that's listening about your experience in e-commerce world, then Amazon, and now at eShopportunity that. Fahim: Wonderful. I was previously a Category Manager at Amazon, managed one of largest category at Amazon retail, managed a team of vendor managers, and one of the categories in Consumer Electronics, super sexy stuff like computer components and portfolios and things that are going to computers; very exhilarating as you can tell. Joe: That's exciting, yes. Fahim: All jokes aside it was tons of fun, it was over a half billion dollar business, they booked to double the size of my category while I was at Amazon even though the market was flat. Had a fantastic time but ultimately made the decision to leave and start my own venture. I started eShopportunity about a few years back, we wanted to help companies grow and be on the other side of the table of some of those conversations that happened at Amazon. Started off with one initial brand, hard time, we grew his Q4 business from four million dollars to 17 million dollars that year eventhough he's been set in declining he was excited, introduced me to a couple of other brands, I started tailing the team and I guess fast forward about three years we've worked with over a hundred brands to date. Some fortune 500 brands, some brands we've seen a shark tank, a bunch of startups and companies in between. Either brands that had been on Amazon for a while but really wanted to take it to the next level. Brands that have had successful businesses off of Amazon and finally wanted to launch on Amazon or a [inaudible 0:05:06.5] of the type. Joe: That's an impressive resume. You took somebody from four million to 17 million and he was only excited? I would think it'd be ecstatic. Fahim: He was probably more excited when we went on the phone. I think he did a good job keeping his poker face that I'd imagine based out of his expectations when we started he threw a pie in the sky number saying if you help me go to twenty million this quarter that would be beyond real and I was pretty angry that we fell just short of it. So my take is probably a little bit different than his. I was hoping that we could get to 20 and again his Q4 business the previous year was maybe…it was about flat to where he was that year so it was a…he had some phenomenal growth and the good news is that after I checked in whenever the project concluded the business had continued to grow. So I think a lot of Amazon is how do you start the right foundation, how do you get the things clicking, and then organically if you're doing the right things and you [inaudible 0:06:07.9] screwing up which is probably easier said than done you see that your business continues to scale which is obviously great for the business owner's standpoint. Joe: Right. Now you mentioned you manage a team of vendors and Mark and I talked in the intro about Vendor Central, you and I are here to talk today mostly about Vendor Central and your expertise in that area and why some people should start paying attention to it. As I told you I don't think I've talked to a single Amazon seller that has a seller account whether they're doing fifty thousand a month or a million or two or three or four million dollars a month in revenue, they all say there's no way I'm giving up control to Vendor Central, absolutely not and there's a huge paranoia about it. The only time I've ever heard that is a good thing is from you and from someone else that I met at IRCE in 2015. Tell us if you will with the basics what's the difference between Seller Central and Vendor Central and then let's get in to the details of Vendor Central and who's a good candidate for it and how you can help somebody grow their business by using it or how anybody that chooses to use it can use the cheat sheet that you and I have talked about that we're going to share in the notes and to go ahead and do it themselves if they want to go that route, the difference between the two as well. Fahim: Well first off, Vendor Central is often treated as a red-headed stepchild, people not very optimistic based off of what they've heard in the seller communities especially. I'm in the forums, at speaker conferences, I do a fair amount of publishing and I've similarly heard a couple of things. One is I think that's a misinformation that hopefully we will dispel at least a certain degree in just doing this podcast and some of it is probably warranted. I think the decision between Seller Central and Vendor Central depends so much on the specific details of that brand that anybody who says hands down this platform is better than that platform is probably doing you a disservice in that Seller Central certainly has some benefits, Vendor Central has some benefits. Back to the matter as most of the largest brands or the businesses that are doing the most amount of volume on Amazon all have Vendor Central. It seems to be working for people that are growing very quickly and have larger business. Yes there's probably some bias on it that a lot of those are large companies anyways and are Fortune 500 brands that sell across the board but I can't tell you the number of times we've taken a brand and got their business from a let's say a couple of hundred thousand, two or three hundred thousand dollars on Seller Central per month and got that business grow up three or four X when they made the transition to Vendor Central when all things align. Things don't always align and again we delve with the details and we'd get to that but there is certainly an opportunity. If you want to scale your business and become a five, 10, 15, 20 million dollar brand on Amazon and more, Vendor Central offers you a set of tools that are much tougher to get to than Seller Central or possibly not even available to Seller Central. So to answer your question more specifically, Seller Central you do have more control, direct control of the pricing and inventory. Seller Central they're starting to open up some of the things that used to be available just to vendors, things like A+ Content like me deals, catch deals. headline search, so certainly this becomes this a little more parity to come into the seller part [inaudible 0:09:29.8] but when you sell your products directly to Amazon Wholesale, a couple of things, one is it's not you sell it to Amazon and then take care of the rest of it. It's very similar to Seller Central in that you get a tool kit that you can use to grow your business but it's not Amazon's going to optimize your pages, Amazon's gonna run all these ads for you, Amazon's gonna give you higher search results and check out what the right pricing is for you and run promotions by themselves etcetera. Vendor Central is very similar to Seller Central in that it's how much you put in to it and you have access to tools in Vendor Central in many cases that you may not have access to on Seller Central. For example, let's talk about deals, lightning deals on Seller Central are recommended only and even that just we can't go build on the last year to; at the Vendor, you can submit a proposal. It doesn't mean it will always get approved but you can submit and be a lot more proactive on lightning deal on Vendor Central. There is something called Best Deals which most people on Seller Central don't have access to unless you have an account manager that's idea that you show up on Today's Deals Page which is the most popular page on Amazon after the homepage. And you can run a deal for up to two to even four weeks but they with less aggressive discount at the Lightning Deal. In many cases, Best Deals has been phenomenal for [inaudible 0:10:47.8] that's another option. Coupons just became available to Seller Central until a couple of months ago that had been a popular program that many vendors have utilized for a long time. Subscribe and Save Again started on Vendor Central before it became available on Seller Central. Programs like Amazon Prime Now, Amazon Fresh, Prime Pantry are primarily not exclusively focused on Vendor facing brands so that's another example. If you want to be on the homepage of the furniture page on Amazon to be…go to navigations click on Amazon Furniture Amazon Computers Components and Peripherals and there's a lot of people that search for products that way, most of those placements are available for vendors only. If you want to be on Gift Guide and Amazon has done a great job over the last couple of years holding some excitement over this idea of having a holiday gift guide we can browse through products. Because Amazon obviously has been a great place to shop if you know what you want, it hasn't been ideal if you want to browse for things and Amazon has [inaudible 0:11:46.8] most if not all the brands in many of the gift guides or vendor. So again there is a unique set of tools that vendors have of or have access to. That set is certainly not all rosy; things get a lot more complicated. You have a little bit less direct control on inventory, you get a weekly purchase sorted that Amazon cuts every week and that's the amount that you can send tens and more. You could send less although that's probably not a good idea unless you don't have inventory- [crosstalk] Joe: So you…holding on right there in terms of that inventory because as I know as people are listening to us they've probably written down twenty questions there hoping I asked. Let's just talk about that inventory for a minute. So many Amazon Seller Central folks send money to inventory directly from their manufacturer to Amazon, in this case do Vendor Central folks have to have a 3PL where they store the inventory in between and ship on a regular basis? Fahim: That's what most people do. There are some variants where you can get around that. Amazon and on the Vendor Central site has a direct import program where you can import all of your inventory likely from Asia directly to Amazon. Not the easiest thing to work with setup to be transcribed but certainly exists and I know some brands that have done well with that. I think the vast majority of brands on Vendor Central either have their own 3PL or use a separate 3PL to fulfill those orders. And in some cases, you could do a little bit of both. You can have some inventory and multiple warehouses and you get PO's from different warehouses and you have to send it to different places. So there is some level of flexibility although it tends to get a lot more complicated on how this passes works in Seller Central. Seller Central, I want to send 500 units I go on create a shipment, it will tell me what [inaudible 0:13:33.3] I want to use, I even have the option in inventory placement service dependent to just [inaudible 0:13:37.8] and I'm done. And then Amazon manages all the interactive shipments, Vendor Central doesn't- Joe: [inaudible 0:13:43.2] for [inaudible 0:13:44.0] center right? Fahim: Correct. On the Vendor Central- Joe: [inaudible 0:13:47.2] Fahim: Yes, no that's good. Stop me because I live in acronym words so if you will- Joe: Okay. Fahim: It's good to get clarity. On Vendor Central when you get a weekly Purchase Order or PO they can have you send it to eight or nine [inaudible 0:14:03.0] but sometimes less, sometimes more. So the process again works all over differently, for some brand that's not a big deal and for some brands that's probably a little bit more complex and they want to be…especially early on in the lifecycle of the business. Joe: Okay, so you just used the word brands this is in assumption maybe everybody already knows this or is thinking this that Vendor Central is really for brands, not resellers simple? Fahim: Yes or no, I think primarily most of the brand…most of the companies that are on their own brands. There are a good number of distributors that also have Vendor Central accounts. Some of the largest, most of the large distributors or many of the large distributors have Vendor Central accounts and they supply directly at Amazon. And even if you are a brand meaning manufacturer and you sell to Amazon, if Amazon consorts your product cheaper to a distributor they'll buy from the distributor in many cases. And that sometimes business pisses off brands but yes you…it could be either in the context of a lot of things I'm talking about I'm probably talking more down the brand manufacturer route but you, to answer your question you could be a distributor and have a Vendor Central account and you could be the company that's been selling Purchase Orders from a variety of different brands or distributor. I know some distributors that are doing 10, 20, 30 different vendors, different selling inventories for 10, 20, 30 different vendors- Joe: Okay. Fahim: That are not exactly their brand. Joe: Well the fear that I think a lot of the brand owners have that I speak with is that they lose control and going back to that you mentioned it they don't lose control. They still have control, they can…can they write their copy? Can they work on their keywords? Can they send organic traffic to it? Can they…and then do all of those discounts and promotions you talked about as well is it essentially Seller Central on steroids where they've just got access to more things? Fahim: I like that. I like the Seller Central on steroids, I'm [inaudible 0:15:58.2]. Yes, it's…I would argue, you probably have more control on Vendor Central than Seller Central. [inaudible 0:16:04.0] common that very often even if you're a brand registered on Seller Central, I hear it all the time brands say somebody changed my copy, somebody changed my picture, somebody changed my variation, even if you are the brand owner and you're on Seller Central there's a brand hierarchy in terms of who owns [inaudible 0:16:20.9] page edits and at the top of the list is vendors. So anybody who has an Amazon Vendor Central account has ultimate [inaudible 0:16:28.4] goes on. Even if you are the brand owner and you have a Seller Central account and you have brand registry but the distributor is selling that to Amazon and they have a vendor account, they actually have ownership over that page copy. In most cases over the brand that's on Seller Central. So I'd say you can change titles, you can change bullets, you can update images, it actually works much easier on Vendor Central than Seller Central. At Seller Central sometimes doing things like variations could be fairly complex with Vendor Central it could be as easy as a ticket and somebody would do it for you. Images similarly the turnaround time of Vendor Central is pretty good but ultimately up to you have at least as much control probably more control over your page copy, and content, and landing on Vendor Central than Seller Central. Joe: And then all of the other things that Seller Central folks do whether it's striving outside traffic, keyword optimization, discounts, reviews, YouTube social media reviewers that are talking about and driving traffic to that Amazon page they can do the same thing it's just an Amazon vendor page correct? Fahim: Correct. You can do all that and to the average customer, they can't tell the difference of a vendor and reseller. Joe: Okay. Fahim: Most people don't even realize it so yes it works the same way. You can send X number of traffic, you can run discounts, you can run promotions, all of the same- Joe: Okay. Fahim: As both cases the same way at Seller Central. Joe: Is…I mean we've got people that you know if they're doing a million dollars a month and running a lifestyle business meaning they've got some VA's and they work from home part time they don't want to really risk very much. There's no sense in going I'm going to just lose that million a month and I'm going to jump into Vendor Central. Tell us about if they're doing Seller Central what the leap is from Seller Central to Vendor Central? So they have to shut down the Seller account and then open Vendor or can they have both running simultaneously, is it a one way street? Talk to us from that perspective as if you were that guy running a lifestyle business making a million dollars in revenue on a monthly basis. Fahim: A couple of things, if I were running a lifestyle business and I was happy at my current run rate and didn't want to…if I was more risk averse I'd potentially keep it as is. If I wanted to grow that business and take it to next level I think Vendor Central becomes a lot more interesting. Joe: What's the risk part in terms of Vendor versus Seller? You said risk- Fahim: Well you know- Joe: More riskier? Fahim: Yeah if you're risk averse you already know what to expect, you know how to manage everything as the current process that takes on Seller Central. When you transition to Vendor things change. Typically for the better if everything aligns. But the way pricing works changes, the way pricing should work certainly changes, the way inventory fulfillment work changes etcetera, etcetera. At the end of the day once you get on boarded and in most cases not all cases but in most cases you do a good job in negotiating with your inventory manager which we'll talk about a couple seconds but imagine on your terms and you are not paying that net much more on Vendor Central than Seller Central I think there's a little bit less [inaudible 0:19:35.3]. If you are going into a category where your net margin expectations from Amazon is severely higher on Vendor Central than Seller Central there could be some risk that at the same amount of volume Amazon is taking a bigger cut of that. So I think there are some nuances but I think the risk is the unknown and it's a new process and you have to manage that. Joe: And do you have to shut down your Seller account or to open the Vendor Central obviously that it's not you lose days or weeks of revenue, I would assume that its very seamless. Fahm: It's semi-seamless. Amazon has changed their stance on this on the last couple of years. A couple of years ago it [inaudible 0:20:14.6] have both a Vendor and Seller Central account. And in many categories now and the Vendor Manager technically has the ability to shut down your Seller Central account if they want to. If you were doing anything to really damage your Vendor Central business, there's officially a clause that says if you sale wholesale and you have a Vendor account that they can shut down your Seller Central account. I actually haven't seen that happen although I've seen some threats but that exists for a couple of good reasons. In the last couple of years, Vendor Managers and teams at Amazon have been a lot more open to the idea of having both but being strategic about it. The idea is the Vendor Manager owns the retail or what they would call the retail part of the [inaudible 0:20:54.5] and Seller Central is almost a competitor to that Vendor Manager. And they do that to keep more competition on the platform so better for that costumer at the end of the day. So the Vendor Manager doesn't get a lot of benefit when you have a Seller Central account. If you're competing on the same skew and you have lower prices on your Seller Central it actually hurts this plus on the metrics, they're out of stock, their loss by box, a bunch of their metrics or sales are going to be a lot lower here. What many brands do today, they do which…a little bit more strategically with is I'm gonna have both the Vendor and the Seller Central account, I'm going to do some skews on Vendor Central to start. I'm gonna keep some skews on Seller Central to start and see how that process goes. Depending on how close that brand is with the Vendor Manager that person may push to get more and more of the catalog from Seller Central to Vendor Central. But think of it as like you're negotiating with a buyer at Walmart, or Best Buy, or Target, there is a lot of negotiation that goes back and forth. So maybe you decide that it's not a good idea to transition your entire catalog or maybe things are going so well and you want to everything overnight. I think that's where it's a very personal decision. For many brands the way they started, they open a Vendor Central account, get a couple of skews on Vendor Central, get used to the process and things work a little differently. One thing we should mention is pricing because a lot of people worry and I hear this misconception a lot that Amazon will lower your prices and you lose control of it. It's not really true, and what Amazon's pricing and there's certain things that I'm allowed to say and not allowed to say. Ultimately, Amazon [inaudible 0:22:23.6] in a game of let's proactively lower your price so we can sell more inventory and create a price war in the market. That's not Amazon's idea, that's actually what a ton of other retailers do and I can tell you firsthand many of the big box retailers like to put things on the go back and promotion and discount pricing. On Amazon Vendor Central if you have control over your pricing in the market, so externally and third party wise there's nobody undercutting your price, you have a lot more control on the pricing than many people think. Joe: And most of the cases I think the people listening to this podcast, they own their brand and they do not sell it to distributors so it's not going to be an issue. They're the sole person or company selling that brand so- Fahim: Yup. Joe: They're going to get their wholesale price from Amazon anyway. It doesn't really matter if the Amazon decides to sell it for two dollars above they're still going to get their wholesale price from Amazon correct? Fahim: Yes but it's a dangerous way to look at it because let's do an example. Let's say you're selling the gross sales price of [inaudible 0:23:24.6] but the price the customer pays is 20$ and I'm just making up some numbers. The price that you sell it to Amazon is 16$ net of all cost and whatnot. If you then have somebody selling your product on third party or let's say externally at Target. You have a small assortment that Target decides to lower that to 18$ or let's call it 17$, Amazon will match this 17$ likely and in your mind, you may say you know it doesn't matter Amazon paid me- Joe: [inaudible 0:23:55.9] they're not gonna buy any from you again obviously it has to be profitable. Fahim: Exactly. Joe: Yeah what I was referring to is that most of the people I think listening to this podcast are not selling to Target and Walmart retail big boxes display. I really like the idea for I just want to repeat it that you don't have to take a leap of faith from Seller Central to Vendor Central. You pick a couple of skews and you test Vendor Central with that. And you talked about negotiating with Vendor Central, do you actually get to talk to a live person and have that one person as your contracted contact, your trackling? For those that are not watching this on YouTube he smiled and he looked up to the left going oh my God could I tell you some stories I think, don't but is it a human that you get to talk to or is it email? Fahim: It depends, like with everything else it depends. There is a human that lives behind the desk that ultimately manages that and the team that manages that. It depends on if you're able to get a hold of that person. So sometimes the Vendor Manager is a lot more proactive especially for brands that have a larger business whether on Seller Central or externally and the Vendor Manager or somebody on that team reaches out and you have that direct line of contact. Sometimes people find the Vendor Manager Buyer on LinkedIn then and they start a relationship [inaudible 0:25:18.6]. That way sometimes a leverage, consultants and agents and people like myself, I get a hold of the buyer and broker a meeting and start some of those conversations, and many times the invite comes from a separate team. We get on boarded to Vendor Central and your business is not large enough in the eyes of the buyers [inaudible 0:25:38.1] you get a whole lot of time and attention. And you're often told to use Vendor Central's tools and file tickets to get answers so it does depend on the brand some of the brands that we work with…some of the larger brands or brands that more potential has better chances of getting some of that one on one relationships with the buyers. And some brands especially when they're earlier on their business isn't fully at scale form an Amazon perspective. They're often told to use Vendor Central, file tickets and try to leverage from the automated processes that exist. So it's possible but- Joe: Let's talk about that then. Two points, number one I want to hear your top negotiating tactic with vendor Central that you want to share with people today. Number two, maybe start with number two, size wise when…how big does a brand have to be in terms of let's just say that I'm going to peel off a couple of skews again what kind of revenue does that have to be producing in Seller Central to make a difference to the point when I can actually negotiate your top negotiating tactic? So if somebody is doing 50,000 $ a month is that enough, if they're doing 25 is that enough, do they need to be doing a hundred, what's the number? Fahim: It differs so widely by category as you can imagine. I'd say generally a lot of times I put the benchmark growth sales you want to be doing over a million dollars a year that will probably get the attention of the Vendor Manager. Again, it differs; if you're in a category, a huge consumer electronics category that number may need to be five million annual gross sales, if you're in a growing category, if you're in help and personal care, if you're in grocery, if you're in passion that number may end up being even lower than one million dollars. But I would say if you're doing less than a couple hundred thousand dollars annually on Amazon it's probably a lot of low hanging fruit to scale your business from Seller Central initially. If you're already doing north of a million plus dollars annually on Amazon then it depends on your category, it depends on your ranking and how big you are as a portion of that catalog but certainly the bigger your business the higher the likelier that you're gonna get the ear and the attention of that Vendor Manager. If you're doing some 10 million dollars annually in almost any category the Vendor Manager should not always does but should want to convert your business. Figure out how they can scale your business and they have tools again that you wouldn't have in the [inaudible 0:28:09.7]. So they really could if they wanted to help you grow that 10 million dollar business to be 15 or 20 million fairly quickly. Which is doing that on Seller Central is certainly possible but it's almost like you have one hand behind your back because you don't have access to the same set of tools. Joe: All right tell me about the negotiating tactics you and I have talked about. You're gonna create a little cheat sheet it's in the notes for people to download in terms of top negotiating tactics with Vendor Central. Can you give me one or two that we can share with folks? And I know it's going to be…it's going to depend upon the category and all that but throw something out. Fahim: Yeah, take them to dinner create a- Joe: Take them to dinner? Fahim: Yup take them to dinner or when you go to Amazon [inaudible 0:28:50.3] you want to create a relationship with that person and treat it like you are sitting from their side what do you want to hear. So it's less complaining and demanding it's more this is what I've been able to do so far I know you have the tools to help me really grow this business, I want my brand to be a big part of your business- Joe: You're not gonna say what I tell every buyer which is just be likeable. The more likable you are the more people are going to work with you is that? I mean this is part of the secret [inaudible 0:29:17.6] likeable? Fahim: I think that's certainly some part of it. I mean I think in the context of the conversation put yourself in their shoes again and why should they…this person literally has thousands of brands that technically fall under them. Why should they spend some time trying to invest in you? And being likeable certainly a part of it explaining why your brand has a big opportunity. Whether that's your growth rate on Amazon, whether that's things that you've done off of Amazon, whether that's new products that are coming on, whether that's quest and things that you've been able to capture externally, make them care. The more they care about it and certainly it helps if you likeable, although that's not always the case, the more that person is gonna want to invest in it. This person literally has to make a…there's not enough hours in the day for the Vendor Manager to keep everybody happy. And I know now being on both sides of the table how difficult that job can be and it can be very frustrating from a brand's perspective. But every day as a Vendor Manager you have to pick who are the 95% of people I'm going to piss off by not answering them by giving them the time of the day. Just because they have so many things going on and by creating a relationship, by understanding what they need, by taking care of the easy things yourself and not bothering them with things that you can complete by yourself by filing tickets on Vendor Central you're certainly gonna increase the chance that that person is going to invest in you. If they feel like their time on the phone with you, or in meetings, or doing annual planning meeting from Seattle, or meeting at trade show is valuable and they're actually helping you grow the business they're going to want to invest more. If most of the time you're talking to them it's about I filed this ticket and it's not working, or can you help me with this bank account issue, or I can't figure out why this [inaudible 0:31:06.8] of a thing is not working that person's again going to be stretched up and the answer is probably going to be file a ticket, reach out to somebody on Vendor Central anyway. So I think the more you can keep the picture on the long term and understand there's going to be some bumps along the road the better the chances that that buyer is going to want to invest in this relationship. So nothing, no silver bullet except for be likable, think about long term, think about it from that person's perspective. Joe: Got it, geographically where are you located? Fahim: In San Francisco and I spend my time in Texas as well. But between San Francisco and Texas. Joe: And the vendors, the Vendor Central Managers are they all up in Seattle, are they located around the country, where are they? Fahim: For the most part, most of the Vendor Managers are in Seattle yup. Joe: Okay and if someone wants to learn the basics of Vendor Central to make sure that they're understanding it as much as they can, is vendor Central on Amazon.com? The best resource and knowledge base to learn the basics out there or is there another resource that you'd suggest? Fahim: Vendor, so there's certainly less and this is a little bit frustrating I think for brands, there's less information about Vendor Central than there is for Seller Central externally, there is lot of tutorials, there's a lot of training, there's a lot of information, there's Seller Central's forums etcetera that exists for Seller Central and not a lot for Vendor Central. There is a lot of information on Vendor Central if you get an invite. The help section has tons and tons of guides probably not [inaudible 0:32:33.5] to go through all the different guides. So it's a little bit [inaudible 0:32:36.0] by fire. I would certainly spend a little bit more time on the operations and figuring out how inventory management works and if you want EDI support and what that looks like and managing that part of the process early on and getting a feel for it. There are some pretty good documents on Vendor Central again but they're pretty long and exhausting. So I think you have to scour Vendor Central support, talk to other brands that are on Vendor Central potentially, pop in to the Vendor Manager and kind of just learn by doing. The good news is that you- Joe: Sounds like there's a [inaudible 0:33:11.0] in the making here. Somebody should be creating [inaudible 0:33:13.7] and teaching Vendor Central. Fahim: Yup. Joe: And you and I get a royalty for that right? Now it's just an idea. Fahim: I like the idea. Joe: It's just an idea. Now, okay this is just a theory but I want to hear what you would say and this is really not just for sellers but it's for buyers of Amazon businesses. We're running short on time so I'm gonna just say I'm launching a listing this is all theory quote unquote for air quotes for those not watching, it's going out next week, the brand has been around for about three years growing quite rapidly, there's 12 skews and 60 variations doing about 1.3 million dollars in revenue in the trailing 12 months and there is a design patent on the product as well; Seller Central only. I'm going to come to you or I'm going to try to figure out Vendor Central myself. It's in a category of well I can't really say what it's in but it's not in a massive category with tons and tons competition. It's just something that you'd look at me if we were having a beer right now you'd say, Joe, you're nuts not to look at Vendor Central. Fahim: Potentially I think you could I mean within your interest to evaluate it. So maybe you're nuts if you're not thinking about it and evaluate it. Not necessarily that it's the right decision but you need to start doing your homework to figure out if it is. And the interesting thing is it may not be right now, it may be next year or maybe six months from now. But I think if you'd simply wrote it off and say it's too complicated I don't want to do it then I'll tell you're nuts. If you said I looked at it here's the pros here's the cons, ultimately Seller Central makes a lot more sense then I think you're doing exactly what you should do. Joe: What's the first step in evaluating it? Fahim: Getting the invite. So Vendor Express used to exist and fortunately that platform is retiring in this month. It was the idea that you can sign up…anybody can sign up to be a vendor on Amazon through this Vendor Express platform and you get a lot of the same tools, not everything, but a lot of the same tools with Vendor Central. Vendor Central is an invite only platform so you need to get invite from somebody at Amazon. Whether that's your category manager or there's a selection team or somebody who lives within that retail team. So it's tough to get a lot of information until you actually get that invite because when it comes down to look to your total margin, and what is this going to look like, what's your payment terms, you don't get that information until you get the invite. So I'll tell you the first step is starting to figure out who your Vendor Manager is and starting to have some conversation. Before that I think you could probably do some level of research and see other brands in your category; how many of them are vendors, how many of them are sellers. If you are continuously being ranked in the top 20 but never in the top 10 for your category look at…you should be looking at who those top 20 are on a regular basis, what are the brands, what are the skews, what are they doing that you're not doing. And if you find that 80% of them seem to be vendors and they have access to much better A+ content than you have and videos and they're all over holiday gift guides and you see them all over Today's Deal page, and they're getting Deals of the Day, and they're on Amazon Prime or Fresh and what not then I'd certainly be keeping that at mind. If you look at the list and say nobody's doing any of that everybody has the same tools as me, maybe you come out and say I'm not getting hurt or maybe you'd say there is an opportunity just for the go. So I get…prior to getting the invite and having a conversation certainly wanting to understand what you're dynamics are. I've seen categories like luxury beauty for example, where the vast majority of brands [inaudible 0:36:40.0] are vendors. And again it's because of a variety of different tools that they have access to that are not on the Sellers Central side. So in that category if you're a brand that wanted to do north of a million or two million dollars a year I would probably very heavily consider Vendor Central and start looking into the process of figuring out who the buyer is and what can I offer and how do I get a hold of them and what would this look like for example. So I think unfortunately there's not a whole lot of prep and information out there on exactly what your margins and your…would be ahead of time and some of those other details and how much inventory they're going to order or anything like that until you actually get the invite so just the first process is research, second process is find out who the Vendor Manager is, where you could get an invite off. Joe: Yeah if you can find out who your Vendor Manager is through LinkedIn or however you might be able to strike up communications and get that invite if need be. This may be a simple question but how do I look at Amazon and find a competitor and tell if they're Seller Central or Vendor Central, is there an obvious way? Fahim: So if you're going through a listing and you look under the price there's three different options that you'll see one of them for ships from and sold by Amazon.com, one of them will say sold by ABC and fulfilled by Amazon.com, and the third one will say ships from and sold by ABC.com. Joe: Gotcha. Fahim: The third one which says ships from and sold is a seller who is also doing their own fulfillment, most cases are not Prime eligible unless they're [inaudible 0:38:09.8] prime. The second option when it says sold by ABC.com and fulfilled by Amazon means they're a seller that's [inaudible 0:38:17.7]. And the first one that says ships from and sold by Amazon.com means that Amazon is buying that. In most cases that means that brand has a Vendor Central account but again there could be a case where the brand actually doesn't sell to Amazon but a distributor does. But either way that is what they would call retail or Vendor Inventory is a ships from and sold by Amazon.com. And a final tidbit is there's been a lot of research done that shows that it differs by category but customers have more [inaudible 0:38:49.4] when it that ships from and sold by Amazon.com and conversion could be significantly higher even than an FBA listing. Certainly, both a retail and FBA listing would have higher conversion than something that's not Prime eligible than something that's not SFP but in some categories I've heard the conversion could be 30-50% higher, all else equal for something that's been shipped from and sold by Amazon.com. Not all customers understand the difference but people are becoming a little more savvy and if you're on the fence and you say I've never heard of this brand but if Amazon is buying it it's a little bit easier. But [inaudible 0:39:23.7] work a little bit easier because the brand doesn't even need to get involved. I can just reach out to Amazon Customer Service, sometimes that's the difference [inaudible 0:39:30.9] when somebody is making a difference. Joe: I hadn't even thought of that conversion rate on things 30, 40% percent maybe that's just even if you divide by four and you get a 10% bump. That's a pretty big bump for a lot of people that are listening today. Well, listen Fahim you've been great, we're running out of time I know you're gonna put together a cheat sheet for negotiating with the Vendor Central, maybe you can throw in some links there for any place that people can learn about Vendor Central. You'll share some details about eShopportunity as well and how do people find you if they are listening to this now and are driving down the street and they don't want to go to the notes. How do they find you right now? Fahim: Probably the easiest way is going on eShopportunity.com and there's a contact us form. I also do go to a bunch of conferences so oftentimes I meet and talk to brands there. I'll be at IRCE, I'm the Chairman of the Amazon conference for this year so I'll be around all day so if anybody would love to have a conversation in person that's certainly possible as well. Joe: Fantastic. Man, you've been great I appreciate it. You've cleared up a lot of things I think a lot of people are gonna ask a lot more questions and hopefully look at Vendor Central more realistically both sellers of businesses and those that are investing in them to help take it to the next level. Appreciate your time, thank you so much. Fahim: Absolutely. Thanks, Joe, wonderful time. Thank you. Joe: Talk to you soon. Thanks for listening to another episode of the Quiet Light Podcast for more resources from this episode head over to quietlightbrokerage.com. If you're enjoying the show please leave a rating and review in iTunes, this helps share the messages from the show with more business owners like you.

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[IRCE Series] Creating an Automation Platform that Cares with Steve Denner Co-Founder of Adestra

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2018 49:34

Today we have Steve Denner, the co-founder and COO of Adestra. Adestra is an email and marketing automation platform that helps companies take people through a customer journey to give them exactly what they want. They make a distinction that it is a software and a service. I see why because all of the customer videos about Adestra talk about their high touch approach with dedicated account managers. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [1:30] Jeremy introduces his guest, Steve Denner. [2:30] Steve talks about the internet landscape in 2004 and the opportunity he saw. [5:45] Where did the idea for Adestra come from? [9:30] Challenges faced along the way. [11:30] Popular features for Adestra starting out. [17:30] How Steve’s team serves their clients. [23:30] Incorporating customer feedback. [27:00] Why it’s important to hire the right people. What is Scrum Methodology? [30:00] Steve talks about developing an automation suite. [34:30] How are people using Steve’s heat mapping tool? [39:00] Steve talks about working with Incisive Media. [42:00] Who are the best clients to use Adestra? [44:00] How to connect with Adestra. [45:30] What does it take to attract talented team members? In this episode… What would an automation platform that has a heart look like? Seriously! Is it even possible? Doesn’t automation imply that it’s all about efficiency and results not about providing a human touch? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from business leader and entrepreneur, Steve Denner. In his conversation with Jeremy, Steve opens up about how Adestra got started, why he made the leap to start the company, challenges that he and his team have faced along the way, why they’ve chosen to incorporate customer feedback, who the best clients are to use Adestra’s services, how they are able to attract top-level talent, and so much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this engaging episode featuring Steve! When was the last time you saw a great opportunity and seized upon it? How did it turn out? Are you glad you took action on what you saw? How would you respond if you saw a significant opportunity in the marketplace today, would you take the risk and go for it? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from innovator and entrepreneur, Steve Denner. Steve shares about what it was that he saw back in 2004 when he surveyed the internet landscape and decided to create what would become, Adestra. You don’t want to miss this great opportunity to learn from a key leader who was able to see what others couldn’t at a critical time. Make sure to check out this fascinating episode! How would you respond if you’ve been in an industry for years churning out high-quality results for your clients but still had to fight tooth and nail to convince new clients that you could handle their business? Would you throw your hands up in frustration or would you find a way to prove them wrong? On this episode of Inspired Insider, Steve Denner shares how he and his team used the challenging moments they faced as fuel to keep them motivated and pushing the envelope of excellence. While it wasn’t always easy, Steve and his team remained committed to making a name for themselves and serving their clients with dedication and professionalism. To hear more about Steve’s journey with Adestra and the challenges they faced along the way, make sure to listen to this informative episode! One of the best ways to gauge the quality of an organization is to look at the people they employ. How would your company rank in this regard? Do you have the best people in your field? What could you do to up your game and attract top talent to your organization? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from business leader Steve Denner. Steve is convinced that the quality of their team members at Adestra is what really sets them apart in their industry. Find out how Steve and his leadership find the right team members and create a culture of success by listening to this exciting episode, you don’t want to miss it! Did you know that listening to your customers and incorporating their feedback can help you build a rock-solid reputation in the marketplace? It’s true! According to Steve Denner, the way their team members treat their clients and listen to their concerns is one of their secret weapons. At Adestra, they take pride in being one of the top quality automation platforms in the marketplace today but they also hold in high regard their reputation for how they treat their clients. To hear more about their approach as an automation platform with a heart, make sure to listen to this powerful episode of Inspired Insider! Resources Mentioned on this episode https://www.adestra.com/ Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice The Work In Half The Time Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

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[One Question] Innovative Social Media Engagement with Tom Montgomery Co-Founder of Chubbies

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2018 17:33

Today we have Tom Montgomery, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Chubbies Shorts. Chubbies is the most radical shorts company on the planet: an irreverent lifestyle brand focused on revolutionizing the shorts industry. The company revolves around a customer service-focused business model offering free three-day shipping, free returns, social advertising campaigns, and dedicated human customer service lines. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [0:45] Tom Montgomery joins the podcast to talk about his company, Chubbies. [4:00] What was the first version of Chubbies Shorts like? [6:00] Tom talks about the creative process and surprising products that took off. [8:00] How Tom and his team are innovating when it comes to social media engagement. [9:45] Challenging moments in the business so far. [12:00] Building a healthy team environment with good values and transparency. [15:00] Lessons learned along the way. In this episode… When was the last time your company conducted an audit of its social media engagement strategy? Is your organization pushing the envelope and innovating on that front or are you simply doing what everyone else is doing? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from business leader and entrepreneur Tom Montgomery. In his conversation with Jeremy, Tom explains how Chubbies got started, what their creative process is like, how they lead the way with social media engagement, challenges they’ve faced along the way, why they place such an emphasis on team culture, and so much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this fascinating episode featuring Tom! Did you know that social media engagement should be fun? It’s true! At least that is what the perception should be. If you take a look at some of the top businesses that are excelling at social media engagement you’ll see that they are succeeding because they have fun with their content. What can your organization learn from the example that Tom Montgomery and his team at Chubbies have highlighted with their expert use of social media engagement? Find out by listening to this informative episode of Inspired Insider, you don't’ want to miss it! What is the status of your team environment? Would you say that it’s healthy? What emphasis do you place on values and culture? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and innovator Tom Montgomery. From the onset, Tom and his team have worked hard to maintain a thriving work environment at Chubbies. According to Tom, this robust environment is due to the level of empowerment and positivity that flows through the culture they’ve built. Learn more about Tom’s story and the amazing business they are building at Chubbies by listening to this engaging episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode https://www.chubbiesshorts.com/ Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

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[One Question] Updating the Role of Sales Associate for the Digital Age with Oscar Sachs Co-Founder of Salesfloor

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Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2018 9:49

Today we have Oscar Sachs, co-founder and CEO of Salesfloor. Oscar is an operations and process guy with strong focus and strategic thinking, mixed with the creativity and determination of an entrepreneur. Specifically, Oscar specializes in strategy, process, retail, ecommerce, digital media, and business startups. Salesfloor is on a mission to unlock the power of today’s omnichannel sales associate by connecting them with shoppers online and in-store. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [0:50] Oscar Sachs joins the podcast to talk about his company, Sales Floor. [2:30] Customer success stories. [4:00] Where did the idea for Sales Floor come from? [5:50] Milestones along the way. [6:40] Incorporating customer feedback. [8:00] Oscar talks about the research he and his team have been working on. In this episode… Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could have a sales associate help you from the comfort of your own home? Can you imagine how helpful that would be? When will this knowledgeable role get updated for the 21st century? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from business leader and entrepreneur, Oscar Sachs. In his conversation with Jeremy, Oscar explains how his organization, Salesfloor empowers sales associates to make the most of their job and serve their customers in innovative ways. You don’t want to miss a minute of this fascinating episode featuring Oscar! It takes a lot of innovation and creativity to update a role like sales associate that has been taken for granted for so long. What does updating this role look like? Why would a business want to invest the time and resources to make such an update? At the end of the day, it all comes down to how people perform in their roles and how they can serve the customer in a more efficient and effective manner. The creative minds at Salesfloor have created a way for sales associates to keep serving their clients even when they walk out of the store. To hear more about this innovative approach, make sure to listen to this episode with Oscar Sachs! When it comes to creating a product that relies heavily on the customer experience, taking feedback seriously is crucial! One of the quickest ways you can alienate your target audience is by ignoring what they have to say about your product. On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Oscar Sachs as he explains how Salesfloor has taken customer feedback to heart and used it to further improve their product. As a business leader, this is an important lesson to take to heart. Learn more from Oscar’s perspective including an exciting project that he and his team have been working on by listening to this episode, you don’t want to miss it! Resources Mentioned on this episode www.salesfloor.net Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

[One Question] Avoiding Ecommerce Fraud and Providing Value with Suresh Dakshina Co-Founder of Chargeback Gurus

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Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2018 9:49

Suresh Dakshina is the President and Co-Founder of Chargeback Gurus. A pioneer in data analytics and industry-specific risk management, he is a certified ecommerce fraud prevention specialist and Certified Payments Professional. He understands first hand the challenges that business owners face, especially when it comes to chargebacks and fraud. Chargeback Gurus exists to help online merchants fight back against costly, time-consuming chargebacks—and win. They have been leading the charge against chargebacks for over 10 years including operating as an online merchant themselves. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [0:45] Suresh Dakshina joins the podcast to talk about his business, Chargeback Gurus. [2:00] The impact of chargebacks and fraud. [3:30] How Suresh and his team bring on a new client. [5:00] Uncovering internal issues. [6:20] The proudest moment for Suresh with Chargeback Gurus. [7:50] Tips for growing an ecommerce startup. In this episode… How can business leaders like you avoid ecommerce fraud? What options are available on the market to equip businesses with the right tools to make sure their information and their client's information is safe from abuse? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and innovator, Suresh Dakshina. In his conversation with Jeremy, Suresh explains how Chargeback Gurus can help ecommerce businesses, what kind of impact chargebacks and fraud has on a company, how he and his team have helped uncover internal issues for their clients, tips for growing an ecommerce startup, and much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this fascinating episode featuring Suresh! What type of damage can fraud and chargebacks inflict on an ecommerce business? Is it really worth the hassle to safeguard against these type of threats? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Suresh Dakshina as he explains how Chargeback Gurus can help your ecommerce business avoid disaster. In his previous role, Suresh saw his company lose on average $50,000 a month in lost revenue due to chargebacks and fraud. In light of that experience, Suresh became passionate about solving this significant problem that many businesses face. To hear more about the damage that fraud causes and the answer that Suresh and his team at Chargeback Gurus have developed, make sure to listen to this episode! Wouldn’t it be great to get a glimpse into what makes an ecommerce business so successful? Are there certain best practices that cause one company to succeed rather than others? You’ve come to the right place! On this episode, you’ll hear from Suresh Dakshina as he reveals his tips for building a thriving ecommerce startup. According to Suresh, it all comes down to providing a high-quality product or service that really stands out. He also points to gaining traction via Google ads and maintaining a great reputation on Amazon. Get more helpful insights from Suresh on this informative episode of Inspired Insider, you don't’ want to miss it! Resources Mentioned on this episode www.chargebackgurus.com https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog https://twitter.com/suresh_dakshina Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

[One Question] How Fraud Prevention Can Save You Money with Joel Gold from Eye4Fraud

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Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2018 7:21

Today we have Joel Gold representing Eye4Fraud. Eye4Fraud screens, verifies and guarantees your online orders so you can sell and ship with confidence. By offloading your orders to Eye4Fraud, you are tapping into the most complete consumer shopping data pool in the world. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [0:45] Joel Gold joins the podcast to talk about Eye4Fraud. [2:00] Joel shares some customer success stories. [3:30] What led Joel to start the company? What are common causes of fraud? [4:50] Proud moments in business. [5:50] Why ecommerce leaders need fraud prevention services. In this episode… How can business leaders like you make sure that your company is up to date when it comes to fraud prevention? Did you know that by investing in fraud prevention you can end up saving a significant amount of money down the line? It’s true! On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Joel Gold as he shares how Eye4Fraud can help service organizations like yours. In his conversation with Jeremy, Joel goes over some customer success stories, how Eye4Fraud got started, proud moments in business so far, and much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this engaging episode! Fraud prevention sounds like a passive service, can it really help businesses in a proactive way? Is it really worth the investment? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Joel Gold as he explains how Eye4Fraud can help ecommerce businesses safeguard their and their customer’s data. According to Joel, companies can save time and resources by using Eye4Fraud to deal with issues like chargebacks. Citing one example, Joel shares how Eye4Fraud helped a client by freeing up their personnel to focus on what they were trained to do while Joel and his team and go to work tracking down fraudulent charges and other breaches of security. To hear more about Joel and his work with Eye4Fraud, make sure to listen to this episode! What is it that keeps you motivated to do the work you do each and every day? Is your product or service really helping people or is it providing your with resources to do good in your community and live your life to the fullest? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Joel Gold as he shares why he loves the work he does at Eye4Fraud. Joel explains the work as stopping the bleeding for startups and ecommerce businesses who jumped into business without a solid fraud prevention plan in place. To hear more about Joel and why he is so passionate about the work he does with Eye4Fraud, make sure to listen to this informative and educational episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode https://eye4fraud.com/ https://twitter.com/Eye4Fraud Magento Big Commerce www.Authorize.net Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

[One Question] Driving Sales and Innovation with Mor Lavi Co-Founder of Cymbio

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Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2018 2:50

Today we have Mor Lavi, co-founder of Cymbio. Mor is a visionary entrepreneur with a proven track record making innovative ideas into real-life products and services. Cymbio is on a mission to reach optimized symbiosis between brands and retailers. Their aim is to help facilitate true partnerships between brands and retailers. Established in late 2014 by a team of experienced retail, wholesale and technology executives, Cymbio is the technological bridge between brands and retailers enabling new sales opportunities like never before. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [0:35] Mor Lavi joins the podcast to talk about his company, Cymbio. [1:15] What gave Mor the idea for Cymbio? [1:40] Who is the best client for Cymbio? [2:10] Mor’s tip for sellers looking to boost sales. In this episode… What does it take to create an organization that exists to help businesses excel at driving sales and push forward with innovation? Where does a business like this come from? How will they be received in the marketplace? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and innovator, Mor Lavi. In his conversation with Jeremy, Mor opens up about his inspiration for creating Cymbio, which clients are the best fit for Cymbio’s services, Mor’s tips for boosting sales, and much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this helpful and informative episode featuring Mor! What is it that leads some of the best minds in the business world to innovate and create solutions to problems that exist in the marketplace? Do they have some elaborate method of finding the right ideas for these solutions? On this episode of Inspired Insider, Mor Lavi shares how he came up with the idea for Cymbio and how that insight led to a new way for businesses to expand their reach. While it may not be the sexiest story, Mor says that the idea for Cymbio came from an internet search for a product that his wife asked him to find. Because Mor was unable to find the product that he was looking for, an idea was sparked that eventually became Cymbio. To hear how Cymbio serves the marketplace, make sure to listen to this engaging episode! What tips and insights have you learned in your business career when it comes to boosting sales? Have you taken the opportunity to learn from other sales leaders to get their answer to that question? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Mor Lavi as he goes over his top tip for business leaders who want to boost their sales. According to Mor, it all comes down to staying persistent in your approach and refusing to give up. While that may sound simple, consider giving Mor’s advice a shot. He’s been through the highs and lows of business and he genuinely wants to see leaders like you succeed. To hear additional thoughts and insights from Mor, make sure to listen to this episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode http://cym.bio/ Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

[The Question] Utilizing Loyalty Rewards and Leveraging Social Media with Jai Rawat Founder of Zinrelo

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2018 14:21

Jai Rawat is a successful serial entrepreneur and an investor, advisor, and mentor to several startups. Jai has over 24 years of industry experience and has a track record and deep passion for creating exceptional online consumer products. He is currently the co-founder and CEO of Zinrelo. Jai is also a charter member of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) and sits on the advisory boards of several companies. He has received several awards and recognition for his contributions. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [0:45] Jeremy welcomes his guest, Jai Rawat. [1:20] Why did Jai start Zinrelo? [3:00] Where did the name Zinrelo come from? Who is the ideal customer? [5:00] The best practices for companies using Zinrelo. [7:00] Jai talks about his experience with startups. [8:30] Seizing an opportunity to leverage social media. [10:00] Future plans and how to connect with Zinrelo. [11:00] Jai talks about his background and why he came to America. In this episode… How do you jumpstart and breath new life into a dated and often neglected concept like loyalty rewards? Is there a way to make this old tool relevant again? What role does social media engagement have to play when it comes to loyalty rewards? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Jai Rawat as he opens up about his career and the work he is doing at his most recent startup, Zinrelo. In his conversation with Jeremy, Jai talks about his background with startups, how he seized the opportunity to leverage social media, who the perfect client is for Zinrelo, and so much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this engaging episode featuring Jai! Have you been able to marry your skills with your passion? What did that look like for you? How have you built your passion into the day to day responsibilities of your career? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Jai Rawat as he goes over his passion and skill for creating new and exciting startups. While the journey hasn’t always been easy, Jai loves to find a missing service or product in the marketplace and find a way to address it with an innovative solution. To hear more about Jai’s background and what he’s done to build a successful career around his passions, make sure to listen to this powerful episode! When was the last time you saw a missing product or service in the marketplace that you knew would take off if you could find a solution? What does it take to identify and exploit those opportunities to your advantage? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Jai Rawat as he reveals how he identified how social media could be leveraged to help businesses engage with their target audience. For too often, Jai saw that businesses were missing the critical aspect of consumer to consumer interactions and impressions on social media and he decided that he’d create a way for businesses to break into this important channel. To hear more about Zinrelo and how they’ve been able to provide an intriguing solution to consumer engagement, make sure to listen to this episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode https://zinrelo.com/ https://twitter.com/jairawat Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

[One Question] Providing Innovative Market Solutions with Jonathan Poma CEO of BVAccel

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2018 16:10

Jonathan joined BVAccel in 2017 as CEO and is the founder and former CEO of Rocket Code, an eCommerce infrastructure agency focused on strategy and design. Prior to Rocket Code, Jonathan led eCommerce for HOMAGE, and prior to that, served as a technical business analyst and an information architect for Dynamit. Jonathan received a B.S. in Business and Marketing from Miami University. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [0:35] Jeremy welcomes his guest, Jonathan Poma. [2:00] Jon talks about customer success stories. [3:30] Creating solutions that no one thought was possible. [4:30] What led Jon to create Rocket Code? [6:00] What has been the hardest part of business so far? [7:30] Why transparency and vulnerability are so important. [8:30] Mistakes ecommerce businesses are making. [10:00] Who is the ideal Rocket Code client? [11:30] The most unusual client Jonathan has so far. [12:30] Tools that Jon and his team use. [13:30] Building a quality team. [15:00] How to connect with Rocket Code. In this episode… What does it take to provide innovative market solutions to ecommerce businesses? Is there a way to push past the impossible and deliver fresh answers to problems that most people had written off as impossible? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from innovator and entrepreneur, Jonathan Poma. In his conversation with Jeremy, Jonathan explains how his work with Rocket Code helped clients find innovative solutions, what led him to his work with Rocket Code, the ups and downs faced in business, how he’s been able to assemble a quality team, and much more. You don’t want to miss a minute of this fascinating episode featuring Jonathan! When was the last time you truly believed that you could push past the impossible? Seriously! Why is it that so many individuals and leaders give up or accept “No” as a valid answer to difficult problems? Is there a way to build a culture that challenges those perceptions and achieves the what many have deemed impossible? For Jonathan Poma, solving the impossible has been an exciting challenge that he continues to encourage his team at Rocket Code and BVAccel to work toward. Find out why Jonathan is so passionate about pushing the boundaries and achieving the impossible on this powerful episode of Inspired Insider, you don't want to miss it! What good is an ambitious goal if you don’t have the right team around you to help you achieve it? It’s like trying to climb a mountain with poor planning, the wrong team, and no equipment. What does a high-quality team look like? How to build a culture that they thrive in? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear business leader and entrepreneur Jonathan Poma. Jonathan has led a successful in his career where he has gathered the right talented people around him to achieve his goals to provide innovative market solutions. While it hasn't always been an easy road for Jonathan, he is proud of the work he does and the team he has gathered around him. To hear more about his journey, make sure to listen to this engaging episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode www.BVAccel.com exchanges.chubbiesshorts.com Shopify Plus https://www.homage.com/ https://twitter.com/bvaccel https://twitter.com/pomajp https://www.linkedin.com/in/pomajp/ Sponsor for this episode The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition – better known as IRCE – is your one-stop-shop for all of your e-retail needs. This conference and trade show offers you everything your business needs to stay ahead of your competition, in one simple location. IRCE is right around the corner in Chicago so go to www.irce.com to find out more. Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

Ep 29: Thinking Outside the Subscription Box | Kevin Tighe

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2018 41:21

Ep 29: Thinking Outside the Subscription Box | Kevin Tighe In Episode 29, Kyle Tighe, Co-Founder and CEO of Surf Shop Box, discusses various marketing strategies to create brand awareness and Surf Shop Box's unique subscription model. He shares his insight on building a brand from scratch, establishing partnerships, and marketing to two different target audiences. Kyle begins by providing background information on Surf Shop Box and how the business operates. He shares that building relationships with both established and emerging brands presents efficient marketing for the businesses while exposing customers to a variety of quality surf apparel. Tyler and Kyle also discuss different acquisition channels that work best for Surf Shop Box, including the use of influencer marketing on Facebook and Instagram. In regards to the subscription model, Kyle advises listeners to discover what's most effective for both the company and its customers. The conversation wraps up with Kyle sharing his key takeaway: subscription commerce is an extremely powerful business model. Overall, Kyle explains that there are many opportunities for marketing leaders to apply this concept to their own businesses. Join Tyler, Michelle, and Kyle in this conversation about their subscription box model as they explain how Surf Shop Box implements its own unique strategies. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 00:53 – What’s In the News | Google’s Mobile-First Index 03:44 – Featured Guests Intro | Kevin Tighe 03:53 – Surf Shop Box 06:06 – Subscription Box Model 11:08 – Building a Brand from Scratch 13:55 – Niche Marketing 17:08 – Acquisition Channels 17:50 – Measuring the Success of Influencer Marketing 21:15 – 2018 IRCE 22:08 - KPIs 24:50 – Minimizing Churn 30:40 – Conversion Rate Optimization 33:26 – How to get Surf Shop Box’s message Across to Customers 34:24 – Possible Rebrand of Surf Shop Box 37:12 – Key Take Away 40:42 – Outro Featured Guest | Kevin Tighe surfshopbox.com - Code LIONSHARE for $20 Off IRCE - CHICAGO: https://www.irce.com 10% off conference passes (Exhibit Hall Only passes excluded) and will be valid starting on 1/1/2018. Code: LIONS18 Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast Learn More About Tyler & Kyle Music Intro Music – Colony House – Buy “2:20” on iTunes Outro Music – Skillet – Buy “Lions” on iTunes

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Ep 27: Putting Bums in Seats | Nick James

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2018 28:28

In Episode 27, Nick James, a business mentor and creator of Expert Empires, shares his journey of how Expert Empires began and the unique conferences that it brings to the UK each year. Nick has hosted the likes of Grant Cardone and Ryan Deis from Digital Marketer, but he earned his way to the top through hard work and hustle. Nick takes us through the challenges and successes he’s endured. Nick starts us off on explaining where the idea came from to start Expert Empires. He tells us that from a young age he was already interested in event promotion and it sparked him to continue down this path. He goes on to discuss how building your own brand authority is a key to success when creating an event with industry thought leaders. Nick dishes on his Bums on Seats Bootcamp and how effective that event has been for his brand authority. Nick and Tyler discuss the topic of starting an event from scratch, what that entails and how tough it really is no matter how easy it looks. Tyler and Nick cover some of the mistakes to avoid in event marketing, and both give great insights from their past endeavors. Join Tyler and Michelle in this episode on building brand authority, SMS marketing tactics and mastering event marketing. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 00:48 – What’s In the News | Delta & the Olympic Team 05:50 – Featured Guest Intro | Nick James 06:19 – Expert Empires 08:09 – Event Promotion 09:10 – Building Own Brand Authority 10:50 – Secrets to Success 13:32 – Bums On Seats Bootcamp 14:40 – Difference in Marketing between UK and USA 16:07 – What's Working 19:26 - IRCE 21:52 – Starting an Event From Scratch 24:29 – Mistakes to Avoid 26:47 – Key Take Away 27:40 – Outro Featured Guest Nick James | Business Mentor and Creator at Expert Empires IRCE - CHICAGO: https://www.irce.com 10% off conference passes (Exhibit Hall Only passes excluded) and will be valid starting on 1/1/2018. Code: LIONS18 Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast Learn More About Tyler & Kyle Music Intro Music – Colony House – Buy “2:20” on iTunes Outro Music – Skillet – Buy “Lions” on iTunes

Ep 25: Silver Edition

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2018 52:29

Ep 25: Silver Edition In Episode 25, We dive into some great content and insightful advice from several of our Podcast guests that were featured in 2017. The episode begins with Founder of Raven Tools, John Henshaw, and what marketing tools leaders can implement in their reports. Re-platforming was a subject that Jeff Cash touched on in Episode 3 as he discussed the pros and cons and what challenges may develop. Throughout the episode our featured guests share key insights on marketing strategy for startups, integrating Sales & Marketing teams, and what a Global eCommerce strategy entails. Towards the end of Episode 25, Cristina Ceresoli gives us a look at the state of retail and where it's headed. Marcus Murphy and Tyler brought the jokes and also discussed where Digital Marketing is headed. Andrea Ward shares insight on how eCommerce is changing rapidly and considering the right eCommerce platform is key to a company’s success. Join Tyler and Michelle in this Silver Episode on Kickstarting Brands, Marketing Trends, Global eCommerce Strategies and what’s next in Digital Marketing. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 01:25 – Ep 1: John Henshaw - Founder of Raven Tools 07:30 – Ep 3: Jeff Cash - Liquidity Services 10:23 – Ep 7: Jamie Alber - Digital Golf Warehouses 13:30 – Ep 10: Scott Yoffe - LA Chargers 17:28 - IRCE 18:48 – Ep 12: Dan Farris - Kickstarting a Brand 21:24 – Ep 13: Mike McMillian - Dream CSX 23:33 – Ep 14: Charlie Cole - Tumi | Samsonite 27:44 – Ep 15: Josh Weum - Google 30:22 – Ep 16: Andrew Malcolm - Evernote 32:09 – Ep 17: Paul Dailey - Puma 35:36 – Ep 18: Ashok Kamal - Tech Coast Angels 40:13 – Ep 19: James Martinez - Safari 41:30 – Ep 21: Cristina Ceresoli - NRF 44:39 – Ep 22: Marcus Murphy - Digital Marketer 47:44 – Ep 24: Andrea Ward - Magento 51:38 – Outro IRCE - CHICAGO: https://www.irce.com 10% off conference passes (Exhibit Hall Only passes excluded) and will be valid starting on 1/1/2018. Code: LIONS18 Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast Learn More About Tyler & Kyle Music Intro Music – Colony House – Buy “2:20” on iTunes Outro Music – Skillet – Buy “Lions” on iTunes

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Ep 23: The OIA Is A Marketing Force | Gareth Martins and Alex Lemley

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2018 26:04

Ep 23: The OIA Is A Marketing Force | Gareth Martins and Alex Lemley In Episode 23, Gareth Martins, Director of Marketing and Alex Lemley, Marketing Manager at the Outdoor Industry Association, discuss their roles at Outdoor Industry Association. Both Gareth and Alex share insight into the OIA and it’s purpose. The pair goes on to discuss Outdoor Retailer's signature event in 2018 and talk about social media strategies that have worked for them. Gareth and Alex start off by sharing what the Outdoor Industry Association is all about and how impactful the organization is in regards to helping preserve public lands and monuments. They speak on the Together We’re a Force campaign and how that has led outdoor retailers and organizations to rally together around the issue of public land preservation. Tyler, Gareth and Alex also discuss the Outdoor Retail Event in 2018 that will be held in Denver for the first time. They talk about the events leading up to moving the OR show from Salt Lake City and how it has gained a lot of interest from those who are attending. Gareth and Alex also speak on the digital marketing and social media strategy that they have implemented this year and how they have seen positive results from it, along with some of the OIA’s marketing goals for 2018. Gareth and Alex end the conversation by giving key advice on always considering what you want to accomplish through marketing efforts, as well as knowing it is important to be relatable with the person you are targeting on the flip side of an email campaign. Join Tyler, Michelle, Gareth, and Alex in this conversation about the OIA and how they're leveraging marketing to enhance their impact on the outdoor industry. 00:00 – Intro 00:54 – What’s in the News | Patagonia suing President Trump 04:56 – Featured Guests Intro | Gareth and Alex 05:40 – Gareth and Alex’s role at the OIA 06:03 – What is the OIA and it’s Purpose 08:43 – Together We Are A Force Campaign 09:45 – Leveraging Cause Marketing 11:46 – Antiquities Act: Protect Public Land and Monuments 12:58 – IRCE 2018 Conference 14:05 - Outdoor Retail Event 2018 15:34 – Challenges in Moving OR Show to Denver 16:55 – Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategy 18:07 – Biggest Marketing Challenges 19:19 – OIA Marketing Goals for 2018 24:08 – Key Take Away Featured Guest Gareth Martins | Director of Marketing LinkedIn Twitter Alex Lemley | Marketing Manager LinkedIn Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast Learn More About Tyler & Kyle Music Intro Music – Colony House – Buy “2:20” on iTunes Outro Music – Skillet – Buy “Lions” on iTunes

[One Question] Investing in Customer Success with Michael Anderson co-Founder of Etail Solutions

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Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2017 25:35

Michael Anderson is the CoFounder of Etail Solutions, they are a Multi-Channel Commerce Solution for High-Volume Merchants. Etail Solutions’ Platform provides high volume merchants (average starting size of $250k/month) with a toolset including online sales channels automation, order management system, global pricing/repricing controls, supplier integrations, product catalog management and data warehouse reporting. Etail’s focus is to drive efficiency to allow them to scale without having to add staff or increase expenses. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [1:05] Jeremy introduces his guest, Michael Anderson. [2:30] A big obstacle, the ability to scale. [5:30] Michael talks about how he helped a client with automation. [8:30] A story about growing and scaling a business. [12:30] Unique sourcing can make a huge difference! [16:00] Conferences and shows that Michael and his team attend. [19:00] Pushing for customer success. [22:30] Michael talks about navigating work life balance. In this episode… What comes to mind when you hear the term, “Customer Success?” Does it make you think of a company that puts it’s customers first? How can business leaders like you find ways to communicate to your customers that their success matters to you? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and innovator Michael Anderson. Michael and his team at Etail Solutions are at work building and sustaining a reputation for helping their clients thrive in the marketplace. At the end of the day, it’s all about adopting a proactive rather than a reactive approach to the customer experience and helping them meet their objectives. To hear more about this subject and other helpful insights from Michael, make sure to catch this informative episode! One of the big buzzwords on the marketplace today is automation. Does your company utilize automation? Can you imagine the impact you would see in your company if you could free up your time or the time of your key leaders? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from Michael Anderson as he shares how his company, Etail Solutions has helped leaders like you embrace automation. It’s by no means, an easy road to travel, there are costs and other challenges involved with adopting an automation centric approach, but the payoff can be huge! Learn more from Michael and the helpful stories he has to share on this episode! What steps have you taken as a business leader to ensure that you have enough fuel left in the tank for your friends and family? How do you navigate a healthy work-life balance? On this episode of Inspired Insider, entrepreneur and innovator Michael Anderson opens up about his own journey and how he focuses on the people that matter the most to him. Michael doesn’t make the equation any more complicated than it needs to be when the workday is done, Michael becomes unavailable. He clearly holds the time with his family as a top priority and his actions reflect that. What lessons can you learn from Michael’s story? Find out on this episode! Resources Mentioned on this episode https://www.olivabel.com/ IRCE www.Etailsolutions.com https://www.facebook.com/EtailSolutionsLLC/ www.twitter.com/TeamEtail Sponsor for this episode This is part of the Prosper Show Ecommerce Mastery Series where top Sellers and Experts teach you what really works to boost your ecommerce business. They have an amazing conference with some of the top Amazon sellers and industry leaders. *************** Rise25 is where entrepreneurs of 6,7, and 8 figure businesses come together live and in person every few months to solve their biggest business challenges through this high-level Mastermind group. Each member leaves each week with lifelong friendships and actionable steps to take their business to the next level. Check out Rise25.com - a group run by myself and cofounder John Corcoran. Rise 25 is application only.

"Brick and Mortar Still Matters"

Future Commerce - A Retail Strategy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2017 51:03

The guys discuss in-store experiences that don't suck, and recap IRCE.

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32. Viktigaste e-handelstrenderna från konferensen IRCE i Chicago

Ehandelstrender

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2017 35:20

I USA, där Amazon står för all tillväxt inom handeln, kommer 9000 butiker att stängas i år. Patrik Müller, e-handelsexpert på Dibs, rapporterar om de viktigaste e-handelstrenderna från konferensen IRCE i Chicago. Han berättar också om att B2C företagen i USA alltmer aktivt börjar sälja till företag eftersom B2B-företagen lämnar walk over. Vi snackar också om rapporten Handelns betydelse som förutspår att e-handeln tagit 60-75 procent om trettio år. Sist men inte minst funderar vi kring nyheten att Ikea tänker börja sälja från marknadsplatser som Amazon och Alibaba. Möbeljätten nöjer sig inte längre med att 4 procent av deras försäljning är online. I 32:a avsnittet av podden E-handelstrender medverkar Patrik Müller, e-handelsexpert på Dibs, Christer Pettersson, e-handelschef på Arvato och Urban Lindstedt, journalist.

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EYStudios IRCE 2017 Recap

EY Access - Expert eCommerce Access

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2017 13:57

Listen to “EY's IRCE 2017 Recap" On our most recent episode of EY Access, Eric Yonge speaks with members of our team about their week out at IRCE and what their key takeaways were. Here are a few highlights from their discussion: - Kicking off the week at the BigCommerce Growth Summit - Keynote speaking session from Sephora on Experiential Retail - Where we see partners going and what we see merchants seeking - Wrapping up the week strong with live site reviews on Friday

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E10 Alexa's SexyTime Skill, IRCE 2017, Mo's lack of arm strength, Apple's WWDC 2017

Mo + Jo's Epic Tech Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2017 50:22

The one where Mo + Jo talk about why talking sexy to Alexa is really weird, the Internet Retailer Conference, how Mo has no upper body strength and an honest review of Apple's WWDC 2017

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E10 Alexa's SexyTime Skill, IRCE 2017, Mo's lack of arm strength, Apple's WWDC 2017

Mo + Jo's Epic Tech Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2017 50:22

The one where Mo + Jo talk about why talking sexy to Alexa is really weird, the Internet Retailer Conference, how Mo has no upper body strength and an honest review of Apple's WWDC 2017

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EP086 - Dorel Juvenile Group Bob Land and Jamie Dooley

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2017 66:56

EP086 - Dorel Juvenile Group Bob Land and Jamie Dooley An interview with Bob Land is the VP Consumer Engagement and Jamie Dooley is the Head of E-Commerce at Dorel Juvenile Group. Dorel Juvenile is the world’s leading juvenile product company and has over 11k employees globally. They have a portfolio of 11 brands include Cosco and Safety 1st. In this interview, we discuss Dorel's to to market strategy, including: Wholesale Direct to Consumer Marketplaces Physical/Popup DTC B2B In particular Dorel is a hybrid seller (1p and 3p) on both Walmart and Amazon's marketplaces. Jamie will be one of the speakers at "Amazon & Me" an all day workshop on Tuesday June 6th at IRCE, hosted by Scot Wingo. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 86 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Wednesday May 24, 2017. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, SVP Commerce & Content at Razorfish, and Scot Wingo, Founder and Executive Chairman of Channel Advisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. New beta feature - Amazon Automated Transcription of the show: Transcript Jason: [0:25] Welcome to the Jason and Scott show this episode is being recorded live on Wednesday May 24th 2017 I'm your host Jason retailgeek Goldberg and as usual I'm here with your co-host Scot Wingo. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [0:40] Hey Jason and welcome back Jason Scott show listeners you know Jason some of the feedback we get says that some of our jokes especially yours are juvenile so we have perfect guest for the show tonight. Jason: [0:52] Internist that that feedback is mostly from my family. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [0:57] Guy cuz they get to live with them all the time so tonight we're really excited to have two members of the door old juvenile group e-commerce team dorel juvenile is the world's leading juvenile Product Company and has over 11,000 employees globally they have a portfolio of 11 Brands including Costco and safety first, we're excited to have on the show Bob land who is the VP of consumer engagement and Jamie Dooley who is the head of eCommerce welcome Bob and Jamie hello. Alright cool so what what part of the world I'm in Raleigh Jason is back home in Sunny Chicago where you guys at. [1:36] I am in the Backwoods of Southern New Hampshire and put our company is actually headquartered in the u.s. in Foxboro Massachusetts probably about 15 minutes away from the. [1:51] And I'm in the back words of Boston okay so the first Speaker there was Jamie and II was Bob for those either don't recognize their voices. Jason: [2:01] We always like to start the show by getting a rundown on your background and how you got to your current rolls and maybe a little bit about what the the scope of your role is now so Bob can we start with you. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [2:14] Sure sure I'm I'm kind of the the old man of eCommerce it seems I started off in eCommerce in 1995. Not sure how often you you hear that but I work a Polaroid and I was a product manager on it, try to call to make a print you know those machines that you going to a CVS or Walgreens and you can't hear photo, we did that 95 and we use the internet to you know send some photos to the Internet so it was. Kind of an early beginning I went to Rensselaer which is a little College in Upstate New York engineering school lunch lids.com and 1999 and if you know those guys. Happy tailor. And then cvs.com for CVS Pharmacy in around 2001 when I got into the affiliate space know if you guys are the affiliate world like I do but I started. And a Commission Junction. And then it starts from 2006 all the way to 2011 where we got bought by rapper 10 which is a pretty large e-commerce player out of Japan. That's why I stayed for a while on their leadership team and then found dorel that's our video ad from our new CEO recruiting people for a digital transformation so I've been there been here ever since. Jason: [3:44] End and how long is ever since when did you get to dorel. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [3:47] The three and a half years but then e-commerce terms is talking about sweat 7 is that the multiplier. Jason: [3:54] I think so so you're off probation then. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [3:59] Double secret probation. Jason: [4:02] Awesome in Jamie what about yourself. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [4:06] Well I'm just tangentially my probation officer I need to call him after this process will that I'm a giraffe. Jason: [4:14] That was one of the conditions of your parole if I'm not mistaken. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [4:18] And absolutely was so so I went to MIT for graduate school. Jason: [4:24] That's like a liberal arts college in the in the Northeast. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [4:29] Yes yeah it's a little small school and I actually I was one of the only people in my graduating class but actually went into retail so I would I got recruited out of. Alabama teacher to go work at the Bayern brick-and-mortar for target with snow very traditional Japanese e-commerce go go to MIT and then go into rock music. Has the buyer of rock CDs for for Target. And then what is a brick-and-mortar bar Provo Target in and Staples and then ultimately ended up back here in New England working for Wayfair where I was. The director category management for a number of categories including the baby categories that I was really my first entree into the baby space as well as toys and game rooms. And ultimately went to Dunkin brands or Dunkin Donuts headquarters where I where I live retail merchandising in eCommerce and then more recently was the, director of e-commerce merchandising strategy for Toys R us.com and babiesrus.com. Most recently I've been at the route for about a year-and-a-half now and I'm head of e-commerce where. I actually came to the company name because Bob and the leadership team and painted a really exciting vision for. Transforming what was already a very well-known company in the baby's face into more e-commerce focused and digital organization. [5:59] Very excited to a part of that change over the last year we made him take the Kool-Aid right off the bat. I was keeping track and I think between the two of you we've got 480 of the IR 500 so congratulations on that careers. Pretty robust set of companies to work for thank you. [6:23] So what's up let's kind of started a high-level and kind of work our way in peel the onion is at work so, you know you guys were at retailers before and a vendor there and now you're at Brand so tell us a little bit how do you guys think about channels and then just just, macro online offline in and how, no important that is for you guys dabs about you in so that they must be pretty important and then as we know and then within the channels within online I'll pry have a follow-up so just start there. [6:58] Sure so we saw into a number of different channels and just high-level so you guys are so of the listeners and everyone understand. We were the largest manufacturer in the US of baby products that everything from strollers car seats to infant Health Products like thermometers. Safety monitors and probably the product. People probably with his the Baby on Board sign in a lot of cars that that is so when we when we think about Channel there's obviously we went to the traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. We we silent appear quite online retailers as well. We also have a very strong and growing DTC Channel weather and I can talk a little bit more about you what comprises Rd to see Channel marketplaces. Start with kind of don't think of Market places around my marketplaces as part of Vita C. But if so that's probably another Channel we looking at and then we have we we have done physical stores and pop-up stores so Wickham orders is kind of our own channel. And then we have some B2B channels list. [8:18] Cool so Mom. What your summary of the scope of of online and is this kind of guys or Ground Zero or is there been some progress. [8:29] Yeah I think we've had some Dennis progress over the last probably the last year-and-a-half and in terms of not over not only just a digital transformation in the mentality of probably approach, e-commerce but from a sales perspective as well so the industry. Depending on the category were and we Runnin so many different categories and babies.com Rd Commerce penetration ranges anywhere from 10 to 50% off, 30% and we're certainly not work with a lot of our competitors haven't been at babiesrus.com and wait there to know that we're certainly at the high end of. About scale in terms of. Penetration relative to the rest of the industry and we're obviously a really big company were bitching about a billion dollars a year. E-commerce business is certainly one of our fastest growing parts of the business that work cited about that so we feel like. But you were going to really embraced the change and we continue to see things coming out of the hangout e-commerce. It's kind of nice I was allowed to go as broad as we have. In that you know we didn't when I you know only doing gay to see or only the e-commerce group, where in the space we're going to be call a consumer engagement but really it's we have the the brand marketing budget as well. We have call center we have to see via Parker places with several different groups under kind of One Umbrella. [10:06] So we from our perspective if we you know we feel that we should start selling, Autoflower call center upselling services or things like that we're absolutely he was in our Charter to do something like that so it's it's a nice bit of freedom, inside of a relatively large company do you guys operate at so we had Greg, poster on from VF Corp and they they're kind of like a sinner for e-commerce and then the brands kind of feed off of that in other places other, other kind of houses brands with talk to there's almost like independent groups that kind of run things how are you guys set up at a macro Essence macro level. [10:49] We're a core team so each one of the brands. So the five really that we operate out of out of Foxboro and. The week of the group the go-to-market team on once the NPD process the new product development process goes to a certain point we do all the launch planning for the company, read we really don't get into Channel management is probably what we draw the line with the sales team but it's really a core group. That that. Works to really extend the the brand marketing so the brand teams really only get to work on product development. And core brand development and then we really do the activation now part of the brand. Jason: [11:38] Got interesting you know, I'm always fascinated I have some clients that are brands that very robust direct-to-consumer business is and then I also have some some brands that are super early in their DTC journey and those guys are always terrified about the channel conflict issues, I'm sort of assuming by how robust your your channels are that that that if there were any concerns those concerns of sort of played out in the past is that the fair characterization or is that still something you have to Grapple with. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [12:15] I think we still we absolutely grapple with it everyday I wouldn't say. It's it's a huge obstacle for trying to run eCommerce but we're certainly mindful of. Are we evolve our Retail Partners as we're managing to the Sea, and I think we've approached it where we we don't we don't want to actively compete with our major Retail Partners uncertainly in my career taking Amazon honest is never a good idea. Walmart or any of the other. Major retailers video into our goal is to provide regardless of the channel to customer purchased directly. Rr1 PV terrorism cell, on the marketplace is and then our call centers in P2P our goal is ultimately to have all those channels work worth in Harmony and not trying to shoot against each other first. Jason: [13:17] Ghana and I'm assuming you're sort of Court digital team isn't just a supporting the DTC so you're probably also providing content and assets and stuff for your for your 1p partners for their own e-commerce efforts is that. Is that true. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [13:32] Yeah that's absolutely true I think that's part of how we tried to, just saw the vision to our Retail Partners and throughout the organization is that what we do from a contract perspective or everything that we're doing to enhance the customer experience online is certain Morrison. Healthy overall company attorney just to this point it's taking awhile No 3 or 4 years now. It's like a data Liberation movement had 7 or 8 products, catalogs you can spread all over the world all these different databases and recently called salsify a kind of bring it all together. And really once we took moves like that and really didn't rely on Legacy systems anymore of your completely rebuilt the marketing technology Stacks we we train the prods managers to develop, content in in you know the way that it should be developed for online so it was kind of it's getting to a point where it's a lot easier than it used to be. Wow the barriers have been really knocked down at not to say that we don't find new barriers kind of every week I'll place in front of us but I think the systems that the kind of the level of. Availity. Citizens have a really empowers everybody we would taking a lot of cost out of the business to you nobody not by giving off of these Legacy systems cell. What a nice Pivot Point here. Jason: [15:05] Yeah I find that. [15:09] Often is a cost savings for brands that you know in the old world you under nose to you or treating the same content multiple times for multiple touch points and when you're when you get those more robot systems you get better content reuse often. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [15:24] Yeah I agree absolutely we also we're spending money in the wrong places, so you don't know gone are the days we have to do $30,000 photo shoots for a single product launch as far as I'm concerned for dorel anyway. You know we do social, social photoshoot we invite you know parents who live within 30 miles of the office to bring their cute baby in for the day and we shower them with gifts and you get amazing photos out of a session like that, and you're doing consumer engagement so it's kind of my fault now. Jason: [15:56] Place very interesting we might want makes for that more but I do want to touch on something you you introduced a little earlier so Amazon is one of your Retail Partners you're selling to them 1p you're also selling on marketplaces and I'm presuming one of those marketplaces as is Amazon so you're sort of sailing, food through two methods and we often call that sort of a hybrid model is that do I have that right and if so can you can you talk our listeners through how that's work for you. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [16:31] Sure yeah and that's absolutely right yeah we are hybrid we we've sold by 1p for over a decade. 1 times and then we launched on Amazon Marketplace about a little over a year ago and it just took off and fantastic and. I think we have a really good partnership with our vendor managers on a one piece side and we're we're fortunate enough to have the Rangers for top managers on the marketplace side so I think so. Yeah meet me at some pretty wacky goals to his phone e-commerce perspective. Last year and we beat them pretty and within certainly the marketplaces were a big part of that in addition to the overall eCommerce performance. Water brands I talk to you they get really confused by this that kind of say. [17:24] Alright so I get the whole sale thing why would you have 3 piano, an answer to this. Like from from your perspective you know what was it that led you to kind of explorer that and and what are some of the levers that gives you to pull in the in the Amazon side effects. I think for us when I got hired I was hired to talidi to see and I don't think we really knew how we wanted. Focus mostly on transfer store on marketplaces physical store. [17:59] What is strong physical store on sales revenue stream in Europe. So I looked at it from a wax way and I think from from traffic perspective certainly it was it would be easiest to go after online marketplaces that was one of the. The major factors that. I thought about when we were. Trying to decide which do we focus on first focus on all them now but you only have so much resources in the beginning. I love that we have the safety net that you've done your podcast the parking lot about craft items and then we can go. A safety net for when or if Amazon decides to send to crop out items we can put them on the marketplace pretty easily and then. Our products kind of engine in six pockets and I talked about this in the session I do, and I are coming out where we will get it from A New Perspective an existing catalog perception online on one exclusives or what would call Alexander's. Accessories and then exit 17 closed. So it gives us the flexibility to. To go in and decide how we're going to approach each one of those product buckets for each one of our friends in our portfolio and gives us a lot of options for how we want to we want to drive sales for each of those. [19:31] Graco so in the early days how much skew overlap is there between 1 p and 3p a lot of the folks I've talked to they the first explorer 3p because you know they presented, 10000 skews the Amazon Amazon spot 1000, and if you would initially is a way to get the rest of their product line up there is that the case with you guys it sounds like there's a little overlap there cuz you do that safety-net kind of do listing approach. So there's absolutely no overlap on the Amazon side Amazon actually doesn't allow that so if anyone from Amazon is going to kill the lamp. Butter. What we and other and other Mark of places that does allow us and a little bit of a safety net so if the one piece side goes out of stock already. The house of a three-piece. Jason: [20:27] In just a clarifying question on the overlap. [20:33] So does that include out of stocks so if if Amazon carries ask you and they go out of stock can you sell it as 3p until they come until they make another by or or do you just stay away from those cubes entirely. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [20:48] Why I think this. If you're if you're sticking to the letter of Amazon's policy is that if Amazon carries an item or merchandise is an item on the one piece I'd you can't set that I'm up, on the three people and their algorithms actually flag, you and tell you that you don't know what to do that if it if it's a text if you have an overlapping you on the marketplace. There is any one of the other. The oversight that a lot of people have is that it's not just really one p vs 3T there's three different types of freaky and three different types of One Piece One of the types of one piece is from where. You're you're not the seller record it's not a Marketplace relationship with one. Amazon is still the seller record but it's very much like what you talked about Jason if Amazon goes out of stock it automatically defaults to a Dropship order within our warehouse. That's almost like a Marketplace you can take advantage of his laundry feeding the SI weight. Jason: [21:55] Got to and have you experimented with any vendor the field FBA stuff in your portfolio. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [22:03] Yes absolutely we actively use a PA now and we continue to work out any but the cost of shipping is one of our biggest challenges and seven e-commerce. E-commerce player and certainly you as a friend so FDA is certainly getting more expensive so we need to make sure we're watching that obviously is a very. Very powerful traffic drivers. Jason: [22:33] Yep. [22:34] And then on the one being three-peat one of the the complaints I often hear or one of the obstacles to being a hybrid seller is obviously Amazon has tools for One Piece settlers in Vendor Central and they have this Seller Central 4, for three-piece hours do you use those tools and just use them separately, play for both sides of your business or if you look at any of the sort of third-party systems that try to agregate those two tools. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [23:04] Yeah yeah so we are we both we do use both systems vendor Central and Seller Central. Anyone who is both knows that the day that you have available to you on that much more robust. Been trying to figure out how to drive more cell weather looking stop at the conversion or just all the metrics the jobs available. And was your business even on the one piece side even if you have one with the skull premium Ara. You don't have access to that kind of data so to answer your question yeah we looked at a number of third-party Data Solutions, some of them I think some of your other around previous speakers on the podcast like Lisa or Andrea, or one foot retail or friend you those are the solutions we've looked at more about the more we're about to sign a contract actually this week with one of them as you mentioned between, what size of the business in concert, cool um I know you guys are real active on Amazon advertising and we've touched on that with some pass gas but would love to hear how you guys think about it and maybe just for listeners you could recap, the I think people get kind of I know I do get confused there's all these kind of alphabet soup that gets thrown around and since your hybrid you have every, every tool available to you so maybe give a quick rundown of the tools available that's one p and 3p and then which ones you use and then would love to hear. [24:40] Any thoughts on the efficacy of those programs. [24:45] Sure so at a very high level I'm just so many different programs that Amazon has but I mean I think the paper forms from. [24:55] Formed if you were wild about nine months ago. There was just a much more defined difference between what you have available is a one piece and what you have available to speak also AMS has three different types of. Advertising on there is lots of products there's others headlines and then there is, but you only as a 3p so are you only had access to sponsor products on the MSI where is One Piece a drive axle. So from that perspective on the one beside you I talked about this even a couple of months ago and today is a one-piece so are you have just much more. Options available to you from a marketing perspective advertising perspective available. What we're hearing is that all three types of of a nice advertising are going to be available, Sellers as well so I think you're starting to see Last of Us and certainly is not about your podcast Amazon is going after the digital advertising. I wouldn't be surprised to see all options offered to post 137. On the AMG side. It's more of a branding experience if I necessarily something that's going to be easy you usually try to sell so we can use both but though. [26:32] We found that at least in the past AMG is is not have the tire off an artist is a mess with. [26:42] Contra listeners OMG is, more like banners and it kind of brand oriented advertising so CPM style advertising in AMS is more search CPC type advertising and there's there's several flavors of it with an Amazon of where things show up but that's kind of the the broad distinction there. Right and I am hearing about a lot of different beta program that there's the testing on the AMD side 30 when I getting much better be targeted. Open up advertising office again so. I think it'll be interesting to see what I am to get better I would have said, did this kind of a question and what's what's take this out of dorel just for a second cuz you guys are, you have been around that at retailers and all so do you guys think there's risk to some of the other AD companies out there you know so pretend you or at Toys R Us made as bags ample and you know I'm sure they have a huge, Google about didn't you know, seems like Amazon lose a lot more your there's the stat that always comes out that 55% of products are just started Amazon think that's a bloomreach stat but then there's also a Forester head supporting data on that up till about 2 years ago so, you know it it's kind of interesting to think you could this really be a challenge to, Google and and we're seeing broadly people really, they experimented year ago and now they're shifting budget directly out of Google Wallet over towards that side how do you guys think that's that's. [28:20] Something that could happen I do yeah I have p.m. [28:28] I'll defer to Bob with a bob has a much deeper background and digital advertising sign on them yeah I think you know. [28:39] Even just thinking about Darrell and what we've done we've really it's almost like you're shutting down our brand advertising. You know I'm pushing the money really over into Amazon just because it's almost becoming. Some of the weirdest as well. So if I say it well I'm going to do this launch a new product all that effort goes into launching that new product on Amazon with AMS. And if I'm looking sumur all the time I don't know how much they're still going, to know bloggers who have been paid to do a review on a product I think it's almost like letting the people vote so if I want a product I'm going to go to Amazon going to trust that whatever I type in, it's going to be if it's a bestseller with great reviews, how much more convincing do I need to buy that product so even some of the more considered buys I think if there's going to be a shift if it's already not know happening now. [29:44] Yeah what do you think about so I've also heard from Brands and about this common affiliate thing so what they're saying is you know, I advertise on Amazon and I thought I would get lift on Amazon and I can measure that but I'm also single lift off Amazon yeah what's your reaction to that. Oh yeah absolutely it's relatively well known about the kind of $1 for. I'll spend on Amazon equal $7 outside it varies by category so you know when baby like our products receive more like an $8 left and I was out of Amazon that's the tricky part is is. It's not that straightforward to measure you know it we're not seeing exactly those numbers so I think it takes it takes time. Jason: [30:32] Very cool so does it feel to you like that's a trend that's unique to Amazon in North America and they're just becoming a great ad platform or is it a shift to reach Arizona like we are you guys also investing in like, Walmart's equivalent which would be w/imax or or any of those sorts of things. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [30:53] That's a good question Walmart. Even even for a mess we don't use the reporting that I am s at all really we really kind of built our own reports and will do the same with W Max. And really have concentrated a lot of the other dollars right there because with guys like Triad and hooklogic can come your other choices on the on the other retailers website they've always. Kind of obscured the Bry. To some degree so it's been it's been tough I'm hoping that those systems evolve a little bit more in their little bit less opaque I think they're going to have to to stay competitive. Jason: [31:46] Dangerous a wino there's a bunch of wmx salespeople listening right now so I'm sure you'll be hearing from them from the. [31:53] What will will will be that point home that that transparency and access to data is one literally one of the impediment with folks spending money with you. [32:04] So Scot, Jamie, Bob: [32:06] I think you're pointing that out that's one of them I think she was the thing through the the challenges with. Madison mdfl now it's won the data for the day is just not easy to come by and it's not a Preposterous some of the more that was advertising Channel. Second is mobile mobile experience and desktop experience of War. I don't know that anyone including Amazon it's real practical. Mobile experience. Jason: [32:44] Yeah which is interesting because you would you would certainly think like it is hard to believe there's a technical or skills and pediment keeping someone like Amazon from building. [32:54] A great advertising platform and great report and a great mobile experiences. [33:02] Just feels like they haven't got around to it yet but hopefully I don't know if you know this but Jeff is a big listener the show so you know this could be triggering an email as we speak. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [33:12] Does a Jeff email happening right now. Jason: [33:18] Should be on the advertising are there any other considerations that you guys think about it in terms of maximizing your your results on Amazon, I noticed I and I should have mentioned this up front I've got a 20 month old in the house so I'm the big user of your products. [33:36] You've dramatically slowed down my midnight snacking because like all the the safety first products in my kitchen make it much harder to get food out in the dark. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [33:46] But thankfully that's pressure machine isn't protected. Jason: [33:52] Exactly just just a product idea for you is some LED lighting and some of that stuff might be helpful. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [33:58] Will cost us a penny more to make them glow in the dark. Jason: [34:02] Exactly. [34:04] But I have noticed you guys are well represented in all the different Amazon programs and so you know you have a lot of add-on products I also noticed you guys have some Amazon Choice status, product so you know I guess I'd be, pictures do you overly like try to achieve those things with how are you managing your portfolio of all those those sorts of things. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [34:29] Where are the where walkie to have it I wouldn't say that we we were able to. Tell you exactly how we go out I mean certainly bourbon is a profitability quotient. Turn on internet with your private label Amazon. All I got for those were going to answer your initial question as we look at managing the business there's just. What I've been talking about the last year-and-a-half if we break eCommerce and Jeff's into seven centers of excellence in, Amazon a particular kind of fall into one of those centers of excellence be we live and breathe it's almost like a religion where. One of them is marketing and another is information technology Partnerships and people. So each one of those are you looking at and we break it down from quarter-to-quarter. From year to year and suddenly we have a now next future plan for all of them. Respective definition. Which one of the bed say from Amazon perspective we talked about the marketing operations is probably just fine. [36:00] All the all the other ways and everything dipped Amazon train their customers to a second term to find shipping Apartments. Jason: [36:09] Got it in, what you don't want to do things that we haven't talked about that scares a lot of people per ticket on the one piece side of Amazon his pricing like do you hit is that been an issue for you do you have a strategy or any any pricing tips for, for folks that are going to put their products on Amazon's platform. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [36:32] Bob's Bob's advice to me in the beginning with don't lose money so I try to price my products while products not to lose money before 1. Jason: [36:45] Can you make it up in volume if you do. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [36:47] Exactly. My kids are starting to do the new math so maybe you can but I'm old school so I don't know how to turn it negative. [37:03] We know one of the things we talked about a lot and you mentioned it earlier when you talked about third-party data switch. Is the we say the date is more important and we're crossing with your friends as much data systemically to make the decision we have map policies for a number of our friends that certainly helps. I mean it's the Wild Wild West when you don't have enough policies so the constant challenge to take a look at and what's going on dynamically in the forecast. Pricing stand for in where would possibly looking at ways to differentiate. I think we're going to see a boom in brands that traditionally may have not looked at map policies. Just because of what you know Walmart continues to be priced leader you know Amazon will continue to follow but now you got Target saying they want to be a price leader to and in others. So in that kind of environment as a manufacturer brand gear you know it's like maybe I would have traditionally had a map policy on my premium products only but that's going to change use my. Roll out of my policy for my mqp in Opp lines as well just took for protection. Jason: [38:23] Wow yeah that is interesting I could totally see that there are a bunch of other 3p sellers that sell your products on Amazon I'm assuming most of those are authorized sellers is that. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [38:38] I would say it's a mix so. That's not the challenge is simply word been a lot of great partners that you sell in the marketplace and then there are some that. Yeah we're not exactly sure how they so I think we're starting to see and evolution are not just Amazon Marketplace but, I'm Walmart's and others where it's harder to be that Arbitrage type of cell are in I think we're hoping that'll help with, look at Channel management we're constantly looking at how to make sure that we have a clean Channel well only authorized stores and food in. Jason: [39:19] Yep you having to invest some significant resources in that. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [39:25] Yeah I think we are, we have already and I think we always keep trying to go for the very top. [39:36] It's much as we'd like to spend as much as we could on each of those centers of excellence and one of them is more Channel Management telephone number. Jason: [39:49] Not totally get it so another topic that comes up. Is the you know those rare occasions win you you fall out of compliance with Amazon and one way or another and the obviously the big Spector looming over everyone's head is suspensions is that. Is that coming to play for you guys at all like are there any common mistakes or tips you give to folks to avoid getting in the Amazon Penalty Box. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [40:18] Yeah I think for us we had the fear of god guitar organization did not want to. Ever end up getting suspended and no fortune. We've had just an amazing operation to approach every yes I weigh very aggressively so the shipping. 99.7%. [40:42] I need this more than just on time shipping at that way but others is a number of them that we've been fortunate to have a great class functional approach with my advice would be certainly have. A good set of. Watch all team members who are Partners in the business to understand what you're trying to do set the vision and then and check in on a very regularly. We were trying to brick-and-mortar First organization so that was a lot of the time we spent at least in the first 69 wants was just educating. A lot of people within the organization of Argo how we Commerce works and specifically how Amazon work. And I think the more communication we were able to have and then. Huge amounts of visibility to every part of the company Bob's a big believer in that class is really Champion Joe having everything. Are white dashboard in every department so they can so that we can really track you know are we are we tracking to be with shipping so how are we doing this today so I think are the Penalty Box as Bend. Great team effort and I think it starts with setting the vision for everything. That's why one of our favorite the software platforms is geckoboard. Which is Wheel of software that does one particular purpose but doesn't really really well and I want just allows you to push up. [42:16] It just allows you to creep dashboards on a monitor so I think what we did or invest heavily in the operations and consumer support. Those are two big pillars for us so even if the point where we had to sacrifice and maybe you know advertising dollars marketing dollars to really get that those two pieces of the business really humming along, and are the call center just wanted you know national award for for excellence which is really really cool in it but we had to ramp up. You know social support Amazon answers answer programs on other retailers it's really we had to, where do expand the team and be in more touch points with consumers so we think that's really going to pay off long-term. [43:08] And just one last point about suspension beyond the SOS from operational perspective there are dozens of ways you can get yourself suspended in the cellar whether it be, Aaron products at all the wild with 1p or any reviews or seller ratings or selling counterfeit products oh, I think what we had was a couple of subject matter experts. Or through all the different essays and rules and everything that Amazon foot. On on the portal to allow showers to know how to optimize a business intro we communicated that very clear with ravioli, cool so that that's been super helpful to hear, some some real world stories from you guys about how you manage Amazon and let's put a little bit and talk a little bit about Walmart so imagine you guys have a long history of selling wholesale to Walmart are you participating in the marketplace and and, I guess I would make you one of the very rare hybrid Amazon and Walmart so so curious what your doing on Walmart. [44:16] Yeah we are we are hybrid for Walmart as well we launched, probably the best possible time to launch on Walmart marketplace was in November 4th. Trey doesn't want to watch anything. But it's as if they really had fantastic resolved even before last year so really out of the cave you were very fortunate to see. Well and I think I would a little bit last year e-commerce as a team we exceeded our sales goal. But your dog and 16 by 70% and certainly Walmart marketplace was with a big part of getting us a star sailboat certainly crushing that pool. Cook any other channels marketplaces or you know anything you think that's kind of interesting that you think other brands would find kind of fascinating. [45:17] I will wear on eBay as well and we're on chat we watched on chat about a month before they got bought out so he might feel like this that had something to do. I think we're always looking at different opportunities to find what are products in front of many customers are too small. Yeah for eBay some people kind of view it as an outlet kind of a thing or other people just kind of put their main line on there and do you guys have a kind of certain part of your hot how eBay fits into the strategy. [45:53] I wouldn't say it if it will you we've completely solidified or crystallized on her arm how how how we approach eBay. I think we do have a healthy mix of a farm products as well as what we call Mike SSM ignoring clothes on eBay. Again you brought it up about Channel. Certainly there's some good extermination candy Bays doing a lot to try and improve the merchandising especially the baby category so we're we are happy to part with them and help help. Apart of that the improvement in our categories. Yeah found eBay is very good brand religion so they're there being a lot more friendly DeBrands lately and I think a lot of that has to do with how Who Came From Home Depot he can understand that Dynamic better than them folks hit that maybe didn't have that experience. [46:53] Yeah I'm a big fan of how a lot and having watched him what he did at Home Depot was when she was really impressive so I'm hoping they can do the same. What we don't want to do is just go on to any Marketplace for the sake of being there so I say that we have a crystallized our strategy but we do think very closely about know what Ridge Marketplace. What is Protonix Place Mall. It's easy to launch a new Marketplace you know as we see fit. Know if we want to try something else we can easily be up and you know I matter with no days or weeks so that it's not really a huge investment if we want to play with something which interesting is watching at Walmart marketplace evolve. Just month after Mom very interesting focused as a company and we're going to benefit from it and other reports and dashboards going to get better, it's it's an interesting year to be on Walmart marketplace that's for sure. Yes seems to be a big big area and Lori's in there swinging the bat like crazy so we'll see what kind of comes up, requires and he's an amazing guy I mean we were we were riveted. So while he certainly has a captive audience so we're definitely big fans. [48:24] So yeah funny funny story between Mark and me I interviewed with Mark at Quincy. Where do a month before they close the deal with Amazon and then we visited with Market Chad about a month before Walmart plaza Sol. I feel like I got to start taking more meetings your guy you should get out of stock options I don't know if that's, that may violate some ethics thing but that's not my problem that's your problem, what questions do you guys are in a lot of places in earlier you mentioned you have kind of six categories of products is there I know some some, brands have kind of a good they look at these channels and there's some mapping that happens where they'll say alright, Channel B I'm going to put this type of product there but not this type of product and you guys have any how do you think about that, but everything everywhere that's another valid strategy as well no I think we definitely. Where were careful when in will have a specific kind of game plan for. Access Imaging Closeouts versus completely different strategy for how we're going to approach this. Anything for my Walmart exclusive so yeah it's none of that spray and pray kind of approaches to the TV. Jason: [49:54] Got it you guys are. [49:57] I'm going to characterize you as very digitally mature for a branded manufacturer in the in the digital Spectrum in interesting Lee a lot of clients that are, very large wholesale businesses that are really just getting started on the digital side of the fence and you don't. [50:17] One of the big challenges you always run into is. [50:21] Getting an organization to change its all this institutional inertia and all these antibodies that are in the organization that fight all of these kind of new initiatives, it sounds like you got to go through that in your you're beginning and Darrell like do you have any advice for for folks that are just getting started on their Journey. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [50:45] Go ahead because I've never heard that before. I'll say that one of the reasons I came to dorel was because. And our CEO told me on a vision where they already started down that kind of mentality show. And made the investments in just a lot of the out-of-the-box thinking in terms of Technology Investments. And resources were a lot different than most of the other cpg companies and other vendor partners that I work with another retailers. Even being your 2016 at the bottom bathing how many still just trying to figure out e-commerce oh. I arrived having seen a vision that was already somewhat said I was just sort of evangelizing that Vision but I think that's the big that was the really important part of our successes. Evangelizing that Vision in getting people excited and I think in many cases this kind of Captain Obvious with a lot of people. It's almost a threat to their job so number one you have people who will get and say am I going to be out of a job in six months because of his e-commerce. Or this is 20% extra work for what it was already a very hard job so I think. I've been walkie I think we had a cross-functional team for 100 people that really jumped on board but I think we also had a really strong Vision that was able to get people energized with from the top down. [52:24] Bob Probert already established. It was a very difficult have a full head of hair too but now not so much but I think you know what we're trying to do is digital transformation from the inside, which, what is the most difficult in my opinion and in my experience and I don't recommend it it's it's just it's the long path but because you do have to you know evangelize quite a bit and you know I understand it's going to slow you down a little bit, what are the things that I'm trying to do is build a startup type of culture we're just the sense of time is is very different. So you know instead of people communicating in the email they're there now communicating and giora. Is it just a complete shift and in first I would say just get the the early adopters like you need a ring of people that get it, are we have a dining kaybern on our team that is a web Technologies guy that we just we know that we can throw anything at this guy and he's just amazing. And he can quickly integrated system or develop a database or so I think having kind of a crappy team to start with. Yeah the Band of Brothers kind of thing helps a lot but then you have to just keep converting the people who want to be converted and then kind of work your way down the curve to the people who you know they're going to be really resistant. Where I'd say we're Midway down that Journey right now. Jason: [53:54] Then cool it sounds like I don't to put words in your mouth it sounds like you had a blend of evangelizing some of the Legacy employees that were most susceptible to become part of the digital solution and then you brought in some some outside digital disruptors, is well I eat Jamie does that do I have that right and does that seem like the right approach to. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [54:21] Yeah I do I really think that one of the big mistakes is to go kind of Whole Hog you know out of the gate what one is to do almost nothing and just talk about transformation and that that's just seen companies I've been at companies that are done that. Jason: [54:36] But just to be clear that's fine as long as you're paying a consultant like sapientrazorfish while you're doing that. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [54:41] Exactly that's exactly what I say but no you know what's funny is it's almost like if I took a step back for a second the the the key. To to Our Success so far has been lots of quick wins and constant wins, so not just sitting this massive gold in a way out there but really understanding let's let's just a few small goal let's let's get all of our product data in one place so we can actually use it okay, let's go with salsify salsify not very expensive so I can put it on a credit card so it kind of scrap a system together, and then build kind of agile process ease around that and then people gravitate toward the money, now you can just follow the money if we're making the you know massive Headway and there's dollars and the dollars keep adding up people tend to say, you know I want that maybe I haven't had that in my team and I want to go on that team I want to be on the successful team so you just kind of read this internal inertia and guys like Jamie it's easy carries that flag, and people just want to follow him. Jason: [55:56] Very very cool by the way this is going to sound super cheesy I call that stair step approach The Stairway to awesomeness. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [56:04] That's exactly what it is. Jason: [56:06] Yeah they like you know you you paint that aspirational picture of where you want to get and you just can't do it in one giant big bang project so the stairway to awesomeness is the way to go. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [56:16] And if you give Jason six beers I think is the number somewhere in there 4 to 6 he will sing Stairway to Heaven but it's Stairway to awesomeness and it's it it's a thing to behold another time, yeah yeah yeah no no beer is here on the podcast this is definitely a dry podcast. Jason: [56:35] Either did I. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [56:39] So we have about five minutes for one last question and I wanted to get super high level you guys have both had great careers and in retail and Brands and digital, where do you see the future of e-commerce is it going to be no Celexa after smartphones or you feel free to kind of go, two years outer are 10 years out so just would love to hear your thoughts seven haven't seen kind of the the play out so far. [57:10] Bronco versus Bob's is probably better than mine so I don't so I think your two two things I see one or. I would have to it a little bit earlier is that I think so. [57:24] What what's available for a one piece and what's available for three people I think it's going to start to quote the gas going to start. Obviously the growth Amazon enjoying a large part of that is I think he's going to start more more. More of that consumer experience I've become more consistent on orthopedic in one piece. In particular I think about advertising and one of the gaps that I see that I think expect is probably going to happen and I hit just. You say it with artificial intelligence but I think ribbon Predictive Analytics to help. To help cpg brands in to help anyone who wants to use digital advertising or to use it for, projector for casting I think that needs to happen and I think I just it still seems really Nathan I think I see a lot of solutions out there. Don't take into account all the dozens of of sales drivers and forecast in the theaters that are need to be followers and I think they're supposed to Lucien to still feels on in the brick-and-mortar world. You're not taking into account estimated ship windows or find a drink or the dozens of things that can help to drive, sales on e-commerce side that's just don't doubt it don't get back turd in then I don't think this is any human being to make those decisions. [58:58] As they're using them to the forecast there the sales or Churchill Drive their advertising can I think it has to be any item, that's a prediction I'd see Captain someone diacetyl. [59:16] Yeah Predictive Analytics it's definitely going to be pervasive in all everything that we that we do. I worked at a company where we built our own real-time bidding engine and it's it's very complex but as computing power power gets better and this more people working on projects like that, a lot of the manual activity 72 will just gravitate toward that kind of naturally taking over I see a lot of near-term stuff. Nothing that's important where I really think that retailers will start understanding that no Prime is not a shipping program. You don't like I really do think that once other big retailers develop Prime like programs and it you know the full breath and power of a program like that fell under the sun understanding the the game. And I really I don't like I haven't seen. Seems kind of small attempts at a prime like program but nothing nothing even close to it if if it's not a shipping program what is it. [1:00:24] It's I mean it's like it's a massive loyalty program it's it's the stickiness that the. That you just can't get out of it it has unbelievable unmistakable value. I think they've gone well past the you know the yearly the annual fee for the program in terms of value at this point. I really do think that that is a massive way to build loyalty. [1:00:54] Go to know you guys are both. Deep in the world of Amazon do you think it's game over or do you think that you know just like we saw in. Bob you're old enough to remember this used to be that you know no one could be the IBM there you would just like it, people just call him up to get mainframes installed and then suddenly Microsoft took over and then it was Google and now it's Amazon you know what do you any votes on like the next Dark Horse you know is it going to be a company we've already heard of it is it some company that's like, two dudes in the garage right now that's a good one Jamie want to go first for that one. So I yeah I mean history tells us no one no company remains thought when I first Are we more than more than 50 years even if it's still around and I think she's somewhere. They're fucking a trance of Walmart's probably one where they're starting to come around they made been made my friend information. [1:01:55] I think one of the things I think about is on demand that you fart a lot of them. Disruptor obviously Amazon going after 2 but. Medium different different category next Amazon. Jason: [1:02:20] Oh that's crushing I've spent like 85 episodes trying to to get Scott's ego down and you just told him that he's the future of e-commerce crate. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [1:02:28] You're going to pay me in cash my check, what's what's amazing to me it almost seems like Amazon is is Bucking that the you know the old trend of you know IBM companies like that just kind of, really having to Pivot hard and and swallow hard to and now it major inflection points is the scale that's the thing that gets me, it's no looking at you no announcements from Target sing over going to spend a billion dollars and, supply chain up when Amazon spending well 18 billion, yeah it's just the scale is is something to really think about it how do you how does a disruptor in a two guys in that garage. Really really break into that no no I'm not saying Amazon perfect I've noticed a lotta, a lot of Kinks on a on a daily basis in the armor or chinks in the armor where they're even like my guaranteed shipping package didn't arrive in 2 days. Several times now so you know there's definitely some Growing Pains there. But I got to think it's only another giant it's got to be like a Walmart that really really can can keep up with those guys. I also since I worked at racquet and I would not discount all these guys that are overseas currently that have just been watching the market patiently. Rakuten Alibaba out there they're just massive groups that certainly have the power to and they're not known to be first movers remember. [1:04:08] They they watch and they're perfectly fine to be the second or third yeah they're the only guys that have kind of beat, Amazon Kenosha Amazon didn't do well in China and continues to be kind of like number three or four there and I don't know about Japan Amazon's done pretty well in Japan but yeah they're they're definitely rocked Anna's is still a major factor there, oh yeah oh absolutely I think probably going to the guarantee for me is the. You can check back thirty years from now I think when Bezos decides to retire a walk away that's definitely rest I mean you work at Target and, dominant really when Bob all that stuff down on that was I was really when started, start to struggle Walmart Walton and I can see the same thing no one ever gave us has to step down no disrespect to the rest of the leadership team but it's a pretty big dr. Phil. Jason: [1:05:07] I think your point that no no Empire was forever Jeff is made that point and said but what you really want to do is just make sure that your Empire outlives you. [1:05:19] Repeat the same strategy there because it has happen again we've wasted a perfectly good outside I really want to thank you guys for spending an hour with us and sharing the knowledge. Scot, Jamie, Bob: [1:05:38] Thank you thank you. Yep Bob and Jamie thanks for joining us and low plug here for Jamie and I Jamie is going to be one of my speakers at the internet retailer Conference & exhibition also known as IRC on June 6th I do a day there that's called Amazon and me where, we go pretty darn deep about these kinds of topics in a, 12 hour Extravaganza so if you're interested in that topic join us then and Jamie will be there, what's the just went through 18 decks on this whole thing so you're talking about hybrid is that right Jamie is that the topic. Yeah I'm talking about how to manage your Amazon strategy whether you're one p3p or Hut. Yep so overall strategy yes and your presentation is awesome so people are going to love it thanks guys and hope to see Jamie I'll see you there and I hope to see some listeners there. Thanks looking for toys. Jason: [1:06:36] Until next time happy commercing.

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EP084 - Amazon News, Walmart Earnings, Rumors

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2017 62:17

EP084 - Amazon News, Walmart Earnings, RumorsAmazon News Prime day - 30 hours long, sometime the week of July 10t Amazon market cap crossed 2X Walmart 20yr anniversary of Amazon IPO - A $10K investment then would be worth $6,410,000 today 1 click patent expiring Amazon expanding into Pharmacy and Furniture Amazon B2B impacts Grainger (Now predict that 80% of the sales by 2021 will be online) Brands moving ad dollars from Google to Amazon Walmart Strong Q1 earnings- Ecommerce up 63% (40% organic), GMV up 69% Same Store Sales up 1.4% Went from 10m SKUs a year ago to 50m SKUs today (Amazon has 355m) ThisIsStory opens Jet.com Fresh themed story Walmart files IOT Patents Other News As earning season wraps up, discount retailers, dollar stores, and warehouses are up, while department stores are down. Samsonite purchases Ebags for $105m Google IO - Google is all in on artificial intelligence Target tried to buy Caspar and settled for an investment Target may be trying to buy Boxed Scot will be hosting "Amazon & Me" an all day workshop on Tuesday June 6th at IRCE, he can be found in the Channel Advisor booth #607 for some of the show. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 84 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on on Friday May 19, 2017. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, SVP Commerce & Content at Razorfish, and Scot Wingo, Founder and Executive Chairman of Channel Advisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. New beta feature - Amazon Automated Transcription of the show: Transcript Jason: [0:25] Welcome to the Jason and Scott show this is episode 84 being recorded on Friday May 19th 2017 I'm your host recent retailgeek Goldberg and as usual I'm Scot Wingo. Scot: [0:39] Hey Jason and welcome back Jason Scott show listeners Jason spend a little over maybe a week week and a half since we have chatted how have things been if you've been how many cities have you had since we last caught up. Jason: [0:55] This may be the first time I've been able to see this all year but I have hit zero City since we last chatted I meant home in Chicago for almost two straight weeks. [1:07] She is she's at she has helpfully packed my suitcase and is eagerly awaiting my departure to the West Coast on Monday morning. Scot: [1:16] Put it right by the door there. Jason: [1:17] Exam. Scot: [1:19] Cool so I guess we can't talk about any trip reports any other things going on you want to highlight before we jump into it. Jason: [1:29] I do you know where you like to talk about the fan mail we get on the show but I got some angry fan mail this week. [1:39] Well it's always the same angry fans Jason Delray of recode. Scot: [1:47] What did we do to engage mr. Del Rey. Jason: [1:52] Yes what's the argument sorry about don't get an argument with people that buy their ink by the Barrel in there. Scot: [1:59] DigiLink. Jason: [2:00] The digital anchor pixels by the barrel. So if you recall last week we had a great conversation about Amazon with Andrea and the. Topic came up of jets and I did mention that the Jason Del Rey. I had written the article that sort of implied that that perhaps jet. Close I'm sorry that the Amazon closed Quincy. Out of spite for Mark Lori you know who's not competing with them at Walmart. So we had a little conversation about that and Jason me actually very kind note to clarify that I had I had soda misrepresented his position and then. He's really doesn't think that, did Amazon close Quincy because of Mark Glory but he does think that some animosity for Mark Lori might have played into, the communication around the closing of Quincy in the fact that they said like what we closed it because it was too difficult or not possible to make it profitable and so so Jason series more of that like the communication may have been a little more of, negative as a result of the of the. The Jeff Mark animosity then then the actual business case then I suspect that he's probably right like that certainly does make a lot more sense. Scot: [3:28] Yes it's almost like you know Amazon kind of crap that if you will. Jason: [3:35] Exact exactly that I quickly showed up on a crap report and they in the shutter shutter down. Scot: [3:43] Google that's said there's been a ton of news in industry and as I always like to say it wouldn't be a Jason and Scott show without some Amazon news. Jason: [4:07] Yeah Scot it feels like there's another interesting stuff going on and Amazon this week I think we finally got the announcement about, Prime day for this year and I'm I'm struggling to even call it Prime day because I think it's now Prime days plural. Scot: [4:27] Prime day is prime day 30. Yeah Dave it's weird because there's several news reports picked up and said they're hearing from Amazon that it's going to be the week of July 10th through 14th, betting person was in 11th that's kind of where I'm going to put my money and then it's going this year it's going to be 30 hours were just kind of interesting which is like kind of random it's a, day in 6 hours so I guess they're trying to pick up another nice 18 hour window and then. The six-hour window when when most folks are asleep and then pick up a morning would be my guess. Jason: [5:09] Yeah you could you not yours you could imagine they're just creeping it ever every year and that eventually it will be like in always on promotion. [5:22] Or cynical person might say that they're making sure that they dramatically beat last year sales numbers. Scot: [5:28] That is now it should by its nature since the six hours longer to see that's going to be one sick so the 18% more juice from hours assuming a linear distribution. Jason: [5:42] Thanks for doing public math on the show that's always impressive to me. Scot: [5:46] Yeah yeah this is why we have to delete the other two shows. Jason: [5:50] I was just going to point out no editing involve folks. [5:54] I think also someone exciting we had talked about the the likelihood that this was going to happen but Amazon had a nice little uptick in their stock in their valuation is now officially twice that of Walmart. Scot: [6:12] Yeah yeah and I haven't seen anyone else who visited the word perilously close to that point that I've calculated again in real time on a show probably around midnight a caveat there, that's a basis would be, close to the number one richest person with over a thousand in the stock is kind of hovering around the 965 970 so we're not too far away from when I think that too so, let's see I think I have some kind of a strong showing in Q2 or some kind of catalyst gets it over $1,000 I think we'll kind of see some articles about the. Jason: [6:50] Yeah that that is going to be fun to watch regardless that's a really high tax income tax neighborhood with with Jeff and a Bill Gates end up there. [7:04] And I will one doesn't even that same neighborhood does I meant within a mile and a half you got two guys paying a lot of income tax. Scot: [7:11] I thought you meant the neighborhood of the top five on The Fortune 500 not the physical neighborhood. Jason: [7:14] No I'm just saying that that police force in Seattle is well-funded is what I'm. Scot: [7:21] Absolutely. Jason: [7:22] The PTA is is the coppers are overflowing. Scot: [7:27] Yet another nursing one is this week was the 20th year anniversary of Amazon's IPO and you know when that happens with these accessories is he always interesting data points and if you put a dollar in your every dollar you invested in the IPO 20 years ago it would, each of those dollars would be worth a $641 today so if you done a thousand that would have been worth 641000 and if you done, you can continue the math 10,000 will get you up to 6 million and that's why Jeff Bezos is at the heading towards the top of that list because he owns a lot of Amazon. Jason: [8:05] He invested about $2 in in that original IPO. I think that's mostly true but when you say when you invested or you might get that I would point out that back then you probably get a paper stock certificate and I would have lost the certificate so I wouldn't of came the money but. Scot: [8:24] Even 20 years ago the paper was really just about sibo and you're registered and it's okay if you lose the pay. Jason: [8:30] Oh thank God I was losing a lot of sleep over that. Scot: [8:33] So you should actually check there's every state has a place to go look to see if there are someone looking for you to deliver that lost share of Amazon stock. Jason: [8:44] Luckily right after the Libyan Prince they're usually calling me so I don't I don't have to look it up. [8:50] It's odd anniversary year for Amazon it is also the the. Anniversary of the Amazon one-click patent and the reason that's interesting is it's the the final year of the Amazon one-click patent so that expires this year. Scot: [9:09] Who do you think will see a rush of people kind of coming out with one click now that they can't. Jason: [9:17] I suspect that we will like I feel like you'd only on Amazon like. [9:24] Exercise the pageant really aggressively and I think that you know they got a licensing fee from eBay if I'm. If I'm remembering right but I feel like people had been skirting the line on that patent more and more in recent years and so you know maybe it won't be a, a watershed moment but I think it in certain sites it's certainly going to make sense and so I do think we'll see more of that. Scot: [9:47] Nothing eBay doesn't license that's why I have this weird kind of two-phase commit it's kind of like you know, buy and then you can go to the PayPal flu and even unit they try to integrate those things are there still a two-faced but apple is one of the biggest licensees of one click. Jason: [10:05] Okay so I may have remembered it wrong I thought eBay was the company that the Apple actually prosecuted the pastor that Amazon prosecuted the Pats and again and there was some settlement or something but I'm a. Scot: [10:17] This will be a fun thing for Lester's to help us research Sean I definitely do Apple license is a very large licensee I don't know who Amazon tutor. Jason: [10:27] Answer those guys I'm certain are looking forward to that patent expiring if nothing else. [10:33] And then there was also some news that it looks like Amazon is getting more serious about a couple new categories, Furniture in potentially most interesting the the Pharma industry the Pharmaceuticals. Scot: [10:48] Yeah. You know what's what's fasting about these rumors are Amazon announcements I think they a lot of them come out of job postings so the two I read kind of hit read between the lines of job posting this and then talk to me Amazon source, but each of these days so CVS was down pretty materially the day the farm and news came out and then Wayfair and a couple other Furniture companies for down pretty substantially the days the furniture. Sucking out so. Yeah it's kinda it's really interesting your last 20 years to see this work like 20 years ago I run laughed at Amazon and if they announced we're going to come out for my run be like or if they even if they acquire drugstore.com NC, I care too much about it oh no sorry the other guys did but they weren't investor drugstore.com and. We're playing in that area and everyone scoffed and now when they're just so with that they're getting there they put a job putting out stocks go down to 20% so pretty amazing. How much to move the needle here in the last 20 years. Jason: [11:48] That alone is a very powerful in both these categories are interesting cuz to your point. Superficial like there'd be a reason that both of these categories are. Difficult and obviously there's a reason that neither one was the first category that Amazon went after and there you know there's only going to be reasons that the Legacy in that the incumbents in those two segments, are saying here's why we don't think Amazon will be as successful in our segment as they have been in all these other segments and and that of course, you know I gets the hashtag Famous Last Words Furniture is interesting because it's not likely that the. The enormous of fulfillment center infrastructure that Amazon has is very well suited to Furniture in so that you know there are some third parties that have built these these Furniture distribution Networks. And they often require like white glove deliveries and you know very regular size stuff and even though. Amazon has built a couple of distribution centers or Phillips centers for a regular sized items but the really design for things like big screen TV's not necessary sofas. Inside of Amazon where to get really serious about furniture. It would be interesting to see if they would build a new fulfillment center infrastructure or how they would it would handle that that whole part of the thing because it doesn't seem that could leverage all the existing FC's. Scot: [13:16] Yeah and that's that's one of the keys they report so some of the job postings are 444 falmont centers that are going to be designated specifically furniture and Appliance so so but they never been contact with that. Name an end to point and never to my knowledge I know they got a pair of them at centers that have kind of steaming and ironing and kind of some very apparel they have a grocery footprint, they have a small item that return footprint that have a large item that's largely is for large Electronics this is the first time I've kind of seen, any Donuts Center tag with furniture and Appliance in and then certainly it sounds like they're building for sale that's. Pretty interesting and going to be a whole new new them footprint to see what they're doing. Jason: [14:04] Yep and that that is a category that you look at and say has not been very digitally mature a lot of the the. The traditional Furniture retailers would say like oh gosh people aren't going to be able to aren't going to buy furniture they can't come in and see it and so they hid them under invested in. In digital in e-commerce there's certainly some exceptions out there so that's an interesting category and then potentially even more interesting is Pharmacy again bunch of unique challenges about. The distribution Network for that and in that case particularly the delivery and dispensing has a lot of regulations attached to it. But you talk about disruptions you know you have three very large chains in in the u.s. Walgreens Rite Aid CVS. And the something like 60% of the revenue from all three of those chains is Pharmacy. I said that literally is their reason for being that drives all the trips to the stores and then they hope to sell all that all that stuff on the Shelf as a, serendipitous Discovery when you're coming in the store to fill your prescription so so it won't have Amazon was able to disrupt. Pharmacy in and you know really really own direct-to-consumer. Fulfillment for pharmacy that that would be those those chains could not survive without walk-in Pharmacy. Scot: [15:31] Yeah do you think the whole prescription thing in management of that is insurmountable or you think there's actually a better customer experience to be had in there. Jason: [15:40] Yeah I know I think it's exactly the opposite I think it's inevitable that the majority of prescriptions that people are going to want home delivery like it just is a better experience it's a chore to have to go. Pick that stuff up like there's a subset of that industry that you need kind of on-demand fulfillment so you just had a medical procedure and you need to stop on your way home and. And get some pain meds or something like that but the overwhelming majority of Pharmacy are these. The stuff that the majority of Americans now take for for chronic conditions and so you're just. Virginia if your whole life and it's a heck of a lot easier to have that stuff, show up at your door there's some really Innovative companies that are tackling individual markets like I think of capsule and in New York for example and you know Amazon certainly has the resources to. To go after that and saw that on the national basis and you know if and when they do that that's going to be a scary moment for other traditional drugstores. Scot: [16:44] Another category that's interesting we talked a lot about on the show and I know it's kind of a hobby for both of us to follow this one and it's kind of the B2B industrial category, and I'm just kind of the brief history here on this a deep dive cuz this is definitely out, that we should go deep run but that the Amazon piece of this is what she back in. April I think it was April of 2015 Amazon launch time. [17:14] Amazon business they used to have the thing that preceded it was Amazon Supply and it really signaled. [17:21] That Amazon is getting pretty serious about B2B and you know it's funny a lot of the B2B players really kind of laughed and said you know we have this network of. A thousand stores we have same day delivery there's no way you'll be able to counteract that and I would maybe think of this is Granger I was just one of the big players in this kind of B2B category and Industrial. Lovegood's has had a really rough first quarter so it started out they they. The mr. numbers worse than they ever have and then it took awhile for them to kind of come out and explain what was going on and they really just a simply said they've seen a seismic shift over Ecommerce and dinner. They called out specifically but reading between the lines it sounds like Amazon strategy is really taken root and it is causing them a world of hurt, one of the things I thought was interesting is when they came out and said kind of readjusted expectations they said they now predict that. Over 80% of sales by 2021 will be online and that cause analyst to take because they're so. Built out in the stores and all their margin is kind of. The accounts on people coming in the store analyst came out and cut their whole long-term margin Outlook by more than half. [18:36] So there's definitely see changes going on in that part of the market we haven't had a ton of time to talk about it and I think it warrants a deep dive. Jason: [18:45] That we should talk I've been to that one either, Factor there that seems really scary for Granger a lot of these B2B companies have contract pricing or negotiated pricing with each individual customer so there's, their tents and not be a public price and, you know they rely on price application you not knowing how much anyone else is paying for the goods and so Granger's had an e-commerce site for a while, but they they charge like the highest possible price on that e-commerce site so today, you know that the customers are buying online we're paying the highest price and one of the other things that they announces that they've had to dramatically. At as all shoppers are shifting the purchasing online they're their price sensitive online and so you know how to say Amazon, has the exact opposite pricing philosophy so they had to dramatically lower their prices and so it's a double whammy you say like wait a minute all your stores are so your sales are shifting online away from this huge investment in brick-and-mortar that you have, and you're having good to dramatically reduce the margins you get for online sales you know that doesn't give us a lot of confidence in your future. Scot: [19:53] Yep that's when I want to talk about it really news but it's kind of trend I just wanted to bounce off you and see if you're seeing the same thing so so it's my talk to. Brands all the time. And yeah I don't really causality but because I think we talked a lot about Amazon comes up for really interesting conversations over the years used to be. [20:19] What should I trade you be in that kind of thing, now what I'm finding is in Pride like the last 10 to 15 conversations I've had with Brands there they're really getting very serious about advertising on Amazon and I don't really see this out in the press three much but no. I now hear that stat come a come back to me that that I use all the time and that you no more searches are done on Amazon then for products than other sites like Google and it for she was the first service this like for five years ago and now there's several sources for the data, so Answer the conversation goes you know what we're doing is restarting it's been a lot more on Amazon ad Platforms Night if I have to that AMS Nama and we can go into that on. If I do Deep dive on this too and certainly you know it had gas like Andrea and most break talk about it on the periphery. What you interesting is what I'm seeing is this very quick lifecycle where brands are starting to the test and then it is a brand that you know. There their name brand so they have a lot of marketing dollars already in all kinds of different buckets, and at least we're starting to see them slash those at dollars it towards Amazon rapidly, also some folks have moved north of 30-40 50% of their previously mostly Google ad dollars over to Amazon and it's because of that so they can measure very. [21:50] Easily how it is moving the needle on Amazon itself but they're also seeing a very powerful spillover effect off Amazon. [22:00] It's hard to quantify that and I've talked to some of the other doing and its proprietary nothing. I don't want to go into it now cuz though I think it would reveal who they are but it's really fascinating to see this and I would not have guessed this would happen this quickly and I just kind of wondering are you are using the same thing in the hearing the same discussions. Jason: [22:19] Yeah absolutely. In it it it feels like for a couple reasons like certainly one is there is this like shift 2 more miserable, forms of media and more more sort of green eyeshade evaluations of marketing spend and your point when you advertise on Amazon you can it's Noah believe that that had resulted in the cell whereas a lot of other advertising Vehicles it's not been so the KP eyes have to be more, more wishy-washy and frankly like there's a lot of ugliness in the whole digital advertising space about like when you measure things like impressions. How accurate those measurements even are and is it about that sing that are person as that below the, the the full the never invisible to the human eye on all these sorts of things come into play into the the ads on the Retailer's site, you know certainly have an advantage and measurability but I actually think it's it's two other factors that are really driving it like that. The top on when you mention like hey if Google is been a traditionally effective way for me to advertise in particular. I've been really effective and then you start to hear that weight 55% of all. Search traffic starts on Amazon not Google you say man my portfolio of of pieles should. In 55% of those dollars should be going to Amazon not to Google in so you're starting to see Brands want to make that shift. [23:51] And then you have this third problem for the account teams that are particularly responsible for selling their own products on Amazon. There's a Amazon has this great virtuous cycle for Amazon which is when you launch a new product on Amazon the only way to find it is inserts right like unlike a lot of other e-commerce sites where. We're about 90% of the users are using the nav and maybe 10% are using search Amazon is almost exclusively a search based. Experience and the only way to show up in search is to have a high velocity of quick through on your product. And when you're a new product you don't have a high velocity of quick through so. You literally have to see the system by buying ads to improve your visibility so people could through to your product detail page so that you can get some volume so that you can start organically showing up in search. [24:44] So it almost necessitates that you make that that investment and what's what's been interesting to me is. [24:52] You know a brand of spending money on marketing like these tennis spend money out of a couple budgets and so usually. The first thing you see is that there's a sales team at you know Procter & Gamble or if you know you pick any brand. And they're responsible for selling the family care products through Amazon and they have a sales budget to invest in promotions on amateur Amazon that help himself just like that. Promotion budget to invest in in-store Shopper marketing at Walmart tell them so. And into those are the guys that originally are investing in these these AMS services to have their products show up so that they can start getting that search visibility. But there's a much bigger marketing budget that's owned by the CMO and that's the sort of brand building General awareness budget, I'm in that usually the budget that's invested digitally and things like like Google and so the interesting trim we're seeing is a lot of brands have always had a presence on AMS, MN other retailers advertising platforms. From those account teams but now it's becoming much more common that you're seeing the CMO allocate part of the brand building budget to showing up on these retail or sites and well. Amazon's the by far the largest Network in the US the Walmart advertising that work W an ex is very big target has a meeting full of network, Best Buy has a meaningful Network like almost every big sight there there's a separate team that's called the site monetization team and they're focused on on selling these marketing products brands that that died. [26:31] You don't want visibility on the sites. Scot: [26:33] Young I'm kind of curious if this going to start to show up in a lot of the ad tectonic companies. Results on specially Google because it does seem to be this, the kind of destroyed the Google milkshake so it'll be interesting to see if if we start to see him it back or maybe you could just big and diversified enough it doesn't it's not Material or something that we should if you're interested in this maybe, Too Deep dive ideas maybe we could get some Worcester feedback on you know which one of these is most interesting so we've got a Amazon marketing platforms and entrance and then we've got the B2B DS2 topics there. Jason: [27:15] Yeah good stuff and I guess one of the thing I would say there, one thing holding Amazon back a little bit at the moment is there ad platforms are not nearly as advertiser-friendly as, since somebody that their Core Business Like Google right so there's lots of friendly api's that all the Aztec guys can build products that talk to on things like like Google and the. Technology you can use to interface and execute your ads on on Amazon and and you don't even greater or stand on all the other retailers sites his is. Relative William in church so that feels like with the one area that needs to change for it really to catch fire. Scot: [27:53] Yeah and we've had several guests on the show say that they're pretty big kind of aspirations there so I think they'll get there. Jason: [28:00] There's their zero doubt that they could solve that problem and likely will. Scot: [28:04] Cool exit on Amazon you think anyone's going to slow those guys down. Jason: [28:13] Well I guess it depends on what you mean by slow them down III I certainly think that they're going to continue to grow and capture more market share in so if you're if you're picking a winner it's it's clearly got to be there, but I don't think it is a one-horse race and so I do think there's some other retailers that you know of, in a position to carve a pretty big pies for themselves and the one you think of the most in the one that you know frankly at the moment has a much bigger than Amazon is our friends at Walmart. Scot: [28:46] Yes yes oh Walmart had their first quarter earnings out and I think. Most of the reaction I've seen has been really positive some some folks are saying you're out of the woods and others are calling and green shoot so kind of, yeah different levels enthusiasm but mostly enthusiasm the one metric everyone's really excited about and I thought was. Pretty awesome is Ecommerce was up 63% year-over-year to you as a reminder e-commerce cornichons going about 15% maybe at 2 gets 14 desktop in two or three said that night maybe. Natural north of that but called 15 to surrounding and, Amazon consistently as a company grows in the mid-twenties and then if you take out a bunch of pieces the egm part of Amazon instead of the marketplace are growing, to clear around 30% so twice the rate of e-commerce so here you have something growing for X rated eCommerce witches witches great now Walmart hasn't been consistently doing that they've been all over the map here, so you're one skeptic one skeptical think people could say as well. The last year they didn't have a jet so is this all inorganic growth into the Wall Street analysts have taken some of Walmart's comments but I gave him enough data to back into it and, no the ones I've said have estimated that the organic growth was 40% your beer so still a really good showing ahead of Amazon's growth rate and then when you later in the jet would she have the Dell 23% or you get took up. [30:21] Pretty significant growth number so you have it too early to call that the strategy is working but there is definitely this is better than - 5%. Jason: [30:30] Absolutely and you know it, a huge warning sign for everyone else in the industry Let's Pretend analysts are for sure right in his 40% organic growth so the whole e-commerce Industries growing at 15%. By far the largest player in the Commerce industry that alone is is like 30 or 40% of the industry, is growing at 30%, and this and like most likely the second largest player in the Commerce industry is growing right now at 40% so that actually does not leave a heck of a lot of growth, for everyone else to get to that 15%. Scot: [31:10] Yeah there's there's two kind of outcomes if if the industry keeps going at 15 then. Online people to share will what I actually thinks going to happen if I grinning kind of a golden HD Connor Square I think if you don't just ties into the mall again theme I think we're going to actually see the, Tire e-commerce sea rise and we're ghosts are too. Bump up from that 15% we've had for years and start to get up towards the 20% that that's kind of yeah I think that's what's going to happen because and then the, and what that'll do is the percentage of sales that are online is going to start accelerating it's been kind of if you look at the comscore data in the Census Bureau data, it's in the sky like straight line for a while and it. I feels like the elbow the curve so I think this between q1 and Q4 I think it be a attic will start to see the really interesting inflection point there. Jason: [32:01] I think that's totally possible I like to think of it is, the really isn't an e-commerce industry like they're a bunch of product categories that are each a different places in there, certain maturity or adoption curve in in general across all the segments we see you once they get about 20% of their their Sales Online like it becomes a major disruption for the the incumbent model in so I think they're just, a heck of a lot more retail segments that are that are rapidly approaching that that 20% threshold in so like I do think that you can, that you could imagine a bunch of those crossing over that threshold then driving up the overall industry average. Scot: [32:46] Coupler just two bits of so if the first time they just close the DMV number in that was up 69% so when, when Revenue grows slower than gmv that mean to take rate is going down at I don't think that's enough of a Delta to be concerned it usually that can be explained and mix so all these marketplaces have. No a different mix a different take rate for electronics let's say is usually some 10% and then some of that jewelry is north of 15%, what is a nursing kind of trend watch over time which could indicate that there's some price pressure there or something like that, I'm Sims 4 sales improved 1.4% in the physical stores so that's good and. Jason: [33:29] And that beat analyst estimates. Scot: [33:32] Yes that was an improvement and you know it. [33:37] Walmart's been on about a year Journey may be teaching months where they've been investing in stores in hiring people and raising their, wages and cleaning up the stores really focusing on you have the day today blocking and tackling at the store level and that's an indication that that seems to be working and as we know later than other same-store sales numbers out there and 1.4% is, printable right now it's going to got a plus sign in front of it which I think many retailers would, really like to have on their teams for sales the quality of earnings growth improves which is good and then what the guys always measure on the sun and this is I've been being this drum for. Pearl every 15 years is at this point in time Amazon has you know, over 3 and 55 million skews so when it comes to selection no one comes close to Amazon it's that marriage of the one p and 3p model that does it Walmart seems I've got religion around this and it's widely reported, that they went from 10 million skis a year ago to now that 50 months can still drop in the bucket kind of 1/7 of Amazon but you have to go up 5x in a years is pretty impressive when for you know. What was yes 15 years and be a Walmart has been kind of in single-digit millions in here the last couple years they've they've really started to get very serious about adding selection. Jason: [34:59] Yeah absolutely in it it seems to me I mean when Amazon or when Walmart first wants to Marketplace like you know they didn't get immediate Traction in there you know they were kind of, judicious about who they let on to the marketplace and I know the sellers like really complained about. The platform in the the the tools and how many schools you can on more than all these sorts of things when you see that jump from 10 million to 50 million my section is that they fix the bunch of those problems in the third, they're much more seller friendly than they then they were originally. [35:39] Couple other little things in the Walmart world there's a great store concept that I can't remember we never talked about on the show, call the story or or formal name this is story which is a retail space in New York City and it's kind of an interesting concept they they. Are a great mix of Commerce and content, they come up with a theme every month or two and they redesigned the retail space. Based on that thing so the theme could be. A category product like health or you know measured self or innovation or something like that, and you know they design a complete retail space around that theme in so, when you go there from month to month you you wouldn't expect to find the same product you'd expect a completely different sort of Rich immersive experience, from the original concept they have been able to sponsor a number these stories so they had Brands come in and say hey we want you to develop a whole store concept around, are our particular brand and this month's story debuted a new A New Concept in the space and it's it's jet.com fresh. Scot: [36:58] You and I have been to several shopping at work meetings at at that store it's really cool it's kind of. Antiques curation to the the Instagram think because the store is the simply just wipe and replace every wish you do every 2 or 3 months is it courtly. Every month with what's that site. Jason: [37:17] I think it tends to be about every 2 months but I don't think it did so I got to fix schedule. Scot: [37:20] Come on Sia yeah yeah so are you going to go I think you're going to be in York City going to go stop by. Jason: [37:28] Yeah I haven't been to this concept yet it just open I think my next trip to New York is maybe end of next week or two weeks from now and so I will, definitely look forward to checking it out and hopefully we'll be able to tell our non New York westerners about it after that. [37:45] And then no one other piece of interesting new Walmart news this week is that Walmart's I filed for a number of Internet of Things past tense, in the, space so like everyone's really familiar with Dash buttons and dash Auto replenishment Walmart has patented and number of sensors. Detect when a consumer is likely in need of replenishment so it sort of, implicit is a replenishment instead of explicit so you don't maybe it's a toothpaste holder that can tell you when you're out of toothpaste, but other interesting play with some of these sensors are designed to tell you when the product you bought the perishable product you bought is about to expire so I could warn you that your. Your milk is expired or your cheese or something like that I don't know she's never expires now that I think about it but you get the. Scot: [38:44] Cheese expire this green stuff on it. Jason: [38:48] That green stuff in cheese I'm just getting I think it's penicillin no that would be bred never mind. But in any case interesting that the Walmart is investing in that in that ipspace we talked about. The internet of things and Auto replenishment on the show a couple times and it is very likely that five or ten years down the road sort of 40% of the goods that you. You buy in the grocery store today are likely items that magically show up at your door because your house knows you needed him so, I think that the retailers that are investing in returns and brands that are investing in that technology now are are wise to do so. Scot: [39:32] Yeah yeah one news item to kind of break out of the Walmart side that we were remiss and covering and so we had this flurry of activity there were Walmart bottom of Oaks in between shows of one of our gas company was acquired so Samsonite acquire D-backs was cofounders Peter Cobb is good on your end we've also had John Norma, two of the three or four Sounders on on the show. Jason: [39:59] Acquire. Scot: [40:01] Yeah yeah I'd say so. I don't think it's a huge stretch to say that we basically put this deal together but anyway so it was acquired 405 million, that's great outcome for everyone in and you know this trend of, brands of accelerating their digital footprint by buying e-commerce players is as fascinating in its. A shout-out to our friends at ebags and congratulations on that one. Jason: [40:27] Yeah absolutely it's going to be interesting to see I got his bags has a lot of that digital expertise Samsonite now also owns to me so it'll be interesting to see how they're able to leverage all those those new digital chops, across like you know both of the stores brands. Scot: [40:47] And then I'm also in news so we're, Walmart usually one of the last folks reports or kind of heading towards the end of the q1 reporting cycle and I saw a really cool chart where well one of our joint Twitter friends Ryan Craver has been tracking the sand, what is he shows kind of graphically same-store sales Trends and you know this was fast about this chart is. Yeah he has what he has kind of groups without call value-oriented retailers or their counterparts so things like Burlington Coat Factory which is a discount on Nordstrom Rack. The Nordstrom Rack piece of Nordstrom Rack shoes TJ Maxx, Dollar Generals in the dollar stores then there's a grouping for department stores and there's a grouping for wholesale clubs and it is a tale of three cities so wholesale clubs in generally the discount guys are doing well with positive same-store sales results and. Department stores are doing really really poorly with with severely negative same-store sales. So we'll put this in the show notes or check either my handle or Jason's on Twitter and by the way both retweeted this so you can see it there but it's really, interesting graphical display out of this where consumers are spending their money is actually an end the feast and famine that's going on and offline retail right now. Jason: [42:15] For sure I mean it plays perfectly into the, the retail Armageddon that we talked about that but you know protect those department stores are super distressed as consumers are making different decisions about where to shop been increasingly it's at those those more value-oriented retailers. Scot: [42:33] Yeah and one of the young, no one of the folks that did not make it out here in the last week or so as a retailer or rented towards team some all based retailer oriented towards teams called rue21 the file for bankruptcy so remains to be seen if they'll be closing all their stores or what's going to happen to the bankruptcy but usually it does mean store closures. Jason: [42:57] Yeah in it. I mean then we talked about the number the earlier bankruptcies a doing some interesting buzz on Twitter one of the bankruptcies was Gander Mountain and what kind of interesting, that Gaynor was bought out of bankruptcy by Camping World in the reason Camping World might be interesting to some listeners is the CEO of camping world is the star of retail Park a profit show on CNBC if you ever watch this. Scot: [43:30] Leon's Marcus Leon saskia. Jason: [43:35] Exactly and so Marcus has been Super Active on Twitter and he's been super transparent a gander had a. If memory serves like 60 stores and campers world is going to reopen like, 20 of those stores in so you know he's been like sharing real-time data on Twitter as they make the decision as to which stores they can reopen versus which ones they they. Scot: [44:02] So that is really confusing because, the stores all say the stores closing and we're liquidating everything then he is saying no no no no the store yes or selling all the stuff but the stores going to stay open so I guess they're going to, no they have their own supplier relationships and Logo replenish the stores and then they're also rebranding them the brand is like. Cinnamon Big Gander Mountain it's just Gander outdoor but he wanted to create a bunch of distance between the brand but it's like the same essential name side, Nas represent tracking. Jason: [44:36] No I think you got it, exactly right I think he did not buy the inventory the distressed inventory in the stores so the Liquidator the did has the right to sell all the stuff out of all of those stores and then the stories he reopens he's going to have to replenish your point prison while using the campers world supply chain that he already has. Scot: [44:56] Yeah that's commuter Sting If you can make that work because it's certainly very confusing consumers I forgot it's pretty in the weeds try to explain that to him. Jason: [45:05] Not for sure I just found the thing interesting you know if this had this this kind of thing plays out all the time when returns go bankrupt and I'm played out you know 15 years ago or 10 years ago when when Circuit City closed. They give you work in a Circuit City store you have no idea if you had any potential for a new job or what was going to happen and you know you'd be waiting until you read something in the newspaper and now you've got like. All this this real-time information you jump on Twitter and the you know Marcus is out there tweeting list of stores and saying like Hey we're going to hire people in that store so I did. I think that's another interesting ramification of the of digital disruption. Scot: [45:47] Yeah that's good point I think it is super helpful for the employees to have some some in real-time information what's going on. Jason: [45:53] Absolutely So speaking of digital disruption another big guy digital event this year or this week is Google IO. Scot: [46:05] You would what you think about that I was not able to watch it real time I read several the summaries and, yeah it sounds like Google went from in the early days being kind of search for Sony search to than mobile first and now everyone's saying there AI first so the AI Buzz was a Google IO and you have to get excited you're going to be in it's like, you know, this thing you can hold up your camera and it'll decode something in the real world and Google's had several iterations of this and they've all been kind of you know nice demos but not like, game-changing cell I don't know I felt like a real use cases so interesting to see if something was like changing for you. Jason: [46:50] Yeah we'll see nothing I would call life-changing but I do think it's interesting, why is one of these double-edged swords and we we for sure need to do a deep dive in there if you turn on on AI for Commerce because it is over hyped Buzz thing right in and so you know all the big, Big Rita a big big guy technology companies are talking about becoming a I first in and innocently that was the big play from from Google in, you know my argument is no one should be excited or buy something because it is or isn't it, bike was not an outcome and you don't people like I need some of that good at so so we'll we'll talk about that a little bit on the Deep dive, but I do think it is true that the AI is enabling a bunch of, much more interesting user experiences and much broader a digital user experiences then have been possible here to for so so I do think that is on the cusp of enabling, huge of systemic changes to how we shop across a bunch of categories and I am excited about that and you know that, but I would, I would encourage people to get much more excited about this specific use cases that are likely to affect them and why they're going to be a better experience than that it has the AI label or doesn't have the a highway. [48:21] So I think it be fun to do a show where we talked about what some of those near tournament fart termed use cases are but I know one person that's in my camp on this is our our number one listener Jeff Bezos. Scot: [48:33] So she possible Deep dive so if you want to let us know your thoughts, tweet at us or I'm Scott Wingo Scot Wingo in Jason his retailgeek. [48:49] Or go on her Facebook page and let us know which of these deep-dive topics is most interesting for you so to recap we have business kind of with an flavor of Amazon business what's going on we have. [49:03] Artificial intelligence and then we have Amazon advertising and and that platform so let us know what's interesting to you. Jason one big retailer that's been pretty active here in the last week's news that we haven't talked about his Target have you been tracking all the I don't know it's news I think it's more like, gossip at this point now have you been tracking what's coming out at Target and interesting macro things going on there I'd love to hear your take on. Jason: [49:32] Yeah so I think there's some gossip and some news I think they also did have their earnings call this week, and I did not write it down in the note so we're going from memory so don't hold me to these numbers I think they basically beat the analyst expectations but they definitely had negative same-store sales so, in my head I want to say that that the animals were pretty thing that be down like 3.7% and they would only down like 3.4% or something like that so. Definitely not the you guys want to beat analyst expectations but definitely not the kind of thing you claim victory on and and pound your chest about. When you're just just the shrinking a little more slowly than an analyst. Yes. They also did an ounce pretty good e-commerce growth I think also above that average so again from memory I want to say. Then I was like 20% eCommerce growth. [50:33] But it's interesting like all of those things at Target are in this backdrop of news we talked about in the last several months that the target is really curtail the lot of there. Forward-looking initiatives in program so they. You know they have these stores of the future that we're half built then they they announced that they were closing they had this big goldfish initiative. And now this this Innovation officer westering feel that you know they're working on all these Innovative things and they hired a bunch of people to build them. And they they abruptly pulled the plug on all those things and parted ways with Wes. Their Chief digital officer you know they left the company. Maybe 4-5 months ago they're cheap Innovation officer Casey car of the company this month so it really feels like. Target is investing all of their chips in their near-term fundamentals like they're they're trying to improve the guest experience in the stores, and they're all in on the winning in these five signature categories that they're focused on in store. At the expense of a lot of these these other initiatives then like obviously there. Their results or to belittle why that you know they don't have an unlimited amount of money to invest in all these initiatives. [51:56] So it's going to be interesting to see how that played out but in that context we we got some some rumors from her friend Jason Del Rey that he wrote an article about today. And that was all that they announced that they are selling Casper inside of Target stores, and that's that's not rumor that that's news they're not actually they're selling the mattresses on the line but they're selling a lot of the accessories in the store so so the Casper have a footprint in the store, and if you want to buy a mattress you can buy it direct from Casper but you can also now buy it from target.com and the ship it direct to your home, for people that aren't for my red Casper you know that that is clever combination spring foam mattress that they're able to. Compressed down enough that they can actually ship it in a UPS box in so this, this is kind of in line with a lot of other moves we seen Target they like to surprise and Delight their guests by having these popular brands that you wouldn't necessarily expect, Cabot Target in so regionally that was like designers that were too high in for that you might have thought were too high in for Target but more recently it's been some of these digitally native brands that are showing up in Target so it was Harry's razors and now Casper. And what Jason's article says is the target tried to go a lot further than just caring that they actually tried to acquire Casper and then when that was unsuccessful that they've taken some sort of investment and Casper. [53:33] So that's interesting. Scot: [53:34] Yeah and I think the number that was been thrown around as a billion do you have you heard what Casper is revenue run rate is how I remember when they crossed like a hundred million me was 2 years ago I heard an update on that. Jason: [53:48] Yeah I don't have a number in my head. Like for sure that they got to like a hundred million in like their second year of existence so I know there's a lot of talk about that but I don't know. Where they're at right now and it's interesting for Target to take an investment in them right so. If if I don't know that makes Target a majority shareholder or a minority shareholder or what sort of you know board seats and all those sorts of issues but you could imagine. Why does Casper sell on Amazon today and will they continue to sell on Amazon with with Target as a majority board member, would any other retailer B12 Kay Casper with Target as a board member and might see, sales velocity on those on those in those other retailer stuff like that like it can get messy for a retailer to have an investment in a brand that they're not exclusive to. Scot: [54:51] Channel X the thinking goes if I'm going to make these guys are Rockstar. And I can't own it then I want to participate in that Rockstar creation cycle that's probably what's going on from Target side. And they probably wouldn't do the deal without investment and then there's also stuff the offense part of it in their defense that kind of says. And so you things can come with your pretty real needy right of first refusal kind of things so that you keeps one else from buying it are you have at least two by two that so I wouldn't be surprised some of that was in there and in, Casper. Must have really wanted the distribution or her felt like it was worth it to accept the investment in any kind of other entanglements that came along with it. Jason: [55:35] Yeah and that does it mirrors Casper's a prototypical did you need a brand. You think about someone like both of those right like very similar, they cut a deal to get distribution although their primary Channel distribution is direct they cut a deal to get distribution in Nordstrom and they'll at Nordstrom to take an investment in them and so, in that way this this deal doesn't look so different from that and of course none of us as a sort of aggressively open guide shops at showrooms Casper has some some guide shops or not shops Casper has some showrooms. So it feels like it's falling on a pretty common playbook for these kinds of companies at this point. Scot: [56:20] Yeah and I don't say it feels like I'm outside I don't have any inside information on this it feels like a game of Music chairs is accelerating so, now we saw Walmart scoop up a couple of these really quickly and the Rumor persistent rumor is bonobos is going to Walmart so then if your target your kind of like. You know why I need to get in the chair here and we also have heard rumors that they were going to pick up boxed up which is more that Amazon Pantry style kind of competitor so so I think what you're seeing is you know you start to look at the digital I need a vertical brands that are out there at scale, your dollar shave club's been picked up so now you have Harry's in the Casper, there's it does to the three largest wins mod causes a lot of times mention of that discussion and bonobos those two are off the table so you're really left with. Pretty small number of scale over hundred-million-dollar companies there and I am I leaving any off. Which puts two chicks in there I don't know if that counts. Jason: [57:23] Yeah they're slightly different animal but they're like even you know probably larger in scale at this point I think there was some they publicly announced and you know we we have I can only take their word for it at this point but they clean a satellite. 760 or 780 million in annual sales so that's that's a pretty good size company of that church. Scot: [57:45] Yeah feels like a four five billion kind of a swing it back there so it's pretty serious to me. Jason: [57:52] Exactly some of these might be a little more digestible then than Stitch fix at this point I do think you're right like there's no. Diminishing number of these I think there is another interesting play where these guys are playing some defense. Another piece of innovation is so fast now that all these companies that have disrupted Industries, are not getting very long honeymoon before they themselves are getting disrupted so you think of Dollar Shave Club as disrupting Gillette and Shake. And you know you could talk about the cool video in the subscription service in all that the real reason Dollar Shave Club disrupted. Gillette is because you at sell $7 razor blades in Dollar Shave Club sells one dollar razor blades but now you've got dorco who's the. Razor blade supplier to Dollar Shave Club launching their own subscription service and selling $0.20 razor blades. You're like hey wait a minute like I was that young fun disrupter with the shockingly low priced and now I've got guys below me in the same thing as happened Warby Parker they're a bunch of direct-to-consumer, frame manufacturers that are even coming in and even let you lower price points than Warby Parker and the this mattress industry is, particular competitive so either at the Casper wasn't even the first they were really I would argue the first one to get sort of mainstream awareness. [59:24] But there are five or six a significant players in this new digital direct-to-consumer mattress space and if you're you're Casper you know you would have had a big incentive to get, eat a dick the kind of visibility in distribution you get through through Target to differentiate themselves from that competition. Scot: [59:45] Yeah there is a, an interesting data source CB insights had shown when the rumors about Casper came out that there's three or four other mattress companies that are actually in the neighborhood of sales is caspersen Target must be really enamored with Brandon and think that there's some absurd you there with their there. Fire door password. Jason: [1:00:07] Yeah yeah absolutely so it's a it's a fun spectator sport to watch all the stuff planned out right now. So Scot we're coming close to time but I know you have a pretty cool event coming up do you want to remind the listeners about it. Scot: [1:00:24] You know one of the biggest shows the year for e-commerce, internet retailer Conference & exhibition which is commonly abbreviated IRC and last five years I've been doing a Amazon Workshop they're called Amazon and meet so I'll be at internet retailer love to meet up with any letters that happened to be there Channel have a booth and I'll try to spend some time there, I'm a bad founder and don't know the booth number but I'm sure it will be in the guide there so I'll be at the booth and look for to see you there and then I'm also speaking at a venture capital friends about, what's going on in Destin DC and that's June 7th so look forward to seeing everyone as I'm starting to hit the road here in the early summer. Jason: [1:01:12] Graco I love it that you are potentially traveling more than me. Scot: [1:01:16] Yes I may have to I may be able to a trip report so it's going to be pretty darn exciting. Jason: [1:01:21] I tried to be a cool and find the booth number for you while you were talking and I sent you exhibited in too many hours to eat. Scot: [1:01:28] Yeah her for quite a while. Jason: [1:01:31] Exact, I still have to put that on the show notes and with that it has happened again we've wasted a perfectly good hour of our listeners time so we certainly want to thank everyone for listening and encourage you to write us a review on iTunes of you enjoyed the show and we would love it if you'd come to our Facebook page and give us some feedback about which of those deep guys would be interesting to you. [1:01:58] Until next time happy commercing.

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Episode 14 - How to Build a Lifestyle eCommerce Brand with Chris Lynch of Everyday California

eCommerce Evolution

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2017 51:30

It's one thing to build a site, drive some traffic and close a few sales. It's another thing entirely to build a lifestyle brand that resonates with your audience. The story of Everyday California is a great one chock full of entrepreneurial insights. My friend and long time client Chris Lynch and his business partner Michael Sammer started their business with just a couple of Kayaks and a beat up truck in La Jolla Shore near San Diego, CA. Fast forward 9 years and they have a super cool apparel line that's growing at 10x year-over-year online. They have a license deal with Cherokee - the company that owns Tony Hawk's brand. They're driving traffic through search and social and there's no slowing down in sight. Here are some of the lessons we cover in this episode: - Keys to great design and building a brand that endures - Top traffic sources for their ecommerce store - Why they switched from Magento to Shopify Plus - A crazy Facebook/Instagram post that is raking in the sales - How to successfully diversify your business - When to pull the plug on a new initiative - Plus more!

california brand lifestyle san diego keys ecommerce tony hawk cherokees magento lifestyle brand kayaks ecommerce brand chris lynch irce

EP083 - Andrea Leigh, selling on and negotiating with Amazon

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2017 63:30

EP083 - Andrea Leigh, selling on and negotiating with Amazon Andrea Leigh is the owner at Andrea K. Leigh Consulting, which helps clients sell on and negotiate with Amazon. Andrea enjoyed a 10 year career at Amazon where she served in a number of Buying and Category Leadership roles. Andrea is a recognized expert on Amazon, who has written a number of helpful articles about Amazon on linkedin: Amazon's New End Game is Likely Third Party Sellers. What Retail Brands Should Do About it Why Your Brand Should Sell Hybrid (1P + 2P + 3P) on Amazon - Demystifying the Hybrid Selling Model Hype Why Your Brand Should Care About Amazon’s Item-Level Economics (i.e, CRaP) We spoke with Andrea about her background and experiences at Amazon, the digital grocery market and Amazon's efforts in the segment, and the best practices and common pitfalls in working with Amazon. Andrea will be one of the speakers at "Amazon & Me" an all day workshop on Tuesday June 6th at IRCE, hosted by Scot Wingo. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 83 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Thursday May 11, 2017. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, SVP Commerce & Content at Razorfish, and Scot Wingo, Founder and Executive Chairman of Channel Advisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. New beta feature - Amazon Automated Transcription of the show: Transcript Jason: [0:25] Welcome to the Jason and Scott show this is episode 82 being recorded on Wednesday May 10th 2017 I am your host Jason retailgeek Goldberg and as usual I know Scot Wingo. Scot & Andrea: [0:39] Hey Jason and welcome Jason Scott show lister's let me first apologize it is peak, pollen season here in sunny Raleigh North Carolina and my allergies is amitab attacked me and I have a sore throat so I apologize for the the lowness of my voice however I will be doing some Darth Vader quotes later so it will come in handy, Jason before we dive in it's been about a week and a half before we chatted any road trips you want a report on. Jason: [1:08] I do have a couple of days or so very sorry to hear you're feeling under the weather it's sort of Harkens me back to our famous shop talk shows where I didn't have much of a voice. [1:19] And our live listeners are totally on it that I've got a bunch of my text messages since I just did the intro in this is actually episode 83 so I want to apologize. For the falls. Boss intro a minute ago but thank you to all those folks that are listening in the show Live this week I was I got to do a trade show in town in Chicago in my hometown which is a rare treat for me. Mwb research does a show every year for the B2B in this week I'll be to be online so I. I just got to go do a presentation there yesterday and talk to some folks about B2B e-commerce which is her that interesting contrast to the the retail stuff that we talked about. Scot & Andrea: [2:02] Yeah did you get a lot of questions about Amazon business that's whatever you ask me. Jason: [2:06] Not as many as I would hope I would take it as a better sign of people were a little more concerned in that space about Amazon business, perhaps a parallel the sum of things we'll talk about today. There's some really Advanced B2B e-commerce companies but the general level is pretty digitally immature and so, you know you tend to be talking to people in that industry that you were talking to retailers about maybe four or five years ago, and I have a theory that that a lot of the cpg space are also somewhat digitally immature and a rapidly trying to catch up and so we we we make it to hit upon that in today's episode. Scot & Andrea: [2:45] Coolest part of your talk to call the audience to Julie immature. Jason: [2:48] The love I do talk about the digital maturity curve and I let them judge for themselves where where they're on but my talk. Is ironic cuz I I was mainly talking. To stakeholders they were really interested in watching B2B initiatives inside e-commerce initiatives inside their company about how to get c-suite buyin and since I've been kicked out of some easy sweets I thought maybe that was. And ironic choice for me. Scot & Andrea: [3:16] Old Town ironic if your c-suite the immature. Jason: [3:19] Exactly I've been in a lot of sweets just for a brief period of time. Scot & Andrea: [3:22] You're mature getting kicked out of six weeks. Jason: [3:25] Exactly how I'm high on the kick after blow on the maturity curve. [3:31] Just got one of my favorite thing, the show is you know from time to time we get some nice listeners that right in and say nice things about the show and had told her to reorder top and something and I always enjoy that, but I thought you liked this week I may have gotten my favorite piece of fan mail. Scot & Andrea: [3:49] Go to zip front and what they say. Jason: [3:51] Yeah so it is from a listener and Marie who runs the e-commerce site called dog quality.com and she's a regular listener and. Had a recent occasion to go to our website where the show notes are and. There there's an about me tab there with a picture of me and my dog MacGyver and so Emery who obviously is in the dog industry so I'm a guy her and wrote MacGyver a piece of fan mail. Scot & Andrea: [4:17] What are you going to read it first. Jason: [4:19] Well I won't read the whole letter as she's right kind of currently Doug quality focuses on. Elder dog quality of life in and products that the older dog specifically need and she was nice enough to say that in the Guyver looked like a spring chicken and probably didn't need any of her products, but she is she certainly offered hook MacGyver up should should the need ever arise and I was laughing because she doesn't know this but the MacGyver is a frequent guest on the show MacGyver is Jenner sitting on my lap for the show and so he was, very pleased to find out that he finally got some of the recognition that he he well deserved. Scot & Andrea: [4:56] GoFundMe you wear at shoptalk it sounded like he was he was doing your part. Jason: [5:00] Actually he is a man of few words but he's much more insightful than I am and I don't know this but I think you have a couple dogs that have at least made a cameo appearance on the show as well don't you. Scot & Andrea: [5:13] Yes sometimes in my podcast recording studio here which is also my home office ad my 10 year old Border Collie kit sits on the floor and that we have A1 year old, Cavalier named Lulu and she usually sits on my lap but tonight they are elsewhere hanging out with the kids. Jason: [5:31] Nice. Scot & Andrea: [5:33] We'll just before the podcast goes to the dogs we have an exciting guest for listeners tonight. As you listeners are well aware I'm a little bit obsessed with all things Amazon and every time I talk to tonight's guest I learned a ton about that what makes Amazon tick, and really spent a decade and Amazon from 05 to 15 and now runs a consulting firm called Andrea Kaley consulting or she helps Brands and sellers with their Amazon strategies as well as other e-commerce growth in it, I'm hosting a workshop that internet retailer Conference & exhibition which is commonly abbreviated IRC. And Angie is one of our speakers talking about Advanced strategies for Brands and wanted to go she ate with Amazon and you're welcome to the show thanks for having me. Cool and so we got Central covered with Jason in Chicago on East in assume you're in Seattle in 7 days. How's the weather is it is it typical Seattle are you guys getting your sunny days. Know where we got a little bit of fun but you know it's still we still have to get to the Fourth of July before summer really starts here cool so um. We really want to jump into it so one background statement before we jump in. Sometimes be a few back for listeners will jump right into Sonny's topics and I neglect to cover some of the basic so tonight when you use phrases like one p3p hybrid, we see one PSP specifically in the Amazon context that usually that someone has a wholesale relationship or a first-party relationship with Amazon third-party usually refers to more of a Marketplace kind of relationship. [7:07] Are the hybrid is a lot water brands now that exploring kind of a dual approach so a wholesale Ana Marketplace approach just wanted to let her listeners kind of have that that little glossary there at the top of the show before we do it. And I'll turn it over to Jason who is dying to kick off. Jason: [7:24] Thanks, let me highlight for a listeners that are not driving weather listening to podcast that the whole one p3p hybrid thing also makes for an excellent drinking game. [7:39] So it's winter before we we get into that and III. [7:43] One p3p question for you where I think there may be some Andrea Scott controversy early I hope there is but before we go there. Maybe we can start with a little bit of background about you and sort of you can walk us through how you got into this industry and what some of your experiences. Scot & Andrea: [8:02] The absolutely so I said you know probably the majority of my career at Amazon that was there for 10 years from 2005 to 2015 and I was on I worked in the retail group for the entire time, I'm in different roles as actually started as one of the founding original buyers for the amazon.com grocery category and you kind of, migrated my way to the company and number of different roles, including divisional manager for the baby category and working on getting the Amazon, baby registry can I prevent in and then good good order with customers as well as a leading category teams for Amazon Fresh, and, Rawhide most recently before I left and for the longest actually for a little over three years was a category leader for a hard-line soft lines. And consumables for Amazon Canada where and we watch consumables and softlines on while I was there I also ran the prime program and Canada and Italy Avon with it with the transportation team, in addition I've worked on the, crab process for Canada help develop that and get that thing running up there if that some of the term that everyone is familiar with that's Amazon's term for can't realize any profit. [9:32] Which is through their way of identifying items that are unprofitable for them. And I left Amazon two years ago to start my own Consulting practice where I work now with Brands a lot of them that I worked with while I was at Amazon, you know to help them achieve their goals on Amazon whatever those might be gross profit you know I saw him planning. Etc and in the category leadership relate Amazon if you're not familiar with that sort of structure at Allegan General Manager and you're responsible for all of, a buyer vendor management planning in the stock management marketing product management sometimes the technology teams as well so that's a little bit about that rule the last years I have been working. And Consulting can I have them working directly with Brands doing some speaking and doing some writing. And a man actually really partner with Melissa Burdick the kind of team up for Consulting practice and so that's, that's kind of what I've what I've been up to. Jason: [10:41] Questions about that you went from being the evil buyer to helping Bray. [10:51] Kind of like going from the federal government to becoming a lobbyist is there a man. Scot & Andrea: [10:54] You know it feels like there should be, the Empire is not but I mean I really feel like for the most part the work that I do is really Amazon's best interest I mean when it's actually one of the reasons I wanted to start my order form I mean in the early days of the Amazon Vendor Manager spent a lot of time with her and I spend time with my brand I'll be in them figure out how to grow how to use the platform head understand it to be successful and kind of coaching them and teaching, and you as Amazon, skilled and crew become more automated and that's my role grew and I took on my two teams I just found that I was sending you know very little time talking with brands, an Amazon in Genoa spending very little time kind of in that teaching capacity, and so you know that was kind of one of the reasons that I wanted to do this, I think would just like a small amount of Education about the Amazon platform, no Brands can see some really amazing success by applying some really basic principles and it's not hard you know it's it's I think it can be pretty straightforward once you understand how Amazon is different from other retailers. Quarter certain types of Brands you properly work with her show cpg seems to be a real house kind of area for you or your little bit all of them. You know I've been all over the map where's and small and end in any number of different categories but I will say that this species tend to have kind of the biggest challenges on Amazon pretty early because they were you know they're they're off and doing a pretty sizable businesses. [12:34] In addition to I'm just having a lot of products that are really difficult for Amazon to ship profitably so I think they kind of think they they have the most challenges, I'm as it relates to Krista voorhis with the with the, a platformer a business model where products are shipped directly to customers often in the single units but I've but I work with all kinds of brands. Across all categories. Jason: [12:59] Nice and you mentioned um baby for a while and if I have the time line right the Quincy acquisition happened right in the middle of your tenure. Scot & Andrea: [13:08] Right in the millimeter exactly and it's funny because I remember when they first got on our radar and we were and we were really thinking about like they're getting some really great friends on the site and how are they doing that and I remember thinking like we should go for this we should do we should go get them, we should call them but I'm and it's it's really interesting but I mean you know you know how all acquisitions go it's pretty it's pretty hush-hush internal lake cinemas that stuff happening. Jason: [13:37] Yeah but so did you literally go from hating them and they were an amethyst to like becoming a partner. Scot & Andrea: [13:45] You know I had moved on to another category by the time we actually started integrated integrating with them but you know I was there I was definitely there for the acquisition piece and you know they were doing. Three steps hi I'm just doing a really nice job pretty Leanne diapers.com, Beano getting new customers and as we all know that time when the consumer becomes a parent is just such a pivotal point in terms of brand loyalty and brand switching is really high at that point and they were really they were seeing a lot of success with some of their marketing tactics, in an option that consumer as well as you know getting a lot of kind of more perceived higher-end baby Brands to to partner with them. Jason: [14:31] Nice and I don't know we've talked about this on the show and I will surely understand if you don't want to share an opinion but you know there's been a little controversy is his Wizards probably do know. Scot & Andrea: [14:42] Fish. Jason: [14:43] They spend down Quincy Quincy this year and there's at least one of our friends in the media Jason Delray that that. So it has this hypothesis that it literally was out of spite for markquart who's who's competing with them Amazon it at Walmart and I'll just pay for the. I personally don't believe I don't know what the real logic was behind spinning a down I can imagine there's a story that we don't know but I have a hard time. [15:14] You know potentially several hundred people are getting laid off space. Out of some competitive spy on the part of of Jeff. Scot & Andrea: [15:23] Yeah I read Jason's article about that. Yeah I read that article that I mean I think that's possible and obviously I don't know I don't work there anymore but I, email Amazon just serve god with a needed out of that relationship, and there wasn't a lot of sense in keeping up separate websites me over the years Amazon had tried to spin out other web sites and it's just really challenging it's really challenging to drive traffic to a new site I mean as hell with the endless launch and then take down they got so mad it is so much traffic through going to their native site so kind of continuing to some, pour it into additional websites just seems really. Really tough and I'm not really sure why that would be a great strategy for them and you know if you think about like they sort of got what they needed that of that Arrangement they were able to you know take out app, who is Fab a fast-growing and competitor that was getting a lot of traction you know this is going back like 10 years ago. And then them from sort of like, becoming you know a real material competitor and then in addition to that you know they were able you know to integrate some of that inventory or those Brands under their own site no maybe some of the brands or harder for them to. Dino to acquire so I still feel like they got what they needed and it's really expensive. Having a Second Sight means possible there was some slight there it is truly when you look at that whole it's Story I mean it's like a soap opera. [16:58] Terms of the level of drama. I mean it's just fascinating but I think Amazon is a company with more Integrity than. You know that one that might you know I have all that and you know I just have a lot of people suffer. Jason: [17:18] No I think the URL consolidation makes a lot of sense and there are just good business reasons for. Amazon ultimately to go there at the one I I guess ironic thing is they thought they were making an acquisition to take out a competitor and all that money that used in the acquisition ultimately was used to create a new competitor so I guess. Scot & Andrea: [17:37] Flatbush feel like soap opera or irony I'm not really sure that's why I need that's the real twist in it. Jason: [17:46] The irony of me is that I use the word irony wrong all the time. [17:52] So changing topics you mention the crap program in Canada and we we talked about a crap a little bit on one of the other shows. But maybe you're in a good position to confirm or deny. The rumor is that that was started as an internal term that was not intended to be. Scot & Andrea: [18:13] Yeah. Exactly what I read in one of my articles he was not intended to be public-facing it all it was a term that was developed by the finance team like I'm very clearly recall this and I don't know I can't imagine they share this room just funny, and you know I remember seeing in the fruit one of the first meetings where the finance team brought us this program and the program itself makes sense you look at stuff is unprofitable and figure out how to get it more profitable, I put the acronym Chris is really terrible and I member we all kind of looked at each other like this or go it's like really and you know I don't think it was ever meant to be other two vendors but now it's out there and now it's like an industry term. Jason: [19:01] It's it's really awkward cuz they a category that's particularly vulnerable to crap is of course toilet paper in so when you're, to a cpg manufacturer that's talking about their total, trapped out it's really on the potty humor goes goes downhill really fast. Scot & Andrea: [19:19] Yeah and I mean I don't think that I don't think the procedure of that was lost on them right I mean diapers and toilet paper or two of the kind of like really on really difficult items to ship, take us to Harris profitably and so I'm pretty sure that was so, Davidson strategy around the name but the funny part is like by the time I left we were just tossing it around in meetings and like it was the term has lost all of its like conversations, and I think it's funny now and I talked with Brands and I and I talked about crab and, really quiet like Amazon came up with it hasn't explained it so disgusting. Jason: [20:02] So the shocking part to me is not that any of that happened the shocking part to me is when you move to Canada that you didn't find a nicer friendlier term for Canada because it's Canada just say is nicer. Scot & Andrea: [20:10] You know that's a really good point like at that point it didn't even occur to me that when we started the program in Canada we could have called it something else but you know it's too late now. Jason: [20:25] So one one last topic before I let Scot get a word in edgewise, at the beginning the show you talked about or Scott introduced the concept of one p and 3p and we talked a lot about 1p and 3p. And when a 3p seller is using FBA as their distribution strategy. Scot and the show generally talked about them being a 3p seller that uses NFPA and I've noticed in some of your writing that you call. FBA sellers to pee so I'm just curious if you and Scott and have our are aligned on that vernacular or of or. Scot & Andrea: [21:05] I mean I think I think I think it's 3 PS1 of encompassing both Merchant sold as well as, social Diana son so you know where Amazon a store in the inventory shipping on your behalf they are still there that's to pay the sizzle by Amazon program, mn3 can include that but I usually it's referring to Merchants that ship out of their own warehouses. Jason: [21:29] Got it so what do you call a vendor for field FBA. Scot & Andrea: [21:34] I would call that she pee. Jason: [21:36] Gotta and Scott are you are you okay with that. Scot & Andrea: [21:40] I try to keep it simpler so I think that would maybe confuse people, chicken official Amazon me cancers that just no actually never heard these turns until I left. And they're sort of what a lot of my clients used to describe the different business models and with some of the folks in this kind of like ancillary Amazon industry send you so that's it those are the ones I've adopted but you know there's a really simple version is one piece retail, is Amazon buying product from Brands and reselling it and then 3p is where, the brand or the other retailers uses Amazon's platformer services. Who is one thing I wanted to jump into before we get to nerdy on e-commerce side is is on your bio you are part of the Amazon or raise our program of study that a lot as a internet I'm kind of obsessed with Amazon's culture in and how they, such a large company she needs Innovative and doesn't seem to have a lot of bureaucracy and it seems like the bar razor program is kind of, last couple years decided as a really kind of key contributor that four letters that aren't following that is close to as I am maybe give us a quick background a bar razor and, tell us about your experience being in that program. Yeah absolutely I'm in if you really interested in Amazon's culture and how they say Innovative actually you love my next article I got one coming out another week that's just the really just phones and on that specific topic. [23:13] I would love that actually if I could really use some other program, and I think this is some Polish so I don't think there's anything like confidential here but it's essentially her Amazon where there's a set of interviewers that are meant to, teach other interviewers how to interview so this is like so the more experienced said of interviewers go through specific training to teach others had a interview and then you know you need to have. I need to have someone in this from this program at least you did when I was there on every interview Loop scissors or busy, and you know that the idea is not that that's like the tough interview or whatever I think that's been written before actually not true it's it's the person that facilitates the conversation and really drive out all of the insights from the interview from all of the people who interviewed the candidate, and really make sure that you're having a cohesive discussion and that you're applying kind of them. Does cats a consistent set of principles to hiring decisions across the company and so it's not your consistency, and for maintaining the culture not true, being like a really particularly tough interviewer although probably some of them are really tough interviewers so I was in that program most of my time there I mean cuz I was, I know I started there you know kind of it before they started some of their real significant growth. [24:50] And I got into it early and I think by the time I left I have done almost a thousand interviews and you know, mayilada hires connect during that time. Cool so you're in the interview and then you also delete a post interview kind of debrief is that I would have her. Exactly exactly any ideas just really for consistency and for us I think the same is true in any organization where you've got some time so it's on interview Loops it University experience or. [25:23] I'm in after struggling a little more to apply some of the principles, you know the leadership principles are still learning the leadership principles and so is their kind of someone in the room that's got some experience with that and can help guide the conversation. Clannad articles I've read say it, cuz of this book number one usually by razor is in a different apartment and so you would be the Barbies are for like engineering or something and some other person would bar raise for fire, a person like that I mean it's like I couldn't I couldn't facilitate a conversation about someone who's going to, be on my team you know you want certain external perspective but I think that's just a general in your dream practice Amazon anyway regardless of whether it's a bar raise or not it's just a lot of perspectives on a Candida think the weirdest interview I've ever participated in was for it was, like a mad scientist like an economist, I remember prepping for That interview and just thinking like what am I going to ask him if I did try to get this person some Economist questions I would be hard-pressed to judge the quality of the answer and I remember though it's sitting in the defense I didn't know anything about the contents of this person's work but it was room market like the process of, determining if they work a candidate was like, damn I mean was really it really didn't change so do you have a go to question like why are manhole covers round how do you do the mountains. [27:01] You know I think one of my favorite ones someone who asked I heard someone else asked in an interview as part of our thing is like you to train people you Shadow and you, we go along and someone it's something that like your job is to lunch the houseplants categor live houseplants category on Amazon like what we did see how would you approach this, is this at lunch or something and I remember just thinking like, that's a tough one it's just kind of shocking anyway. Jason: [27:30] I think that's where you go to selling seeds. Scot & Andrea: [27:33] Exactly exactly. Jason: [27:37] A in it it occurs to me that like in addition that Consulting with brands on how to do a Amazon you could also do interview Consulting for a candidates have you helped anyone interview since you up. Scot & Andrea: [27:49] I'm in a little bit here and there I can do some projects on it and I had a Consulting project recently where there was a component of it where they were looking for some some guidance in their organizational structure, and had it had a sort of resource this business and what skill sets and things like that are critical to a little bit but you know the core of it has been, if people don't want people just tend to want to talk to me about her half and one piece EP 3 p and headed to go see it with Amazon Amino seem to be a bit, the topics that are the biggest draw. Jason: [28:28] I asked questions I always like to ask XM is zonians I've never work for Amazon but. I have great admiration for the company in the caliber of former employees I've met all the reading I do it frankly comes off as a totally unappealing place to work. [28:50] Talk to ex amazonians that sort of Concur and I talked to ones that wildly disagree and so I guess I'm just curious. Scot & Andrea: [28:57] Most of the ones that don't agree probably still work there no I thought it was an amazing, inspiring place to work I mean I have. I just had a really incredible experience there I feel really fortunate to have worked with the high-quality caliber of people that I was but I interacted with you know I wasn't working with more and more on Clans and other organizations and just realizing how remarkable that was, I want a time I mean I feel like I had some pretty nice career trajectory there that you might not see it, another types of organizations I mean I thought it was an amazing place I think you know when you think about like that, I'm bossy Channel article of it was like, it was right when I was leaving that that article was published about how terrible it is to work at the corporate headquarters and the people cry at their desks and you know that article everything except probably some of that I feel like some of the past employee like the people who'd been fired sort of testimonials sounded off like they didn't sound consistent with the company that I knew, the rest of the day that was like pretty true I mean if I'm really hurt it's really hard hard to make history and you work you working with some of the smartest people, I think around but the article was just really um. And it will be amazing there any Amazon. [30:28] Top 5 Business Schools all those people we have a choice we have to work there and they have lots of options there for a reason and it's because it's super inspiring and you can be Innovative and build your own business, you should hire a nanny is taking a lot of responsibility, I'm here if you have an idea and it's a good one and you can put together a good business case for it it still even though it's a big company now it's still the type of place where you can, you can see that through and so I mean I think it's I think it's an incredible place or I didn't see it it's a it's a. It's like running a marathon you know you can't do it has to look at has to stop at some point I think it's hard to it would be hard to work there your whole life. There's no free snacks. Jason: [31:19] Bananas free banana. Scot & Andrea: [31:20] There's no reason I give you the Sheep pens you know just don't know books are like that you know the $0.50 ones there's no there's no curse reality leadership principles you can use PowerPoint Jason I make a living on power, Point sucks really dense white papers, I think I think I got some of the best writing training. Bear in just being a headache ran the most about and data into like the shortest way if you possible. Jason: [31:58] Yeah so that brings up one of my biggest garage with X amazonians I'm I'm always super excited when I hired one because I'm thinking like I'm going to get these really insightful well-written long-form deliverables. And then I keep getting these crappy power points from them. Scot & Andrea: [32:14] They're just so excited he's her. Jason: [32:15] Exact exact. Scot & Andrea: [32:16] That's just for so many years and now all I can I cancel team does a star play for almost everything I'm one of those people I totally am. Jason: [32:26] Yeah so that was a little bit disappointing for me I have to be honest. You don't want of the categories that I am super interested in at the moment it's been a lot of time and is grocery in and you use us and gray. Experience in the impression Amazon might my premise is in North America. [32:48] Wholesale e-commerce like the battles basically already already been one right like you don't frequent frequent statement in my practices you're not going to Amazon Amazon and so you're looking for Winchester or you know. Little place around the edges but like you nor anyone else is necessary going to just build. 400 million skier general merchandise catalog in and capture majority market share from Amazon but I do believe that grocery is a huge category potentially larger than general merchandise. Did just now is coming into play for for digital Commerce City. [33:30] We deliver that in so I do feel like it's a white space and I think we're seeing sort of Walmart Amazon and you know to a lesser extent the. The pure plays in Kroger and stuff all all battling it out is that it are you following that category at all still in. Scot & Andrea: [33:48] Oh absolutely absolutely both Serta professionally and also personally my husband has a firm idea quickly build, Play click and collect software so I follow it. Religiously and he mentioned the consumables categories are there in Norma semi dwarf, the other general merchandise categories but I think the beauty of them for e-commerce is that they uh they drive frequency in traffic, and you know I think once, once Amazon in one Southern retailers can I caught on to this they realized how important it is to make this work online because you know when you think about it like you only buy coffee maker like every couple of years I need a picture in TV is like those don't those types of products, don't drive frequency and visit people like every week, so you know these categories I mean this forever or the trip drivers and they called them truck drivers. They got people in the store we sell them for their stuff I mean the same model those two Outta mind, you got customers traffic through the consumable categories and then in a while they're there hopefully they buy other things. Jason: [35:04] Yeah until 8 and I was here in Seattle so you get to see a lot of the first iteration of concepts of I assume you've walked by the ghost or if you haven't snuck in with an old age anything in. [35:18] Don't get in trouble on the show don't get in trouble on the show. Scot & Andrea: [35:21] And we also because we can never even rolled out, wake me to tell Gram here for a while where I think that was only in like two or three markets we're in this I think this is the precursor to Prime now where, or they would deliver your stuff and like a bag on your porch with no over boxing or anything, I mean I'm sure it was really expensive to get all the stuff that was pretty cool and you can sign up for like a tote day was like a regular schedule day so we get all kinds of Pilots here which is kind of funny to see experimentation with Amazon so yeah I've been by the ghost or I haven't gone in, and I think it's really I think it's. One of the more remarkable technology that Amazon has Philip Justin just walk out technology. Jason: [36:12] #JY. Scot & Andrea: [36:14] Is she literally just walked out of the store was actually sounds kind of awful if I'm shopping with my kids but I'm sure Amazon for your at the above. Jason: [36:23] As we pointed out early on when they want that concept that they're claiming it's his big new revolutionary thing and myself and one of my peers we're using that technology in high school so. [36:34] Not sure it's quite as impressive if you got a chance to go by the the fresh pickup location yet. Scot & Andrea: [36:43] No I haven't but that's the second lunch of those in Seattle we had another pilot years ago to pick up points so CA, I'm seeing the model and I know where the spot is in fact I was thinking maybe next week I don't think it's up and running yet but I was going to go do a drive by and just check it out to pick up stations in Seattle I mean like it it looks like I'm driving through it looks like a drive-in burger joint with like all the ankle parking, pretty is pretty cool and then another just bring it all out and put it in your in your car but I mean this figuring out pickup, I mean it's super expensive to ship dog food to customers dog food to Prime customer and you're totally upside down economics, and you know in order to be competitive and figure out how to make money in the space you have to figure out how to get people to come to you and sell them a bunch of stuff at once. Jason: [37:41] Yeah for sure and it I do think that's going to be the dominant model for grocery like I think you know it and you use only strings this with. Fresh but like you know most of the Amazon Goods get delivered on a route and you can bundle a bunch of deliveries and I can be really efficient but when you deliver fresh in the person has to be home to receive it because they have to put it in the refrigerator, settling you're not doing routes accepting in a few really high Denso occasions you're doing individual deliveries and that, that's super expensive in for most of the country the economics just don't work and so it seems like saving all that shopping time and having that pick up. I it was my. That's going to be the the mainstream digital grocery experience and I have literally nothing. Thousands of consumer interviews where they just talk about it being life-changing when they start using that that feature from whomever they use it from. Scot & Andrea: [38:35] Witches, which is really funny because like this isn't a new feature like I used to when I was a kid we used to call the grocery store and we tell him what we wanted and we drive by and pick it up there's not a new model, scale is probably a new model I mean I just grew up in a small town but I think what's really interesting is the whole evolution of this thing like I remember going to trade shows and like 2006 going to like that candy and confectionery and. And talking with Brands and saying, sell on Amazon and they were like that's crazy like why would you sell food on Amazon and then there was like they all signed up. NN and now it's like a race It Was a Race for a long time you know who would get there first two and half capture all the market share who can work most strategically with Amazon and other in Walmart and can whomever else and then everyone knows everyone knows grocery had a great day, now it's like it's kale and now he's calories are in a small anymore for these retailers and now they're just like a. I'm probably suck and so how do you figure out how to make it work and that's I mean that's where I think a lot of experimentation comes into play through a lot of these players it was trying models to see what might work, you know in Seattle we have fresh we have Prime now we have pickup points we have a, Amazon go store anything for a different model for the Amazons experimenting with an S with Amazon and then you're seeing really the rise of cook and cut which I totally agree with you I think I can collect is the next, that's the next thing because I'm already fatiguing I mean I've been shopping for my groceries online since you lunch freshman 2007 here and I'm sitting at the pricing you know it's just it's just cheaper like you just it is because the economics are different and they don't have to ship it to me and another driver. [40:21] And I'm sure Amazon's figured out you know how to make all that stuff work, and the reality is it's just worse than even the prime now and even instacart and I were to costco.com and safeway.com you like all the different models and even has to offer higher prices on some of it in store specials online and so I mean as a consumer and fatiguing, of the pricing I'm Slicker she's just as much like and it's tempting to go back to the store and horrible so I see. Jason: [40:53] Scot would be horrified if you did that. Scot & Andrea: [40:55] You're so right for the next model, and I believe it's click and collect and I believe in you profitable and I believe whatever groceries get on board with this the fastest are the ones that are going to, you know they really going to kill all the share. Jason: [41:11] Yeah I think that Title Wave is is coming it's going to be fun to watch you're certainly right it's not a new model there used to be this thing in the world called the milkman. Scot & Andrea: [41:20] Totally we actually the mailbox I mean we know when delivered anything to it but it still existed in her house. Jason: [41:27] Yeah absolutely so at the end of the day do you think there's a chance that someone other than Amazon wins that space so I could you foresee a Walmart or a Kroger someone else. Scot & Andrea: [41:40] Will depend on how fast we can both I mean that's really what it comes down to it's not a complicated model you ordered online you know you pick it out your stores and you know you let customers come pick it up we've got it here at Fred Meyer local in Seattle, I'm so it's not I don't think it's a challenging model that I think a lot of these larger groceries or kind of, I don't want to say freaking out but their head of flummoxed by the concept of like setting up a retailer website what does that mean how do you up so customers how you do it right how do you let Brandon getting on it because you're basically recreating like an Amazon, .com grocery store online and let you know that feels really overwhelming, and so I don't think they're moving real fast and I think it's just going to be like humuhumu fast but I do think it will be hard to compete with Amazon's Automation and personalization as it relates to marketing. They're just they're just so good at it and so far you don't haven't seen any other retailers that have even touched it and that's either really where you get like that, if you're able to drive customers to larger basket sizes online and help them discover products and be productive about like when they're about to run out of things and that kind of thing. It's funny I said the big fan of this show Silicon Valley and that this is not a spoiler but in last week's episode they, the two the characters went to the grocery store and they were the only non tasker's in the grocery store there's like 80 people in the grocery store. Jason: [43:11] That is a great point like I the one you're at your hair percent right about the price fatigue the one loophole is it can be really cheap to deliver groceries to your home when you get a venture capitalist to pay the delivery fee. Scot & Andrea: [43:22] For Google. Jason: [43:25] I feel like at the moment there's this the short window of opportunity I encourage everyone to use all that good Andreessen Horowitz money to deliver their groceries. Scot & Andrea: [43:37] I'm just change topics little bit so then your Consulting gig you can spend a lot of time with Brands you talked about the things they want to talk about which is crap and pricing going to go see a Ting one piece of p3p. What are some of the pitfalls you see them falling into an ear do they they come to you and they say oh my gosh I've got, does problem with her your what are some of the pitfalls that you wish things would have oil for they come to. What are the three things like people they were staying for a bit but a consistent being that I'm seeing is that a lot of them in the CPC space are only thinking like one or two years ahead and it's kind of a reactive model, a reaction way of thinking to Amazon's kind of, anyways have a crap program but I think they're getting a little stricter about it and kind of the last one to two years and so a lot of his friends are going items crapped out, they're trying to keep up with like how to, how to leverage Amazon's new marketing platforms and they're just really focused on the here and now and not I don't think thinking too much about where's the where's this thing go into yours me Amazon's never going to make money shipping dog food and cat litter across the United States alike what is the future of this look like and I don't think a lot of them are spending. Enough time thinking about that because this is when you want to plant your seeds for that so you know if it's the next big model is me nice I might. My opinion is on Amazon they're really going to figure out the pantry program I mean the way to economically ship products to customers. You know that that is secreted that is. [45:07] Freshly unprofitable in a direct-to-customer at least should be model is to put in a box of the whole bunch of other stuff so it perfectly fits and charge the customer like a nominal fee that they're not going to really. And I worry too much about and then ship them a whole bunch of stuff at once and that's basically what the pantry program is and that program seems to be doing pretty well for them. Iskra. Really fast cording to some of the brands that I work with that are participating in it so I mean I think you thinking about like where the future is and Pantry still kinda challenging it's hard to hear item set up an assault like an automated thing yet, and so in thinking about like where where is the next gen of this thing going, because I mean in the writing on the wall is it like Amazon is not going to keep seeing all these products to lose money in this in the consumable space or they're just going to get really refined assortment. And so programs like Pantry Paramus Lake you know Prime now or the pickup points or whatever those are the Amazon ones but then like what we're talking about click and collect like. I think that you know expanding their, nearest Thinking Outside those kind of the current challenges you're having with your Amazon retail businesses is critical and the brands that are doing that are the ones they're going to be set up for Success because they planted seeds and cut it started that smell, this is nursing one side so let's step outside consumables and take out a category that's like maybe more mature like up. [46:39] Electronics repair or something the one that I keep hearing is when the Randall say when I think 5 or 10 years down the line. Amazon tonight exclusive retailer and that scares me because it's a race to zero so that's why a lot of brands are on the doubt that's that's one of the reasons you did they have map pricing in controlling the 3p Marketplace, do you think that's that you know you're obviously have drunk a little bit of Amazon Kool-Aid over the last 10 years but no. Is that what we're going to be facing his is this kind of you know it brings have a logical argument to not be on Amazon because they're kind of feeding their own destruction. But I don't think I mean it would be difficult to not be on the phone because of the opportunity that presents to Branzino just from League of Revenue prospective, and sometimes from profit perspective too but I think it's I don't think it's a wise choice, anti depends on a lot of factors but it's not a wise choice to like think of Amazon is your exclusive e-commerce player me the brands that I see that have healthier businesses. With Amazon are ones that sell to multiple e-commerce players and are investing in other ones not investing like investors but you know investing time and energy into getting their business up and running and marketing and things like that on some of the other players and so that's where, I think that some of your business model is feeling more Diversified but if you thinking that you're going to be exclusive on Amazon I mean they change the game there every 6 months, and you know it only takes kind of like one change that's in congress with your business model to be out. [48:17] And here maybe that's private label or meet you maybe they want your private label of your product or maybe they either come to you with terms like negotiation terms that are unacceptable to you or that you can't you can't actually if you can accommodate, can I still run a business and if they're your only Taylor you're kind of in a really tough spot, yeah I don't think they're setting up Amazon to be exclusive I think they see Amazon becoming a de-facto exclusive because when they look at the online players, Amazon so much bigger than everyone else to. That it's hard to build that diversity that you're talking about that that's not what they worry about that kind of say my brain is priced wrong is right now so maybe there is a strategy right now. I don't help Amazon be the the 800-pound gorilla well and I think that's where it's important, that's what's important to look on Amazon at some of your third party Partners I need your address with Amazon you've presumably all are presumably also selling to other people that are reselling on Amazon it is important to look at their ass and selling across multiple platforms, Samsung, and so you know they're giving you any not might be still small but they're giving you some distribution also they're also giving you an alternative if you don't want to sell directly to Amazon anymore but you still and have a presence there and have a good brand experience and help you have sales, Anthem anything that's kind of like a another diversification strategy you look so, so is private label it was kind of jump into that a little bit what are you tell Brands when they say hey I'm really concerned that you know Amazon just opened up a private label in my category. [49:50] How do you explain that I mean I think they should be concerned but it's not. Eminem retailer tender copying top selling products it's not too similar differences you know how they're able to manipulate the digital shelf to be able to savor products. Over others, and you know we don't have any like confirmation that they're doing that but it sure seems like they are when you look at the site and I know you're searching for backpacks and you know the one that looks just like the other one, private label comes up before it in the search results really totally it's something really scared about for sure but if you're also kind of going back to the concept of diversification if you've been, yeah totally. If your business is so driven by one or two skews you know you're a right candidate for it for Amazon taking on serve a private label. Copy had approached and so you know figure out how to grow other sections of your business so that you're not completely dependent on laptops Q, because Amazon Michael private label it I think it's probably a good idea and it you know I've seen them give like favoring some of the marketing and and obviously all the marketing is free for them so there, those are going to be really high origin ID on this but they look like they're just going after pretty much every category now which means I mean that makes sense for them to do. Jason: [51:26] I think you may have inadvertently given this the secret sauce away earlier I just get into the live plants category. Scot & Andrea: [51:33] Really difficult for Amazon to copy must be because they kept asking it as an interview question and they never launched it so there you go. Jason: [51:41] Exactly which is odd because I feel like that's one of the first categories than invented cologne. Scot & Andrea: [51:46] Actually I think that I actually might be irony I'm not sure. Jason: [51:52] Yes Neil thank you for that. [51:57] So I know you're going to be at IRC in a couple weeks and I understand it right that topic is tips for negotiating with Amazon can you totally ruin the irce panel. Giving our listener some of the high-level pitfalls and tips. Scot & Andrea: [52:14] Yeah yeah. Blue am so I mean the presentations really just going to talk about it I think it's another one of those areas where a little bit of Education will really help Brands be successful in their negotiations and the biggest. And the bastard of a feeling or pitfalls that I saw when I was out in the sun because she with friends is just friends not preparing for the negotiation not coming with with data me with questions you know not being prepared, I'm not really thinking through, the Amazons perspective and being kind of blindsided by some of the ass and granite Amazon desert huge so it makes sense to be helpless by the numbers, and so I will talk a little bit about that in the presentation will talk about how to prepare, you know what information to request from Amazon if you have an opportunity to do so I mean I think, an important thing is he knows the lot of times, especially some of the mid-tier the smaller hands are not actually negotiate with a live person and so how do you navigate that right like you probably negotiate with a robot doesn't look like a robot in the email comes to you but looks like a. Can a person that it's you know it's definitely an automated it's going automated process so we'll talk about how to. How to prepare am had to actually execute and then you know what kind of go through some of the typical ass from Amazon and and talk about like when he's made me sense for you like. [53:47] Who who who doesn't make sense for it to think about like the cross. Program or when would it make sense for you to invest in some of the, the larger marketing programs or or Crap allow answer you know we'll kind of talk a little bit about that. One of the things you introduce me to his this house get this wrong but like driving the car really fast with your. Foot on the gas your hands off the wheel tell tell us more about that Provisions growing quickly and scaling and it's really critical more and more automated. And so you know I'm seeing with my clients and also one of the forums like the Lincoln Group and things like that that a lot of brands are just really at the end. At the receiving end of more automation than ever before and they're hearing from their buyers you know how critical it is that they continue automated and you know not Place manual. Borders and let the system do its thing can have their hands off the wheel that's the hands off the wheel concept so you know and that's definitely you always been kind of a push it Amazon but I feel like it's getting, my friends are seeing more of it and I'm in recent here. An interest Amazon's interesting automation when you negotiate with the with that machine doesn't sound like Alexa. I mean if you get on the phone you're talking to a real person. Jason: [55:20] For now for now. Scot & Andrea: [55:21] I'm sorry Jason we're going to cut your crap allowance. Jason: [55:26] Here's the tip you're not talking to a real person when it's Sign May Day that's always. Scot & Andrea: [55:31] Chicken area. Jason: [55:34] Come on you guys don't get Amazon Fire jokes. Scot & Andrea: [55:36] No I guess I totally get it. Jason: [55:40] Scot snoody the lack of systems we have to go somewhere for him although annoyingly Scott's car can drive really fast with a hands off the wheel which I'm a little jealous. Scot & Andrea: [55:51] Do you have a self-driving car have a tablet doesn't have that that future though I got I was too early in the doctor its equivalent of having an iPhone 1 right now. Jason: [56:04] You can still drive really fast with your hands off the wheel once. Scot & Andrea: [56:07] Yeah just let me know. Jason: [56:11] Exactly and any big mistakes you see people making in negotiations. Scot & Andrea: [56:18] Yeah I mean I think this one is just giving like a specially for the platform or have experience I have significant growth and so it's like one of the first time actually talking to someone like a live person they just give too much away in the first year, that you know they don't hold back enough funding for themselves, Cindy has Amazon ever use an annual negotiation process that you every year and they're going to want more and you know you don't want to give it all away, in the in there for a couple years of Amazon you've got a kind of pre the reserves at or or just kind of the other it's just kind of, signing up for the most you can possibly do for that year from a from a Amazon funding perspective and that doesn't give you any kind of slush fund for the stuff they're going to come to you with. Fourth root beer like participation in certain marketing programs that you know they didn't know about the weekend because you know they're. A plan a little bit more in a three to six months in advance or are you know price-matching error or some chargeback store. I don't want to be in a position all year we're all of those little things are extraordinary painful cuz you already gave them like the most you could give them that you're so I always recommend a can of creating a reserved sign for yourself, you know don't like some leftover money is there be no room in your budget to pay for some of the things throughout the year. Jason: [57:43] That Prime days only two months away don't don't touch. Scot & Andrea: [57:49] So I never been a Brandon or works for me but I meant it would be really weird because there's probably this old school believing believe that you reformulation ships and I know I've been a bit more couple times and. You just see the brand raps just kind of going through there and you know it's almost like the airports Gear Drive for them there's a whole infrastructure and there's this whole, pilgrimage to Walmart meet that guy try to build a relationship drugs drinks the Dan Draper Martini lunch and all that stuff and then you probably do all that then you try to. If I go try to beats when Amazon that I won't meet with you unless you're like. Super Dee duper Top Gear brand so then now you're kind of talking to this AI machine and these brands that kind of holiday how they feel. Yeah yeah especially some of the larger more established ones that are really accustomed to working with brick-and-mortar there they believe that they will be able to see crater 6s on Amazon to forming a relationship with their buyers, and I will tell you like the last thing those buyers wanted to do it for him, bladder relationships because it's extremely time-consuming it doesn't help them execute on their initiatives might get them like that anymore Co-op, they can also get that by sending out like a hundred automated emails and so you know I still remember kind of, the concept of like Thursday Amazon buying team they're in their jeans and occasionally flip flops, I'm at the brand comes to visit and they're all wearing their suits and they want to do a line review and like that concept it's just totally lost. [59:30] Play baby and they're not going to make it they're not going to make selection choices they're going to list everything on the side so it doesn't. The best interest to learn a whole lot about the products and which ones are different from one another. So yeah I mean I definitely see a lot of her and still trying to formulation ships but I'm also seeing a lot of emerges getting like Savvy about that, he has already had a couple of turnovers and their Vendor Manager and they're realizing that like actually the best thing they can do is educate them so. About the, Phat Farm and how it works because of no sex that's really understand how the form works that I work with it and keep keep up with the changes to it I think it you know, the Amazon I think just there was a Jeff quote once and he said we're not in the business of selling things were in the business of helping people buy things and they just, Amazon believes they are a platform for selling things they don't believe they're retailer wish I think kind of speaks to you know why they don't think the relationship development super important. That's an important Point Jason spends more time with the offline guys than I do but up but I'm always. Stricken by there's the still believe there's still this belief and I'm a computer engineering guy but there's just believe that there's this Merchant King, Merchant Prince water be called Jason and you know they can predict what people are going to do and they go and they buy that hot thing in the ghetto, the create fashion themselves and that I'm console surprised how much that still exists and I think you know this this Amazon model of. [1:01:02] Why should she choose like put everything up and let the customer he just seems so obvious to me. But it really is so counter to hell all these other companies are built that that. It's the step to get even closer to that existential dilemma than they are right now which is hard to believe but just console amazing to me in the retail world that that no one else really gets that. Universal some elements of that and that's really like in my opinion when I was a fire that was like the most exciting thing about being a buyer what if you find the next big thing, like what is it what if you're the one that brought it on the side and I'm ever going to trade shows in finding like weird and scary products reticulate like the Expos and, Ambien like maybe this is like the new coconut water like we don't know what is going to be so I think there's still some elements of that but I mean definitely a lot less than than traditional retailers, stop and come from a line review I guess. Jason: [1:01:59] Well it has happened again we've used up our allotted hour Andrea thank you very much for us spending time in the educating all of us and especially for educating Scot. Scot & Andrea: [1:02:13] But thank you for having me on the show and it was really great to be here. Yeah right I said at the top of you everytime I talk to you I learned a hundred things I think I have checks at least that many boxes that is good take me awhile to counter but we're in that that neighborhood, it is reminder to listener see if you enjoyed Andrews view on Amazon brand strategy and then and other topics she's one of the speakers at internet retailer conference in exhibitions Amazon and me Workshop, which is right around the corner it'll be June 6th in Chicago, and Andrea is folks want to follow you your writing online you mentioned you got some articles coming out where's the best place that can find is that a Twitter handle or a, that chatter where where do you hang out online I am mostly on LinkedIn so you can find me on LinkedIn and it's Andrea Leigh Leigh. [1:03:05] Possible thanks again really appreciate it. Jason: [1:03:07] Yeah and we'll make sure to get that in the show now so until next time happy commercing.

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Episode 5 - The IR HOT 100 List with Zak Stambor of Internet Retailer

eCommerce Evolution

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2017 43:27

Today's guest is Zak Stambor. Zak is the Managing Editor at Vertical Web Media, the largest publisher in the e-commerce field, and famed founders of the ever-popular Internet Retailer magazine. Zak has a large role in putting out one of the most widely celebrated editions of IR Magazine: the IR Hot 100. In today's episode, we highlight our 10 favorite e-commerce companies from the IR Hot 100 list. We talk about what makes these companies stand out, covering everything from business models to innovative marketing strategies. Get insight into growing trends in e-commerce, discover companies to watch and learn from, and enjoy a bonus 11th company spotlight!

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MageTalk Episode 103 – IRCE 2016 Interviews #3 (w/ Agnes Rey-Tinat)

marketing online mobile ecommerce zak serps google serps internet retailer what's on tap irce

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2016

Show Notes Our series from IRCE 2016 continues with an interview with Agnes Rey-Tinat of iD Commerce + Logistics – shipping is hard, and direct to consumer shipping now has to take different types of...

irce

What's On Tap at IRCE With Zak Stambor

Retail Uncharted

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2016 20:45

Few people know e-commerce like Zak Stambor, Online Marketing Editor at Internet Retailer magazine. While reporting the latest industry news, Zak speaks with a wide assortment of retailers and marketers — providing him with a truly holistic understanding of this exciting space. In this podcast, we discussed IRCE, the ever-changing Google SERP, tactics for search success, and why mobile is still a challenge after all these years. Our chat is the perfect primer for IRCE. If you’re not going, check it out anyway for a quick survey of today’s e-commerce terrain.

MageTalk Episode 99.3 – “The Upper Echelon” (feat. Matt MacDougall)

upper echelon macdougall irce

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2016

Show Notes In a continuation of the conversation started with Matt from IRCE 2015, Phillip sits back down with Matt MacDougall of Extension Galaxy just one year after their launch to check in on the...

IRCE 2016 Reflections

EY Access - Expert eCommerce Access

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2016 20:49

On our most recent episode of EY Access, Eric Yonge, Sean Callihan & Michael Baker reflect on their week on IRCE, and the changes that they're seeing in the eCommerce industry. Here are a few highlights from their discussion: Changes at IRCE What stood out "The Box" The buzz on the floor What's going on with the platforms The elusive mid-market Specialists vs Generalists Hear more at www.eystudios.com/eyaccess

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MageTalk Episode 58 – We heard you like Dropshipping so we put some Logic in your Broker

heard logic broker dropshipping irce

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2015

Show Notes Phillip continues the IRCE interview series with Peyman Zamani of Logicbroker. Host Phillip Jackson – @philwinkle Guest Peyman Zamani, CEO @ Logicbroker – @logicbroker No

EP 26: Amazon Product Advertising Masterclass with CPC Strategy w/ Rick Backus

2X eCommerce Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2015 47:58

This is the 2nd of a 3-part series with CPC Strategy - the paid search management agency with a specialist focus in retail. This episode is dedicated to how to effectively run Amazon Product Advertising campaigns and why it must not be ignored as a paid customer acquisition channel in e-commerce. We cover pretty much everything retailers need to know about AMAZON ADVERTISING today. Stay tuned and be prepared to take a load of notes! Based on this article: http://www.cpcstrategy.com/blog/2015/02/amazon-sponsored-product-vs-amazon-product-ads/ -- Rick Backus Rick is CEO and Co-Founder of CPC Strategy - he has spent his entire professional life in the world of online retail, initially with price comparison engine PriceGrabber.com, before co-founding CPC Strategy in 2007. Rich is a regular speaker at conferences such as IRCE, SES, MivaCon and SearchLove. And a columnist on publications such as Search Engine Land, Internet Retailer, Mixergy and MediaPost.

Takeaways from the 2015 IRCE Conference | eCommerceFuel

eCommerce Fuel

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2015 22:48

Hopefully, you were able to make it to the IRCE (Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition) this past month in Chicago with us. But if you weren’t able to attend, then you are in luck! Bill D’Alessandro joins me today to discuss the events of the conference. We talk about our biggest takeaways, the challenges and some surprising insights we gained from the world’s largest eCommerce conference and exhibition. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1NrCovF

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MageTalk Episode 48 – I’m in UR E, Bizzing UR Marts

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2015

Show Notes In our first-ever series from IRCE interviews in 2015, Phillip sits down with the crew from eBizmarts and catches up on the hot gossip from Uruguay. Links eBizmarts Meet Magento NL IRCE Something...

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MageTalk Episode 46 – Orange is the new eBay Black