The Commerce Marketer Podcast: Talking eCommerce, Email Marketing, Retail, and More

Luke Peters, CEO and founder at NewAir Appliances and Retail Band, joins this episode of “The Commerce Marketer Podcast” to discuss specific strategies retailers and companies can follow to reduce the burden of tariffs. Luke starts by discussing how the tariffs have impacted NewAIr and their cost of goods (COG), and why simply finding a new supplier isn’t a realistic option (2:00). He explains what to look for in the supply chain to find opportunities for price relief (7:00), and outlines...

Zach Lones, director of social media marketing at Walmart, joins this episode of “The Commerce Marketer Podcast” to discuss how Walmart uses social media and their employees to engage with local communities and increase in-store traffic. Zach starts by describing the genesis of the store-level social media programs (2:00), choosing social platforms (8:30) and how they establish best practices and types of training needed (10:00) for participation. He explains how the program is structured...

Phillip Jackson, chief commerce officer of Something Digital and co-founder of Future Commerce, joins this episode of “The Commerce Marketer Podcast” to discuss expected commerce trends in 2020 and beyond. Phillip starts by describing the biggest trend that he expects to dominate the industry in 2020 (6:00) and discusses how venture capital fails at creating sustainable businesses (7:00). Phillips shifts gears to Amazon, predicting a long-term trend he expects to emerge this year (11:20) and...

Drew Cook, CFO of Pact Clothing, joins this episode of “The Commerce Marketer Podcast” to discuss social causes as part of a brand’s ethos and marketing strategy. We outline the growing trend of sustainability amongst retailers and how “greenwashing” deceives consumers (2:00). He then discusses how terms like “organic” and “sustainable” can both aid marketing efforts and mislead consumers (4:30), and then cover how consumers’ expectations of corporate sustainability impacted Pact’s marketing...

On this episode of “The Commerce Marketer Podcast” I’m joined by Viv Conway and Tash Meys who share their strategies for growing your Instagram followers — and attracting the right ones. The founders of Ace The Gram start by discussing how to use Instagram the “right way” (9:20) and how businesses can decide what purpose it should serve (10:20). Next, they give a case study illustrating high-quality content and overall strategic plan, and then shift gears to discuss images (15:00) and...

I’m joined by Luke Daniel Lucht, co-founder and research director at Research Farm, to discuss developing retail technologies around the globe and how they may impact the future of retail. Lucht begins by discussing approaches and challenges to unmanned stores overseas and what they could mean for similar stores in the U.S. (3:10) — and how the Amazon Go model fits into the future of these store formats (5:40). Next, he discusses what facial recognition might hold for retailers and consumers...

CEO of MIVA and author of Dragonproof Ecommerce Rick Wilson joins me on this episode of “The Commerce Marketer Podcast” to share his perspective on the state of ecommerce and the consumer landscape. Wilson also hosts the “Protecting Your Online Business Podcast,” where he recalls stories and lessons learned from more than 20 years in ecommerce. Wilson starts by discussing what he thinks is the “end of the beginning of the ecommerce landscape” and retailers’ problem with free shipping and...

I’m joined by Luke Peters, CEO and founder of NewAir Appliances and host of the Page 1 Podcast, where he shares their blueprint for successfully launching new products. Luke starts by describing his ideal customer (2:15) and why New Air pivoted away from exclusively selling direct-to-consumer (2:50), and then explains how their 50 new product launches a year bring value (8:00) and the benefits of having the same SKUs for both your website and retail partners (12:00). Luke shifts to why...

I’m joined by Carson Finkle, CEO at Tenth Street Hats, to discuss using augmented reality (AR) and 3D product imaging on websites. Carson starts by describing their target audience and why they tested AR on their website (3:00). He explains what the experience looks like for the end-user and why they went with a web-based approach instead of an app-based one (4:50). Carson then explains why they tested AR on their website (7:30) and what the setup process was like (9:00). Carson then breaks...

Bob Hitching, CEO of Playable, joins the podcast to discuss how the time to use video in email marketing has finally arrived. Bob starts by explaining why video is now an effective element of email marketing (2:20), then discusses ways to overcome time and resource constraints of video production (4:30) and use pre-existing video content (6:00). Bob then dives into how to use data, such as location and time of day, to make video even more relevant to subscribers (8:30). He then shares video...

In this episode, Greg Zakowicz, senior commerce marketing analyst at Oracle NetSuite, discusses email marketing strategies for the 2019 holiday season. He begins with some of the key takeaways from last year and how they impact this year’s season (1:45), then covers the most appealing discounts and how to integrate them into your email planning (4:30). Greg then discusses the benefits of running daily deals and category-specific promotions (5:00) and how free shipping factors into these...

I’m joined by Nancy Harhut, chief creative officer at HBT Marketing, to discuss how marketers can use behavioral science to nudge their customers and encourage purchase decisions. Nancy starts by covering how “eye magnet” words and the Von Restorff Effect can create more effective email subject lines and headlines (3:40), and then shares which word has been repeatedly associated with top-performing subject lines (7:30). Nancy dives into content by discussing ways to effectively use social...

I’m joined by Harry Cunningham, vice president of retail brand experience at Vera Bradley, to discuss what goes into designing modern-day brick-and-mortar stores that appeal to consumers. Harry explains some of the driving forces behind Vera Bradley’s redesign of their storefronts (5:45), and the steps taken when embarking on designing a new store concept (8:45). Harry explains how the store design revolves around solving shopper challenges (10:30) and how they used data to uncover some...

I’m joined by Erin Jordan, vice president and partner at Walker Sands Communications, to discuss the key findings of their sixth “Future of Retail” report. Erin discusses the trends the most notable trends and what the report says about consumer convenience and connection (2:00). She breaks down consumers’ expectations of shipping polices (3:00), their expectation of free shipping (6:30), and the impact supply chain transparency will have on retail (8:00). Erin also covers the in-store...

I’m joined by Erin Hoffman, director of ecommerce at Door County Coffee, to discuss the shifting consumer coffee market and how they use email marketing to engage customers and drive revenue. Erin starts by discussing how the shifting in-home coffee demographic impacted their digital marketing strategy (9:00). She outlines how their email marketing team is organized and how it contributes to their overall online marketing revenue (14:30) before diving into their send cadence, message...

I’m joined by Ronald Dod, CMO and co-founder of the ecommerce-focused search marketing agency Visiture, to discuss the current state of SEO, its evolution, and its integration with marketing (1:48). Ron continues with what makes an SEO-friendly title, the role of search intent (3:50), and the impact of dwell time on search results (8:40). He covers how retailers can optimize product pages and the media elements that don’t negatively affect the shopping experience (11:20). He’ll also discuss...

In this episode of the podcast, I’m joined by Dennis Kelly, CEO of the direct mail automation company Postalytics, to discuss how to augment digital marketing channels with direct mail. Dennis explains how direct mail has evolved and why its usage is on the rise (2:45). He’ll discuss consumers’ emotional response to direct mail pieces and how to use small-batch, drip-style campaigns (9:40). He also covers how closely you should target customers and ways it can enhance your digital marketing...

In this episode of the podcast, I’m joined by Mark Brazil, co-founder of the canvas art company Ikonick, to discuss how he created a multimillion-dollar business in less than two years by combining email, video, social, and influencer marketing. Mark begins by discussing how different social engagement patterns among genders impacted their paid marketing strategy (3:08), going on to describe how storytelling changed their social and email marketing — and their definition of success (8:10)....

Jennifer O’Connor of The University of Kansas Bookstore describes the bookstore industry’s evolution (4:30) and how they drive in-store traffic with social media (6:18). She details ways to overcome email segmentation challenges by using other digital marketing channels (13:40) and compete with larger retailers, who can offer larger selections and discounts (17:25). She also shares ways to integrate social media with email marketing campaigns (20:00) and lessons from their first Facebook...

In this episode, co-founder of the influencer marketing agency Viral Nation Joe Gagliese discusses the ins and outs of the billion-dollar influencer marketing industry. Joe sheds light on influencer marketing misconceptions and explains how a brand should determine whether influencer marketing is a good fit for them (9:10). He explains what the process of working with influencers looks like (11:30) and the challenges of working with both micro and macro-influencers (15:00). And the money —...