Podcasts about malomo

Mariah Parsons hosts the "Retention Chronicles" podcast, sponsored by Malomo, a shipping update platform praised by Alicia, founder of Midstoppers. Guest Kate Kasch discusses her career in the food industry, from Wrigley to Mars Inc, and her transition to scaling brands like Good Pop and Muddy Bites. Kate highlights the challenges of translating consumer interest into retail distribution, emphasizing the importance of social media presence and retailer relationships. She shares a successful campaign by Good Pop, the "Good Pop Hotline," and discusses the significance of authenticity and consumer engagement in retention strategies.Episode Timestamps:Kate's Career Journey 3:22Kate shares her 20-year career in the food space, starting from her first job out of college with Wrigley.She describes her experience working for Mars Inc, including roles in logistics, sales, analytics, and marketing.Kate talks about her midlife career change, leaving Mars Inc to join a small, scaling brand, Good Pop.She highlights her role in scaling Good Pop and the challenges of competing with established brands.Introduction to Muddy Bites 7:06Kate explains her recent move to Muddy Bites, a brand focused on bringing fun and joy back to snacking and cookies.She describes Muddy Bites as a 3D cookie inspired by the best part of an ice cream cone.Kate shares the brand's history and the founders' vision of creating a unique, shelf-stable cookie.Mariah expresses her excitement about trying Muddy Bites and shares her personal experience with the product.Challenges of Scaling a Brand 9:48Kate discusses the differences between working at a large global brand and a small emerging brand.She highlights the challenges of translating consumer interest into retail shelf space.Kate shares the story of Muddy Bites' Kickstarter launch and the difficulty of securing retail distribution.She emphasizes the importance of building consumer demand and marketing efforts to prove the brand's value to retailers.Retail Distribution and Consumer Acquisition 12:52Mariah and Kate discuss the challenges of acquiring retail distribution and the role of social media in consumer acquisition.Kate shares examples of successful campaigns, including Good Pop's "Good Pop Hotline" and Disney's emotional advertising.They talk about the importance of virality and social media presence in attracting retail buyers.Kate explains the need for a strong social media presence to create brand love and drive retail sales.Retention Strategies for DTC and Retail 25:53Kate outlines the tactics for retaining consumers in DTC and retail channels.She emphasizes the importance of timely reminders, reviews, and discounts in DTC retention.Kate discusses the role of in-store promotions, shelf availability, and retailer relationships in retail retention.She highlights the need for a captive audience and effective communication with retailers to drive sales.Authenticity and Consumer Connection 30:11Kate and Mariah discuss the importance of authenticity and emotional connection in branding.Kate shares examples of how large brands leverage their history and family roots to create authenticity.They talk about the role of founder stories and consumer involvement in building brand loyalty.Kate emphasizes the need for small brands to create a sense of community and ownership among their consumers.Conclusion and Future Collaboration 35:03Mariah thanks Kate for sharing her insights and experiences on the podcast.They discuss the potential for future collaborations and additional episodes.Mariah encourages listeners to subscribe, follow the podcast on social media, and suggest future guests.The episode concludes with a shout-out to the podcast sponsor, Malomo, and its benefits for Shopify brands.

Mariah Parsons hosts the "Retention Chronicles" podcast, sponsored by Malomo, which helps brands enhance post-purchase experiences through branded order tracking. She discusses with Desiree Rabuse, founder of Style Fox, the importance of customer retention and acquisition strategies. Desiree emphasizes the value of being curious and innovative, maintaining personal connections with customers, and leveraging trade shows for brand discovery. She also highlights the significance of sustainable practices, such as using vegan ingredients and recyclable packaging, and the effectiveness of personalized customer service and tech integrations like HubSpot and Endless for influencer outreach.Episode Timestamps:Style Fox's Purpose-Driven Brand 5:04Desiree explains the purpose behind Style Fox, focusing on content that helps women's lives and moving away from celebrity noise.She highlights the brand's commitment to eco-conscious practices, using vegan ingredients, recyclable packaging, and donating to carbon-neutral companies.Desiree shares her efforts to grow pollinator gardens and the launch of the Flowers for the Planet skincare line, which benefits pollinators.She discusses the importance of differentiating the brand through unique products and sustainable practices, attracting customers who value these aspects.Customer Acquisition Strategies 9:09Desiree emphasizes the importance of being curious and staying ahead of trends to find and retain customers.She shares her success with innovative products like the powder face masks and the NAD+ resveratrol skin booster, which have gained significant customer interest.Desiree advises focusing on trade shows, especially those with one-on-one meeting formats, to discover new customers and build relationships.She suggests starting with local boutiques and growing gradually, rather than aiming for immediate expansion into big box stores like Target.Effective Trade Show Participation 28:41Desiree discusses her approach to trade shows, including attending events like Shop Talk and New York Now for discovery and networking.She highlights the benefits of one-on-one meetings at trade shows, where mutual interest in meeting each other creates valuable connections.Desiree shares her strategy of walking the floor with samples in transparent bags to attract attention and start conversations.She emphasizes the importance of business cards with QR codes for easy access to catalogs and social media, making them memorable and effective.Customer Retention and Personal Engagement 28:54Desiree stresses the importance of personal engagement with customers, responding to feedback and building loyalty through direct interactions.She shares examples of how she personally manages social media and customer service, creating a personal connection with her brand.Desiree discusses the use of AI for automated emailing and text messaging, but insists on staying involved in the brand's interactions.She mentions the use of gamified advertising and loyalty programs to enhance customer retention and engagement.Balancing Founder Involvement and Technology 29:06Desiree talks about the importance of balancing founder involvement with the use of technology to manage tasks efficiently.She focuses most of her time on product development and the creative side of the brand, while outsourcing customer service and automated messaging.Desiree highlights the benefits of using platforms like HubSpot and Endless for influencer programs and automating messaging.She emphasizes the value of in-person meetings at trade shows for discovering and building relationships with tech companies and partners.

Mariah Parsons hosts Retention Chronicles podcast, sponsored by Malomo, which helps e-commerce brands enhance their post-purchase experience. She discusses with Mickey Kennedy, founder of Earleases.com, the importance of press releases in building brand credibility and reducing churn. Mickey emphasizes the need for storytelling in press releases and suggests using industry surveys to stand out. He highlights the effectiveness of targeting smaller trade associations for media coverage. Mickey also advises using AI to assist in press release creation and stresses the importance of authenticity and human interest in PR strategies.Episode Timestamps:Introduction of Mickey Kennedy and Earleases.com 2:39Mariah introduces Mickey Kennedy, who runs earleases.com, a press release distribution service.Mickey explains that earleases.com offers press release distribution at a fraction of the cost of traditional services like PR Newswire.He emphasizes the value of newsworthy press releases, which can lead to media coverage in major publications and influencer mentions.Mickey shares a personal anecdote about his early career in telecom and how he learned to craft press releases that garnered media attention.Mickey's Journey into PR and the Importance of Storytelling 22:49Mickey recounts his transition from a telecom startup to writing and distributing press releases.He discusses the importance of storytelling in press releases, sharing an example of a press release that highlighted a unique data point and led to significant media coverage.Mickey explains how he pivoted earleases.com to use PR Newswire for distribution, noting the effectiveness of wire services over email for reaching journalists.He highlights the challenges of media databases and the importance of targeting relevant journalists and publications.The Role of PR in Acquisition and Retention 23:04Mariah and Mickey discuss the intersection of PR and retention, noting that PR can help build credibility and trust with customers.Mickey explains how PR can reduce churn by creating a sense of trust and emotional connection with customers.He emphasizes the importance of sharing authentic stories and images in press releases to engage journalists and readers.Mickey shares tips for founders on crafting effective press releases, including the use of AI tools to assist with writing.Strategies for Effective PR and Retention 27:37Mickey outlines a checklist for creating effective press releases, including focusing on storytelling, data points, and industry surveys.He explains the benefits of conducting industry surveys and how they can position a brand as a thought leader.Mickey provides tips for finding and collaborating with smaller trade associations to gain media coverage.He emphasizes the importance of authenticity and human interest in press releases to stand out and engage journalists.Conclusion and Call to Action 33:11Mariah thanks Mickey for sharing his expertise and insights on PR and retention.She encourages listeners to subscribe to the podcast and follow them on social media.Mariah provides a final shoutout to Malomo, highlighting its benefits for e-commerce brands looking to enhance their post-purchase experience.She invites listeners to visit go.malomo.com to learn more about branded order tracking and how it can improve customer loyalty and revenue.

Mariah Parsons hosts a podcast episode with Larry Kim, founder of customers.ai, discussing the importance of accurate website visitor identification. Larry reveals that current data sources, often used by website visitor ID companies, are only 5-30% accurate, leading to significant issues like low conversion rates and spam complaints. He emphasizes the need for brands to test the accuracy of their data providers and suggests strategies to improve email deliverability and brand reputation. Larry also highlights the legal requirements for email marketing, such as clear identification and opt-out mechanisms, to maintain compliance and trust with customers.Episode Timestamps:Introduction to Retention Chronicles Podcast 0:00Mariah Parsons introduces the podcast, Retention Chronicles, focused on customer retention strategies for e-commerce marketers.She highlights the importance of post-purchase experience, noting that 84% of shoppers won't return if they have a bad shipping experience.Mariah emphasizes the role of transactional shipping emails and SMS in turning them into powerful marketing tools.She mentions Malomo as the podcast sponsor, which helps brands create branded order tracking pages to enhance customer experience and drive profits.Introduction of Larry Kim and His Background 2:53Mariah Parsons welcomes Larry Kim, founder and CEO of customers.ai, to the podcast.Larry shares his background, including his previous role as the founder and CEO of WordStream, a pay-per-click advertising platform acquired by Gannett in 2018.Larry attributes the growth of WordStream to search engine optimization, which brought in 3-4 million website visitors per month.He discusses the challenges and opportunities in the website visitor identification industry, emphasizing the need for accurate data.Challenges in Website Visitor Identification 4:10Larry explains the limitations of current website visitor identification technologies, which rely on low-quality data sources like publisher data and co-registration network data.He highlights the inaccuracy of these data sources, with accuracy rates ranging from 5% to 30%.Larry describes the efforts of customers.ai to build a new identity graph for person-level identification, aiming for higher accuracy rates.He shares the results of their study and case studies, which show significant improvements in data accuracy.Impact of Inaccurate Data on Brands 19:28Larry discusses the negative impact of inaccurate website visitor identification data on brands, including low conversion rates and spam complaints.He explains how brands can test the accuracy of their data by comparing known website visitors with the data provided by ID providers.Larry emphasizes the importance of using accurate data to avoid damaging brand reputation and email deliverability.He suggests strategies for brands to improve their data accuracy and mitigate the negative effects of inaccurate data.Legal and Ethical Considerations in Email Marketing 22:47Mariah and Larry discuss the legal and ethical considerations of email marketing, including the CAN-SPAM Act and the need for clear opt-out mechanisms.Larry explains the importance of transparency and disclosure in using marketing trackers and collecting data.He suggests strategies for brands to comply with regulations and maintain good email deliverability.Mariah highlights the role of transactional emails in maintaining customer trust and the importance of accurate data in these communications.Conclusion and Final Thoughts 27:26Mariah thanks Larry for sharing his insights and experiences on the podcast.She encourages listeners to subscribe to the podcast and follow them on social media.Mariah provides a final shout-out to Malomo, the podcast sponsor, and encourages brands to explore their order tracking platform.The episode concludes with a reminder of the importance of accurate data and effective customer retention strategies in e-commerce.

Mariah Parsons hosts Daphne Benzaquen, Founder of the E-commerce lifestyle brand daph, inspired by her Peruvian heritage. Daphne started daph eight years ago, learning design and manufacturing herself. The brand has been featured in Forbes and Buzzfeed, and Daphne later founded an agency to help other small brands. Daphne emphasizes the importance of customer experience, using sensory branding like scents, recipes, and playlists to immerse customers in Peruvian culture. She values authenticity, community, and intentionality in her marketing strategies, including personalized emails and storytelling. Daphne also relies on her community and podcasts for support and learning.Mariah Parsons hosts Daphne Benzaquen, Founder of the E-commerce lifestyle brand daph, inspired by her Peruvian heritage. Daphne started daph eight years ago, learning design and manufacturing herself. The brand has been featured in Forbes and Buzzfeed, and Daphne later founded an agency to help other small brands. Daphne emphasizes the importance of customer experience, using sensory branding like scents, recipes, and playlists to immerse customers in Peruvian culture. She values authenticity, community, and intentionality in her marketing strategies, including personalized emails and storytelling. Daphne also relies on her community and podcasts for support and learning.Podcast website: retentionchroniclespodcast.comSponsor website: gomalomo.comEpisode Timestamps:00:00 - 01:07 | IntroductionHost Mariah Parsons introduces the podcast and guest, Daphne Benzaquen.Brief background on how they met at ShopTalk.01:07 - 06:07 | Daphne's Background & Founding daphDaphne's journey from pre-med to business school and eventually launching daph, a lifestyle brand inspired by her Peruvian heritage.Teaching herself design and working with Peruvian artisans to create her first product collection.06:07 - 10:56 | Learning Design & Manufacturing ProcessHow she approached design from a business mindset.The process of finding manufacturing partners in Peru and learning through hands-on experience.10:56 - 15:50 | Expanding from Accessories to ApparelStarting with leather accessories and evolving into alpaca fleece apparel.The importance of customer feedback and adapting to demand.How unisex and one-size-fits-most apparel helped reduce inventory risks.15:50 - 19:34 | Pivoting to Home Fragrance During COVIDSupply chain disruptions led to the launch of a home fragrance line.Creating scents inspired by different regions of Peru.How customer demand shaped product expansion.19:34 - 26:33 | Enhancing the Customer ExperienceDeveloping a multisensory brand experience with scent, music, and Peruvian recipes.Running a “Scent Soirée” event to collect customer feedback on fragrance selections.Personalizing the unboxing experience with a postcard, playlist, and cultural touchpoints.26:33 - 32:05 | Customer Retention StrategiesPersonalized post-purchase emails thanking repeat customers.Offering exclusive early access and special perks.The power of storytelling in emails and social media to build an emotional connection with customers.32:05 - 37:51 | Community, Learning, & Growth as a FounderThe importance of authenticity and transparency in e-commerce.Balancing entrepreneurship with self-care.Leveraging founder networks, industry podcasts, and journaling for growth.37:51 - 40:51 | Closing Thoughts & Final TakeawaysDaphne's advice: “Jealousy is the thief of joy”—focus on collaboration over competition.Shout-out to Malomo, a Shopify order-tracking platform, as the episode's sponsor.Call-to-action: Subscribe, leave reviews, and connect with the podcast community.

Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles and Head of Marketing at Malomo, hosts Jordi Vermeeri, VP of Revenue at Channel Engine. They discuss customer retention strategies in e-commerce and how online sellers should navigate online marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. Jordi explains the shift from traditional ERP systems to marketplace integration, highlighting the importance of both first-party (1P) and third-party (3P) selling models. He notes that 60% of e-commerce sales occur on third-party marketplaces, emphasizing the necessity for brands to be present on platforms like Amazon and Walmart. Jordi also discusses strategies for optimizing listings, such as virtual bundling and repricing, and the challenges of customer retention on marketplaces. He advises brands to focus on profitability, operational efficiency, and leveraging data to improve customer engagement and retention. Podcast Website: RetentionChroniclesPodcast.com Sponsor Website: GoMalomo.com Episode Timestamps: 4:37 Channel Engine Overview and Marketplace Integration Jordi explains Channel Engine's role as a marketplace integration and management platform. He lists the various marketplaces Channel Engine connects brands and resellers to, including Amazon, Walmart, and Macy's. Jordi highlights the services Channel Engine offers, such as product listing, optimization, pricing, inventory management, and promotions. Mariah and Jordi discuss the complexity of marketplaces and the importance of understanding each platform's unique requirements. 7:38 Niche Marketplaces and Sustainability Platforms Mariah inquires about niche marketplaces and specific platforms for minority-owned businesses. Jordi explains the concept of niche marketplaces and provides examples like eBay's automotive section and Premium Shop Outlet. They discuss sustainability platforms like Back Market and Re-Buy, which specialize in refurbished consumer electronics and apparel. Jordi emphasizes the trend of sustainability and the importance of platforms that revive products. 24:07 Hybrid Selling Models and Profitability Mariah asks about hybrid selling models and the balance between first-party (1P) and third-party (3P) strategies. Jordi explains the difference between 1P (vendor model) and 3P (seller of record) and the importance of marketplaces in e-commerce. He shares statistics on the global share of marketplaces and the necessity of being present on marketplaces. Jordi discusses the challenges and benefits of both 1P and 3P models, including profitability, brand image, and operational complexities. 24:22 Strategies for Marketplace Success Jordi outlines the factors to consider when deciding between 1P and 3P models, including profit margins, brand image, and operational capabilities. He explains the importance of setting the base price correctly and the role of repricers in winning the Buy Box on Amazon. Jordi introduces the concept of virtual bundling to increase average order value and decrease cost per order. He emphasizes the importance of accurate data and insights for making informed decisions and improving profitability. 34:57 Customer Retention and Marketplaces Mariah asks about strategies for customer retention in the context of marketplaces. Jordi discusses the challenges of obtaining customer data from marketplaces and the limitations on email marketing. He suggests strategies like including flyers in packages and using data lakes to understand customer profiles. Jordi highlights the potential of retention tactics within marketplaces, such as subscriptions and email follow-ups. 39:35 Expansion and Growth Strategies Mariah inquires about the best practices for launching a multi-channel approach or expanding into new marketplaces. Jordi advises starting with growth goals and identifying potential profitability in different platforms. He mentions the importance of testing and learning, and the need to balance research with action.

Leanna Nazzisi, Senior Director of Customer Experience at Victoria Beckham Beauty, and Nino Cavenecia, Co-Founder and CEO of Swift CX join Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles. Leanna discusses her journey from customer service to her current role, emphasizing the importance of personalized customer experiences. Nino shares his experience building customer support teams and the founding of Swift CX, which leverages AI to enhance customer service efficiency. They explore the integration of Swift CX with Malomo for seamless order tracking, enhancing customer experience and reducing support workload for the Victoria Beckham Beauty team. Both highlight the value of customer insights and the potential of AI to improve retention and brand loyalty. Episode Timestamps 7:46 Nino's Perspective on Customer Service Mariah asks Nina about her early career experiences in customer service. Nina explains the misunderstanding of the complexity of customer support within companies and the high expectations placed on support agents. She shares how she excelled in customer service by turning unhappy customers into satisfied ones and quickly moved into leadership roles. Nina highlights the value of customer insights from support teams and how she changed the narrative about support within companies. 13:22 Current Roles and Vision Mariah asks Nino about his current role and the founding of Swift CX. Nino explains his frustration with the effort required to get value from support tools and his desire to build a tool that leverages AI to deliver amazing customer experiences. He emphasizes the importance of making support operations efficient and high-quality without high effort or cost. Leanna shares her vision for Victoria Beckham Beauty, focusing on elevating customer experience and leveraging AI to free up time for support teams to handle more strategic tasks. 20:55 Integration of Swift CX and Malomo Mariah discusses the integration of Swift CX and Malomo, highlighting the benefits for customer experience. Nino praises Leanna's thoughtful approach to embedding AI in the customer experience and shares positive feedback from customers interacting with the AI bot. Leanna explains how the integration will help customers get immediate answers to common questions, freeing up support teams to handle more complex issues. Mariah and Leanna discuss the importance of providing a seamless and branded order tracking experience for customers. 40:54 Challenges and Opportunities in Customer Experience Mariah asks Leanna about the challenges and opportunities in her current role at Victoria Beckham Beauty. Leanna discusses the importance of providing a luxury experience with convenience and how AI can help achieve this. She emphasizes the need to free up time for support teams to handle more strategic tasks and improve customer satisfaction. Mariah and Leanna discuss the potential of AI to enhance customer experience and the importance of providing immediate and accurate information to customers. 42:44 Leveraging AI in Customer Support Mariah and Leanna discuss the potential of AI to enhance customer support and the importance of providing a seamless and branded experience. Leanna explains how AI can help customers get immediate answers to common questions and free up support teams to handle more strategic tasks. Mariah highlights the importance of providing a positive customer experience to build brand loyalty and improve retention. Leanna shares her vision for using AI to enhance customer experience and the potential benefits for Victoria Beckham Beauty.

In this episode of Retention Chronicles, Brynn Snyder, CEO and Co-Founder of Slate Flosser, joins Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles and Head of Marketing at Malomo, to discuss her journey from a multi-business entrepreneur to developing a groundbreaking three-in-one flosser. Snyder shares insights into her life as a mother of five, her entrepreneurial roots, and how personal experiences in her husband's dental practice inspired the creation of Slate. The conversation covers the intricate processes behind product development, the challenges and costs associated with launching a high-quality product, and the crucial role of feedback from dental professionals. Snyder emphasizes the importance of education in marketing, the effectiveness of different acquisition channels like Meta and Google ads, and the nuanced strategies for retaining customers through email, SMS, and subscription models. She also highlights the significance of key support systems such as female founder networks and advisory boards in navigating business challenges. As the episode wraps up, Snyder discusses Slate's marketing strategies around habit-building and the limited sales events, providing listeners with a special discount code (MARIAH10) for aspiring buyers. SLATE FLOSSER DISCOUNT CODE: MARIAH10 Episode Timestamps: 00:15 Meet Bryn Snyder: CEO and Co-Founder of Slate Flosser 00:47 Inspiring the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs 02:38 The Journey to Founding Slate 04:30 Innovating Oral Health: The Slate Product 14:51 Challenges and Triumphs in Product Development 20:28 Educating Dentists and Consumers 21:16 Finding Initial Testers 22:58 Kickstarter Insights 24:36 Marketing Strategies 28:41 Retention Marketing 33:56 Holiday Gifting Potential 36:44 Networking and Problem Solving 38:42 Promotions and New Year Resolutions 39:46 Conclusion and Discount Code

Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles and Head of Marketing at Malomo is joined by Alyssa (Lissy) Kotter, the Founder and CEO of Lissy Skincare, a brand specializing in acne and fungal acne-safe skincare products. Lissy shares her background as an esthetician and her struggles with acne, which led her to create a line of products that cleared her skin. The brand's flagship product, the Mandelic serum, launched in 2022 and has been highly effective. Lissy discusses the challenges of developing fungal acne-safe products, the importance of customer experience, and the role of TikTok in driving sales and customer retention. She also hints at an upcoming moisturizer launch and plans for Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions. Episode Timestamps 1:48 Lissy's Background and Skincare Brand Lissy introduces herself as the founder of Lissy Skincare, a brand focused on acne and fungal acne-safe skincare. Lissy explains the brand's mission to create products that are safe for acne-prone skin, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. Mariah asks Lissy to explain the difference between typical acne and fungal acne. Lissy describes typical acne as lesions that come to a head and heal, while fungal acne is an overgrowth of yeast on the skin that looks like flesh-colored bumps and does not react to typical acne treatments. 21:55 Lissy's Journey to Founding Lissy Skincare Lissy shares her background as an esthetician and her struggles with acne since middle school. Lissy discusses her decision to attend esthetician school to learn how to clear up her own acne and help others. Despite her training and using various skincare products and treatments, Lissy's acne persisted, leading to a teacher's concern about her job prospects. Lissy's research into fungal acne triggers and her frustration with finding fungal acne-safe products inspired her to create her own skincare line. 22:11 Product Development and Launch Lissy describes the process of developing Lissy Skincare products, starting with the Mandelic serum. The Mandelic serum cleared Lissy's acne and fungal acne within days, leading to the brand's launch in 2022. Lissy explains the importance of ensuring all products are fungal acne-safe and safe for pregnancy. The brand has since added three more products: a Hydrating Serum, a Vitamin C serum, and a cleanser, all of which are fungal acne-safe. 22:27 Customer Experience and Retention Strategies Mariah and Lissy discuss the importance of customer experience and retention in e-commerce. Lissy acknowledges the need to improve customer experience and mentions her team's efforts to provide excellent customer service. Lissy highlights the role of TikTok in driving sales and the challenges of not having customer emails from TikTok shop. The brand uses email flows, social media, and a subscription model to retain customers and encourage repeat purchases. 22:46 TikTok Strategy and Paid Advertising Lissy shares the success of TikTok shop in driving viral videos and sales for Lissy Skincare. Despite the saturation of TikTok shop, Lissy continues to post videos and engage with customers on the platform. The brand has recently started experimenting with paid advertising on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to diversify its marketing efforts. Lissy emphasizes the importance of video content for selling products and sharing customer testimonials. 40:08 Future Plans and Final Thoughts Lissy teases the upcoming launch of a moisturizer on October 24, which has been in development for almost a year. The moisturizer is a significant product for the brand, as it is challenging to find fungal acne-safe moisturizers. Lissy mentions plans for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to attract more customers. Mariah wraps up the episode by congratulating Lissy on her upcoming launch and thanking her for sharing her journey and insights.

Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles and Head of Marketing at Malomo hosts Aneto Okonkwo, Co-Founder & CEO of Remarkable AI,  an AI growth marketer for consumer brands. Aneto discusses the importance of marketing, particularly in scaling new companies, and shares insights on customer retention strategies. He highlights the effectiveness of personalized email campaigns, which can yield 50-100 times return on investment per recipient. Aneto also emphasizes the value of engaging with customers on social media and leveraging influencer marketing. Additionally, he stresses the significance of addressing customer issues promptly to enhance brand loyalty and retention.  Episode Timestamps: 3:06 Challenges of Starting a New Company 3:55 Importance of Marketing and Customer Engagement 6:18 Remarkable AI's Services and Customer Engagement 7:14 Data Analysis and Customer Insights 10:25 Social Media and Community Engagement 14:39 Influencer Marketing and Product Seeding 18:34 Email Marketing and Retention Strategies 20:17 Expanding LTV and Cross-Selling 20:43 Seasonal Strategies and Customer Support

Are you missing out on game-changing marketing strategies by sticking to one-size-fits-all solutions? In this episode of the Hard Corps Marketing Show, I chat with Mariah Parsons, the Head of Marketing at Malomo and host of the Retention Chronicles Podcast. We discuss engaging event marketing strategies and the importance of balancing online and offline interactions, providing fresh insights for today's marketers.Mariah shares her journey from neuroscience to marketing and how she brings creativity to her role at Malomo. She also offers practical tips, like how she created a successful design contest webinar, and shares advice on tackling imposter syndrome. We explore the challenges and misconceptions in marketing, especially the idea that one-size-fits-all strategies really work. Connect with Mariah:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahparsons/ Website: http://gomalomo.comRetention Chronicles Podcast: https://www.retentionchroniclespodcast.com Ways to Tune In:Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hard-corps-marketing-show/id1338838763Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0f4497c6-b402-4cad-9018-1e41b7e8f2bb/the-hard-corps-marketing-showSpotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/1vVLpNI1LssMTiL6KdsamnStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-hard-corps-marketing-showGoogle Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL3RoZS1oYXJkLWNvcnBzLW1hcmtldGluZy1zaG93Hard Corps Marketing is produced and sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/ 

Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles & Head of Marketing at Malomo, is joined by Kes Nielson, a branding expert and Founder of BRAAAND. They discuss the importance of branding in e-commerce. Kes emphasizes that branding extends beyond logos and color palettes, focusing on creating emotional connections with customers to drive long-term loyalty and revenue. She highlights that effective branding can increase revenue by 20-23% and improve customer retention. Kes also discusses the significance of branding in societal issues, citing a campaign for Fight Against Domestic Violence (FADV) that aims to raise awareness and empower victims. She stresses the importance of uniqueness and intentionality in branding strategies. Episode Timestamps: 2:24 Kess's Background and Branding Philosophy 5:25 The Importance of Branding in Customer Experience 8:24 Challenges and Opportunities in Branding 8:39 The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Branding 37:08 The Impact of Branding on Societal Issues 43:39 Collaborations and Partnerships 48:19 The Future of Branding in Ecommerce

In this compelling episode, host Olawunmi Brigue interviews Ope Malomo, a dedicated professional in the pharmaceutical industry with nearly two decades of experience. Ope shares her career journey and her passion for supporting the bereaved, detailing  how personal tragedy inspired her charity work. Ope's career journey highlights the importance of resilience, adaptability, and leveraging opportunities through networking. She emphasises the pivotal moments of taking challenging roles and learning from feedback to achieve career growth. Despite personal struggles, including losing both her parents at a very young age, Ope demonstrates how embracing challenges can lead to personal and professional fulfilment. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:50 Background and Career Overview 01:29 Journey into Bereavement Support 03:33 Educational Pursuits and Career Aspirations 09:04 Transitioning into the Pharmaceutical Industry 12:14 Navigating Career Challenges and Opportunities 19:03 Taking Risks and Embracing Change 23:05 Striving for Independence 23:47 International Experience  25:15 Returning to the UK  29:09 Transitioning to Quality Management 33:25 Handling Negative Feedback 43:37 Future Aspirations Olawunmi Brigue, host of Women in Corporate podcast, is a certified executive and transformational life coach, and the founder of Luminous membership, a Personal & Spiritual Growth Hub for women who desire to build BOTH a highflying career and a wholesome family without sacrificing their wellbeing or personal fulfilment. Learn more at ⁠www.luminousmembership.com

Ross Martin, President of Known Agency and General Partner of Lunch Partners, joins Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles and Head of Marketing at Malomo, to discuss his journey in marketing. Known, an integrated agency ranked third by Ad Age combines research, creativity, and innovation, working with clients like Shake Shack and TikTok. Ross highlighted their unique approach, such as using AI to identify relevant Reddit conversations for Shake Shack. He also shared insights from Lunch Partners, emphasizing the importance of resilience and heart in founders. Ross praised Mikmak for connecting legacy brands with social commerce, showcasing the power of AI and consumer intelligence in driving business outcomes. Episode Timestamp: 1:56 Ross Martin's Background and Early Career 5:55 Marketing Insights and Innovative Strategies 6:41 Known Agency's Origins and Capabilities 24:26 Challenges and Opportunities in the Agency World 26:06 Lunch Partners Venture Fund 31:20 Investment Thesis and Founder Traits 36:43 Innovative Campaigns and Collaborations 41:15 Ecommerce Innovations and Future Opportunities

Ted Galperin, Partner and Head of Retail at Mythology, and Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles & Head of Marketing at Malomo, discuss crafting immersive design. Ted's work on the American Girl store in Dallas emphasizes the challenge of fitting a large experience into a 5,000-square-foot space. Key elements include a life-size dollhouse, a premium salon, and a cafe with a doll-sized door. Galperin also highlighted the importance of nostalgia in modern retail, citing examples like Vacation Sunscreen and Olipop. He shared insights on Warby Parker's retail strategy, focusing on creating a library-like atmosphere to enhance the customer experience. Additionally, he discussed the Sonos store in Soho, which used sound-attenuated pods to showcase the product's audio quality effectively. Episode Timestamps: 2:28: American Girl Store Project Overview 10:24: Nostalgia in Retail and Market Trends 19:06: Mythology's Multifaceted Approach 22:25: Warby Parker's Retail Experience 32:29: Sonos Retail Store Innovation 36:30: Balancing New and Returning Customers 40:17: Retail as Marketing and Awareness Tool

Now in its 23rd year, the Orr Fellowship program has helped develop an astounding number of leaders in Indiana's tech and entrepreneurial ecosystems. It now counts 264 alumni who have worked at—and in some cases founded—nearly 300 significant companies and organizations. The program was established in 2001 to help develop the early careers of promising college graduates, in part by matching them with high-growth Indiana companies for two-year stays. In addition to employment, the fellowship offers vast networking opportunities, workshops, pitch competitions and stipends to learn new skills. The hope is that Orr Fellows will decide to stay in-state and form the foundation for new generations of leadership. Indeed, 84% of fellows remain in-state immediately after the program. If you take into account all of the alumni over 23 years, about 60% are still Hoosiers. We can get a robust sense of the big picture by narrowing the focus to an Indianapolis-based startup named Malomo. It was co-founded by serial entrepreneur Yaw Aning, who was a member of Orr Fellowship's Class of 2007. Malomo's head of strategy and operations is Alicia Gaba, a member of the Fellowship's Class of 2008 and who joined Malomo in 2021. Mariah Parsons, who currently is Malomo's head of marketing, joined the firm as a fellow in 2021 and was promoted to the leadership team soon after the fellowship ended. All three are guests on this week's podcast to talk about their experiences as fellows and a concept we call horizontal networking. In this case, it's how Orr Fellows lean on their peers for mentoring, career support, job opportunities and even capital as they help grow central Indiana's entrepreneurial ecosystem. We also take a side trip to talk about Indiana brain drain and whether that concern is less relevant in the age of remote work.

Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles and Head of Marketing at Malomo, is joined by SeaMonster Studios' Wes Buckwalter, Creative Director and CEO, and Deneb Pulsipher, Web Developer and Accessibility Specialist. Wes shares the company's origins and evolution into a full-service agency offering branding, graphic design, and compliance. Deneb, previously a high school English teacher, transitioned into web development, focusing on accessibility for ecommerce brands. They discuss the importance of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, emphasizing the need for accessible websites to retain customers and avoid lawsuits. They highlight common issues like alternative text for images and text in images, and the benefits of compliance for SEO and user experience. Episode Timestamps:  4:57 SeaMonster Studios background and evolution into web compliance and accessibility experts 25:33 Sea Monster Studios' Expertise and Offerings With Branding and Web Compliance 25:58 Challenges and Benefits of Accessibility 31:31 Practical Considerations for Accessibility 43:52 Common Accessibility Issues and Solutions For Ecommerce Brands

Mariah Parsons, Head of Marketing at Malomo and Host of Retention Chronicles, and Jen Gray, SVP of Marketing at Recharge, discuss the importance of subscriptions in the Shopify ecosystem. Jen, who transitioned from big tech to Recharge, emphasizes the value of subscriptions in powering consumer routines and driving predictable revenue. They highlight the shift from a goods and services economy to a routine economy, where DTC brands focus on embedding products into daily lives. Jen shares insights on product diversification, such as Casper's transition to a sleep company, and the importance of product positioning and consumer behavior. They also discuss the benefits of subscriptions, including higher customer lifetime value (LTV) and the need for personalized, flexible subscription plans. Recharge is launching the Tomorrow Brand Challenge to support subscription growth, offering $1 million in prizes to three winners. 2:06 Jen Gray's Background and Initial Impressions of Working in Ecommerce 3:40 Core Beliefs and Consumer Behavior for Ecommerce Brands 5:55 Transition from Big Tech to E-Commerce 8:18 Product Diversification and Positioning for Subscription Brands 20:55 Subscriptions and Consumer Routines Are The New Economy 30:44 Best Practices for Subscription Success 37:16 The Routine Economy and Consumer Behavior 41:29 Recharge's Tomorrow Brand Challenge

Chris Miller, Co-Founder & CRO of Flaunt Loyalty, and Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles & Head of Marketing at Malomo, discuss the importance of dynamic loyalty programs for Shopify merchants. Chris highlights Flaunt Loyalty's unique service & software model, which includes designing, implementing, and managing loyalty programs to grow LTV and profits. They emphasize the need for ongoing optimization and strategic alignment with marketing campaigns. Chris shares examples like Barefaced's Mother's Day campaign, which integrated loyalty rewards into existing promotions. They also explore the balance between subscription perks and loyalty programs, stressing the importance of personalized rewards and gamification elements like badges and leaderboards to enhance customer engagement and retention. Episode Timestamps: 2:49 Introduction of Chris Miller and Flaunt Loyalty 4:30 Bandwidth and Expertise in Loyalty Programs 10:49 Benefits of Dynamic Loyalty Programs 13:39 Case Study: Barefaced Loyalty Program 23:11 Subscriber vs. Non-Subscriber Loyalty Programs 26:24 Gamification in Loyalty Programs 43:52 Examples of Effective Loyalty Programs 44:07 Resources and Further Learning

Mariah Parsons, Head of Marketing at Malomo and Host of Retention Chronicles and Noah Tucker, Founder & CEO of Social Snowball, discuss the evolution of affiliate marketing and its impact on e-commerce. Social Snowball, with 2,200 merchants, focuses on influencer and micro-influencer partnerships, addressing the shortcomings of legacy affiliate platforms. They highlight the importance of clear communication and incentive structures, particularly during high-traffic periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Noah emphasizes the need for influencers to frequently post branded content to ensure audience conversion. They also touch on the dynamic of the e-commerce influencer B2B community, noting its high school-like nature but overall supportive nature. Episode Timestamps: 2:49 Noah Tucker's Background and Entrepreneurial Journey to Starting Social Snowball 3:06 Challenges and Solutions in Affiliate Marketing 26:32 Affiliate Program Best Practices for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 32:35 Finding and Evaluating Influencers as a Shopify Brand 40:50 B2B Ecommerce Influencer Community and Social Media Presence

Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles Podcast & Head of Marketing at Malomo, and Kit Henseleit, Global Operations Manager at Custom Neon, Founder at Clouding Over, discussed the unique challenges and opportunities of operating in the signage industry and the differences between B2B and B2C marketing. They emphasized the importance of creativity, flexibility, and building strong relationships with clients to deliver customized solutions. They also discussed the challenges of expanding a business globally and shared strategies for retaining customers in the hospitality industry. Additionally, they shared their experiences in scaling a custom neon sign business while balancing customer expectations and business growth, highlighting the importance of setting clear expectations and providing proactive communication. Episode Timestamps: 0:05 Custom neon signage branding and e-commerce experiences with a global operations manager from Australia 5:19 Custom neon sign business, challenges, and best practices 12:23 Challenges faced while expanding a neon sign business globally, including cultural differences and customer expectations 19:45 Custom neon sign production and customer expectations 25:49 Custom neon signs for various events and campaigns, including a collaboration with Coach  30:41 Customer retention and repeat orders for custom products 38:02 Customer retention strategies and Black Friday planning

Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles & Head of Marketing at Malomo, and Lindsay Baylor, Senior Director of Customer Care & DEIB at Kendra Scott, discussed the importance of leveraging technology and diversity initiatives to improve customer service at Kendra Scott. They emphasized the value of creating an online experience that is easy for new customers to adapt to, and the need for a comprehensive view of the customer journey. Mariah Parsons and Lyndsay Baylor also discussed the importance of integrating customer data from various sources to create personalized experiences, and the challenges of connecting data from online and in-store interactions. Finally, Mariah Parsons and Lyndsay Baylor discussed the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the fashion and jewelry industries, and the need for brands to be intentional and authentic in their approach to diversity and inclusion. Episode Timestamps: 0:05 Adapting to pandemic-era customer needs at Kendra Scott, prioritizing omnichannel experiences 8:48 Tying customer data across multiple channels for improved brand experience 13:44 Using technology to improve customer service 19:39 Implementing chatbot technology and improving customer experience 26:19 Personalizing customer experiences through social media engagement 30:35 Diversity, inclusion, and representation in marketing and customer service 35:25 Internal and external perspectives on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the jewelry industry 39:53 Customer inclusivity and diversity in product development

Mariah Parsons, Head of Marketing at Malomo and Host, and Lisa Oberst, Founder of Womads, discussed the importance of sustainability and comfort in footwear design, particularly for women. They emphasized the need for quality control and good relationships with manufacturers. They also discussed various challenges and opportunities in the e-commerce industry, including networking, technology integration, and customer experience. They highlighted the significance of optimizing transactional emails for customer engagement and creating personalized customer experiences. Mariah and Lisa stressed the importance of building relationships with other entrepreneurs and marketing agency directors, and simplifying the reverse logistics process to foster long-term relationships. Episode Timestamps 0:05 E-commerce brand Womads and its founder Lisa, with a focus on versatile and comfortable accessories for women 4:11 Shoe design and development, focusing on flexibility and comfort 11:04 Shoe design, manufacturing, and partnerships in Colombia 17:36 Entrepreneurship, manufacturing, and quality control 22:31 Launching a shoe brand, marketing strategies, and tech tools used for e-commerce and customer management  28:26 Simplifying reverse logistics for e-commerce businesses 32:08 Customer experience and e-commerce strategies for a women's shoe brand 35:56 Post-purchase experience and tech stack for a fashion brand 41:47 Email and SMS marketing strategies for e-commerce brands

Mariah Parsons, HOM at Malomo and Host of Retention Chronicles, and Madison Lee, Co-Founder & CEO of Nemah, discussed the challenges and opportunities of transitioning from a talent agency to a e-commerce brand. Mariah and Madison explored the importance of personal branding, consumer insights, and technology in developing a private label. They emphasized the need for brands to prioritize customer experience, retention, and the delicate balance between automation and human touch in e-commerce. Mariah Parsons and Madison Lee also discussed the challenges of founding a vegan skincare brand for moms and babies, scaling a DTC skincare brand while maintaining customer trust, and educating and supporting parents through science-backed content. 4:38 Founding a vegan skincare brand for moms and babies 10:30 Branding and consumer insights for a clean skincare line 15:54 Scaling a DTC skincare brand for pregnant and postpartum women, focusing on customer experience and trust-building 22:54 Using consumer insights to inform educational content and product development for parents 26:59 Creating a clean beauty brand with a focus on community and science 31:31 Post-purchase customer experience and its importance for e-commerce brands 36:57 Customer experience and retention in e-commerce

Mariah Parsons, HOM at Malomo and Host of Retention Chronicles, and Madison Lee, Co-Founder & CEO of Nemah, discussed the challenges and opportunities of transitioning from a talent agency to a e-commerce brand. Mariah and Madison explored the importance of personal branding, consumer insights, and technology in developing a private label. They emphasized the need for brands to prioritize customer experience, retention, and the delicate balance between automation and human touch in e-commerce. Mariah Parsons and Madison Lee also discussed the challenges of founding a vegan skincare brand for moms and babies, scaling a DTC skincare brand while maintaining customer trust, and educating and supporting parents through science-backed content. 4:38 Founding a vegan skincare brand for moms and babies 10:30 Branding and consumer insights for a clean skincare line 15:54 Scaling a DTC skincare brand for pregnant and postpartum women, focusing on customer experience and trust-building 22:54 Using consumer insights to inform educational content and product development for parents 26:59 Creating a clean beauty brand with a focus on community and science 31:31 Post-purchase customer experience and its importance for e-commerce brands 36:57 Customer experience and retention in e-commerce

This conversation is centered around email and SMS deliverability in e-commerce, with a focus on understanding technical aspects and predictability of email marketing results. Mariah Parsons. Head of Marketing at Malomo & Host of Retention Chronicles, and Nikita Vakhrushev, Founder of ASPEKT agency, shared their experiences with email marketing and discussed challenges such as recent deliverability rule changes and the importance of conducting audits to identify issues. Nikita added his experience in setting up deliverability audits and emphasized the need for proper technical setup and segmentation of email lists. The group emphasized the importance of prioritizing email deliverability, especially during peak seasons in ecommerce like Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). Episode Timestamps: 5:51 Email marketing strategies and deliverability issues 11:28 Email deliverability audit process using Klaviyo 16:07 Email deliverability and segmentation strategies for improved open rates 22:00 Email deliverability and marketing vs. transactional emails 26:32 Email deliverability and technical setup for e-commerce businesses

Mariah Parsons, Head of Marketing at Malomo and host of Retention Chronicles, and Zoe Khan, VP of Retention at Audien Hearing, Founder of Inevitable Agency, and host of Let's Laugh About It Podcast, discuss the importance of prioritizing customer satisfaction and loyalty in the E-commerce industry. Zoe shared her experience in the over-the-counter hearing aid industry, highlighting the challenges and rewards of helping people change their lives through hearing aids. Mariah emphasized the significance of customer experience in any position or business, while Zoe discussed the importance of hiring the right people for customer experience roles and setting up teams for success. Later, Mariah and Zoe discussed the importance of aligning marketing and customer service to create a seamless customer experience. They also discussed the value of building genuine connections and community in the E-commerce industry, and the importance of effective communication in retaining unhappy customers. Episode Timestamps: 0:05 E-commerce customer experience with Zoe Khan, VP of Retention at Audien Hearing and Founder of Inevitable Agency. 4:29 Time flying by in business growth. 10:13 Building an E-commerce community through genuine connections and learning. 16:11 Building an agency without pressure to sell. 20:42 Customer experience and its impact on retention. 27:06 Email marketing and customer support balance. 32:47 The importance of collaboration between marketing and customer experience teams. 

Mariah Parsons and Yaw Aning discussed the importance of creating a seamless post-purchase experience for e-commerce merchants. They emphasized the need to align the experience with the brand's strategy and goals, educate customers about the brand, and set goals based on the strategy. Both speakers highlighted the importance of keeping customers updated and mapping out the customer journey to build trust and transparency. Episode Timestamps: 0:05⁠ Post-purchase experience optimization for e-commerce businesses Expert CEO shares 10 post-purchase lessons from 5000 Shopify brands. Yaw Aning advises merchants to understand their post-purchase default settings. 3:55 Post-purchase experiences, brand strategy, and metrics for success Understand your brand strategy to choose the right post-purchase platform. Consumers prefer post-purchase experiences that educate and build the brand. Develop goals based on strategy to create a cohesive experience. 10:13 Post-purchase experience optimization for e-commerce merchants Yaw Aning suggests partnering with an agency to optimize post-purchase experience. Yaw Aning: Key moments in customer journey build trust, transparency. Mongoose's proactive communication best practices defuse frustration, build trust. Yaw Aning highlights Soylent's post-purchase strategy, segmenting customers based on their journey stage and providing tailored content and CTAs. Mobile-first design is crucial for tracking experiences, as 83% of views occur on mobile devices, and customers are often interrupted during on-the-go activities.

Mariah Parsons and Rachel Nilsson, Founder of RAGS, discussed Rachel's experience in building her e-commerce business, emphasizing the importance of perseverance, creativity, and customer satisfaction.  Rachel shared her journey, including managing demand, partnering with large companies like Nordstrom and Disney, and navigating the unpredictable journey of entrepreneurship.  They also discussed the pros and cons of implementing limited edition models to increase FOMO marketing and getting creative with inventory sales. After Rachel's premiere on Shark Tank, she navigated through having to deal with copycats but ultimately refocusing on doing their own thing and doing it well. This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps 4:37 Starting a clothing line from scratch, growing through social media and Shark Tank appearance 9:56 Limited edition drops, FOMO marketing, and serving customers 17:32 Limited edition products, inventory management, and consumer behavior 24:45 Challenges and successes of limited edition clothing model, with a focus on founder's personal experience and lessons learned 29:38 Entrepreneurship, success, and surrounding oneself with a supportive community 33:04 Entrepreneurship, innovation, and dealing with copycats

Mariah Parsons and Jonathan Penna, Co-Founder of ORBYT Skin & Azio Beauty, discussed their experiences navigating the challenges of e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan shared his journey of transitioning from a bakery to an e-commerce business, highlighting the challenges of scaling an operation during a global health crisis.  Mariah provided context and asked questions to delve deeper into the topic, exploring the impact of COVID-19 on the e-commerce industry and the strategies for adapting to the new normal. Later, Mariah and Jonathan discussed various strategies for building successful subscription-based businesses, including personalization, direct-to-consumer marketing, and optimizing subscription retention and growth.  Jonathan shared their experience with onboarding AI-powered customer support tools like Sienna AI, emphasizing the importance of careful onboarding and optimizing automations. This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: 3:49 Skincare brand development and marketing strategies 9:10 Pre-orders and subscription model for a brand, with focus on education and UGC to drive sales 13:37 Marketing strategies for a skincare product with pre-orders and subscriptions 18:36 Implementing dynamic pricing for subscriptions, with focus on customer frustration and retention 23:02 Increasing subscription conversions through easy customization and control transfer to customers 28:44 Subscription services and customer preferences 34:12 AI-powered customer support tool and retail expansion 38:50 Strategies for expanding a subscription-based e-commerce business

Liz Krupka, Owner of Nomadd Marketing, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss email marketing and optimizing email templates Great email marketing has to parallel a brand's tone and great customer experience. This is what Liz and her team focus on.  Liz and Mariah talk about how some ecommerce merchants have lost creative aspects of their marketing due to the shift towards performance marketing. The key is that these brands aren't following what originally brought their customers to know and love their brand. So, some emails become too sales heavy, which end up turning customers away.  Liz proposes that instead, brands focus on what drove their audience and hone in on that. Find out which emails are the most successful that appeal to their audience and optimize those rather than fully redoing their emails. Liz also talks about email templates for ecommerce brands and how to compare templates accurately. Brands must take into account the email copy, email creative, email offerings, the seasonality, historical data, the economy, and more.  There are also considerations brands should make when considering becoming a promotion-heavy brand vs one that does not run promotions.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timeline: 2:07 Celebrity endorsements and product placements in social media 6:42 Marketing strategies and post-purchase experiences 12:26 Email marketing challenges and strategies for brands in Utah 17:51 Email marketing strategies and audience analysis 23:04 Email marketing templates and their importance in improving email performance 28:27 Email marketing strategies and industry benchmarks for e-commerce brands 32:38 Marketing strategies, tactics, and best practices for email and SMS campaigns 38:54 Reducing promotions to focus on loyalty programs 43:05 Sustainable marketing strategies for fashion brands

Joel Reichert, four-time ecommerce owner and co-founder of Copper Pearl, Maven Thread, and Woven Nook, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss selling on Amazon vs. Shopify and running ads on Amazon vs Meta Joel started his career in ecommerce holding a financial role at a tech company and founded his first brand, Copper Pearl, in 2015. In 2.5 years, they grew the business to a 7 figure brand and sold the company in 2018. In 2017, he founded his two current brands, Maven Thread and Woven Nook. He's also grown these brands to be a 7 figure company. Joel tells Mariah about how he started these ecommerce businesses with an investment of $10k and started selling on Amazon storefront. Joel explains that starting out on Amazon helped launch their product to help make their product make sense and then they transitioned into selling through their own website on Shopify.  There are a lot of differences between Amazon ads and Meta ads, such as the barrier to entry for ecommerce beginners and the rate of tweaking needed for each platform. From Joel's perspective, starting on Amazon is the way to go. Joel and Mariah also discuss how customizable DTC products can be for specific cohorts of customers. Ecommerce also allows for there to be flexibility in logistics. This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps 6:10 Starting and growing an e-commerce business on Amazon and Shopify, with a focus on marketing strategies and scaling through wholesale 12:55 Amazon advertising, starting an Amazon business, and failed ecommerce startups. 18:18 Starting a business, preferences for customizable products. 22:44 Product design, customization, and data-driven decision-making in e-commerce. 27:50 Textile selection, manufacturing, and industry resources for eCommerce brands. 32:59 Shipping rates and challenges faced by e-commerce founders. 36:43 Amazon and Shopify e-commerce, brand growth, and customer support.

Chad Fisher (Founder) and David Stober (COO) of Ambaum join Retention Chronicles to discuss when merchants should use third party apps vs. custom solutions within Shopify's capabilities The Ambaum team has been in the Shopify ecosystem since the early days. Chad and David share their experiences running a Shopify agency, and then expand on their experience to further discuss optimizing a Shopify store for growth.  Mariah emphasizes the importance of considering a brand's position on the growth curve when making decisions about what technology to add to your Shopify storefront. No brand is similar, and that's what makes Shopify such a breeding ground for creativity. The group also discusses the evolving landscape of Shopify and its implications for custom development versus using apps.  Later, they discuss the value of attending industry events and networking with brands and agencies to build relationships that can benefit both parties. This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: 8:46 Leveraging Shopify's growth for agencies and brands, with a focus on the increasing number of things touching the platform.  16:56 Shopify's future direction and its impact on merchants.  21:44 Shopify's capabilities and when to use custom vs. app solutions for merchants. 26:45 E-commerce, marketing, and branding for merchants.

Dallas Parsons, Senior Director of Marketing at Mixhers, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss adding value to the ecommerce customer experience.  Dallas started at Mixhers as a customer success manager, so she knows exactly what their customers care about most after her first-hand experience. She's since transitioned into their marketing department to focus on customer retention, email marketing, designing the customer experience, implementing marketing technology, loyalty programs, & more.  Like many ecommerce brands, Mixhers continues to focus on customer retention as customer acquisition costs (CAC) continue to rise. They chose to funnel their energy towards what was working for them - email marketing. Dallas and her team decided to define an email marketing strategy that helped educate their customers. They did this by enabling a product quiz around which supplement would be the best for that customer based on their answers.  At face value, some ecommerce brand operators would argue that this isn't a smart marketing approach as it could add friction to the buying experience. But, the Mixhers team saw that it actually helped their customer's buying experience and resulted in higher revenue. With more confidence in what product they were buying, Mixhers customers benefited largely from this addition. Dallas tells Mariah about this decision and much more on this newest episode of Retention Chronicles. This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: 8:47 E-commerce retention strategies, including lifecycle marketing and customer acquisition costs 15:03 Adding value to customer journey for subscription-based supplements 21:16 Email and SMS marketing strategies for a supplement brand, including customer journey mapping and lifecycle marketing 29:45 Developing a mobile app for tracking menstrual cycle and symptoms, with goals to increase brand trust and loyalty 34:30 Returns and exchanges in the supplement industry, with a new product launch coming soon

Harry Willis, Director of Partnerships and Business Development at Relo, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss increasing repeat orders and subscriptions for Shopify CPG brands. For Shopify and Shopify Plus brands, it can be difficult to know how to exactly tailor your customer experience when trying to motivate your customers to purchase more with you. Decisions like which day to target, which product to cross sell, who to show something to, and so many others are difficult to make without data and predictive analytics.  Harry WIllis, Director of Partnerships and Business Development at Relo, explains how Shopify brands are building their customer experience with the smartest tools around and how they're hurdling the biggest retention challenges of the year.  For instance, one problem brands face is with increasing reorders and cross sells is that different products have different reorder times. But with product and customer tendencies, Shopify merchants are working around this with predictive analytics and making sure that their email marketing and SMS marketing is well-placed based on that order.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: 6:00 CPG brand retention strategies using data analysis.  11:43 Personalized reorder reminders and cross-selling using Shopify data.  17:07 Using Klaviyo's predictive analytics for cross-selling and replenishment.  21:44 Using AI to optimize subscription marketing.  27:19 Using Klaviyo and Malomo to increase repeat orders and subscriptions for DTC brands. 32:48 CPG subscription-based brands and problem-solving.

Jay Davis, Founder of Pillow Cube, Cold Case Ice Cream, & Creatably, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss where to start when founding an ecommerce brand. Jay has had a vast background in marketing and he focuses on one thing - what's not going to change in 10 years, and how he can focus on that.  Jay and Mariah talk about how easy it is to get caught up in marketing trends even if they might not be the best thing for your business. Making the (wrongful) assumption that traditional marketing of the past isn't as effective as our current age of digital marketing can lead to massive missed growth opportunities. After founding many brands, Jay's biggest advice to other founders of products is to know your finances and if people will want your product. Jay shares his favorite test to run with friends and family to see if they enjoy a new product. We don't want to spoil the details, but it's one of those moments where you'll reframe how you're going about your customer testing. He also gives insight into some of his favorite customer retention plays. Jay also discusses 2024 macroeconomics of the ecommerce industry and what founders should be cautious about.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: 1:46 Entrepreneurship, marketing, and business growth. 3:58 Viral marketing strategies and industry changes. 6:33 Marketing trends and social media platforms. 10:57 Marketing trends and the importance of connecting with people. 15:30 Entrepreneurship, marketing, and finance. 19:48 Product development and market research. 25:38 Entrepreneurship, business growth, and scaling. 31:36 Entrepreneurship, business growth, and work-life balance.  38:02 Customer retention strategies and brand development.  Summary43:12 Entrepreneurship, marketing, and customer retention.

Emerson Hammer, Director of Partnerships at Corso, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss ecommerce shipment protection in the order tracking experience. There's a lot of tech stack consolidation in ecommerce right now as brands are striving for efficiency to get more out of their tech. Emerson tells Noah and Mariah about how ecommerce brands should really be focusing on retention and reverse logistics.  Emerson speaks to the .3-.5% of packages that have an issue with shipping and how brands traditionally have to eat that sunk cost, but with Malomo and Corso brands can mitigate shipping protection and costs while increasing the customer experience.  Brands can have full control over their refund policies, but few brands actually take the opportunity to increase their revenue in the post-purchase experience, like offering a gift card instead of a full return or providing cross and upsells. This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps:  2:05 Ecommerce growth strategies and supply chain management.  6:55 Ecommerce trends and tech integrations. 9:06 Shipping protection and its impact on brand revenue. 14:10 Integrating shipping protection and customer support for e-commerce businesses.  18:11 Streamlining return process for e-commerce brands. 22:55 Reducing friction in returns while maintaining good customer experience.  26:02 Streamlining post-purchase experiences for e-commerce brands. Please note that all numbers shown in the episode are from a staging environment and therefore not real customer data.

James Van Erck, Co-Founder & COO of Rebuy, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss software that generates post-purchase revenue for Shopify brands.  With his extensive background in ecommerce, James has a lot of experience to share with Shopify brand founders, operators, and marketers. A lot of brands focus on how to acquire their customers, but enough aren't focusing on how to retain them after they make a first purchase. This is what James, Noah, and Mariah discuss. How do ecommerce brands retain their customers?  There are a lot of ways to increase customer retention, but James shares one of the most crucial ways, and that's by increasing post-purchase upsells and cross sells with dynamic product recommendations. This is why the Malomo and Rebuy software work so well together, and to hear more about that, you'll want to tune into this episode. This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode timeline:  2:24 Building software for e-commerce merchants.  6:36 Ecommerce strategies and retention tactics for Shopify brands.  10:50 Post-purchase offers and gift card upsells.  18:40 Personalized product recommendations and gift cards.  23:36 Personalization platform Rebuy and its benefits for Shopify brands.  27:35 Post-purchase experiences and personalized product recommendations.

Allyse Jackson, Founder & CEO of Beehive Meals, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss how she's managed and organized operations and logistics for her ecommerce business.  Without intending to, Allyse started her business Beehive Meals by prepping freezer meals when she was pregnant. After realizing she over prepared food for her family, she started to realize she needed to get ride of some of her prepped meals. After delivering extra meals to friends and family, Allyse saw how well they were received and went to Facebook to see how many people would be interested in a delivery service. After seeing a very high demand, Allyse started Beehive Meals and has learned many lessons in scaling in the food and beverage industry. Allyse shares her past and current experiences and challenges with inventory, storage, distribution, and delivery expectations in the ecommerce space.   This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps:  2:55 Entrepreneurship, crowdfunding, and meal prepping 7:16 Starting a meal prep business and its success 12:33 Starting a meal prep business 16:34 Managing a meal prep business during pandemic 21:21 Pivoting a food business during the COVID-19 pandemic 27:15 Navigating growth challenges in the meal prep industry 33:40 Expanding a meal prep business with freight model 39:18 Entrepreneurship, self-doubt, and networking 45:36 Food delivery challenges and solutions

Caitlin Elgin, Head of CRM & Lifecycle, at Fluency Firm joins Retention Chronicles to discuss evaluating Shopify transactional email and SMS by click rate.  Caitlin, Noah, & Mariah chat about Caitlin's background in marketing and how she's been in the Shopify space since 2014 before they even had an integration with USPS.  Caitlin has worked with countless brands who have upgraded their transactional emails from the ‘out-of-the-box' Shopify experience to fully branded and personalized transactional email and SMS with Malomo. She shares a specific Shopify merchant use case where after they implemented Malomo, they doubled their click rate on transactional emails.  You can learn more about the services Caitlin and her team offer at fluencyfirm.com or by emailing hello@fluencyfim.com.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps:  E-commerce Enlightenment with Expert Insights. 0:04 Email and SMS strategies for Shopify brands. 1:57 Travel plans and e-commerce strategies. 4:32 Using Malomo to increase click rates and engagement for transactional messages. 8:21 Email marketing optimization for increased revenue. 12:10 Tracking emails and driving engagement. 18:32 Using Malomo for post-purchase emails and tracking. 23:05 Email marketing strategies and services for business growth. 30:04

Anatoliy Labinskiy, a 4-time Two Comma Club winner and founder of GSM Growth, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss how to understand TikTok metrics and grow your sales with TikTok advertising.  Anatoliy tells Mariah and Noah about one of the biggest growth tools in ecommerce right now- TikTok shop. New products and brands are becoming relevant everyday on TikTok, and that's just from organic media.  Anatoliy and his team have mastered the paid media side of TikTok and are here to share tactical takeaways all brands can implement. Tiktok is a great platform to bring eyeballs to your brand and after that brands can hit up retargeting ads to capture the attention of potential buyers.  But, TikTok has less consistent growth than Meta, and so you have to know the right approach and metrics to track. Anatoliy walks through how to ensure you're remaining profitable on TikTok. Anatoliy also addresses the concerns of some that the platform will decrease in popularity or cease to exist.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your free design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: E-commerce marketing strategies and personal life updates. 3:32 TikTok as a retention channel for e-commerce brands. 6:49 TikTok advertising success stories. 11:36 TikTok marketing strategies and profit margins. 16:11 TikTok ad campaign optimization using A/B testing. 20:33 TikTok advertising strategies and budget management. 30:00 TikTok ad optimization strategies. 35:35 TikTok metrics to track. 42:01

Georgia Grace Edwards (Co-Founder/CEO) and Charlotte Massey (Co-Founder/COO) of Gnara join Retention Chronicles Season 5 to discuss founding their brand with their patented GoFly technology. Georgia Grace and Charlotte patented their GoFly technology to create a new industry for women's pants. In addition to the familiar zipper fly that allows you to take your pants on and off, a second zipper extends from beneath the first zipper to the back of the waistband.  The founder pair grew up in the great outdoors, and having experienced first hand the issue of not being able to easily use the restroom in nature, they started researching the history of women's pants while in undergrad.  From there, they completed both incubator and accelerator programs to establish their minimum viable product (MVP) where they could start selling products.  After learning the legal and manufacturing sides of a patent, they began operating as a service where they would install their zipper technology in one's favorite active pants. But, after seeing the market for this technology, they grew Gnara into what it is today by working with designers and investigating the history of women's apparel and sizing. Georgia Grace and Charlotte also speak to deciphering between utility and design patents. They attribute a lot of their learning to in-person trade shows where other founders shared their successes and challenges but acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected those events.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your custom mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your custom design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: Outdoor gear company Gnara's origins and founders' backgrounds. 1:42 Outdoor adventures, entrepreneurship, and gender equality. 3:10 Entrepreneurship backgrounds and career paths. 6:29 Entrepreneurship, business growth, and accelerator programs. 9:01 Remote work and entrepreneurship. 16:35 Innovative pants with hidden compartments for hygiene products. 18:54 Designing and implementing functional clothing with zippers. 22:54 Clothing design, sizing, and patents. 27:14 IP law and its impact on accessibility. 35:41 Entrepreneurship, e-commerce, and collaborations. 37:33 The impact of the pandemic on the outdoor industry's largest trade show. 41:27 Learning and problem-solving strategies for brand operators. 45:20 Entrepreneurship, business growth, and collaboration. 47:59

RC Williams, Co-Founder of Rejuvia and 1-800-D2C, joins Retention Chronicles Season 5 to discuss streamlining and evaluating technology for D2C brands. RC tells Mariah about how he and his mother started Rejuvia four years ago and how they dove into the business headfirst. After running the business for a while, they tracked what was working for them and they've fine-tuned their business strategy. He details how brands that are just starting out shouldn't load heavy on technology, they should keep it light early and then add on different technology as they grow. He warns brands against enabling a tech stack just because a competitor has a certain software.  With the brands he interviews in his ‘Under the Hood' series, RC shares the learnings he's receiving from founders and recognizes that behind every successful brand there lies hurdles they've overcome. RC also discusses how he rules out personal bias with 1-800-D2C, his technology recommendation platform. He says that with the privacy changes, a lot of brands are looking to third party tools to provide analytics as well as smart AI tools to increase efficiency of smaller teams. This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your custom mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your custom design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: Taking over a platform for DTC brands to find valuable tools and apps. 1:39 Founding a brand and choosing a tech stack with unbiased recommendations. 3:10 Staying up-to-date with new tools and updates in the DTC space. 8:21 DTC brand operation, paid media, and retention. 13:28 Growing a brand through tech stack and product development. 20:16 Tech stack configuration, data analytics, and privacy updates. 23:55 AI tools and under-the-hood interviews with founders. 31:25 E-commerce growth and operational efficiency. 37:19

Jenny Nuccio, Founder & CEO of Imani Collective, joins Retention Chronicles for the first episode of Season 5 to discuss social entrepreneurship for nonprofits and for-profits. Jenny has always been passionate about developing the communities she is a part of and focusing on giving back to them. After living in Kenya for many years, she and her pioneer team at Imani Collective began building their nonprofit to create opportunity through trainings and jobs.  She realized that they had to create a marketplace for their vision so that the trainings they were providing would lead to sustainable jobs, so Jenny and her team founded the for-profit side of their company, Imani Kids.  Tasked with running a nonprofit and a for-profit, Jenny learned the similarities and differences between being an executive director and a CEO. With those learnings, she decided to bring all their companies together under one umbrella and create their holding company, Imani Collective. Constantly asking herself how to build a sustainable nonprofit and for-profit business, Jenny asked herself how their company would run without her and how their ethical impact could continue its legacy in the best way possible.  Jenny also walks through how she developed Imani Kids, their ecommerce company, by using local Kenyan material and organically growing their social media profile over time. She's learned to reduce her ad spending to focus on retention over acquisition and how to leverage organic content and word-of-mouth marketing with their brand ambassador program.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your custom mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your custom design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: Founding and growth of Imani Collective, a social enterprise in Kenya. 1:26 Transitioning a nonprofit to a for-profit social enterprise. 7:03 Nonprofit vs for-profit business models. 14:41 Nonprofit sustainability and impact with industry insights. 19:19 Building a successful brand for kids with Imani kids co-founder. 24:42 Starting a social enterprise and brand development. 27:59 Marketing to parents through social media and PR. 33:02 Brand ambassador programs and their success. 38:49 Social entrepreneurship and brand development with Imani Collective. 44:13

Jules Weldon and Stacey Pierce, Co-Founders of OME Gear, join Retention Chronicles for the final episode of Season 4 to discuss the struggles and successes of building a multi-use product.  Jules and Stace took their product vision and turned it into a 5-in-1 innovation that their customers rave about. But, it hasn't been an easy journey to get there. They chose their dreams over their belongings and sold their house to back their business, betting on themselves and their determination to succeed.  The leap has been well worth it, as their customers love OME Gear's The Wanderer. Whether it's emailing Stace and Jules directly, sharing across social media, or organic word-of-mouth marketing, the quality of product really shows at OME Gear.  But, it's not only products that glow, but also services. Jules & Stace personally email each customer after purchase to familiarize and introduce themselves. That's relationship building at the next level, and the team of co-founders makes sure that as they grow, they don't want to lose that level of connection with their customers. They've created and continue to create a loyal consumer base with their personal post-purchase experience. Stace, Jules, & Mariah also discuss posting on social media and how difficult it really is to keep up with and create content for. They make sure to share both their success stories and struggles as female founders so that they can pave the road and fill potholes for founders who come next.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your custom mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your custom design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: Transforming products and taking ideas to market. 1:23 Minimalism, sustainability, and multi-use products. 8:26 Using a product called "Wanderer" for convenient transportation. 11:30 Using customers as brand ambassadors for a new product. 17:12 Building a successful outdoor gear brand. 21:57 Branding, social media, and customer connection. 28:26 Podcasting, entrepreneurship, and vulnerability. 34:29 Social media strategy and kindness online. 40:22 Customer experience and marketing strategies for a product-based business. 44:27 Entrepreneurship, vulnerability, and problem-solving. 51:29

John Gross, Founder & CEO of Fat Earth Media, and Rose Eppensteiner, Senior Manager of Lifecycle Marketing at Fat Earth Media, join Retention Chronicles to discuss founding an agency to work with mission driven brands to help with paid media, lifecycle marketing, and marketing creative.  Making a pivot in his career from environmental sciences to marketing, John started by taking out ad space in Craigslist advertising his Google Ads consultancy. But, he didn't just want to focus on media buying, he wanted to invest in lifecycle marketing. So, he built Fat Earth to serve mission driven brands and help with their marketing strategy.  John and Rose don't just detail why lifecycle marketing is important, but also how it's related to retention, and how to make lifetime value (LTV) higher than customer acquisition cost (CAC). Not only do they tell Mariah and Noah about how Shopify & Shopify Plus brands can achieve their goals year-round, but especially during the holidays.  Fat Earth Media makes sure that their clients are set up for success by creating strategic content planning to look at monthly and quarterly campaigns. Segmentation is a critical piece for Shopify/Shopify Plus brands' success, and making sure their email and SMS sends make sense is a big step in strategy planning. To do this, all teams have to be aligned and connected.  Another area of expertise they focus on is design. An easy trap to fall into is to confuse complexity and effectiveness. A creative director may love an email, but if no one is clicking on it, it might be the best route to take. The Fat Earth Media team redesigns assets to make them better from every possible angle.  For our holiday tips portion of the podcast, the Fat Earth Media team shares that they advise their brands to assume the consumer is very smart and don't try to trick or be inauthentic for the extra dollar. Consumers will shop with the brands they like and trust, and the brands who know and follow that will win.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your custom mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your custom design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: Lifecycle marketing and retention with industry experts. 0:04 Personal lives, adventures, and remote work culture. 1:39 Personal updates, background of Flat Earth founder, and current focus. 7:18 Career change and marketing strategy. 9:22 Marketing strategy and Google ads. 13:55 Marketing agency's mission-driven approach and impact on clients. 18:26 Marketing career paths and agency start-up. 22:15 Marketing agency growth and lifecycle marketing. 27:47 Retention marketing strategies for existing customers. 33:35 Email marketing planning and design for retention. 38:44 DTC brand marketing strategies for the holiday season. 45:30

Ryan Gresh, Founder & CEO of The Feel Good Lab, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss his journey in creating a natural pain relief cream to help their customers feel good and soothe chronic pain. If you've ever experienced searing pain, you know that the one thing you want is for that pain to be gone. But, common over the counter medicines, such as NSAIDs, are bad for your GI health if taken for long periods of time. That's why Ryan and his father founded The Feel Good Lab to help people find hope through their products.  One of the things Ryan wanted to guarantee with their customers was that their solution had credibility and was FDA backed.  On the business side of things, Ryan talks about how the AOV is low for their pain relief cream because it's a commoditized product, which can be hard to break even on. Which is why customer retention and the lifetime value of their business is so essential. Where The Feel Good Lab team wins is with their LTV and credibility with their customers. Their customers fall in love with the brand, and come back time and time again for that reason.  But not only do they fall in love with The Feel Good Lab brand, but the educational resources they provide. They educate their customers on the best way to use their products, such as right after a steaming shower because the product will absorb better.  Ryan also tells Mariah about how they make their packaging standout because none of their competitors were using clean, white packaging.  Knowing one's ideal customer profile (ICP) is essential for accurate and successful marketing. Ryan dives deep into the 3 ICPs their 3 products market best with. It's an interesting dynamic between the age groups and goals of their three customer profiles that you won't want to miss out on.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your custom mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your custom design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: Chronic pain relief and the importance of hope. 1:13 Branding and marketing strategies for a direct-to-consumer wellness brand. 5:44 Building a successful brand through customer service and authenticity. 10:11 Customer service, product development, and branding. 16:12 Product development and packaging design. 19:47 Pain relief and natural remedies. 22:24 Wellness, pain management, and education. 28:36 Targeting different customer personas for a health and wellness brand. 33:43 Social media marketing for a wellness brand. 38:18 Marketing strategies for a health and wellness company. 42:39

Blake Imperl, former VP of Marketing at Carro and current VP of Marketing at Digioh, joins Retention Chronicles for episode 21 of season 4. Noah, Mariah, & Blake kick off the episode with Blake's birthday running tradition, starting his career consulting for digital marketing, and working with paid media across multiple brands to drive $13 million in email & SMS retention marketing.  Now of course, we recognize the ecommerce community is probably very familiar with Blake Imperl, but if you're not, we highly recommend you tune in to hear his opinions around how the Shopify & Shopify Plus ecosystem works and is constantly changing.  Blake shares how the Shopify & Shopify Plus ecosystem is currently seeking more of an emphasis on retention because now it's difficult to be profitable whereas before, brands could make up the difference on the backend. Blake provides examples of how Carro helps brands increase LTV (lifetime value) and AOV (average order volume) while lowering CAC (customer acquisition cost) by getting in front of customers in a more efficient way.  Humanizing the shopping experience so there's a deep connection with customers brings an element to DTC brands that retailers don't often experience, and there's a lot that goes into it. It might be a difficult thing to measure, but it's worth pursuing. Blake shares how showing up in the social feed and having something interesting to say captivates a lot of attention, and it's valuable attention.  We're in the thick of the holiday season, so Blake shares his BFCM brand must-haves. He recommends brands set up their transactional emails and SMS marketing campaigns in a smart way. Don't risk it all, SMS automations are expensive, so be intentional with your segmentation and design and don't bombard your customers. Every unsubscribe in 2023 is lost revenue in 2024.  This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your custom mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your custom design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: Running, ultra-marathons, and personal limits: 4:07 Career path and e-commerce experience: 7:25 Unconventional career path in marketing and partnerships: 13:27 Applying b2c marketing strategies to b2b marketing: 16:29 Humanizing B2B content through authenticity and emotion: 22:01 Leveraging collaborative commerce platform to increase sales and reduce costs: 25:12 Using marketplace to drive sales and growth: 30:05 Using marketplaces to test new products and increase revenue: 32:55 E-commerce marketing strategies and customer retention: 40:25 Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing strategies: 43:53 LinkedIn strategy and content creation: 49:16

Anthony Ciavirella, Co-Founder of Manmade joins Retention Chronicles for episode 20 of season 4. Anthony and his three other co-founders started Manmade, a leading men's essentials brand, after starting his career in banking. After a 10-month journey to designing the perfect boxer-brief, Manmade has over 120k orders with 400,000 boxers sold to 90k customers in 2 years.  For all our Shopify brands out there, do you have a sole-founder team or do you have a team of co-founders? Anthony details how their founding team of 4 is able to move at 4x speed with their collaboration.  Does exponential growth come from great product, great marketing, or both? Anthony shares his opinion on developing an incredible product alongside great marketing. With product development, it's not so much about getting everything right the first time, because you most likely won't, but it's about listening to your customer feedback and iterating to make the best product you possibly can.  Content marketing is foundational to the Manmade team- Anthony and his team strive to bring customers along for the journey as they're learning. The Manmade team believes that ecommerce shoppers like seeing the faces of founders, and they've fully embraced that marketing strategy. Also included in their marketing is a ton of attention to organic social growth. Meta is the driver of where Manmade gets new acquisitions, whether it's through lots of PR and interviews, radio, newspaper articles, or social media. Gorilla marketing is their jam. Retention marketing is strong at Manmade, 35% come back in 3 months, 50% come back after 12 months. They credit that to their intentional site and post-purchase touchpoints. Listen today to hear more about the details! This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands.  To see what your custom mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your custom design right to your inbox! Episode Timestamps: Ecommerce brand retention strategies with industry leaders: 0:04 Founding a men's essentials brand with four finance professionals turned entrepreneurs: 1:21 Entrepreneurship, business ideas, and competitive pricing strategies: 6:05 Product quality, marketing, and iteration in business: 11:16 Branding, packaging, and marketing strategies for a men's underwear line: 15:59 Customer acquisition costs, retention, and post-purchase education for a men's apparel brand: 22:18 DTC underwear brand's use of authenticity and transparency in marketing: 26:47 Pinterest marketing for gift-giving season: 34:18 Retention strategies for an underwear brand: 37:36 Building a direct-to-consumer brand with a focus on customer experience: 42:54Entrepreneurship, business growth, and overcoming challenges: 48:08

Nikki Tooman, Founder & CEO of Sticky Digital joins Retention Chronicles and if hearing Noah and Nikki discuss Shoptalk 2022 isn't enough incentive to listen in, then hearing Nikki's perspective of the Shopify brand and partner ecosystem sure is! Nikki has been in the Shopify ecosystem since Shopify has been in the game, and learned the core of the ecosystem at one of the biggest agencies at the time.  For all our Shopify brands out there, do you know exactly what technology you should be using for your specific storefront? Nikki knows it all and shares it all so you'll have to listen to hear all of her shoutouts, but we'll break it down for you real quick- Loop, Recharge, Yotpo, Klaviyo, Okendo/Junip, Gorgias are table stakes for Nikki and her team.  Retention marketing (email, SMS) and conversion rate optimization (CRO) is her jam - she and her team at Sticky Digital excel working with Shopify brands.  What do you think the goal of partnerships is? Generating revenue, getting better discounts, relationship building? You'll have to listen to hear what Nikki says about the industry and how to truly map a good partnership.  BFCM (Black Friday/Cyber Monday) is in full-swing for the ecommerce community and Nikki shares her BFCM tips for Shopify brands: 1) Start your efforts early, 2.) We need to figure out retention stuff set up today & 3.) Post-purchase survey for first time purchasers.  Did you know that 20% of your website traffic hits the order tracking experience? Turn all of that customer engagement into customer loyalty. Malomo helps you get ahead of shipping issues, brand your order tracking experience, and reconvert shoppers while they wait for their package to arrive.  To see what your custom mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we'll send your custom design right to your inbox!