The Digital Deep Dive With Aaron Conant: Recent Episodes
Aaron Conant
This is the Digital Deep Dive Podcast, where we tackle the newest trends, strategies and pain points shaping growth across the digital landscape.
Lauren Livak Gilbert is the Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute, a community of more than 11,000 brands and retailers navigating eCommerce and the digital shelf. She leads research, education, and industry collaboration on emerging commerce trends. Lauren specializes in agentic commerce, product content, citations, measurement, and helping brands turn complex digital shifts into practical strategies that drive customer acquisition and growth.
Max Sinclair is the Founder and CEO of Azoma (formerly Ecomtent), an agentic commerce platform helping brands improve visibility and performance across AI-powered shopping. He leads company strategy, growth, and enterprise partnerships while advising brands on product discovery, content, and conversion across ChatGPT, Amazon Rufus, Walmart Sparky, and Google Gemini. Max also co-hosts The New Frontier: The Agentic Commerce & Answer Engine Optimization podcast.
In this episode… Agentic commerce is becoming a priority for brands, but many teams are still defining how it fits into their eCommerce strategies. Rather than replacing the digital shelf, it expands how AI systems discover, evaluate, and recommend products. How can brands turn this shift into measurable growth?
Digital shelf strategist Lauren Livak Gilbert and agentic commerce entrepreneur Max Sinclair answer by organizing the challenge around five C's: completeness, context, citations, correctness, and customer acquisition. Their framework shows brands how to strengthen product data, answer detailed shopper questions, build trust through credible sources, and correct inaccurate information across AI platforms. Lauren recommends treating agentic commerce as an extension of existing digital shelf work while developing a deeper understanding of shopper needs. Max emphasizes monitoring the entire category, identifying the sources AI tools rely on, and connecting visibility efforts to conversion and incremental revenue. Together, their guidance offers a practical way to prepare internal teams, prioritize investments, and measure meaningful business impact.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Lauren Livak Gilbert, Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute, and Max Sinclair, Founder and CEO of Azoma, about decoding agentic commerce through the five C's. Lauren and Max show how brands can improve data completeness, add richer context, strengthen citations, ensure correctness, and drive customer acquisition. They also discuss AI shopping behavior, brand accuracy, and practical measurement.
Christian Rich is the Founding US Sales Lead at Azoma, an agentic commerce optimization platform that helps brands improve visibility across AI-powered search and shopping experiences. Working with consumer brands, he focuses on how product content is discovered, interpreted, and recommended by ChatGPT, Amazon Alexa, Walmart Sparky, and other AI assistants. Christian specializes in digital shelf strategy, conversational search, content structuring, and LLM-driven product discovery and conversion.
In this episode… Amazon's shorter title limit reflects a broader change in how consumers discover and evaluate products online. As mobile shopping, conversational prompts, and AI assistants reshape search, brands must create content that works for both people and algorithms. How can they adapt without sacrificing visibility or conversion?
The answer is to treat concise titles as part of a wider shift toward prompt-based, agent-assisted shopping, according to Christian Rich, an expert in agentic commerce and digital shelf strategy. Brands should write clear, human-friendly titles, move valuable keywords and product details into structured content, and identify the category questions AI tools are prompting shoppers to ask. Christian also recommends making product pages specific enough for assistants to confidently match products with detailed consumer requests. By connecting marketplace content with broader AI-discovery strategies, brands can improve their chances of being surfaced, recommended, and selected.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Christian Rich, Founding US Sales Lead at Azoma, about Amazon's new 75-character title limit and the rise of AI-assisted shopping. Christian explores cleaner titles, structured item highlights, and prompt-ready product content. He also examines Alexa-driven discovery and the connection between retailer pages and ChatGPT visibility.
Kevin Williams is the Founder and CEO of Ascend AI Labs, an AI enablement firm that helps organizations build AI literacy, governance, and implementation strategies. A serial entrepreneur with roots in DTC brand building and digital marketing, Kevin helps companies align leadership, improve workflows, and implement practical AI strategies. His expertise spans enterprise AI adoption, governance, agentic workflows, and transformation for brands. Kevin is also the President of KDF Aegis LLC, a consulting and private equity firm.
In this episode… Many brands are racing to adopt AI, but the biggest barrier may not be the technology itself. Before teams can improve workflows or build automation, leaders need to define what AI means for the organization. So where should companies begin when the pressure to move fast collides with uncertainty and unclear direction?
As an AI adoption and digital transformation expert, Kevin Williams argues that AI strategy has to start with leadership before data, tools, or technical infrastructure. His approach is to create alignment at the top through a clear AI manifesto, practical governance, and a shared roadmap that helps teams understand how AI will support the business. Rather than waiting for perfect data, Kevin recommends building literacy, giving employees the right connected tools, and identifying high-value workflows where AI can reduce friction. The strongest AI strategies come from the leaders who combine vision, communication, and practical execution.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Kevin Williams, Founder and CEO of Ascend AI Labs, about why AI strategy starts in the C-suite, not in the cloud. Kevin shares how leadership maturity, AI manifestos, and connected workflows shape adoption. He also touches on agentic automation, implementation costs, cybersecurity risks, and why context makes AI tools more valuable.
Megan Harmon is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of ThornCrest, a brand protection firm that helps brands recover revenue, enforce IP, grow sales, and expand across retail and eCommerce channels. In her role, Megan advises emerging and enterprise brands on channel control, MAP policies, authorized reseller agreements, warranty strategy, counterfeit takedowns, and supply chain leaks. She brings sales, legal, and marketplace expertise to help brands protect profitability and build stronger retail partnerships.
In this episode… Brand protection has moved beyond chasing unauthorized sellers after the damage is done. With TikTok, marketplaces, and retail channels increasingly connected, brands need stronger systems for controlling where products appear, how they are represented, and how policies are enforced. How can brands stop playing whack-a-mole in a social commerce-driven environment?
The answer starts with treating brand protection as a channel strategy, not just a takedown process. Megan Harmon, an expert in brand protection, channel control, and marketplace enforcement, explains that brands need to strengthen the fundamentals: warranty policies, MAP or UPP structures, authorized reseller agreements, and IP protections. Without those pieces in place, software can surface problems but cannot solve the root causes. Megan also emphasizes the importance of tracking compliance, creating clear repercussions for violations, and recognizing how TikTok, Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and other platforms are connected. Strong governance gives teams a practical way to protect profit, preserve retail relationships, and reduce recurring enforcement problems.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Megan Harmon, Co-founder and Managing Partner of ThornCrest, about brand protection in the age of TikTok. Megan shares how brands can update warranty policies, track MAP compliance, and strengthen reseller agreements. She also touches on social commerce, counterfeits, stolen shipments, and profitability.
Nicole Reich is the Chief Growth Officer at Blue Wheel, an omnichannel digital commerce agency that helps brands grow across Amazon, Walmart, DTC, social commerce, and retail media through connected strategy, performance marketing, and data-driven execution. In her role, Nicole leads growth strategy across sales and marketing, helping unify channels and reduce fragmentation across the eCommerce ecosystem to improve brand performance. She focuses on bringing together systems, teams, and insights to help enterprise brands scale more efficiently.
In this episode… Brands today are operating in an environment where channels, platforms, and tools are multiplying faster than most teams can keep up with. This growing complexity is creating fragmentation across data, content, and execution, making it harder to maintain clarity and alignment. As expectations rise across every part of eCommerce, how do teams stay focused on what actually matters?
Nicole Reich, a digital commerce strategy expert, unpacks why fragmentation has become one of the biggest challenges for modern brands. The issue isn't just more channels, but the compounding effect of new tools and workflows layered on top of existing systems. Clear KPIs and simplified decision-making frameworks are positioned as essential tools for cutting through the noise and refocusing teams on outcomes that drive performance. Nicole also highlights the importance of aligning teams and structuring content approaches so efforts across channels reinforce one another rather than compete or operate in isolation. These insights point toward bringing structure and clarity back into an increasingly complex ecosystem.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant and Nicole Reich, Chief Growth Officer at Blue Wheel, discuss why fragmentation is reshaping digital commerce. Nicole addresses rising channel complexity and brand pressure, explains how clear KPIs reduce AI overload and improve decision-making, and shares how shifting search behavior is changing discovery and content strategy. She also touches on internal silos and AI-driven workflow changes across teams.
Jonny Waite is the Co-founder and CEO of RECHO, a full-service Reddit marketing agency helping brands grow through organic community management, paid advertising, and Reddit-native strategy. With 17 years of agency-side digital experience, Jonny built SEO, paid search, Amazon, and omnichannel programs for Fortune 500 companies and high-growth startups. He helps brands navigate Reddit authentically, manage reputation, and improve visibility across search and AI-driven discovery.
In this episode… Reddit has become a critical place where consumers discover, debate, and validate brands. As AI tools increasingly pull from Reddit conversations, brands can no longer afford to ignore what is being said there. What does it take to show up the right way before competitors, customers, and AI models define the narrative?
According to Jonny Waite, a Reddit and SEO expert, the answer starts with listening before engaging. Brands should first understand where they are being mentioned, how competitors are showing up, and which subreddits matter most before jumping into the conversation. Jonny explains that Reddit rewards authentic, consistent participation, not brand-driven responses that only appear when reputation is at risk. For brands thinking about AI visibility, Reddit is becoming a long-term authority channel where early, thoughtful engagement can shape discoverability and trust.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Jonny Waite, Co-founder and CEO of RECHO, about why Reddit has become essential for brand visibility. Jonny shares how LLMs are accelerating Reddit's influence, why brands should assess sentiment before acting, and how paid and organic Reddit strategies differ. He also touches on budget ownership, PR, SEO, and future-proofing AI visibility.
Aaron Conant is the Co-founder and Chief Digital Strategist at BWG Connect, a leading platform for executive strategy and networking sessions. He is an eCommerce expert with over a decade of experience in digital commerce, providing advisory services to brands on Amazon sales strategies, retail media, DTC platform selection, and SEO. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Global, has built an exclusive network of over 125,000 senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events annually.
In this episode… The digital commerce landscape is evolving faster than ever, with AI and automated shopping systems transforming the way consumers discover and buy products. Traditional strategies like keyword stuffing and static product descriptions no longer guarantee success. How can brands stay ahead in a space where AI drives both discovery and conversion?
Aaron Conant, an expert in digital commerce and eCommerce strategy, explains that adapting to agentic commerce is essential for brands aiming to thrive in this AI-driven environment. He highlights the shift on platforms like Amazon, where product images now play a bigger role in conversion, and AI systems analyze textual content to generate recommendations. Aaron suggests prioritizing bullet points that answer AI queries, leveraging TikTok and Reddit for traffic, and maintaining human oversight in AI-assisted content creation. By focusing on these strategies, brands can future-proof their online presence and optimize both discoverability and engagement.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Chad Franzen of Rise25 sits down with Aaron Conant, Co-founder and Chief Digital Strategist at BWG Connect, to discuss why brands must adapt to AI-driven shopping. Aaron covers agentic commerce, optimizing product content for AI, and leveraging emerging platforms like TikTok and Reddit. He also touches on human oversight in AI content creation and strategic networking for modern brand success.
Corey Apirian is the CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, a full-service logistics company that uses technology and partners with brands and retailers to help market, sell, fulfill, and ship their products. As an accomplished supply chain and operations leader, Corey has over 15 years of senior management experience. With more than 20 years of experience in the eCommerce fulfillment industry, Corey has been drop shipping for every major retailer since 2004 and has launched over 50 different subcategories through individual online and brick-and-mortar channels.
In this episode… The supply chain conversation is shifting from simple fulfillment to a broader question of how brands move inventory across every channel with greater control, flexibility, and margin awareness. Amazon's latest supply chain announcement puts that shift into sharper focus, signaling a bigger move into logistics services beyond traditional FBA. As marketplace profitability gets harder to protect, how should brands think about Amazon's expanding role in the supply chain?
Amazon Supply Chain Services can be useful when brands treat it as one part of a broader logistics strategy rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. Corey Apirian, an eCommerce, logistics, and supply chain expert, explains how Amazon is applying a familiar playbook: building powerful infrastructure for itself, then offering that capability to the broader market. Corey points out that brands may benefit from Amazon's rates, scale, and operational discipline, especially for storage, first-mile needs, or select freight opportunities. At the same time, carrier diversification, decentralized inventory, and sharper visibility are essential for protecting profitability and avoiding overdependence.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Corey Apirian, CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, to talk about Amazon's Supply Chain announcement and what it means for brands. Corey examines why brands are watching Amazon closely, how logistics diversification supports profitability, and the best fulfillment strategies across marketplaces. He also touches on carrier networks, inventory placement, and the future of third-party logistics.
Aaron Conant is the Co-founder and Chief Digital Strategist at BWG Connect, a leading platform for executive strategy and networking sessions. He is an eCommerce expert with over a decade of experience in digital commerce, providing advisory services to brands on Amazon sales strategies, retail media, DTC platform selection, and SEO. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Global, has built an exclusive network of over 125,000 senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events annually.
In this episode… In today's digital landscape, brands are seeking strategies that not only deliver results but also stand the test of time. As eCommerce continues to surge, brands must stay ahead of the competition and drive sustainable growth. Identifying the right strategies is crucial, so what are the most effective approaches for digital success?
To answer this, industry experts share valuable insights on everything from omnichannel strategies to personalized marketing. Dan Brownsher stresses the importance of strategic channel management, urging brands to carefully orchestrate where and how they sell their products. Todd Hassenfelt highlights the need for personalized marketing efforts and the optimization of the digital shelf to meet each audience's unique needs. Corey Apirian explains how getting inventory closer to customers can drastically improve delivery speed and accuracy. Spencer Millerberg discusses the importance of understanding how customers search for products, emphasizing the need for brands to avoid the "curse of knowledge" when creating product listings and to align product names with what customers actually search for. Meanwhile, Andrew Lipsman explores the evolving landscape of retail media, particularly the growing impact of digital ads moving up the funnel and the rise of in-store digital experiences. These actionable takeaways provide clear guidance on refining your brand's strategy in the digital world.
In this special compilation episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant revisits his most insightful conversations with industry experts. The episode dives into topics like strategic omnichannel management, the importance of personalized marketing, and the future of retail media, including in-store digital ad experiences. It's a must-listen for digital marketers looking to stay ahead of the curve and optimize their strategies for sustained growth.
Wesley Wilson is the Head of the US and Canada for The Consumer Goods Forum (CFG), a CEO-led global organization advancing the future of retail and consumer goods. With a background in consumer goods investment and experience at Walmart and Mars, Wesley helps industry leaders collaborate on innovation, standards, intelligent commerce, adaptive value chains, and evolving consumer needs. He brings a global, multichannel perspective to conversations about data, AI, and the future of consumer goods.
Justin Honaman is the Global Head of Worldwide Retail, Restaurants, and Consumer Goods Business Development at Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud platform helping companies build, scale, and modernize digital capabilities. Justin works with global retail and CPG leaders on supply chain, eCommerce, data, analytics, AI, digital engagement, and customer experience solutions. Recognized as the 2026 Top AI Thought-Leader by Rethink Retail, he brings practical insight into how brands can use generative and agentic AI while navigating data, governance, and talent challenges.
In this episode… AI has quickly moved from experimentation to expectation, but many organizations are still working through the foundations that make it useful. Clean data, strong governance, and the right talent are becoming just as important as the tools themselves. As agentic AI becomes more practical, how can companies move fast without losing control?
The answer lies in building flexible data systems, empowering teams, and choosing AI investments that align with real business value. Wesley Wilson brings expertise in retail and consumer goods strategy, while Justin Honaman adds a technology and cloud perspective on how brands are applying generative and agentic AI today. Wesley emphasizes the need for common standards, data control, and a clear customer value proposition, while Justin points to cloud adoption, talent development, and secure agent management as signs that companies are moving from curiosity to execution. Together, they suggest that success will come from balancing speed with structure, experimentation with governance, and innovation with practical use cases.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Wesley Wilson, Head of the US and Canada for The Consumer Goods Forum, and Justin Honaman, Global Head of Worldwide Retail, Restaurants, and Consumer Goods Business Development at Amazon Web Services. They focus on agentic AI and the data challenges shaping retail and consumer goods. Wesley and Justin discuss data readiness, AI governance, talent gaps, and touch on personalization, search, and what comes next for AI adoption.
JD Sass is the Co-founder and CEO of Axiom Return Solutions, a reverse logistics company that helps Amazon sellers and brands recover value from returns and improve post-purchase performance. He built the company after identifying inefficiencies in how returns are managed across marketplaces. JD leads a team that inspects, grades, and resells inventory while uncovering actionable data insights to reduce losses. He works with brands of all sizes to turn returns into revenue opportunities and improve decision-making across the supply chain.
In this episode… Returns are often treated as an unavoidable cost of doing business and are absorbed into margins without much scrutiny. Yet behind every return is a set of decisions, missed insights, and potential value left on the table. How can overlooked processes become a meaningful driver of profitability instead of a sunk cost?
As an expert in reverse logistics and returns management, JD Sass explains that brands can significantly improve profitability by rethinking how they handle returned inventory. Rather than defaulting to disposal, he highlights the importance of inspecting, grading, and reintegrating products back into sales channels whenever possible. Many items are actually new and recoverable, and leveraging return data can uncover product issues, reduce future return rates, and inform better operational decisions. JD also stresses the value of filing claims and maintaining visibility into inventory to prevent unnecessary losses.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with JD Sass, Co-founder and CEO of Axiom Return Solutions, to discuss how brands can turn returns into a profitability lever. JD breaks down why disposal costs more than brands realize, how to recover value from returned inventory, and what data reveals about return behavior. He also touches on claim recovery strategies and optimizing listings to reduce returns.
Gautam Kanumuru is the Co-founder and CEO of Yogi, a product sentiment analysis platform that enables brands to gain deeper visibility into customer feedback and the voice of the customer. With a background in AI and natural language processing, he played a crucial role in developing Microsoft products, including Cortana and Xbox. Before co-founding Yogi, Gautam was the Vice President of Engineering at Clarke.ai and a Program Manager at Microsoft.
In this episode… Shifts in how customer feedback is displayed can reshape the way people shop online. Even small changes in review visibility can influence trust, perception, and purchasing decisions. As platforms prioritize accuracy and transparency, brands are left adjusting in real time. So what happens when the rules around reviews suddenly change?
Gautam Kanumuru, an expert in consumer feedback and product analytics, explains that recent updates are pushing brands toward greater accountability at the individual product level. He notes that separating reviews by variation gives shoppers a clearer picture but also exposes underperforming SKUs that were previously hidden. Gautam emphasizes the importance of closely monitoring product-level sentiment and using that data to inform decisions across marketing, product development, and eCommerce strategies. Brands that actively listen and respond to customer feedback will be better positioned to adapt and grow.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Gautam Kanumuru, Co-founder and CEO of Yogi, to discuss how Amazon's evolving review system is reshaping consumer behavior and brand strategy. Gautam explores the shift to variation-level reviews, the impact on shopper trust, and the growing need for accurate data. He also touches on AI-driven shopping tools and the increasing importance of product quality in a more transparent marketplace.
Aaron Conant is the Co-founder and Chief Digital Strategist at BWG Connect, a leading platform for executive strategy and networking sessions. He is an eCommerce expert with over a decade of experience in digital commerce, providing advisory services to brands on Amazon sales strategies, retail media, DTC platform selection, and SEO. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Global, has built an exclusive network of over 125,000 senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events annually.
In this episode… Digital commerce is evolving at a pace that makes it difficult for even experienced professionals to keep up. New tools promise efficiency, but they often introduce more complexity and uncertainty. As expectations rise and technology shifts, businesses are being pushed to rethink how they operate, market, and grow. So how can companies adapt when the rules seem to change faster than they can respond?
Aaron Conant explains that the current environment is defined by rapid transformation, where AI, changing search behavior, and increasing demands on marketers are reshaping the landscape. As a digital commerce expert with deep experience advising brands, he highlights the importance of understanding emerging trends like conversational search and answer engines, while also emphasizing foundational elements such as clean data and strong content. Aaron suggests that companies focus on continuous testing, invest in learning, and avoid waiting for clarity before taking action. The key is building systems that allow for adaptability rather than chasing perfection.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Chad Franzen of Rise25 talks with Aaron Conant, Co-founder and Chief Digital Strategist at BWG Connect, about how AI is reshaping eCommerce and digital marketing strategy. Aaron shares insights on the rise of AEO and GEO, the growing role of personalization, and the challenges of AI adoption. He also explores content evolution, data readiness, and why constant testing and learning are critical for staying competitive.
Jessyca Dewey is the Founder of The Y Collective, a social-first digital marketing agency focused on CPG brands. With 16-plus years of experience in content and digital marketing, she has worked with brands like L'Oréal, Hasbro, and Califia Farms. Jessyca specializes in aligning social strategy with business goals, helping brands move beyond vanity metrics to drive meaningful engagement and real-world impact, especially in retail.
In this episode… Most brands still measure social media success using metrics that are easy to track but not always meaningful. Follower counts, impressions, and ROAS often dominate reports, regardless of whether they reflect real business impact. So how should brands rethink their KPIs to align with actual growth?
As a social-first digital marketing expert working closely with CPG and retail-driven brands, Jessyca Dewey explains that the key is shifting away from vanity metrics toward signals of real engagement and intent. She highlights shares, saves, and watch time as stronger indicators of whether content is resonating and building brand recall, especially in retail environments where attribution is limited. Jessyca also stresses the importance of aligning social KPIs with business realities — like distribution geography and target audience — so efforts actually support sales outcomes. In her view, effective measurement is less about immediate conversion and more about building familiarity that influences purchase decisions over time.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Jessyca Dewey, Founder of The Y Collective, to discuss getting social media KPIs right. Jessyca covers why follower growth is outdated, how engagement signals like saves and shares drive impact, and how to align social strategy with retail goals. She also shares insights on organic versus paid social and evolving platform metrics.
Dan Brownsher is the Founder, Executive Chairman, and CSO at Channel Key, a full-service channel management marketplace agency. A recognized national thought leader in marketplace retail strategy and emerging eCommerce trends, Dan is a trusted commentator on Amazon and marketplace technologies and is frequently quoted by outlets such as Bloomberg, Forbes, Reuters, MSN.com, and the LA Times. He also co-founded Trend Nation, a top-200 global Amazon private label developer and seller that surpassed $1 billion in merchandise sales and achieved a private equity exit.
In this episode… As digital commerce scales across marketplaces and AI-driven experiences, brands aren't deciding if they should sell online — they're deciding which channels to prioritize, which products belong on each, and how to operate at scale. From Amazon and Walmart to TikTok Shop and emerging agent-led buying journeys, the number of viable paths to purchase is expanding fast. How can brands pursue growth without wasting margin, media spend, or internal resources?
According to national eCommerce thought leader Dan Brownsher, this shift is driven by consumer trust in digital commerce and expanding shopping habits across marketplaces. He advises brands to evaluate channels based on SKU-level profitability, fulfillment constraints, and measurable incrementality rather than solely omnichannel expansion. Dan also recommends narrowing assortment by channel, actively shifting media spend to where returns are provable, and using AI to accelerate analysis and execution — not replace judgment.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Dan Brownsher, Founder, Executive Chairman, and CSO at Channel Key, about the future of omnichannel commerce. Dan discusses why consumers are driving marketplace expansion, how brands should manage assortment and media across channels, and what agentic commerce and AI-powered discovery mean for search, trust, and buying behavior.
Max Sinclair is the Founder and CEO of Azoma (formerly Ecomtent), which generates AI-powered product content across eCommerce sites. Before founding Azoma, he spent six years at Amazon, where he launched Amazon Business in the UK, Amazon.sg in Singapore, and Amazon Grocery across the EU. Max is also the host of New Frontier: The AI for ecommerce podcast.
In this episode… AI is no longer just influencing how people search; it's starting to decide what they buy. As intelligent agents take on more decision-making, brands are facing a future where visibility depends less on ads and more on recommendations. How should businesses prepare for an environment where AI chooses on behalf of the consumer?
Max Sinclair notes that agentic commerce is already emerging, driven by AI systems that can analyze multiple data points and make personalized decisions for users. As an expert in AI-driven commerce and digital optimization, he emphasizes that brands must optimize for how AI understands, evaluates, and recommends products, not just how humans search. Max advises moving fast, aligning content across channels, and empowering teams to experiment rather than wait for certainty. The brands that act decisively now can leverage AI-driven recommendations effectively.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Max Sinclair, Founder and CEO of Azoma, about the rise of agentic commerce and its implications for brands. Max shares how AI agents influence purchasing decisions, what companies must do to stay visible in AI search, and why fast organizational adoption will define the winners in 2026.
Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at the Path to Purchase Institute. With over 12 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs.
In this episode… AI has sparked excitement, fear, and confusion across the digital and commerce landscape. Leaders are pushing adoption, teams are unsure of how to respond, and individuals are left wondering what it implies for their careers. How can professionals prepare for an AI-driven future without being left behind?
Commerce and digital transformation leader Chris Perry notes that professionals can manage AI's impact by taking ownership of their learning. He urges professionals to start by experimenting with AI tools, then applying them to eliminate tedious tasks and elevate strategic thinking. By asking intentional questions, understanding the tools required for the work, and reshaping your role, AI can enhance, rather than replace, your value.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Chris Perry, Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, about how AI is reshaping work and careers. Chris discusses the hype of AI, practical first steps for adoption, and how professionals can reskill to stay indispensable.
Corey Apirian is the CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, a full-service logistics company that uses technology and partners with brands and retailers to help market, sell, fulfill, and ship their products. As an accomplished supply chain and operations leader, Corey has over 15 years of senior management experience. With more than 20 years of experience in the eCommerce fulfillment industry, Corey has been drop shipping for every major retailer since 2004 and has launched over 50 different subcategories through individual online and brick-and-mortar channels.
In this episode… Fulfillment has become a competitive advantage in eCommerce. With TikTok accelerating demand, Amazon tightening constraints, and customer expectations shifting toward faster delivery, brands are being forced to rethink how products reach buyers. How can you build a fulfillment strategy that keeps pace without destroying margins?
According to omnichannel fulfillment authority Corey Apirian, brands should start leveraging fulfillment as a growth lever rather than a back-end cost center. This involves placing inventory closer to customers, matching delivery speed to buying behavior, and using data to align marketing and operations. Corey maintains that faster delivery doesn't always mean higher costs and that intentional assortments, bundling, and carrier selection can improve conversion and profitability. Fulfillment works best when it's designed as a coordinated system rather than a standalone function.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Corey Apirian, CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, about how fulfillment strategy is reshaping eCommerce growth. Corey shares why inventory proximity drives conversion, how Amazon and TikTok are changing delivery expectations, and what brands must prioritize in 2026 to stay competitive across channels.
Danny Silverman is the Executive Vice President of Digital Commerce at Market Performance Group, a leading end-to-end strategy and services omnichannel commerce agency. He is also the Founder and Digital Strategy and Growth Consultant at Silverstream Strategic Consulting. As a digital commerce executive, Danny has over two decades of experience in eCommerce, marketing, and general management consulting. Throughout his career, Danny has scaled a digital commerce agency 10x in three years, led marketing efforts for a global SaaS platform, and navigated Amazon's landscape since 2006.
In this episode… Brands are overwhelmed by rapid shifts in AI, search behavior, and digital commerce expectations. With executives demanding clarity while teams face mounting complexity, how can companies cut through the noise and refocus on what drives growth?
Seasoned digital commerce expert Danny Silverman says that brands should return to eCommerce fundamentals: traffic and conversions. He urges them to streamline assortments, double down on high-quality contextual content, and use AI tools as enhancers — rather than replacements — for human judgment. This helps leaders translate emerging trends into practical actions that strengthen performance instead of complicating it.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Danny Silverman, Executive Vice President of Digital Commerce at Market Performance Group, to discuss navigating AI-driven commerce. Danny explores contextual content's rise, the need to focus on profitable hero items, and how shifting 1P and 3P dynamics impact brand strategy.
Todd VanderStelt is the Co-founder of MixShift, a firm that helps Amazon agencies, aggregators, and brands scale operations and reporting for their Amazon accounts. He is also the Managing Partner at Dash Applications, which delivers software to improve operations and sales for retailers and brands, and the Founder of TidalBore Group, a management consulting firm specializing in retail. Previously, Todd held leadership roles at Amazon, where he built forecasting tools and operational systems.
Sam Hager is the Co-founder and CEO of MixShift. He began his career in the Amazon space, managing multimillion-dollar business books across advertising and agency services. Before MixShift, Sam was the Marketplace Strategist and Amazon Advertising Manager at Booyah Advertising.
In this episode… Forecasting in the Amazon ecosystem is one of the most frustrating challenges for brands and agencies. With so many shifting variables — from ad spend to competition to inventory fluctuations — how can companies predict sales and plan budgets without wasting resources or missing opportunities?
Amazon forecasting and automation veteran Todd VanderStelt and eCommerce strategist Sam Hager have developed a forecasting method for Amazon brands. They emphasize simplifying forecasting through a top-down model that uses a few key data inputs — ad spend, seasonality, and organic growth — to generate highly accurate predictions. Sam and Todd advise building forecasting tools that align teams around data, tie budgets directly to performance, and factor in real-world contexts, like promotions or unexpected press coverage, to make informed decisions.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Todd VanderStelt and Sam Hager, Co-founders of MixShift, about building accurate and actionable Amazon forecasting models. Together, they explain why top-down forecasting outperforms traditional methods, how linking ad spend to revenue improves planning, and the future innovations transforming eCommerce analytics.
Spencer Millerberg is the Founding Partner of DetailPage, which helps brands optimize traffic and gain Amazon market share. He founded OneClickRetail, the original provider of Amazon market share data that was sold to Ascential. As an eCommerce and data analytics expert, Spencer has helped over 650 brands improve sales, margins, and search positions on eCommerce sites.
In this episode… In today's digital marketplace, visibility is everything. With AI tools like ChatGPT shaping how shoppers discover products, brands are facing a new kind of competition — one where search optimization meets machine learning. How can companies ensure their products are recommended when customers ask AI what to buy?
According to eCommerce and data analytics expert Spencer Millerberg, the key lies in mastering both traditional and generative optimization. He urges brands to speak the customer's language, not their internal catalog terms, and to keep content fresh to trigger algorithmic boosts. By understanding how AI prioritizes retailer and brand content, and by revisiting SEO regularly, brands can secure lasting visibility and growth.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Spencer Millerberg, Founding Partner of DetailPage, back to the show to discuss AI-driven discoverability. Spencer explains why retailer content dominates AI recommendations, how quarterly content updates improve search ranking, and why optimizing neglected B SKUs drives major growth.
Joshua (Josh) Fulmer is the Executive Creative Director of Lunge Marketing, a full-service eCommerce agency specializing in Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, and Google Ads services. With over 18 years of design and brand strategy experience, he leads creative teams in developing engaging, inclusive visual narratives. Before joining Lunge, Josh served in the US Marine Corps, worked in the craft beer industry, and built a design consulting practice.
In this episode… Content creation has become more essential and complex than ever. AI tools promise faster, cheaper results, but at what cost to brand trust and authenticity? How can brands balance speed and creativity while maintaining a consistent voice across every channel?
According to content strategist Josh Fulmer, the key lies in using AI as an enhancer, not a replacement. He recommends developing clear content strategies grounded in audience research and user personas to ensure every asset serves a purpose. Brands should focus their budgets on creators and platforms that truly align with their target market, while maintaining consistent tone and messaging across formats. The goal is thoughtful integration, where technology supports creativity without diluting brand integrity.
Welcome back to The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant talks with Joshua (Josh) Fulmer, Executive Creative Director of Lunge Marketing, about AI's impact on content creation. Josh discusses how brands can maintain consistency amid disruption, build smarter strategies through audience targeting, and balance automation with authentic storytelling.
Aaron Schwartz is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Orita.ai, a software company that improves email deliverability. He is also an advisor and investor in various commerce tech companies, including Passport and EcoCart. Previously, Aaron built and managed the DTC brand Modify Watches and was the President of Loop.
In this episode… Email remains a core channel for reaching customers, but brands often misuse it. As customer acquisition costs climb and competition intensifies, many brands resort to blasting their audiences with more campaigns, only to see engagement fall and customers unsubscribe. How can companies harness smarter strategies to keep customers engaged without burning them out?
According to eCommerce veteran Aaron Schwartz, the answer lies in data-driven retention marketing. Over-sending emails may provide a short-term lift, but ultimately damages deliverability and customer trust. By tapping into customer behavior data, brands can determine when someone actually wants to hear from them, creating more meaningful engagement. Shifting from a marketer’s mindset to a consumer’s perspective — and using modern analytics instead of outdated rules of thumb — can transform email, SMS, and direct mail into profitable retention channels.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Aaron Schwartz, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Orita.ai, about retention marketing best practices. Aaron discusses why brands must move past intuition and embrace data, how machine learning enables smarter segmentation, and why balancing timing with customer preferences drives higher ROI.
Lauren Livak Gilbert is the Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute (DSI), which shapes the future of digital and advances commerce through community, content, and education. In her role, she defines the strategy for creating a global industry commerce community to support brands, retailers, and future leaders in the complex digital environment. As a thought leader in digital and design, Lauren has over 10 years of experience driving impactful multichannel design content, transformative digital shelf solutions, and high-conversion web UX designs across multiple regions. Before DSI, she held numerous roles at Johnson & Johnson, where she owned the digital shelf for consumer products in North America.
In this episode… The pace of change in digital commerce has forced brands to rethink their organizational structures. Traditional structures built solely for brick-and-mortar sales can no longer keep up with evolving customer expectations and constant platform updates. How can brands transform their organizations to stay relevant in the omnichannel marketplace?
Seasoned digital commerce strategist Lauren Livak Gilbert urges brands to transform their overall operations instead of merely choosing where eCommerce belongs in the company. Presenting yourself to retailers as a single unified company, setting shared goals across teams, and using AI to automate tasks like forecasting and content creation are essential. Lauren also highlights the need for clean, standardized data and advises HR leaders to prepare the next generation of digital talent. These shifts position businesses to adapt quickly and thrive.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Lauren Livak Gilbert, Executive Director of The Digital Shelf Institute (DSI), to discuss building the reinvented omnichannel organization of the future. Lauren explains why shared goals drive higher eCommerce sales, how AI frees teams for strategic thinking, and why HR must rethink talent development.
Jana Weinstein is the Director of Social Commerce and Affiliate Strategy at Blue Wheel Media, an omnichannel marketing and operational agency, where she leads influencer, creator, and affiliate strategies across managed programs and creator-led initiatives. As a sales and growth leader, she specializes in TikTok Shop, business development, go-to-market strategies, and full-funnel social commerce performance. Before Blue Wheel, Jana was part of the founding team of TikTok Shop, where she launched the partner ecosystem and built enterprise agency partnerships. She also served as the Director of Partnerships for TikTok Shop at Pattern®.
In this episode… While many brands recognize TikTok Shop’s potential to boost sales and discoverability, they often hesitate to get started on the platform. Concerns about content creation, budget limits, and measuring results can make it difficult to identify a starting point. How can brands start and scale on TikTok Shop?
According to social commerce expert Jana Weinstein, TikTok Shop is worth the investment. She advises brands to begin by building an authentic, organic presence through simple, consistent content to train the platform’s algorithm. Paid media can boost visibility while affiliate programs generate revenue, provided brands cultivate strong creator relationships and gamify engagement. Achieving growth on TikTok requires an intentional long-term strategy rather than a quick viral hit.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Jana Weinstein, Director of Social Commerce and Affiliate Strategy at Blue Wheel Media, returns to speak with Aaron Conant about why TikTok Shop is a long-term marketing investment. Jana shares three reasons to get started on the platform, TikTok’s recent growth and new opportunities, and how to navigate operations on TikTok Shop.
Udayan Bose is the Founder and CEO of NetElixir, a digital marketing agency designed to help the growth of eCommerce businesses, B2B companies, and retail brands through strategic solutions and an AI-powered platform. Udayan is also the Co-founder of The Udaan Trust, a nonprofit foundation of NetElixir that supports underprivileged young women in India to pursue their education goals and build successful careers.
In this episode… AI is transforming the way businesses operate, but the question remains: How can AI create measurable value instead of being just another buzzword? As industries experiment with generative tools, the stakes are high for brands trying to keep up with rapid technological shifts. What does it take to integrate AI responsibly to drive growth and innovation?
Digital marketer and AI researcher Udayan Bose says companies must rethink how AI fits into core strategies rather than treating it as an add-on. They can leverage machine learning and generative models to identify high-value customers, streamline complex workflows, and uncover new opportunities for revenue growth. The advantage comes from reinvesting efficiency gains into new roles, experimentation, and innovation. When paired with a human-centered, responsible approach, AI can reshape industries.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Udayan Bose, Founder and CEO of NetElixir, to discuss unlocking business value with generative AI. Udayan talks about the disruptive potential of applied AI, why responsible adoption balances efficiency with human innovation, and how to select agencies and invest in future-proof strategies.
Will Nelson is the Copilot Lead at Microsoft, where he leads federal executive engagements for Microsoft Copilot, focusing on AI applications. With a background in product operations, internal tooling, and early-stage tech companies, he has launched new products, built scalable systems, and bridged gaps between emerging tools and real-world outcomes. Before Microsoft, Will was a Founding Product Ops Intern at Pie Insurance, where he grew the commercial auto vertical from zero to $2 million in premiums.
In this episode… Many organizations waste time in meetings, scatter knowledge across various tools, and engage in repetitive administrative tasks. Employees often feel bogged down by minutiae rather than focusing on high-value work that drives impact. How can integrating AI into daily office applications reduce inefficiency, free up human creativity, and improve team productivity?
Microsoft Copilot embeds AI directly into familiar tools like Word and Teams. The technology includes meeting transcription, automated agendas, real-time translations, and post-meeting recaps that free teams from administrative burdens. AI integrator Will Nelson recommends using AI to clarify acronyms, generate podcasts from transcripts, and role-play for interviews or presentation prep. By leveraging AI as a facilitator rather than a replacement, businesses can focus on mission-critical work rather than minutiae.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Will Nelson, Copilot Lead at Microsoft, returns to chat with Aaron Conant about how AI tools can enhance daily workflows. Will talks about streamlining project management, enhancing collaboration in Teams, and the importance of context in prompting.
Will Nelson is the Copilot Lead at Microsoft, where he leads federal executive engagements for Microsoft Copilot, focusing on AI applications. With a background in product operations, internal tooling, and early-stage tech companies, he has launched new products, built scalable systems, and bridged gaps between emerging tools and real-world outcomes. Before Microsoft, Will was a Founding Product Ops Intern at Pie Insurance, where he grew the commercial auto vertical from zero to $2 million in premiums.
In this episode… Many organizations are racing to adopt AI but struggle to apply it securely, effectively, and at scale. Leaders worry about whether they need multiple tools, how to trust AI outputs, and how to prepare their teams for this shift. With so many platforms available, how can businesses identify where AI delivers the most value without adding unnecessary complexity?
According to AI expert Will Nelson, Microsoft Copilot functions as an AI coordinator that integrates tools, data, and context to enhance outputs. This tool allows companies to conduct deep research and secure their data through tenant-based governance. Will maintains that organizations don’t need world-changing use cases to benefit from AI; even simple applications like meeting preparation and document summarization can significantly increase productivity. This can be accomplished through effective, specific prompting.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Will Nelson, Copilot Lead at Microsoft, about how Microsoft Copilot enables organizations to adopt AI effectively. Will talks about the future convergence of large language models, how government agencies are adopting AI, and how to use synthetic data to train AI models.
Joe Luchs is the Founder and CEO of DatalinxAI, an AI-powered data refinery that simplifies customer data. As an expert in AI, AdTech, MarTech, and SaaS, he previously served as the Global Head of AWS and Amazon Ads at Amazon, where he led global partnerships and AI business development. Joe was also the Commercial Founder and Head of Revenue at Beeswax (acquired by Comcast) and held a leadership role at Oracle.
In this episode… Organizations are beginning to implement AI for personalization, automation, and business intelligence. Yet, messy, unstructured, and inconsistent data hinder smooth implementation. How can businesses bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI models and the data readiness required to scale them?
According to AI and data expert Joe Luchs, companies often spend years and vast resources on data prep before they notice ROI on AI models. He recommends using secure hybrid cloud architectures, embedding data compliance measures, and automating preparation processes to free up teams from tedious work. By focusing on high-quality data readiness, businesses can accelerate AI adoption, empower staff to focus on innovation, and deliver the hyper-personalized experiences consumers expect.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Joe Luchs, Founder and CEO of DatalinxAI, to discuss preparing data for widespread AI adoption and integration. Joe explains how consultancies have pioneered data readiness, the future of AI-driven brand experiences, and the dangers of leveraging AI without proper regulations.
Michael Lebhar is the Co-founder and CEO of SellCord, which helps brands scale and maximize sales on Walmart.com. He is also the Co-founder of Spawn Fitness, which manufactures high-quality workout equipment, and the CEO of Lebbro Industries Inc, a parent company for multiple eCommerce brands. With experience scaling and selling brands on Walmart Marketplace and stores, Michael has become a leading expert in online and in-store growth strategies.
In this episode… Many brands hesitate to invest heavily in Walmart’s online marketplace, assuming it will generate only a fraction of their Amazon sales. With this mindset, brands often miss opportunities to grow their digital presence and secure retail shelf space. With the holiday season approaching, how can brands rethink their Walmart strategy to maximize online and in-store sales?
According to Walmart marketplace strategist Michael Lebhar, early and committed investments in the platform pay off in the long run. He advises brands to tailor content optimization specifically for Walmart’s search algorithm, prioritize high-conversion keywords, and refine product listings before ramping up ad spend. During the holidays, brands can align promotional strategies with Walmart’s curated deals to capture seasonal traffic and boost long-term rankings.
In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant invites Michael Lebhar, Co-founder and CEO of SellCord, back to the show to discuss holiday selling strategies for Walmart. Michael talks about content optimization, Walmart’s various advertising formats, and how to sustain post-holiday sales momentum.
Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at the Path to Purchase Institute. With over 12 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs.
In this episode… The rapid evolution of eCommerce and the rise of AI-driven tools are disrupting the way consumers discover, evaluate, and stay loyal to brands. Traditional loyalty programs often fail to keep pace, and many brands still prioritize acquisition over retention. How can companies adapt their digital shelf strategies to capture human shoppers and stay relevant to AI-driven recommendations?
Digital upskilling advocate and eCommerce strategist Chris Perry advises brands to focus on shopper-centric content optimization by creating long-tail assets that answer detailed consumer questions and appeal to AI agents like Rufus or ChatGPT. Navigating the digital shelf requires understanding how conversational queries differ from traditional keyword searches and proactively testing and reskilling to stay ahead of competitors as AI adoption accelerates.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Chris Perry, Co-founder of firstmovr, returns to speak with Aaron Conant about navigating the AI-driven transformation of eCommerce. Chris shares real-world examples of AI-assisted product discovery, the importance of long-tail content for search visibility, and why early adoption and reskilling are critical for the future.
Jack Shannon is the Co-founder and CEO of Recess, a brand activation platform for top consumer brands, like PepsiCo, General Mills, and Milk Bar. With over 15 years of experience scaling innovative marketing solutions, he and his partner have scaled Recess from the ground up. Jack is also an investor in Venvee and Editframe.
In this episode… As retail media networks proliferate and demand more brand dollars, many companies struggle to identify which channels deliver results beyond the major platforms like Amazon and Walmart. With hundreds of fragmented options, it's increasingly difficult to measure ROI, target consumers, and justify media spend. How can brands identify a scalable, performance-driven alternative that bridges physical and digital touchpoints?
Experiential marketer and media strategist Jack Shannon advises brands to leverage performance-driven sampling and targeted real-world applications. This includes using mobile data to reach high-density shopper audiences in environments like gyms, schools, and apartment communities — places where people are naturally engaged. By blending audience targeting, digital amplification, and measurement tools like store lift analysis and loyalty data integration, experiential marketing can drive bottom-funnel metrics and long-term customer loyalty.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Jack Shannon, Co-founder and CEO of Recess, to discuss measuring and scaling experiential marketing. Jack talks about sampling as a form of performance media, how social amplification and real-world data drive meaningful outcomes, and how to reach offline audiences.
Danny Silverman is the Founder and Digital Strategy and Growth Consultant at Silverstream Strategic Consulting. As a digital commerce executive, he has over two decades of experience in eCommerce, marketing, and general management consulting. Throughout his career, Danny has scaled a digital commerce agency 10x in three years, led marketing efforts for a global SaaS platform, and navigated Amazon’s landscape since 2006.
In this episode… Professionals often feel overwhelmed by the pace of innovation, especially when it comes to AI. While many know AI can save time and boost productivity, most still struggle with using it effectively in their daily business or personal workflows. How can you leverage AI tools to enhance creativity, decision-making, and strategic decisions?
Digital strategist and eCommerce consultant Danny Silverman uses AI to challenge ideas, simulate expert feedback, and train personalized GPTs. He recommends organizing work by using separate chats, uploading materials to provide context, and clearly defining prompts. Danny also warns against AI hallucination and encourages users to always validate outputs, maintaining that AI should be a collaborator, not a crutch.
Join Aaron Conant in this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he welcomes Danny Silverman, Founder and Digital Strategy and Growth Consultant at Silverstream Strategic Consulting, back to discuss how professionals can maximize AI’s potential. Danny explains how to structure prompt interactions, how to build personal assistants, and the future of agentic AI.
Darpan Saini is the CEO of App0, a generative AI platform that builds intelligent, human-centered digital assistants for companies. Previously, he co-founded Cloud Lending Solutions, which streamlined lending operations for major financial institutions before its acquisition by Q2. Darpan is also a member of the ELFA Innovation Advisory Council, where he helps shape the future of FinTech.
In this episode… Despite investing in website optimization tools, eCommerce brands are struggling to increase conversions. The user experience on most sites has plateaued, with little innovation in how shoppers search, explore, and make decisions. As customer behavior shifts toward AI-powered conversational tools, how can brands adapt their digital experiences to meet these expectations?
With experience developing generative AI for eCommerce, Darpan Saini maintains that brands can transform static sites into intelligent, interactive experiences. Traditional optimization tactics, like minor UI tweaks or static product filters, offer diminishing returns. Instead, Darpan recommends investing in AI-powered quizzes, personalized product detail pages, and conversational search that can adapt in real time to each shopper’s needs. By enabling one-to-one personalization without needing user data histories, brands can convert more first-time visitors, reduce returns, and stand out in a crowded market.
In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Darpan Saini, CEO of App0, about improving conversion rates through AI-powered shopping experiences. Darpan talks about the rise of voice commerce, how his company develops A/B testing to increase conversions, and offers advice for deploying AI-powered shopping assistants.
Scott Needham is the Founder and CEO of SmartScout, an Amazon FBA product research software. He is also the former CEO of BuyBoxer, which he built into a top 100 Amazon seller, managing over 120,000 products. Scott hosts the Smartest Amazon Seller podcast, which shares insights on navigating the Amazon marketplace.
In this episode… As global tariffs shift and economic uncertainty looms, brands are under pressure to make informed pricing decisions and maintain margins. Many rely solely on internal data for scenario planning, making it difficult to benchmark against the broader market. Without visibility into industry-wide pricing trends, how can businesses decide whether to raise prices or maintain their threshold?
After monitoring price movements across product categories, pricing and market intelligence expert Scott Needham noticed that only 3% of products available on Amazon experienced price increases during the initial tariff period. He emphasizes that brands need external market visibility to justify pricing structures internally. Additionally, brands can leverage TikTok Shop and influencer-led strategies as growth engines, especially in fast-moving categories like groceries and supplements.
Join Aaron Conant in The Digital Deep Dive as he hosts Scott Needham, Founder and CEO of SmartScout, to discuss pricing strategies and market trends in a shifting eCommerce landscape. Scott shares how brands can use data to avoid reactionary pricing, Prime Day discounting strategies, and the future role of AI shopping assistants.
Max Sinclair is the Founder and CEO of Azoma (formerly Ecomtent), which generates AI-powered product content across eCommerce sites. Before founding Azoma, he spent six years at Amazon, where he launched Amazon Business in the UK, Amazon.sg in Singapore, and Amazon Grocery across the EU. Max is also the host of New Frontier: The AI for ecommerce podcast.
In this episode… Traditional search engines are losing their dominance as consumers turn to AI-powered tools for product discovery. This shift challenges eCommerce brands to stay visible in a digital landscape driven by conversational interfaces and personalized recommendations. How can businesses optimize their online presence when search requires context, intent, and interaction?
AI-driven search optimization expert Max Sinclair maintains that brands can remain competitive by aligning their content strategies with the mechanics of large language models. Appearing in AI search results involves more than traditional SEO; it requires crafting semantically rich content that aligns with customer personas, goals, and use cases. Max emphasizes the importance of visual elements, customer sentiment, and AI’s multimodal capabilities, allowing brands to improve visibility and relevance on emerging platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Amazon’s Rufus.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Max Sinclair, Founder and CEO of Azoma, to discuss the evolution of product search in the age of generative AI. Max talks about the rise of conversational and voice-based search, how direct checkout integrations could disrupt traditional online marketplaces, and his predictions for AI shopping assistants.
Justin Ruiss is the SVP of the Media Sector at BWG Global, a knowledge-sharing network hosting in-person and virtual industry events. In his role, he hosts Q&A forums with executives from various sectors, including social media, advertising, connected TV, streaming, and gaming. Before joining BWG Global, Justin was the Investor Relations Activations Developer at Cision and an Equity Analyst at The Benchmark Company.
In this episode… Retail media, CTV advertising, and AI-powered search are evolving faster than many brands can adapt. Marketers are grappling with fragmented content strategies, fluctuating CPMs, and uncertainty around how to allocate budgets effectively across platforms. With performance expectations rising and consumer behaviors shifting, how can brands stay competitive without overspending?
According to media and eCommerce analyst Justin Ruiss, now is an ideal time to invest in CTV due to oversupply, lower CPMs, and advanced targeting capabilities. He recommends increasing production budgets to create modular, high-quality content that can be repurposed across channels like TikTok, Amazon, and streaming platforms. Brands can also adopt centralized content planning and leverage tools like Amazon Marketing Cloud to drive enhanced targeting and performance while planning for economic volatility and regulatory changes.
In this episode of TheDigital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant interviews Justin Ruiss, SVP of the Media Sector at BWG Global, about the future of digital media buying and AI in eCommerce. Justin explores CTV trends, the rise of agentic AI, and how brand guidelines shape content in gaming environments.
Kelly Goetsch is the Chief Operating Officer of Pipe17, which specializes in AI-powered composable order operations. Before joining Pipe17, he served as the Chief Strategy Officer at commercetools, where he played a pivotal role in scaling the company to over $100 million in annual recurring revenue. Kelly also co-founded MACH Alliance, a nonprofit industry organization advocating for Microservices, APIs, Cloud-native, and Headless (MACH) technologies.
In this episode… Customers expect fast fulfillment and delivery across various selling channels, including social media and marketplaces. Traditional systems struggle to keep pace, leaving companies tangled in connectivity issues between their sales, inventory, and fulfillment networks. How can brands deliver seamless, cost-effective experiences while scaling across these fragmented digital touchpoints?
With experience in AI-driven order management, Kelly Goetsch advises brands to adopt a connectivity-first model. This requires integrating a flexible routing layer that connects selling channels, back-office systems, and fulfillment partners, enabling dynamic order flow based on cost, speed, and product needs. Kelly also recommends embracing emerging sales platforms like TikTok and leveraging AI tools to align with how customers discover products, noting that companies must modernize their operations or risk falling behind in today’s competitive landscape.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Kelly Goetsch, COO of Pipe17, about reshaping order management for AI-driven shopping. Kelly explains how selling channels have evolved, marketing gaps in midsize brands, and how voice commerce has shaped emerging conversational shopping experiences.
Denis Dyli is the Founder and Principal of Uncap, a Shopify B2B eCommerce agency. He has led the company to become a Shopify Premier Partner, delivering over 350 eCommerce projects and replatforming more than 100 Shopify Plus stores. With over 15 years of experience in eCommerce development and strategy, Denis helps B2B and B2C sellers optimize their eCommerce platforms.
In this episode… For DTC brands expanding into B2B, legacy platforms can create significant friction. Outdated technology, slow feature deployment, and mounting maintenance costs often hinder growth, especially when buyers expect seamless, digital-first experiences. How can companies modernize their B2B operations to stay competitive and meet evolving customer expectations?
According to digital commerce expert Denis Dyli, DTC brands with Shopify Plus stores can activate B2B capabilities by enabling features like custom pricing, net terms, and B2B storefront templates. He recommends updating themes to support new Shopify accounts and tailoring the logged-in buyer experience to streamline ordering. By leveraging native functionality and apps like Gorgias and Klaviyo, DTC brands can create polished, scalable B2B portals without a complete replatform.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Denis Dyli, the Founder and Principal of Upcap, to discuss the future of B2B eCommerce on Shopify. Denis talks about digital transformation in the B2B space, B2B companies that would benefit from Shopify’s capabilities, and the impact of tariffs on the digital commerce landscape.
Danny Silverman is the Founder and Digital Strategy and Growth Consultant at Silverstream Strategic Consulting. As a digital commerce executive, he has over two decades of experience in eCommerce, marketing, and general management consulting. Throughout his career, Danny has scaled a digital commerce agency 10x in three years, led marketing efforts for a global SaaS platform, and navigated Amazon’s landscape since 2006.
In this episode… Recently, eCommerce teams have faced intense pressure from all sides, including organizational flattening, budget cuts, and mandatory AI integrations. Many leaders find themselves stuck in reactive mode, unable to assess strategy, structure, or performance. How can brands stay agile and make informed decisions without getting overwhelmed?
Brands face three common barriers: misaligned go-to-market strategies, outdated marketing tactics, and fragmented organizational design. To regain control and drive profitable growth, seasoned eCommerce strategist Danny Silverman recommends beginning with candid, cross-level interviews to identify hidden challenges before conducting deep data analyses to reveal underlying trends. For mid-sized brands especially, he stresses the importance of empowering decision-makers with budget control and executive sponsorships while leveraging AI tools for content creation and operational efficiency.
In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Danny Silverman, Founder and Digital Strategy and Growth Consultant at Silverstream Strategic Consulting, about adapting organizational structures to an evolving digital landscape. Danny explains how Chief AI Officers are gaining traction amid AI integrations, how Amazon sellers can maintain profitability in a volatile economy, and how he diagnoses structural issues in an organization.
Jon Harding is the Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer at Conair LLC, a multibillion-dollar consumer products company. In his role, he has driven major initiatives, including implementing a global SAP system and other eCommerce platforms. Before joining Conair, Jon held senior leadership IT roles at Kellogg Company, where he spearheaded enterprise system transformations across Europe and the US. In 2023, he was recognized as the New York CIO of the Year in the enterprise category.
In this episode… Enterprise IT leaders are often expected to maintain flawless systems while simultaneously driving innovation. As digital tools evolve, companies must adopt new technologies while avoiding disruption and risk. How can organizations balance innovation with stability and strategic alignment?
When managing IT transformation at the enterprise level, veteran technology executive Jon Harding recommends aligning tech initiatives with clear business outcomes rather than chasing the latest trends. This requires initiating early cross-functional collaboration in tech planning, focusing on change management, stakeholder buy-in, and long-term thinking. To integrate AI efficiently, Jon suggests prioritizing high-ROI use cases like customer support automation and content creation while maintaining governance and budget control.
In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Jon Harding, the Senior Vice President and Global CIO at Conair, about enterprise-level tech stack innovation and digital transformation. Jon shares change management strategies, vendor selection considerations, and the future of enterprise advisory work.
Hannah Blackburn is the Co-founder and Director of The Hawkers Club, a company that helps vendors and sellers solve their most pressing challenges and navigate eCommerce marketplaces, including Amazon and Target. In her role, Hannah advises online sellers and vendors on how to directly position their brands and value offerings as Amazon partners to increase profitability and revenue.
Before co-founding The Hawkers Club, she joined Amazon as a brand specialist with an initial focus on vendor excellence and marketing before transitioning to stock management and profitability. Since she’s written the business logic powering some of the algorithms that run Amazon, Hannah knows how you can systematically make profitable decisions that Amazon’s algorithms reward.
In this episode… Recent sweeping changes to how Amazon Vendor Central calculates and processes chargebacks, shortages, and overbilling have left many brands scrambling to adjust their internal processes and preserve cash flow. What do these updates entail, and how can vendors stay ahead of the curve?
Former Amazon insider Hannah Blackburn explains that overbilling calculations have shifted from “distributor shipment” to “Amazon payables,” potentially reducing double billing and improving predictability if brands adapt quickly. Brands must now track and forecast co-op charges based on expected payments rather than shipments. Additionally, Amazon no longer accepts bulk aged shortages, so brands should track aging internally and file disputes for shortages immediately. Hannah maintains that staying proactive prevents long-term revenue loss under Amazon’s new conditions.
In this episode of the Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Hannah Blackburn, the Co-founder and Director of The Hawkers Club, back to the show to discuss Amazon’s evolving Vendor Central policies. Hannah talks about rising packaging chargebacks, updated dispute workflows, and how to protect future chargeback recoveries.
Charlie Cole is the President of XGEN AI, a composable AI platform for eCommerce. As a seasoned eCommerce executive, he has over two decades of experience leading digital transformations for global brands. Before XGEN AI, Charlie served as the CEO at Tribute Technology and FTD and held leadership positions at Samsonite and TUMI, where he drove significant digital growth.
In this episode… Online commerce search has long frustrated both brands and consumers. Whether it's typing in a detailed query and getting zero results or sifting through hundreds of irrelevant products, traditional search engines can’t keep up with consumers’ evolving shopping habits. As search behavior evolves and expectations rise, how can brands deliver a shopping experience that feels intuitive, personal, and helpful?
According to digital executive and eCommerce operator Charlie Cole, generative AI presents unique opportunities for search personalization. These tools can understand natural language, learn from user behavior, and surface relevant results — even for complex, descriptive queries. Charlie urges companies to invest in technologies that apply AI image recognition, contextual search, and predictive merchandising. By focusing on genuine customer needs and creating frictionless, conversational experiences, brands can drive loyalty and revenue.
In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Charlie Cole, the President of XGEN AI, about revolutionizing eCommerce search with generative AI. Charlie discusses the future of search marketing, how to capitalize on industry events like Shoptalk, and how XGEN AI’s platform powers innovative search solutions.
Eric Sheinkop is the CEO of The Desire Company, a platform that connects brands with industry experts to create high-quality, conversion-focused video content. With a background in entertainment marketing, Eric co-founded Music Dealers, a pioneering music licensing platform that partnered with global brands like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Disney. He is also an author, speaker, and thought leader in content strategy, recognized in Billboard’s 30 Under 30 and Crain’s Tech 50 list.
In this episode… In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, brands face the challenge of creating high-quality, scalable content that converts. While influencer marketing and UGC once seemed like the answer, new FTC regulations and diminishing returns have left brands searching for a more effective approach. How can businesses generate content that builds trust and drives sales — without constantly reinventing the wheel?
According to brand partnerships and content strategy thought leader Eric Sheinkop, expert-driven content — featuring real professionals who use the brand’s product in their field — builds consumer trust and confidence at the point of sale. By investing in evergreen, professionally produced videos optimized for various digital platforms, brands can increase conversion rates, reduce returns, and enhance the customer experience. Eric also emphasizes the importance of aligning content strategy with new FTC regulations to ensure compliance and credibility while maximizing digital marketing efforts.
Tune in to this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant chats with Eric Sheinkop, CEO of The Desire Company, about the next evolution of digital content. Eric shares how AI-driven shopping assistants can reshape brand loyalty, how to create cohesive, story-driven content, and the new FTC regulations on influencer and UGC content.
Andrea Leigh is the Founder and CEO of Allume Group, an eCommerce knowledge-sharing network. She is also the co-host of The CPG Guys podcast. With over 20 years of eCommerce experience working with thousands of brands, she is an educator, speaker, and writer involved with various organizations, including The Digital Shelf Institute and Path to Purchase Institute. Andrea spent 10 years as a Senior Executive at Amazon, where she led over 15 categories, helped launch Amazon’s automated pricing system and other programs, and managed Amazon Prime in Canada.
In this episode… Amazon vendor negotiations differ from standard, relationship-based retailer negotiations. With Amazon prioritizing data, algorithms, and automation, brands often feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to approach the process. How can you leverage your strengths to arrange favorable trade terms?
As an early Amazon adopter, Andrea Leigh has developed the FIRM framework — find your data, isolate your leverage, relax and go slow, and make requests — to help brands take a strategic, data-driven approach. After discovering and harnessing your data sources, you should identify the unique value you bring to Amazon, leverage delaying tactics to strategize further, and request concessions in areas that benefit the retailer. Andrea also recommends aligning trade terms with retail media planning to communicate your investments.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Andrea Leigh, the Founder and CEO of Allume Group, to talk about navigating Amazon vendor negotiations. Andrea shares common mistakes brands make in the process, what to expect from Amazon’s evolving negotiation process, and how to mitigate tariff-related cost increases.
Tim Wilson is the Chief Revenue Officer at ProductWind, which offers influencer-as-a-service products to help brands win online. He’s an experienced sales and business development professional focused on helping the world’s largest advertisers understand how eCommerce and digital marketing impact their brands. Before ProductWind, Tim was an Affiliate Partner at Pattern, guiding partnerships and driving global eCommerce sales for brands.
In this episode… Navigating eCommerce conferences can be a frustrating experience. While networking opportunities are abundant, many presentations fail to provide authentic, actionable insights, leaving attendees wondering if these events are worth the investment. How can professionals maximize their time at these gatherings and extract real value beyond surface-level discussions?
Digital commerce expert Tim Wilson believes in building strong relationships and strategically leveraging AI-driven tools. He suggests that professionals should focus on unstructured networking opportunities, such as impromptu meetups and informal discussions, rather than relying on scripted presentations. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of training retail algorithms well in advance of major sales events to ensure optimal product visibility.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Tim Wilson, the Chief Revenue Officer at ProductWind, joins Aaron Conant to discuss maximizing networking opportunities in the eCommerce space. Tim shares product launch strategies, the importance of data security in AI, and how the financial landscape will impact eCommerce brands in the future.
Nii Ahene is the Founder and Managing Director of Net Influencer, a publication offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Previously, he co-founded CPC Strategy, which was acquired by Tinuiti, where he served as Chief Strategy Officer. Nii is also an angel investor in 5G, CPG, and B2B SaaS companies.
In this episode… Retail media has exploded in recent years, with hundreds of networks vying for ad dollars. While some brands see significant returns, others struggle to justify their investments. With so many options and increasing pressure from retailers, how can brands determine which retail media networks truly drive incremental growth?
Nii Ahene, an expert in eCommerce and digital marketing, emphasizes the importance of first-party data and strategic investments. Nii advises brands to evaluate whether a retail media network drives new customer acquisition or simply shifts existing demand. He suggests focusing on platforms where consumers actively research products and ensuring ad spend aligns with offline and online sales impact. Additionally, brands should integrate retail media with broader shopper marketing efforts, leveraging digital advertising to drive in-store purchases.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Nii Ahene, the Founder and Managing Director of Net Influencer, about the evolving landscape of retail media. Nii shares insights on data-driven ad spending, the consolidation of retail media networks, and TikTok’s growing role in product discovery.
Aaron Conant is the Co-founder and Chief Digital Strategist at BWG Connect, a leading platform for executive strategy and networking sessions. In conjunction with BWG Strategy, BWG Connect has built an exclusive network of over 125,000 senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events annually. With over a decade of experience in digital commerce, Aaron provides advisory services to brands on Amazon sales strategies, retail media, DTC platform selection, and SEO. Before starting BWG Connect, Aaron was the Head of eCommerce Sales and Business Development at Perrigo and a Research Scientist at Pfizer. He is also the host of The Digital Deep Dive.
In this episode… Many brands invest in digital advertising and retail media to drive growth, but understanding when and how to allocate budgets effectively is crucial. Developing a strategic approach to Amazon Ads, logistics, and AI automation can help businesses scale while maintaining profitability. What key insights are industry leaders leveraging to stay ahead in the evolving eCommerce landscape?
Five eCommerce and media experts share strategies for maximizing your company’s digital footprint. Adam Epstein explains that Amazon Streaming TV ads are most effective for brands that have optimized their sponsored ads and DSP strategies, making them a powerful tool for expanding awareness. Todd Hassenfelt highlights the importance of subscribe and save programs in securing customer loyalty during economic uncertainty, advising that brands allocate their budgets across multiple digital channels. Avi Moskowitz emphasizes that brands don’t need hyper-fast shipping — just the ability to set and meet clear delivery expectations. Nate Pinkston and Lauren Livak reveal how misalignment in joint business planning (JBP) between retail media and business teams can create inefficiencies, leading to missed opportunities and budget mismanagement. Kashif Zafar has leveraged AI in DSP, retail media, and programmatic ads.
In this special compilation episode of The Digital Deep Dive, host Aaron Conant revisits his most insightful conversations with industry experts. The episode covers key strategies for brands looking to refine their advertising, fulfillment, and automation efforts. With eCommerce continuing to evolve, these experts provide actionable takeaways to help businesses navigate digital growth, optimize ad spend, and enhance the customer experience.
Meghan Corroon is the Co-founder and CEO of Clerdata, a marketing intelligence platform that drives sales. As a data scientist, she has completed data science research for several national governments in Africa. Before co-founding Clerdata, Meghan was the Technical Director for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation portfolio evaluation.
In this episode… Retail media has evolved from a “growth at all costs” strategy to a demand for measurable ROI, forcing brands to rethink their ad investments. With nearly 700 retail media networks, companies struggle to allocate their budgets. As executives face increasing pressure to justify spending, incrementality measurement has emerged as a crucial tool for identifying retail media’s impact on sales and profitability. How can brands optimize their ad spend while ensuring data neutrality?
Data-driven professional Meghan Corroon helps brands assess the effectiveness of their retail media investments. Instead of relying on self-reported metrics from ad platforms — often skewed by conflicts of interest — companies should use third-party measurements to make data-driven decisions. Meghan explains how the halo effect influences buying habits across multiple retailers, emphasizing that retail media approaches must extend beyond just traditional performance metrics. By shifting to a neutral, evidence-based approach, brands can identify high-performing networks and reallocate budgets to maximize returns.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Meghan Corroon, the Co-founder and CEO of Clerdata, to discuss the future of retail media measurement. Meghan shares insights on optimizing retail media spend, evaluating ad performance, and navigating the growing complexities of retail media. She also highlights how brands can balance performance marketing with long-term profitability in an increasingly data-driven landscape.
Justin Leigh is the CEO of Workflow Labs, an automation software for eCommerce management. Before founding Workflow Labs, he was the Founder and CEO of Ideoclick, an online marketing services company. Justin began his career as a Product Manager at Amazon and a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft.
In this episode… With Amazon updating its platform regularly and operational costs rising, brands struggle to maintain profitability. Where should brands focus their efforts to achieve sustainable growth?
According to eCommerce entrepreneur Justin Leigh, brands spend too much time focusing on mundane tasks like catalog and content updates. This prevents them from strategizing customer engagement efforts and adapting to trends and platform changes. Justin recommends leveraging AI-driven automation tools to identify and correct site inefficiencies, monitor sales and pricing, and maintain compliance.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Justin Leigh, the CEO of Workflow Labs, to discuss automating your Amazon business. Justin shares how Amazon’s new review system has eroded customer trust, the platform’s algorithmic changes that have impacted sales, and his recommended automation tools.
Jana Weinstein is the Director of Social Commerce at Blue Wheel, an omnichannel marketing and operational agency. As a sales leader, she specializes in TikTok Shop, business development, go-to-market strategies, and creator and affiliate marketing. Before Blue Wheel, Jana was the Director of Partnerships for TikTok Shop at Pattern® and managed TikTok Shop partnerships at TikTok.
In this episode… TikTok's role in social commerce has rapidly evolved, presenting both opportunities and challenges for brands. Recent uncertainties, including a Supreme Court ruling on a potential ban, have raised questions about the platform's future. Despite these challenges, TikTok's innovative approach to engaging content has made it a dominant player in the space. How can brands leverage TikTok Shop to boost revenue?
Social commerce expert Jana Weinstein emphasizes the importance of long-term strategies over short-term gains. Large enterprises often struggle to adapt to TikTok’s fast-paced environment due to complex approval processes, while smaller brands excel by responding to trends quickly. Jana highlights the need for personalized approaches, from testing various products with creators to aligning promotional tactics with TikTok’s unique ecosystem. She also warns against relying on heavy discounts, instead encouraging brands to focus on creating engaging content and exclusive offerings to sustain growth.
In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Jana Weinstein, Director of Social Commerce at Blue Wheel, about TikTok's impact on social commerce. Jana shares insights from her experience launching TikTok Shop in the US, the role of AI in scaling content, and the platform’s influence on competitors like YouTube and Meta.
Benjamin Davis is the Founder and CEO of TryNow, which has pioneered the “try before you buy” model to improve conversion rates for eCommerce brands. Under his leadership, TryNow has raised approximately $24 million in funding. Before TryNow, Benjamin founded an apparel brand and worked in private equity.
In this episode… eCommerce brands are so focused on minimizing returns that they often don’t consider how to enhance the online customer experience fundamentally. Consumers want the same experience online as they have in-store, like trying on clothes before purchasing them. How can you unify the online customer experience to increase conversions?
Benjamin Davis has pioneered the “try before you buy” method, which allows customers to sample items before purchasing them and decide which ones to keep or return. Rather than analyzing each customer’s return rate, brands can encourage them to sample multiple items to increase purchase rates and profit per order. This model also drives lifetime value since brands demonstrate trust in their consumers by allowing them to try products before charging them.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Benjamin Davis, the Founder and CEO of TryNow, to talk about implementing a “try before you buy” solution. Benjamin discusses this model’s impact on cart value, how D2C categories are adopting this solution, and how TryNow reduces CAC.
Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at Path to Purchase Institute. With over 12 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs.
In this episode… As brands grapple with small teams and increased content demands, compelling, optimized content remains a priority. In a landscape where even a 1% improvement can produce significant gains, how can brands ensure their content resonates with target audiences across channels?
With platform and retailer algorithms ranking content based on qualitative and quantitative factors, eCommerce thought leader Chris Perry emphasizes the importance of conducting content page audits. This includes measuring keywords for specific categories, identifying your target audience, including relevant images, and ensuring your titles reach the required character count. Updating your PDPs with a single image can increase conversion rates by 2%. Chris also recommends optimizing your content for mobile devices to meet customers where they shop. This involves creating user-friendly designs and prioritizing image creation.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Chris Perry, the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, to discuss optimizing content for the digital shelf. Chris explains how to test content creation tools, how to produce and measure full-funnel content, and firstmovr’s ENDCAPS educational program.
Mike Black is the Chief Growth Officer at Profitero, a leading eCommerce acceleration company offering intelligence-driven solutions for profitable growth. With a background in marketing, he held leadership positions in product marketing and demand generation at various global analytics companies. Before Profitero, Mike was the Vice President of Product Marketing at Nielson.
In this episode… According to a recent eCommerce organizational benchmark study, eCommerce has become increasingly democratized, with brands embedding its capabilities into each business function. This has led to joint business plans that prioritize eCommerce in every business goal. How can organizations collaborate with interdepartmental teams to accelerate eCommerce efforts throughout?
Traditionally, eCommerce has been confined to a single team that executes media and content single-handedly without input. Yet, the landscape has become more nuanced, with organizations needing to implement change management practices to outperform competitors and manage omnichannel selling and advertising. eCommerce leader Mike Black emphasizes a holistic eCommerce approach that involves collaborating with teams to align omnichannel strategies and expand roles and capabilities. He also notes the role of organization-wide education in promoting eCommerce efforts.
In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Mike Black, the Chief Growth Officer at Profitero, about the future of eCommerce capabilities in businesses. Mike discusses results from Profitero’s 2024 eCommerce Organizational Benchmark study, the rise of integrated eCommerce teams, and the importance of collaborating with retailers.
Tim Zawislack is a senior eCommerce executive for global DTC and B2B brands. He most recently served as the Chief Digital Officer and Senior Vice President of eCommerce at Conair, where he managed the company’s eCommerce channels for its brands. With over a decade of management experience leading consumer and digital strategies, Tim has delivered rapid, profitable digital growth for multi-brand portfolio companies. He is also an Advisory Board Member for BWG Strategy.
In this episode… In the early days of eCommerce, brands could advertise and sell on Amazon without a defined strategy. Today, Amazon should be used as a storytelling medium. How can you optimize your presence on Amazon?
With new brands hijacking market share from brands with an established Amazon presence, eCommerce executive Tim Zawislack says to expand your channels and advertising strategies. This requires integrating top-of-funnel advertising with branding and retail efforts to increase platform visibility and generate customer loyalty. Tim also recommends hiring an Amazon agency as an extension of your marketing team to ensure adequate market share and optimize ad spend.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant chats with Tim Zawislack about the past, present, and future of Amazon. Tim shares how to develop an omnichannel Amazon strategy, how to integrate AMC into your ads strategy, and what he learned from leading eCommerce efforts for legacy brands.
Chris Orzechowski is the Founder of West Egg Agency, an X Ads agency that helps brands acquire new customers using X. As an email copywriter, he helps eCommerce brands grow their revenue using email automation. Chris is also the author of Make It Rain and Scale While You Sleep.
In this episode… Advertising on X isn’t new, yet many brands avoid it in favor of platforms like Meta and Google that produce faster results. However, these platforms are becoming increasingly saturated and competitive, making X a cost-effective and untapped alternative. How can you optimize your existing ads for X?
Brands that haven’t achieved results on X likely haven’t targeted or engaged with enough followers. X Ads trailblazer Chris Orzechowski recommends targeting brands with your ideal customer profile and creating follower look-alikes to convert their followers into your customers. This requires developing creative copy to rank for specific keywords. While you can reuse high-performing content from Meta on X, you must modify the copy to align with X’s requirements, like character limits and parameters for other creative mediums like video.
Tune in to this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant invites Chris Orzechowski, the Founder of West Egg Agency, to discuss launching ad campaigns on X. Chris shares X’s upcoming integrations, the platform’s profitability, and how to structure an ad budget for X.
Justin Ruiss is the SVP of the Media Sector at BWG Strategy, a knowledge-sharing network hosting in-person and virtual industry events. In his role, he hosts Q&A forums with executives from various sectors, including social media, advertising, connected TV, streaming, and gaming. Before joining BWG Strategy, Justin was the Investor Relations Activations Developer at Cision and an Equity Analyst at The Benchmark Company.
In this episode… As consumers search for curated answers to specific questions, community-focused platforms like Reddit and TikTok have gained prominence over Google. With content creation shifting, how can brands engage with consumers to meet their expectations?
Social engagement expert Justin Ruiss notes that consumers seek answers to complex questions from other community members on their chosen platforms, initiating what he terms community-based marketing and commerce. By leveraging these platforms, brands can tap into high-intent communities and gain access to conversations that blend social and search attributes. This approach fosters brand loyalty by collecting and adapting to consumer feedback and community insights. The shift toward community-driven engagement allows brands to identify their target demographics and create content that resonates.
In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Justin Ruiss, the SVP of the Media Sector at BWG Strategy, about community-focused marketing and commerce. Justin also shares insights into the evolution of search, the rise of connected TV streaming, and the future of retail media.
Avi Moskowitz is the Co-founder and CEO of PrettyDamnQuick, a fast-growing eCommerce delivery app facilitating delivery experiences for top DTC and CPG brands. As an eight-figure veteran entrepreneur, he specializes in improving brands’ checkout conversions and shipping revenues. Avi also hosts the Delivering Delight podcast and co-founded BeerBazaar, a top-rated craft brewery with an online shop that became one of the top 10 Shopify stores in Israel.
In this episode… Brands expend money and resources acquiring customers just for them to abandon their carts at checkout. This is an industry-wide epidemic, with yearly revenue losses of up to $270 billion. How can you optimize the checkout experience to convert customers before they churn?
Avi Moskowitz, an eCommerce delivery optimizer, says that brands spend a lot of time creating content and advertising campaigns to acquire customers but overlook the checkout experience. Rather than employing quick fixes and hacks to solve the abandoned cart issue, brands must identify and segment their consumers into subscribers and first-time, returning, and high-value customers. This allows you to personalize their experiences with relevant messaging and product offers. You can also optimize the checkout page by experimenting with various layouts and simplifying shipping options. When it comes to delivery times, customers expect transparent communication and consistency.
In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Avi Moskowitz, the Co-founder and CEO of PrettyDamnQuick, about optimizing the checkout experience to convert customers. Avi explains how checkout optimization enhances profitability, how to segment customers for the holiday season, and the future of the checkout experience.
Max Sinclair is the Founder and CEO of Ecomtent, which generates AI-powered product content across eCommerce sites. Before founding Ecomtent, he spent six years at Amazon, where he launched Amazon Business in the UK, Amazon.sg in Singapore, and Amazon Grocery across the EU. Max is also the host of New Frontier: The AI for ecommerce podcast.
In this episode… As content creation becomes increasingly sophisticated, brands rely on AI to produce visual and written product content. Additionally, Amazon’s new AI-powered search engine, Rufus, has created more personalized and in-depth searches, making optimized content essential. How can you adapt to the future of AI-powered search and content?
Amazon’s Rufus AI assistant allows consumers to ask specific questions to receive highly personalized search results. This tool analyzes product copy and images to produce relevant results, so Amazon veteran Max Sinclair recommends refining AI models using data to optimize content for search. Rufus has altered SEO, so rather than ranking for specific keywords, you must adjust your content to accommodate the AI search algorithm, ensuring your products appear in the list of relevant results.
In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Max Sinclair, the Founder and CEO of Ecomtent, about optimizing product content for Amazon’s AI-powered search engine. Max talks about Rufus’ role in the future of search and SEO, the barriers to widespread AI adoption, and the use cases for AI-generated content and search.
Mark Lotman is the Co-founder and COO of Monocle, which creates AI-powered customer incentives for businesses. After developing product strategies and pricing and fostering customer engagement at Stripe and McKinsey & Company, Mark founded Monocle to optimize incentives.
Noam Szpiro is the Co-founder and CEO of Monocle, where he leverages his experience as an engineering manager and director at Lyft and Instacart. Noam is also the former Co-founder of Interviews.tech, a marketplace for mock interviews with tech companies that he sold in 2022.
In this episode… Customer incentives are gaining significant traction in the eCommerce space, with brands offering exclusive deals to drive conversions. Yet with customer acquisition costs rising, discounts have become costly, so brands must be strategic with their offerings to maintain profitability. How can you optimize your incentive programs?
Customer engagement experts Mark Lotman and Noam Szpiro leverage causal AI to personalize customer discounts and incentives. This analyzes key customer behaviors, preferences, and engagement rates to determine ideal offerings. Personalizing incentives based on how customers interact with your brand allows you to identify the offers’ incremental value so you can drive conversions and increase lifetime value. You can also utilize A/B testing to establish ideal discounts that boost profitability and ROI.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Mark Lotman and Noam Szpiro of Monocle about how to leverage customer incentives to drive conversions while maintaining profitability. Together, they discuss how to integrate Monocle into email, SMS, and direct mail campaigns, customer personalization trends, and their recommended software platforms.
Adam Epstein is the Co-founder and CEO of Gigi, which helps brands and agencies buy and measure Amazon Streaming TV ads. As a technology entrepreneur and executive, he has experience in SaaS, business and corporate development, sales, operations, strategy, partnerships, and product management. Before Gigi, Adam was the Co-president and VP of Growth at Perpetua, a growth infrastructure software for eCommerce.
In this episode… The Amazon advertising space is evolving constantly, with budgets for on-site sponsored ads plateauing. Streaming TV has emerged as a profitable advertising channel integrated with Amazon Marketing Cloud. With streaming TV still in its infancy, how can you evaluate if it’s right for your business, and how can you incorporate it into your existing Amazon ads strategy?
As a pioneer of Amazon Streaming TV ads, Adam Epstein has advised brands and agencies on this imminent channel, emphasizing that it’s not for everyone. Smaller brands that invest less than $250,000 a month on sponsored ads should consider investing more to build awareness before diversifying to streaming TV. For brands that have exhausted their sponsored ads spend, Adam suggests investing 10% of their total Amazon ad budget into streaming TV to generate a broader reach. Once you’ve obtained exposure on streaming TV, you can allocate your budget evenly across all Amazon ad channels and even leverage Amazon’s partnerships with other streaming platforms like Disney+ and Hulu.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Adam Epstein, the Co-founder and CEO of Gigi, about the emerging potential of Amazon Streaming TV ads. Adam talks about its seamless integration into other Amazon advertising channels, its potential to become table stakes for brands, and how to leverage its profitable opportunities.
Andrea Leigh is the Founder and CEO of Allume Group, an eCommerce knowledge-sharing network. She is also the co-host of TheCPG Guys podcast. With over 20 years of eCommerce experience working with thousands of brands, she is an educator, speaker, and writer involved with various organizations, including The Digital Shelf Institute and Path to Purchase Institute. Andrea spent 10 years as a Senior Executive at Amazon, where she led over 15 categories, helped launch Amazon’s automated pricing system and other programs, and managed Amazon Prime in Canada.
In this episode… As the eCommerce landscape grows and evolves, businesses face many conundrums. They hire for new roles and integrate the latest technology only to realize they’ve gone too far. Middle management runs amok, and traditional business models begin to crumble. How can companies bounce back to navigate this space effectively?
As a brand educator in the digital space, Andrea Leigh understands that it’s difficult to identify an ideal starting place. It’s no longer practical to rely solely on cross-functional teams to execute eCommerce strategies. Instead, businesses need participation and collaboration from the entire organization, requiring teams to build strong relationships for idea-sharing and digital strategy alignment. Team members and stakeholders must also adopt new skills to stay abreast of digital trends and develop ways to pivot in unexpected situations.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Andrea Leigh, the Founder and CEO of Allume Group, about navigating and adapting to the digital shift. Andrea talks about pivoting your business model from analog to digital, embracing consumers’ digital-first demands, and the complexities of digital decision-making.
Matt Dornfeld is the Senior Director and Head of Global Partnerships at Feedonomics, a subsidiary of BigCommerce and an enterprise that provides leading product feed management solutions for brands, retailers, and agencies. Feedonomics offers brands a robust platform to aggregate their product data and syndicate it to marketplaces, ads, and affiliate channels worldwide. Matt's role is pivotal in facilitating global business partnerships and helping brands scale their operations, resulting in win-win-win outcomes for clients, partners, and Feedonomics.
In this episode… Instant commerce allows customers to receive their orders within hours of purchase. Platforms like Amazon, DoorDash, and UberEats have pioneered this commerce method, and with more customers expecting same-day delivery for every order, brands are capitalizing on this trend. How can you break into the instant commerce space while driving long-term profitability?
According to feed management expert and strategist Matt Dornfeld, consumers shop mainly on Google and Amazon, making these channels their primary starting points. Google’s local inventory ads feature targets consumers with ads for locally available products and directs them to the merchants’ websites where they can select from same-day pick-up or delivery. This tool allows brands to foster transparency and build trust with customers online and in-store, which are crucial for elevating experiences and driving conversions. Facebook and Bing have similar local inventory features, so you can expand into additional marketplaces to reach more shoppers. This requires understanding where your customers shop and investing in channels that align with your overall brand strategy.
In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Matt Dornfeld, the Senior Director and Head of Global Partnerships at Feedonomics, who shares insights about instant commerce for brands. Matt talks about the importance of providing customers with multiple shopping options, North Star strategies for executing instant commerce, and how to boost profitability on your DTC site.
David Katz is the Co-founder, Lead Product Designer, and Director of Sales at Archer Affiliates, an affiliate network enabling Amazon sellers to connect with publishers, influencers, and bloggers. The company has generated millions of dollars in Amazon sales and increased affiliate revenue to 18% of generated sales. As a former Amazon seller, David struggled to incentivize influencers to promote his products and reach out to new affiliates, leading him to launch Archer Affiliates.
In this episode… With customer acquisition costs rising and profitability becoming more critical than ever, affiliate programs have emerged as a performance-based marketing tool to drive sales and revenue. Yet this space is still relatively new, and brands often struggle with affiliate product promotions and sales attributions. How can you break into this space and establish a mutually beneficial partnership with affiliates?
Rather than paying influencers up front, affiliate marketing is a commission-based partnership that allows you to track product performance directly. Affiliate expert David Katz maintains that you can incentivize publishers, content creators, and other affiliates by offering commissions and promotions, allowing them to focus on generating sales and revenue for specific products. To fully capitalize on this partnership, David says to let the affiliates decide what products to promote and how to promote them since they’re experts on content creation and audience targeting. Affiliates will promote credible products with a high sales probability, focusing on larger brands with a solid presence and awareness.
Tune in to the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts David Katz, the Co-founder, Lead Product Designer, and Director of Sales at Archer Affiliates. They break down the current affiliate marketing space for brands. David also talks about Archer Affiliates’ unique value proposition, how to leverage AI and machine learning to reduce operational costs, and Amazon’s referral bonus incentive for 3P sellers.
Lauren Livak Gilbert is the Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute (DSI), which shapes the future of digital and advances commerce through community, content, and education. In her role, she defines the strategy for creating a global industry commerce community to support brands, retailers, and future leaders in the complex digital environment. As a thought leader in digital and design, Lauren has experience driving impactful multi-channel design content, transformative digital shelf solutions, and high-conversion web UX designs across multiple regions. Before DSI, she held numerous roles at Johnson & Johnson, where she owned the digital shelf for consumer products in North America.
Nate Pinkston is the Head of Growth for Retail Media at Microsoft, where he manages end-to-end ownership of sales, customer success, and account management for the world’s largest retail media networks. As a digital marketing and engagement leader, he uses analytics to develop innovative solutions in the AdTech, MarTech, and retail industries. Nate has led teams to design and launch new products, reach new customer segments and markets, and work with C-suite executives to drive growth.
In this episode… With more companies adopting retail media advertising, joint business plans (JBPs) between retailers and brands have become a requirement. Yet these plans are still in the initial stages, with both parties unsure of how to proceed. What steps can you take to collaborate with retailers and ensure your JBP reflects your business goals?
As early adopters of retailer media, Lauren Livak Gilbert and Nate Pinkston have invested countless hours and resources helping brands and retailers navigate JBPs. Industry standards for joint business plans haven’t been established yet, so Lauren and Nate recommend formulating recurring cross-functional meetings with internal teams and retailers to collaborate on strategies. This should be an integrated, holistic process that aligns the practices and goals of each team and party. Additionally, retailers are open to brand insights and ideas, so offering data and innovative approaches is crucial for establishing standardized business practices.
In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Lauren Livak Gilbert of the Digital Shelf Institute and Nate Pinkston of Microsoft to discuss the ins and outs of joint business plans. Together, they explain how to optimize this digital strategy session, the importance of data-sharing and cross-functional collaboration, and the eCommerce team’s role in JBPs.
Marc Walkin is the Co-founder and Head of Marketing and Growth at Turbyne, a vertically integrated B2B SaaS platform that simplifies retail media. With over 15 years of experience as a marketing leader, he has built modern retail and CPG brands, including Stop & Shop, Popcorners, Beech-Nut, and Staples. Marc specializes in brand transformation, corporate strategy, and shopper and digital marketing playbooks.
In this episode… The retail media space is in disarray, with brands and retailers at odds over expectations and experiences. What’s more, digital and in-store tactics are not fully integrated, so 80% of brands struggle to justify increasing retail media investments. How can retail media networks streamline the experience for their brand customers?
Traditionally, retailers purchased products from brands to sell to consumers. With retail media, brands become customers by leveraging retailers’ advertising platforms. With a rich background in retail strategy, Marc Walkin stresses that retailers must create user-friendly platforms that unify data and offer real-time inventory tracking for greater ROI. Additionally, merging digital and in-store advertising strategies allows retailers to position themselves as profitable networks for brands looking to optimize campaigns.
In this week’s edition of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant interviews Marc Walkin, the Co-founder and Head of Marketing and Growth at Turbyne, about the disconnect between retail media networks and brands. Marc discusses the retail media mirage phenomenon, strategies for retail media sales attribution, and the importance of clean, unified customer data.
Will Christensen is the Head of Marketing at Seller Labs, which provides eCommerce and advertising solutions for Amazon stores. He is also the Co-founder and President of DataAutomation, a software company that automates data-heavy processes and builds custom integrations. As a go-to-market specialist, Will takes product iterations from zero to 10 customers. He also founded the Entrepreneur’s Apprentice program at EquityHammer, which pairs enterprising students with mentors.
In this episode… The fear of missing out on new tools and technology is at an all-time high, but if you still spend hours copying and pasting or manually inputting information into spreadsheets, you’re missing out on valuable time and money. How can you streamline productivity to stay on top of digital trends?
With a commitment to automating data and other processes, Will Christensen is well-versed in the top productivity tools for efficient operations. ChatGPT’s new voice capabilities allow you to request detailed advice, obtain research into industry trends, and draft documents based on real-time conversation summaries. Will has also discovered that syncing the clipboards on your phone and computer eases information transferring by allowing quick access to copied content. Additionally, tools like Fathom take automated notes and extract actionable items from virtual meetings.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Will Christensen, the Head of Marketing at Seller Labs and the Co-founder and President of DataAutomation, about digital productivity hacks. Will talks about revolutionizing data efficiency, demonstrates the novel capabilities of ChatGPT-4, and shares strategies for staying relevant in the digital age.
Jon Bausman is the VP of Marketing at Outward Hound, a pet lifestyle brand. In his role, he oversees content creation, the brand’s website, and paid media. With over 15 years of experience developing marketing strategies, Jon has held leadership and management positions in Fortune 500 companies and startups, including Airhead and Columbia Sportswear.
In this episode… Rapid advancements in the digital space have created a workforce culture that demands instant gratification. Executives from digital organizations are shifting roles constantly, leading to fractured leadership structures. How can businesses foster adaptable, committed, and success-driven teams among workforce and industry pressures?
Rather than hiring an executive who has transitioned from multiple leadership roles in a short time span, digital team builder Jon Bausman says to nurture your talent to progress through the ranks. This allows them to gain invaluable experience and builds resilience and adaptability to the fast-paced digital landscape. Cultivating shared values among team members and encouraging transparent communication creates a robust culture where challenges become opportunities for growth and innovation.
Join Aaron Conant in this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he welcomes Jon Bausman, the VP of Marketing at Outward Hound, for a discussion about creating powerful digital teams. Jon talks about developing hiring practices rooted in trust, how to develop a culture of accountability and transparent feedback, and how to align team efforts with core values.
Kashif Zafar is the CEO of Xmars, an AI-powered platform for advertising on Amazon. With over 25 years of eCommerce and digital marketing experience, he has built and guided high-performing teams across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Kashif has worked in several industries, including CPG, retail, outsourcing, technology, and blockchain.
In this episode… With digital marketing and eCommerce strategies evolving rapidly, businesses are constantly seeking ways to stay competitive. From choosing the right technology to launching effective campaigns, the stakes are higher than ever. How can brands navigate this complex digital terrain to maximize growth?
As AI becomes a widespread presence in eCommerce, digital marketing maven Kashif Zafar advises Amazon brands to adopt various AI tools for content creation and innovation. This includes investing in AI-driven ad tech platforms to streamline and optimize advertising campaigns while minimizing hands-on involvement. Generative AI can also be used to create compelling PDPs that influence the Amazon algorithm and drive conversions. For a more supportive approach, invest in an Amazon agency that specializes in retail media and advertising, allowing you to gain insights into profitable strategies.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Kashif Zafar, the CEO of Xmars, about the role of AI in advertising. Kashif talks about the untapped potential of Amazon Marketing Cloud, the newfound emphasis on tech stack rationalization, and his involvement in the Amazon advertising landscape.
Andrew Schydlowsky is the Founder and CEO of TrackStreet, a cutting-edge SaaS platform that empowers brands by leveraging eCommerce data. He has been involved in eCommerce since 1998, starting with an innovative idea to sell sports nutrition products online. As a serial entrepreneur, Andrew founded Performance Unlimited, Inc., Soma Distribution, Inc., and Kala International, Ltd. He also established Soma Internacional, S.A. in Peru. His diverse experience includes roles as Chief Growth Officer for a retail chain and Corporate Trainer for Unisys in Beijing.
In this episode… With the digital landscape evolving and new technologies emerging, brands must navigate rapid eCommerce growth and AI integrations. Where should businesses focus their energy to avoid being misled by shiny objects or overwhelmed by an influx of data?
With over 25 years at the helm of eCommerce, Andrew Schydlowsky affirms that brands can leverage technology and AI to make strategic business decisions but must recognize their risks and potential to derail progress. Before adopting any new tool or software, systemize your data and assess your tech stack regularly to ensure responsible use and long-term stability. By maintaining a clear vision for your business, you can evolve your business with the market while staying savvy about the implications and pitfalls of trends.
Tune in to the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant speaks with Andrew Schydlowsky, the Founder and CEO of TrackStreet, about the intricacies of eCommerce, technology, and AI. Andrew talks about leveraging AI to automate data and decision-making, the evolution of the digital landscape, and TrackStreet’s mission.
Matt Snyder is the Founder and CEO of Brands Excel, where he helps brands scale on Amazon. As a revenue generator, he has over 15 years of experience growing DTC, B2C, and B2B companies within the eCommerce space and Amazon’s marketplace. Matt focuses on building long-term growth by developing alternative sales channels and product lines that complement overarching omnichannel strategies. Before Brands Excel, he was the Vice President of Online Retail at Vari.
In this episode… With eCommerce competition intensifying, brands are scrambling to fulfill customer requests and manage inventory costs. How can Amazon’s Seller Fulfilled Prime enable operational and cost efficiency?
Seasoned eCommerce leader Matt Snyder leverages SFP in his business to streamline logistics, reduce costs, and improve the customer experience. Before investing in this fulfillment method, conduct a self-audit to ensure SFP aligns with your product types and business model. Seller Fulfilled Prime requires brands to meet specific performance metrics, including 93% on-time deliveries and precise product tracking, to maintain Prime status and customer trust. Matt suggests cultivating partnerships with SFP 3PL partners to manage logistics and complex fulfillment requirements.
Tune in to the latest installment of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant meets with Matt Snyder, the Founder and CEO of Brands Excel, who shares the ins and outs of Seller Fulfilled Prime. Matt explains the impact of Amazon Marketing Cloud and AI on future eCommerce strategies, how to maintain profitability with SFP, and the benefits of inventory control.
Mandar Shinde is the CEO of Blotout, a Y Combinator restoring identity and data accuracy in a cookieless era. He also volunteers with ProductNation/iSPIRT, a nonprofit sourcing public goods for Indian product startups. In this role, Mandar helps enable data democratization with zero trust. As a data-driven entrepreneur, he has experience in privacy, analytics, blockchain, advertising, compliance, and cloud computing.
In this episode… The deprecation of third-party cookies threatens the stability of targeted marketing, and businesses are navigating uncharted territories. With the cornerstone of personalized advertising crumbling, how can companies navigate the landscape without relying on third-party data?
Apple’s aggressive stance on data privacy has placed limitations on digital advertising, specifically after the advent of iOS 14, which allows users to opt out of third-party tracking. Data-driven eCommerce entrepreneur Mandar Shinde emphasizes adjusting your lifecycle and performance marketing strategies to align with the shifts in data regulations and online tracking. This involves conducting an internal assessment of your customer data collection, storage, and processing systems to ensure compliance and effective adaptation. Transitioning to first-party data collection by adopting CDPs and server-side tracking is a viable solution to privacy concerns in a cookieless environment.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Mandar Shinde, the CEO of Blotout, joins Aaron Conant for a discussion about adapting to a cookieless landscape. Mandar talks about the imminent shifts and the necessary actions brands must take to ensure their digital presence and customer relationships remain strong.
David Sanborn manages strategy and operations for GIZMO, a developer and manufacturer of consumer electronics. He is also the Co-founder of Kiid Coffee, a unique food brand that uses creative marketing to target nutritional gaps in children’s food. As an inventive entrepreneur, David has built and sold several brands, including Basics Brands, which he expanded into the pet retail space before selling it.
In this episode… Starting a brand from scratch, creating an unparalleled product, and selling it successfully are seemingly basic yet daunting challenges in today’s competitive eCommerce marketplace. What does it take to cut through a saturated market and carve out a space for your products?
David Sanborn, a serial entrepreneur, has conquered the challenge of branding and innovation in the modern digital landscape. He maintains that strategic partnerships and mentors are invaluable resources for product development. These industry professionals can share ideas and strategies that can expedite launch and enhance innovation. Before launching your product, test its market fit to allow for customer feedback and ample refinement. Additionally, digital marketing is essential for brand awareness, so by integrating a mission-driven approach into your creative strategies, you can stimulate authentic consumer engagement and cement a long-term presence in the market.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant meets with David Sanborn of GIZMO to share innovative approaches to launching an eCommerce brand. David breaks down the intricacies of product development, the importance of market-fit testing, and how to stand out in a competitive market through creative marketing and genuine value creation.
Aaron Schwartz is the Co-founder and President of Orita, a software company that improves email deliverability. He is also an advisor and investor in various commerce tech companies, including Passport and EcoCart. Previously, Aaron spent seven years building and managing DTC brand Modify Watches and was the President of Loop.
Daniel Brady (DB) is the CEO of Orita. As a neuroscientist turned data scientist, he has helped leading eCommerce brands organize their data sets. DB has also worked with CEOs, CTOs, and other leaders to build eCommerce companies.
In this episode… Customers are often overwhelmed by an inbox flooded with marketing emails, leading them to unsubscribe, much to brands’ dismay. Yet these brands are constantly grappling with finding the right balance in their communication frequency to keep customers engaged without driving them away. How can you maintain engagement in your email campaigns while saving money?
Using machine learning, data scientists and brand builders Daniel Brady (DB) and Aaron Schwartz have revolutionized customer data usage and engagement. You can implement AI into your email and SMS campaigns to analyze consumer data and identify communication patterns. This allows you to discover optimal touchpoints and avoid inundating your customers with emails. Periodically auditing your email lists can improve deliverability and help maintain higher subscriber engagement. Ultimately, building and nurturing long-lasting customer relationships through email marketing engagement boosts brand loyalty and customer lifetime value.
Tune in to the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant welcomes DB and Aaron Schwartz of Orita to discuss enhancing your email marketing campaigns. Together, they share the financial benefits of leveraging AI to enhance email campaigns, how to select tech vendors, and how to optimize your tech stack.
David Cost is the VP of Digital and eCommerce at Rainbow Apparel Co, an omnichannel fast-fashion retailer offering women’s, plus-size, and children’s clothing. In his role, he manages over 1,000 stores in the US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands and has grown the eCommerce business over 9x.
David has developed new eCommerce technologies as a beta tester and early adopter for companies, including Oven Bits, BloomReach, and Instant Labs. He has also served on customer advisory boards for Salesforce and Shopify and has spoken at CommerceNext and other industry events.
In this episode… Third-party cookies are sunsetting, and although an official date hasn’t been set for their demise, brands must consider alternatives. How can you continue targeting customers in a post-cookies world?
Website cookies include first-party, generated from the brand, and third-party, originating from outside sources. Third-party cookies only store information for seven days, whereas first-party cookies can retain data for up to 20 years. According to eCommerce executive David Cost, You can bypass third-party cookies by gathering relevant consumer information through a brand-exclusive data layer and sharing it with others. This allows you to create and optimize marketing messages to retarget customers and boost conversions. Leveraging first-party cookies also lowers customer acquisition costs, ensuring you can easily identify and retain your top purchasers.
In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes David Cost, the VP of Digital and eCommerce at Rainbow Apparel Co, to discuss solutions for the demise of third-party cookies. David shares his thoughts on using AI to create first-party cookies, how product videos drive conversions, and why you need segmented first-party data.
Andrea Moore is the Chief Digital Officer at NEST New York, a fast-growing, leading fragrance lifestyle brand. As a C-suite executive and omnichannel leader, she has experience launching, building, and scaling digital businesses to $100 million. Andrea is also an angel investor, an advisory board member at ShopTalk, and an Adjunct Professor at FIT.
In this episode… During the pandemic, brick-and-mortar brands began shifting to digital, with pandemic-born brands launching DTC exclusively. In the pandemic’s aftermath, DTC has become less profitable, so brands must integrate online and in-store efforts to survive. How can you build a robust omnichannel strategy?
As omnichannel brand builder Andrea Moore says, it doesn’t matter where your consumers shop as long as they purchase from you and not your competitors. You can establish storefronts on Walmart, Amazon, and Target’s online marketplaces as well as your personal website and brick-and-mortar shop. By targeting your customers where they shop, you can dominate the market. Omnichannel strategies often require a significant amount of tech tools to execute effectively, and it can be challenging to determine the precise fit for your tech stack. Andrea advises assessing your business goals, go-to-market strategy, and margin structures to capitalize on profitable growth opportunities.
Join Aaron Conant in today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he sits down with Andrea Moore, the Chief Digital Officer at NEST New York, to discuss omnichannel brand strategies. Andrea shares how brands should consider data when utilizing AI, the digital landscape’s most urgent issues, and how AI will impact leadership roles.
Matthew Rosenfeld is the Founder and CEO of Crush, which provides boutique Amazon management services for retail and DTC brands. He is also the Founder of Retail Racer, which leverages proprietary software to automate retail outreach for DTC brands. As a former Amazon seller, Matthew has launched, acquired, and sold multiple brands.
In this episode… As Amazon gains a greater presence in the market, launching your brand on the platform is crucial for driving awareness. Yet some brands are hesitant to take this leap, fearing that Amazon will drop product prices and allow others to resell products on their sites. How can you generate sales and profitability on Amazon without exhausting resources?
Selling on Amazon provides an opportunity to drive traffic to your DTC storefront, but Amazon veteran Matthew Rosenfeld warns that the platform’s landscape is constantly shifting, so you must develop calculated strategies to avoid major losses. The two main components retail-first brands should focus on are demand capture and net new customer acquisition. Without capturing sufficient demand on social media platforms like Meta and TikTok, brands that exceed $3-5 million in annual revenue experienced profit losses. Consumer purchase intentions are substantially higher on Amazon, so brands must acquire new customers on the platform to boost conversion rates.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Matthew Rosenfeld, the Founder and CEO of Crush, to make the case for why your brand should have an Amazon presence. Matthew shares his perspective on brand aggregations in the Amazon space, the future of Vendor Central, and how to analyze profitability on the platform.
Amitai Sasson is the VP of eCommerce at overstockArt.com, the largest online retailer of handmade oil paintings in the US. In his role, he has designed and developed the company’s online store, with annual sales of over $2 million. Amitai is also responsible for enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and supply chain systems. As an eCommerce authority and web marketer, he specializes in developing innovative technology solutions to improve sales and performance.
In this episode… Online shopping has become the norm, and some brands operate entirely from an eCommerce model. Despite this, eCommerce is still in its infancy, so brands are struggling with the basics, like sales, shipping, and traffic. What strategies can brands employ to stay ahead of the eCommerce game?
According to eCommerce specialist Amitai Sasson, shipping costs are rising, but packaging products in smaller boxes can reduce fees. He also recommends that brands with essential products utilize Shopify for third-party shipping to provide consumers with a seamless shopping and checkout experience. You must also understand your website traffic drivers by analyzing first-party data, available inventory, best-selling products, and ad spend. Additionally, integrating new technology into your website may increase your traffic and conversion rates.
Welcome back to The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant welcomes Amitai Sasson, the VP of eCommerce at overstockArt.com, to discuss the latest eCommerce trends. Amitai talks about overstockArt.com’s early online presence, how the demise of third-party cookies impacts data collection, and how to drive free traffic to your website.
Todd Hassenfelt is the Global Digital Commerce Senior Director of Strategy and Execution at Colgate-Palmolive, an innovative growth company that reimagines a healthier future for people, pets, and the planet. He has extensive leadership experience in brick-and-mortar and eCommerce channels, serving as a leader on both sales and marketing teams.
Todd has also sold some of the top brands in the US to multiple channels, including C-stores, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, and eCommerce. As an eCommerce and content contributor, his articles appear in publications such as BRAVE Commerce, Ecommerce Braintrust, and The Digital Shelf Cast.
In this episode… Following post-pandemic spending sprees, credit card interest debt in the US has reached a staggering $578 billion. With consumers cutting back on spending to pay off their debts, how can eCommerce brands adjust their strategies to retarget them?
The proliferation of retail media has simplified online shopping significantly, with consumers making purchases through buy now, pay later options after using a QR code through a connected TV ad. To address consumer spending cuts and increased budgeting, eCommerce and digital strategy engineer Todd Hassenfelt advises offering discounts and perks like subscribe and save initiatives to encourage quick purchases. You can also bundle products to provide consumers with greater value for their money and promote routines and regiments. When retargeting customers through retail media, advertise your lowest-priced products first and reevaluate your messaging to capture budget-conscious consumers.
The Global Digital Commerce Director of Strategy and Execution at Colgate-Palmolive, Todd Hassenfelt, returns to The Digital Deep Dive to talk with Aaron Conant about pivoting eCommerce strategies during economic turmoil. Todd shares frontrunning financial trends in the DTC space, how to manage and diversify ad spend to align with consumer spending habits, and how to make informed business decisions.
Destaney Wishon is the Co-founder and CEO of BTR Media, a retail media company empowering growth for brands. The company rebranded from BetterAMS, where Destaney started as an Account Executive, providing perspective on new industry standards for brands’ eCommerce strategies. She is passionate about providing in-depth, strategic recommendations on sponsored products, brands, displays, and DSP. As an Amazon advertising thought leader, Destaney has spoken in over 9,000 podcasts and events.
In this episode… As the digital landscape evolves seemingly by the day, Amazon is no longer the only advertising platform to invest in, and entrepreneurs are inundated with business growth strategies. How have advertising and media evolved, and how can entrepreneurs adapt to the constantly shifting space?
As a digital advertising strategist regularly pivoting to address challenges in the digital landscape, Destaney Wishon notes that Amazon has transitioned into a media company to compete with retail media networks like Walmart. Rather than investing solely in niche Amazon ads like PPC, brands must diversify their spending to include sponsored product, brand, and display ads and social media platforms like TikTok. As entrepreneurs transition out of their companies’ daily operations, they must create effortless, consistent, and engaging content to scale. Destaney recommends hosting networking events or podcasts to develop partnerships and create outreach strategies on LinkedIn to navigate the digital space effectively.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant talks with Destaney Wishon, The Co-founder and CEO of BTR Media, about the current state of Amazon advertising and entrepreneurship in the space. Destaney explains how paid media has skyrocketed, how to scale an agency strategically, and content creation strategies.
Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at Path to Purchase Institute. With over 12 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs.
In this episode… The eCommerce landscape is advancing rapidly, and first-mover organizations are capitalizing on digital trends for 2024. What eCommerce projections should you observe, and how can you implement them to drive explosive growth in 2024?
First mover and change leader Chris Perry notes that shoppers expect omnichannel integrations at every touchpoint, so everything from online and in-store shopping experiences to retail media should include omnichannel strategies. With the rapid adoption of retail media, first movers must dismantle advertising and media silos to develop a full-funnel approach that engages audiences. As Gen Z consumers shop on social media platforms like TikTok, social commerce has become the leading driver of digital, making it crucial for first movers to leverage. Additionally, increasing acquisitions and partnerships have led to competition, so by partnering with agencies of record (AOR), you can enable long-term leadership and growth. Category management strategies are imperative in generating incremental omnichannel growth. To ensure effective omnichannel capabilities, you must update your processes, details, and workflows.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Chris Perry, the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, to discuss the leading digital commerce trends for 2024. Chris shares how to develop winning online and in-store shopping strategies, how to promote first-mover leadership training and education, and how to execute omnichannel strategies.
Spencer Millerberg is the Founding Partner of DetailPage, which helps brands optimize traffic and gain Amazon market share. He founded OneClickRetail, the first Amazon market share measurement tool that was sold to Asscential. As an eCommerce and data analytics expert, Spencer has helped over 650 brands improve sales, margins, and search positions on eCommerce sites.
Justin Maner is the Founding Partner of DetailPage. He was also the CEO of Data Spark, a startup that offered actionable insights to brands and sellers on Walmart Marketplace. Having spent 10 years as an Amazon director, Justin led the baby registry to become the #1 US registry, reinvented the vendor negotiation process, and created a new communication system for vendors and sellers.
In this episode… As brands compete for shelf space on digital retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target, market share has become top of mind for many. With fragmented data sources, outdated PDPs, and competition at an all-time high, how can you drive retail sales and market share on Amazon?
Data insights masters Spencer Millerberg and Justin Maner stress the importance of acquiring accurate first- and third-party data sources to measure performance and market share. These can be collected and analyzed using disruptive, AI-driven technology that’s affordable and 95% accurate. Driving retail sales requires increasing traffic and conversions, so Justin and Spencer advise optimizing your PDPs for competitor keywords. Yet rather than gauging competition based on specific categories, you must analyze keywords customers use when searching for similar products. This allows you to segment competition effectively.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant invites Spencer Millerberg and Justin Maner, Founding Partners of DetailPage, to speak about gaining market share in the competitive Amazon landscape. Together, they talk about disruptive technologies in eCommerce, how to update PDPs using relevant competitor keywords, and how to allocate first- and third-party data.
Ajay Kapur is the GM and CTO of Security and Applications at Edgio, a platform helping companies deliver online experiences and content. In his role, he handles product management and marketing, engineering, infrastructure, and technology operations. Ajay was the Co-founder and CEO of Layer0, a developer-focused platform-as-a-service that was acquired by Edgio. Before founding Layer0, he published mobile apps and invested in technology companies for Goldman Sachs’ private equity arm.
In this episode… Website speed and performance are at the forefront as many eCommerce brands try to secure conversions. Yet instantaneous and seamless site experiences can be compromised by unwanted traffic, data theft, and other security concerns. How can you integrate site speed, performance, and security to improve online shopping experiences and generate quality conversions?
According to web developer Ajay Kapur, unauthorized traffic and compromised data diminish site speed, resulting in a cumbersome user experience. CDN security removes unwarranted traffic and safeguards workflow data to free up your infrastructure. However, achieving instant website speed and above-average performance requires recreating retail shopping experiences and increasing available products by eliminating page load times. This optimized performance accelerates conversion rates and revenue per user.
On today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Ajay Kapur, the GM and CTO of Security and Applications at Edgio, for a conversation about site speed, performance, and security. Ajay shares strategies for analyzing website speed and performance, how to surpass competition through high-performing websites, and online shopping trends and experiences.
Kim Rayburn is a Client Engagement Advisor at Cohley, a content generation and testing platform that helps brands create content for social ads, email marketing, websites, and more. She is also a Principal and Consultant at Topnotch Consultancy, where she helps companies transform their sales growth strategies. With 25 years of consumer-focused experience in various global executive roles, Kim has worked in research, finance, product development, retail, and analytics.
In this episode… With brands competing for consumer attention, observing shoppers’ behaviors, preferences, and demands has become crucial for engagement and sales. How can you capture the shopper’s voice to foster lifetime brand loyalty?
As a consumer insights analyst, Kim Rayburn emphasizes creating a content strategy to recognize and adapt to customer feedback throughout each stage of their journey. This involves generating authentic content like video testimonials highlighting a brand’s compelling features to drive purchasing decisions. Consumers rely heavily on reviews to make decisions, so Kim recommends integrating text and video reviews demonstrating daily use cases and overall value. Brands can harness and summarize insights from shopper responses to refine and optimize their strategies.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Kim Rayburn, a Client Engagement Advisor at Cohley, for a discussion about leveraging the shopper’s voice through UGC content. Kim describes how to optimize UGC content, how AI is fundamentally altering paid media, and the top retail trends and priorities for 2024.
Udayan Bose is the Founder and CEO of NetElixir, a digital marketing agency designed to help the growth of eCommerce businesses, B2B companies, and retail brands through strategic solutions and an AI-powered platform. Udayan is also the Co-founder of The Udaan Trust, a nonprofit foundation of NetElixir that supports underprivileged young women in India to pursue their education goals and build successful careers.
In this episode… As brands gear up for 2024, there are three major shifts they must navigate: the widespread use of AI chatbots, the end of third-party cookies, and the metaverse revival. How can you capitalize on these trends to gain a competitive advantage in 2024 and beyond?
With AI fundamentally altering the digital marketing agency structure, online marketer Udayan Bose has observed leading companies leveraging chatbots to generate consumer data insights, personalize the online shopping experience, and enhance search results. Udayan emphasizes these chatbots’ roles as personal search assistants, facilitating personalized and accurate answers to complex questions. By the end of the year, Google will disable third-party cookies completely. Yet only 15-20% of marketers are prepared for this change. Alternatively, you can leverage retail media to combine in-store and online advertising, circumventing new privacy regulations. Although the metaverse has primarily targeted gamers in the past, Udayan predicts that Apple’s release of a mixed-reality headset in February will restore interest by revolutionizing social commerce.
Tune in to this segment of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant welcomes Udayan Bose, the Founder and CEO of NetElixir, back to the show to discuss the pressing digital marketing trends of the near future. Udayan explains his company’s AI-first efforts, how to manage rapidly changing digital marketing trends, and the growing potential of retail media.
Nate Pinkston is the Head of Growth for Retail Media at Microsoft, where he manages end-to-end ownership of sales, customer success, and account management for the world’s largest retail media networks. As a digital marketing and engagement leader, he uses analytics to develop innovative solutions in the AdTech, MarTech, and retail industries. Nate has led teams to design and launch new products, reach new customer segments and markets, and work with C-suite executives to drive growth.
Paul Brenner is the SVP of Retail Media and Partnerships at Vibenomics, an in-store advertising audio and display media publisher for retailers. With 30 years of experience in retail media technology, he has worked across areas, including media and entertainment, advertising, manufacturing, pharma, retail, and automotive. Paul specializes in helping brick-and-mortar businesses enhance their in-store shopping experiences by leveraging retail media.
In this episode… Retail media is gaining traction in the digital advertising ecosystem, and retailers are leveraging it to drive in-store conversions. Yet with multichannel advertising a growing necessity and ad dollars spread thin, how can you incorporate retail media seamlessly into your strategy?
Digital impressions drive many point-of-sale conversions online, but with 80-85% of these conversions occurring in-store, retailers must engage shoppers through visual and auditory mediums. However, retail media mavens Nate Pinkston and Paul Brenner say you must combine in-store and digital advertising and retail media to generate conversions across multiple channels. This requires attributing impressions to specific campaigns and retail media networks through transparent data analytics and distributing ad spend across corresponding channels. A strong relationship with retail media networks is the foundation for an effective strategy.
Join Aaron Conant in this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he chats with Nate Pinkston of Microsoft’s retail media department and Paul Brenner of Vibenomics about developing a retail media advertising strategy. Together, they share best practices for adopting retail media, how AI enhances retail media effectiveness, and how to leverage retail media for creative ad campaigns.
Corey Apirian is the CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, a full-service logistics company that uses technology and partners with brands and retailers to help market, sell, fulfill, and ship their products. As an accomplished supply chain and operations leader, Corey has over 15 years of senior management experience. With more than 20 years of experience in the eCommerce fulfillment industry, Corey has been drop shipping for every major retailer since 2004 and has launched over 50 different subcategories through individual online and brick-and-mortar channels.
In this episode… Many brands consider expanding into DTC channels, but with only one fulfillment center, they struggle to achieve optimal delivery times in various areas. With profitability a top concern in fulfillment and delivery, how can you meet consumer demands to drive additional conversions?
Instituting multiple hyper-local fulfillment centers throughout the country reduces shipping costs while ensuring inventory reaches the end consumer in 1-2 days. However, direct fulfillment alone is not enough to secure conversions. As fulfillment leader Corey Apirian notes, DTC delivery is a holistic process involving integrating multiple delivery methods and partners to maximize accuracy. Larger items may require you to leverage 3PL companies, whereas compact items can be shipped using Seller Fulfilled Prime to deliver directly to domestic Prime customers.
In today’s edition of The Digital Deep Dive, Corey Apirian, the CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, returns to chat with Aaron Conant about DTC fulfillment considerations for 2024. Corey explains the importance of transparency in communicating delivery times, why CPG brands should have a DTC presence, and inventory management strategies for profitability.
Avi Moskowitz is the Co-founder and CEO of PrettyDamnQuick, a fast-growing eCommerce delivery app facilitating delivery experiences for top DTC and CPG brands. As an eight-figure veteran entrepreneur, he specializes in improving brands’ checkout conversions and shipping revenues. Avi also hosts the Delivering Delight podcast and co-founded BeerBazaar, a top-rated craft brewery with an online shop that became one of the top 10 Shopify stores in Israel.
In this episode… As customer acquisition costs rise, brands try to generate conversions to secure loyalty and lifetime value. Checkout and delivery are often overlooked during the customer journey, with brands missing out on profitable opportunities. How can you optimize the fulfillment process to enhance the consumer experience?
In traditional retail shopping, customers receive the item upon purchase. However, seasoned business owner Avi Moskowitz notes that when shopping online, customers leave the shop without the product and must wait for delivery. To cultivate trust during this variable period, you must communicate reasonable and thorough expectations of shipping and delivery, ensuring you fulfill this commitment accurately. This may entail establishing omnichannel fulfillment methods through multiple hyperlocal warehouses to meet demands efficiently.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Avi Moskowitz, the Co-founder and CEO of PrettyDamnQuick, for a conversation about increasing profitability through effective delivery. Avi shares how he conducts A/B testing at checkout, how to convert customers from checkout to delivery, and how to navigate shipping costs and delivery times.
Mike Black is the CMO of Profitero, a leading eCommerce acceleration company offering intelligence-driven solutions for profitable growth. With a background in marketing, he held leadership positions in product marketing and demand generation at various global analytics companies. Before Profitero, Mike was the Vice President of Product Marketing at Nielson, where he launched new analytics products for the company’s retail measurement business.
In this episode… Digital marketing has shifted from an occasional perk to a new business standard as brands optimize content to drive conversions on the digital shelf. Yet with so much demand for innovative content and record-high consumption rates, how can you test and measure your content to ensure your efforts generate maximum ROI?
According to eCommerce-focused marketer Mike Black, the first step in content optimization is to assemble your briefs to target retail algorithms and advertise in the appropriate categories. However, keywords and competitors change dynamically and frequently, so you must leverage automation and other analytics tools to track incremental performance. Mike cites the digital shelf as a key performance driver but warns that data sets can become siloed, so by applying the data to various marketing channels like retail media, you can develop an integrated strategy for informed decision-making.
In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Mike Black, the CMO of Profitero, who talks about the convergence of media, commerce, and the digital shelf. Mike addresses the democratization of eCommerce and technology, how to leverage software tools for paid media, and how data-driven insights boost content performance.
Sreenath Reddy is the Founder of Intentwise, a technology platform that provides professional advertisers, large-scale aggregators, and high-volume agencies with automation, competitive intelligence, and data infrastructure for Amazon and other eCommerce sites. With more than 20 years of experience in the digital advertising and data analytics space, he utilizes AI to solve marketplace eCommerce challenges. Before founding Intentwise, Sreenath was the Senior Director of Marketing Strategy at Orbitz Worldwide.
In this episode… With the rapid adoption of eCommerce, online marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart share more data than ever. Yet, as brands collect this data, it becomes fragmented within advertising, retail, and operations departments. How can you integrate data signals to make informed decisions?
Data analytics problem solver Sreenath Reddy classifies data into three distinct categories: strategic, operational, and diagnostic. Strategic data comprises customer lifetime value, competition, and incrementality, in which brands must take a predictive approach to develop actionable insights. Analyzing operational data requires automating performance metrics from inventory levels, ad spend, and profitability. With diagnostic data, Sreenath recommends developing a system to identify potential disruptions, causes, and solutions.
In today’s edition of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Sreenath Reddy, the Founder of Intentwise, back to the show to discuss analyzing and grouping Amazon data. Sreenath shares how to align ad spend with product profitability, how to analyze incrementality, and his mission to unify data signals.
Michael Lebhar is the Co-founder and CEO of SellCord, which helps brands scale and maximize sales on Walmart.com. He is also the Co-founder and CMO of Engaging, where he develops marketing campaign strategies. With experience scaling and selling brands on Walmart Marketplace and stores, Michael has become a leading expert in online and in-store growth strategies.
In this episode… When attempting to advertise on Walmart.com, many brands miss the mark and fail to spend effectively. What should you know about Walmart.com’s advertising landscape, and how can you structure your investments on the platform?
According to Walmart.com specialist Michael Lebhar, advertising on the platform occurs through Walmart Connect, an integrated, self-service ad network for 1P and 3P brands. With significantly less competition than other leading ad platforms, profitability on Walmart Connect depends on your strategy and objectives and the placements you leverage. For instance, you can advertise on sponsored displays, the buy box, videos, or targeted items. Michael informs that Walmart.com emphasizes ad relevance, so optimizing your listing for search terms allows you to secure additional placements.
In this part two episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Michael Lebhar, the Co-founder and CEO of SellCord, returns to talk with Aaron Conant about advertising on Walmart.com. Michael discusses the rise of third-party sellers on the platform, how to reinvest in Walmart.com, and how to navigate the transition from Amazon to Walmart.com advertising.
Michael Lebhar is the Co-founder and CEO of SellCord, which helps brands scale and maximize sales on Walmart.com. He is also the Co-founder and CMO of Engaging, where he develops marketing campaign strategies. With experience scaling and selling brands on Walmart Marketplace and stores, Michael has become a leading expert in online and in-store growth strategies.
In this episode… As the largest retailer in the world and the fastest-growing online marketplace in the US, Walmart has gained significant traction among brands. Yet many apply the same sales and growth strategies when selling on Amazon and struggle to achieve results, attributing the lack of sales to scarce demand and opportunity. What should you consider before selling on Walmart.com, and how can you scale on its marketplace?
With fewer third-party sellers than Amazon, Walmart.com offers ample opportunity to drive sales growth in multiple categories. Additionally, Walmart merchants encourage growth by facilitating first-party vendor relationships, where the retailer lists your products and ensures high-ranking search results. With expertise in the early stages of Walmart.com, Michael Lebhar recommends evaluating profitable categories, opportunities, and competition before launching products on Walmart.com. When transitioning from other marketplaces like Amazon, it’s crucial to alter your content, shipping, and growth strategy to align with Walmart’s ecosystem.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant returns to welcome Michael Lebhar, the Co-founder and CEO of SellCord, for a conversation about Walmart’s online marketplace. Michael shares Walmart’s most profitable categories, how to facilitate long-term growth and partnerships on the retail site, and how to transition to the platform.
Chris Bruderle is the Vice President of Industry Insights and Content Strategy at the Internal Advertising Bureau (IAB), which empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. As a web analytics, market research, advertising, and content expert, he has over 10 years of experience mining data and collecting insights for various web publishers.
In this episode… Retail media and CTV are the key drivers of growth in the digital advertising ecosystem. However, with consumer privacy regulations hindering targeting efforts, brands must maintain compliance while gathering insights. What should you know about the evolving digital media space, and how can you profit from it?
Digital media researcher Chris Bruderle recommends partnering with retail media networks to obtain consumer insights in a privacy-compliant manner. Once you’ve gathered data from your target demographic, upload the information to a data clean room to remove sensitive material. Retailers can also integrate their first-party data and offer feedback and results-driven metrics. Leveraging CTV advertising is essential for profitability in the digital landscape, so Chris advises developing and adapting shoppable videos, QSR codes, and sponsored ads on streaming networks to encourage action from consumers.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Chris Bruderle, IAB’s Vice President of Industry Insights and Content Strategy, for a discussion about the exponential growth of retail media and CTV. Chris addresses the integration of CTV and retail and social media, his predictions for live digital shopping, and how to maximize retail media spend.
Jacob Cooke is the Co-founder and CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, a leading eCommerce and technology consultancy driving growth for global brands in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Under his leadership, the firm has built an expansive solution set in data analytics, eCommerce activations and store management, brand strategy, creative campaigns, merchandising, and more. Having lived in Beijing since 2003, Jacob frequently contributes to Bloomberg on eCommerce, retail, and technology trends in China.
In this episode… As sales growth in the US declines, brands are launching in the China and APAC markets to drive additional sales. eCommerce is a profitable market in China, with 50% of retail sales occurring online and 80% influenced by social platforms. What should you know about China’s eCommerce market, and how can you launch products there?
As consumers focus more on health and wellness, categories like supplements, outdoor wear, and appliances have expanded significantly in Asian markets. With deep expertise in China market trends, Jacob Cooke emphasizes launching with an exclusive online strategy and innovating in these categories to demonstrate value to consumers. Partner with experienced agencies, leverage influencers, and live stream videos on Chinese platforms like Douyin to develop a widespread presence in these markets.
Join Aaron Conant for another episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he interviews Jacob Cooke, the Co-founder and CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, about breaking into the China eCommerce market. Jacob explains how to drive sales and target consumer demographics, the costs of launching in the market, and the difference between China, Japan, and South Korean markets.
Michael Zakkour is the Founder and Chief Strategist at 5 New Digital, a consultancy that advises clients on strategy, structure, implementation, and transformation in the digital realm. Michael has over 20 years of experience in eCommerce, specializing in digital transformation, data science, the China/APAC market, digital commerce, and new retail strategy. He is also the Founder and Managing Director of China BrightStar, LLC. As an author and speaker, Michael has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NPR, the BBC, and many other media outlets.
In this episode… Younger generations like Gen Alpha interact with commerce brands by balancing physical and digital interactions, playing video games like Fortnite and Roblox while socializing with friends. This online and offline integration has initiated a new retail class, where brands must amplify the shopping experience to reach younger audiences. How can you leverage immersive and experiential commerce to excel in the new digital age?
With consumers becoming disinterested in two-dimensional shopping experiences, traditional eCommerce is underperforming. According to digital thought leader Michael Zakkour, eCommerce’s pervasive presence has led consumers to desire more meaningful interactions. Immersive commerce integrates live streams, shoppable videos, virtual environments, and avatars to create engaging and pragmatic experiences. Capitalizing on modern retail requires identifying top-performing digital tools and channels and developing a video commerce strategy involving streaming and live shopping videos with real-time purchasing options.
Tune in to the latest Digital Deep Dive episode as Aaron Conant welcomes Michael Zakkour, the Founder and Chief Strategist at Five New Digital, back to the show to discuss leveraging immersive commerce to engage younger generations. Michael shares actionable steps for success in the new digital realm, the importance of interactive video content, and how to optimize your budget for experiential commerce.
Steven Moy is the CEO of Barbarian, a leading creative digital advertising agency. Throughout his career, Steven has worked on large-scale digital transformation initiatives for global brands, including American Express, McDonald’s, CVS Health, and AT&T. Since joining Barbarian in 2019, he has significantly reshaped the agency by launching its first global office, adding new clients, and initiating new business practices.
In this episode… According to a recent study conducted by Insider Intelligence, social media is the first touch point for over 40% of consumers under 30. These younger generations consume hours of high-velocity, compelling content, prompting brands to compete for attention. How can you produce large volumes of creative content to target digital-first generations?
As an early adopter of digital during the dot-com bubble, Steven Moy endorses attention economics, which forces brands to capture consumers’ limited attention spans on fast-paced, content-rich platforms like TikTok. Highly targeted content captures consumers within the first second and communicates value propositions in the following three to four seconds. To reach younger generations effectively, Steven recommends hiring college students to create engaging short-form videos that resonate with audiences.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Steven Moy, the CEO of Barbarian, to discuss creating content for digital-first generations. Steven explains how to adapt to the digital paradigm shift, AI and the metaverse’s roles in the creative process, and how to budget for rapid content creation.
Brad Dey is the President of Dey’s End Consulting LLC, a full-service certified Shopify Plus partner focused on solving eCommerce and operational challenges. He has experience working on enterprise-level projects in financial services at Fortune 100 and 200 companies. As an eCommerce solutions architect, Brad has had CIO-level involvement at some of the world’s largest eCommerce companies.
In this episode… At the height of Q4, profitability remains top of mind for many Shopify brands. As you evaluate new integrations and tools, how can you drive sales while managing demand challenges?
Rather than exhausting resources by upgrading your front-end tech stack, eCommerce solutions consultant Brad Dey encourages brands to focus on optimizing their back-end operations to ensure sufficient demand. As you prepare for the holidays, manage your inventory by identifying your highest and lowest-selling products to determine discounted items. This allows you to develop an ideal cost structure for your 3PLs. With consumers purchasing and returning multiple sizes and variations of one product, you must develop systems to mitigate the resulting profit loss. Consider leveraging a sizing tool to provide customers with accurate sizes, boost loyalty, and improve experiences.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Brad Dey, the President of Dey’s End Consulting LLC, who shares strategies for a profitable Q4 on Shopify. Brad explains how he conducts tech stack audits, Shopify’s new releases and functions, and how to integrate Buy with Prime and Shopify.
Meghan Corroon is the Founder and CEO of Clerdata, a marketing intelligence platform that drives sales. As a data scientist, she has completed data science research for several national governments in Africa. Before founding Clerdata, Meghan was the Technical Director for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation portfolio evaluation.
In this episode… Incrementality has become imperative in distributing retail media spend and measuring sales growth from marketing efforts. With so many trending advertising channels and retailers, brands often invest in each one simultaneously, creating data silos and inhibiting visibility into top-performing platforms. How can you measure incremental ROI holistically?
In today’s volatile economy, consumers are spending less money, so brands must invest in their shoppers’ most frequented platforms. According to data enthusiast Meghan Corroon, this requires evaluating your channel budgets and resulting performance to make real-time, data-driven decisions. After performing a comprehensive analysis, brands often find they’ve invested too much money in underperforming channels. By reducing your budget for low-engagement platforms, you can measure impacted sales growth to identify your most profitable networks and boost ROI.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant invites Meghan Corroon, the Co-founder and CEO of Clerdata, to speak about measuring incremental sales growth on retail media networks. Meghan explains the importance of incrementality, real-time marketing analytics, and how the evolution of retail media has impacted brand growth.
Lauren Livak Gilbert is the Director of the Digital Shelf Institute (DSI), which shapes the future of digital and advances commerce through community, content, and education. In her role, she defines the strategy for creating a global industry commerce community to support brands, retailers, and future leaders in the complex digital environment. As a thought leader in digital and design, Lauren has experience driving impactful multi-channel design content, transformative digital shelf solutions, and high-conversion web UX designs across multiple regions. Before DSI, she held numerous roles at Johnson & Johnson, where she owned the digital shelf for consumer products in North America.
In this episode… Digital and eCommerce are necessary capabilities for brands, but integrating them at scale has become increasingly complicated. Some organizations position these functions in their IT departments, whereas others incorporate them in marketing or sales. How should you consider digital’s role in organizational structures?
Digital shelf expert Lauren Livak says that while you may integrate eCommerce into your IT department initially, it must expand throughout the business. Evaluating your organizational structure helps you determine its primary focus and consolidate digital capabilities within the specified area and the remaining departments. This should include cross-functional collaboration and involve every member of the company. With retail media extending throughout all major merchandisers, connecting your advertising efforts to digital is crucial. When considering eCommerce’s position in your business objectives, prioritize your investments to target consumers in their most frequented channels rather than distributing your ad spend based on industry trends.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Lauren Livak Gilbert, the Director of the Digital Shelf Institute, about digital’s place in organizational structures. Lauren talks about the barriers to rapid eCommerce acceleration, key shifts in organizational structures, and how to implement digital into business departments.
Tom Logan is the Co-founder and CEO of Cohley, a content generation and testing platform that helps brands create content for social ads, email marketing, websites, and more. Tom is also a member of Founders Pledge, an initiative enabling philanthropy among founders and investors. Before founding Cohley, Tom was the Director of Customer Development at Piqora and a Client Success Manager for Wildfire by Google.
In this episode… According to digital studies, 70% of in-store purchases occur from online product research. With this integration of retail and digital commerce, consumers desire authentic, interactive content. How can you optimize your product detail pages to emphasize the voice of the shopper?
As consumer shopping habits expand to both online and in-store channels, content tester Tom Logan says you must diversify content to target shoppers on their chosen platforms. Product reviews are one of the most reliable conversion drivers, so curating and emphasizing positive reviews on your PDPs is critical. You can generate authoritative content from reviews by launching product unboxing and testing videos on multiple social channels. While many brands leverage influencers to create these videos, Tom recommends using loyal customers to shift the focus from brand awareness to the voice of the shopper.
Join Aaron Conant in today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he welcomes the Co-founder and CEO of Cohley, Tom Logan, back to the show to discuss optimizing content for the shopper. Tom shares how brands can leverage authentic UGC content, how to optimize reviews to drive purchasing decisions, and considerations for generating creative content for retail media.
Tom Hileman is the Managing Partner of Digital at Global Prairie, a purpose-driven marketing firm crafting business-building solutions. He was the former President of Hileman Group, which was acquired by Global Prairie. Tom has more than 20 years of experience in the marketing and information technology space. Through various management roles and experience with organizations such as Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM, he specializes in leveraging solutions for business growth and success.
In this episode… The healthcare space collects more data about its consumers than any other industry. Additionally, healthcare has the most human error, with the second leading cause of death occurring at the hands of medical professionals. AI, automation, and other machine learning tools can rectify this issue and streamline the patient experience. How is the healthcare industry leveraging these technologies?
From operating scanning technology and analyzing patient charts to disseminating data for advertising campaigns, AI is transforming the healthcare industry. With copious data in various locations, these tools can gather, organize, manage, and store it to provide personalized patient care. However, the government has enacted strict regulations, with IP addresses and other forms of PII (personally identifiable information) being classified as PHI (protected health information). While healthcare marketers are largely restricted from collecting information for retargeting and remarketing, digital healthcare expert Tom Hileman says they can utilize this data to offer customized educational resources. By assessing and mitigating bias in machine learning, you can prioritize patient care based on needs and reduce human error.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Tom Hileman, the Managing Partner of Digital at Global Prairie, to talk about the role of digital tools in healthcare. Tom describes AI’s impact on patients and healthcare marketers, why you should be an active participant in your healthcare journey, and the leading digital trends in healthcare.
Tamara Alesi is the CEO of Mediaplus, a leading independent and partner-managed media agency. With 20 years of experience in media and marketing, she has led award-winning campaigns for notable companies, including Apple and L'Oréal. Tamara has been recognized as an industry thought leader by Adweek, eMarketer, and the Interactive Advertising Bureau. She is also a Member of Chief, a private network supporting senior women leaders.
In this episode… As consumers become increasingly sophisticated, brands have integrated online and in-store retail for a holistic experience. With eCommerce’s pervasive presence in today’s consumer-led landscape, how can you develop an advertising and media strategy to drive purchasing decisions?
Whether shopping online or in-store, consumers want a simple and accelerated experience, and with so many retail channels available, media-buying thought leader Tamara Alesi says brands must adapt to an omnichannel environment to grow their market share. Capturing consumer engagement and intent on these channels requires researching your category, recognizing customer behavior and habits, and identifying the channels with the most consumption. When allocating ad spend and creating marketing campaigns, you can measure results through relevance rather than focusing on reach.
On today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Tamara Alesi, the CEO of Mediaplus, joins Aaron Conant to talk about adapting your media strategy for the omnipresent eCommerce age. Tamara shares why brands should collaborate with agency partners, pressing marketing trends and challenges, and TikTok’s evolution from a social platform to a search engine.
Todd Hassenfelt is the eCommerce Director of Growth Strategy and Planning at Colgate-Palmolive, an innovative growth company that reimagines a healthier future for people, pets, and the planet. He has extensive leadership experience in brick-and-mortar and eCommerce channels, serving as a leader on both sales and marketing teams.
Todd has also sold some of the top brands in the US to multiple channels, including C-store, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, and eCommerce. As an eCommerce and content contributor, his articles appear in publications, including BRAVE Commerce, Ecommerce Braintrust, and The Digital Shelf Cast.
In this episode… Creating engaging content for the digital shelf is more demanding than ever as it requires refining strategies consistently to maintain relevancy and drive conversions. Generative and other AI tools allow content creators to test various approaches and gain actionable insights from the results. How can you optimize your digital shelf content using AI?
According to digital strategist Todd Hassenfelt, private, beta, generative AI tools like Ask Profitero allow you to integrate KPI data from the digital shelf, including availability, retailers, search terms, ratings, reviews, pricing, and promotions. Additionally, you can input prompts to enhance and iterate variations of PDP content with descriptions, bullet points, images, and videos. With in-store and online shopping experiences becoming increasingly centralized and brands losing consumers to competitors, optimizing your PDPs for physical screens and leveraging an AI-driven scoring system to rank content is imperative.
Join Aaron Conant in today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he welcomes Todd Hassenfelt, the eCommerce Director of Growth Strategy and Planning at Colgate-Palmolive, back to the show to discuss AI content optimization for the digital shelf. Todd shares how to create content prompts for the digital shelf, the difference between generative and traditional AI, and how to leverage generative AI to summarize product reviews and ratings.
Kevin Weiss is the Vice President of Retail Media at Skai, which powers digital advertising and market intelligence for the world’s top brands and agencies. As an executive eCommerce leader, he has helped enterprise, mid-market, SMB, and emerging businesses with their marketing efforts. Before Skai, Kevin was the VP of Growth and Strategy at Amplio Digital, where he facilitated the company’s acquisition in 2020.
In this episode… The ever-evolving retail media ecosystem has led digital marketers to experience FOMO (fear of missing out). With incrementality as a coveted retail media trend, brands are looking to incorporate it into their advertising campaigns. But this concept lacks a well-defined, universal meaning. Despite these inconsistencies, how can you harness incrementality to optimize your retail media strategy?
According to marketing industry thought leader Kevin Weiss, incrementality is subjective. Rather than following a linear process, achieving revenue results with this trend depends on unique brand strategies and goals. Determining an optimal level of incrementality requires identifying your desired growth metrics. For instance, you may benchmark incrementality against share-of-voice, top-line sales, or gross margins. Additionally, each retailer offers distinct advertising features and measurements, so you must analyze individual criteria to maximize profit.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Kevin Weiss, the VP of Retail Media at Skai, who offers clarity on incrementality in the retail media space. Kevin shares foundational strategies for incremental retail media advertising, how to run ads to boost product rankings, and the benefits of product holdout testing for retail media.
Rick Watson is the CEO and Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting, which provides eCommerce strategy consulting to help businesses accelerate their go-to-market processes. Rick founded the company after spending more than 20 years as a technology entrepreneur and operator in the eCommerce industry with companies including ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, and Pitney Bowes.
During a partnership with WHP Global, he was a critical resource in architecting the WHP+ platform, a turnkey DTC digital eCommerce platform powering AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com. Rick hosts The Watson Weekly podcast, where he shares his unbiased, expert take on the retail sector’s biggest news and executives. As a television and conference speaker, he has been featured on national news programs and many retail-focused industry events.
In this episode… Amazon Prime Day results predict how well the company will perform in Q4. If Prime Day sales are strong, it suggests that consumers are spending money and that Amazon is still a popular destination for online shopping. A lucrative Prime Day could lead to substantial sales in Q4, which is typically the most critical quarter for retailers.
However, Rick Watson, an eCommerce strategist, explains there are other factors to consider when interpreting Prime Day results. Prime Day is a promotional event that can be a false indicator of how well Amazon will perform regularly. To remain ahead of the competition, the retailer must consider that its competitors will likely offer deep discounts, too.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes the Founder and CEO of RMW Commerce Consulting, Rick Watson, back to the podcast for a holiday preview of Q4. Rick and Aaron also address growth trajectories for Amazon and brick-and-mortar, how deep discounts affect company profitability, and how re-platforming affects integration and headless eCommerce.
Jordan Brannon is the President of Coalition Technologies, a company that provides SEO services in digital marketing, design, web development, and PPC advertising. Jordan’s expertise in digital strategies has shaped his career for more than a decade, where he focused on developing solutions that allow for more qualified leads, better traffic conversion, and SEO optimization.
In this episode… Shopify is pivoting to compete with prominent online marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. This summer, the platform has released many new offerings, including AI products with an emphasis on entrepreneurs and small businesses. With so many retail options and capabilities on the market, how can you determine if Shopify is right for your business?
As Shopify gains dominance in the market, the platform has positioned itself as a leading choice for brands by solving their most pressing challenges. Yet with this authority, Shopify can market to any audience, forcing brands to share their customers. For some companies, this is a viable growth opportunity, but others struggle to demonstrate value. With deep insight into eCommerce marketplace performance, Jordan Brannon recommends viewing Shopify as a separate strategy from your website storefront to acquire diverse audiences. Digitally native brands with engaging content and strong marketing campaigns benefit significantly from this platform.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, President of Coalition Technologies Jordan Brannon returns to speak with Aaron Conant about Shopify’s growth. Jordan shares advice for transitioning to alternative platforms, unique use cases for AI, and Shopify’s plans to expand its offerings.
Declan Kearney is the CEO and Founder of Digital Commerce Global (DCG), a company empowering brand leaders to make informed decisions on investing in digital commerce capabilities. He is also an advisor for private equity and venture capital firms. With over 20 years of experience, Declan has seen the ever-evolving landscape of eCommerce and has been at the forefront of driving success for consumer brands. Having witnessed the successes and failures of consumer brands’ efforts to optimize online sales and market share, Declan pioneers industry standards in digital commerce capabilities. Before DCG, he was the Managing Director of Ascential.
In this episode… In 2022, digital commerce grew by 8.9%, making omnichannel strategies pivotal to brand success. Yet the high-growth turbulence has forced executive teams to focus on supply chain disturbances and budget cuts, preventing them from integrating eCommerce capabilities. How can you consolidate your approaches to benchmark them effectively?
With firsthand involvement in Asia’s digital commerce market, Declan Kearney recognizes that brands’ most pressing concerns involve communication discrepancies between executive teams, selecting tech stacks, and navigating the digital divide. He recommends articulating cross-functional channel strategies throughout your organization. Additionally, brands often analyze ineffective metrics when rationalizing tech stacks for their eCommerce strategies, so assessing comparable markets is crucial in identifying traffic and developing new benchmarks.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Declan Kearney, the Founder and CEO of Digital Commerce Global (DCG), about establishing metrics for eCommerce capabilities. Declan shares why you should support digital teams in eCommerce efforts, Amazon’s influence on digital commerce, and top benchmarks for retail media.
Chase Alderton is the Senior Partner and Field Marketing Manager at Recharge, which helps merchants launch and scale their subscription businesses by turning one-time buyers into loyal repeat customers. In his role, he works with the Recharge Agency Partner network. Chase has held multiple positions at Recharge, including Marketing Associate and Partner Marketing Manager. He also hosts the Hit Subscribe podcast, which shares stories of entrepreneurs scaling eCommerce businesses.
In this episode… Customer lifetime value and retention remain top-of-mind as brands spend their advertising dollars generating website leads and conversions. Subscription programs are optimal for acquiring customer loyalty, but companies must structure them accordingly to accelerate profitability. How should you leverage subscriptions for your business model?
eCommerce professional Chase Alderton observes three distinct types of subscription models. Subscribe and save programs offer customers discounts on repeat purchases, while subscription boxes are products curated to consumer preferences. The most overlooked yet fruitful offering is the membership model, which requires customers to sign up to receive exclusive access to deals, promotions, and support. Optimizing these offerings requires upselling and cross-selling products by building a community of brand advocates. You can also employ various communication touchpoints to deliver additional value.
Join Aaron Conant in today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he speaks with Chase Alderton, Recharge’s Senior Partner and Field Marketing Manager, about building subscription models for customer retention and lifetime value. Chase shares strategies for boosting subscription revenue, examples of effective subscription models, and the importance of experimenting with various subscription programs.
Zach Riegle is the VP of Sales and Marketing at Blue Wheel Media, an omnichannel digital commerce agency delivering end-to-end D2C, retail, and marketplace solutions. He has held various roles at Blue Wheel, including Director of Digital Strategy and Director of Business Development. With experience in SEO, content, marketing automation, Amazon, social media, and digital strategy, Zach develops online strategies focused on eCommerce and lead generation.
In this episode… In the digital marketing landscape, traditional creative strategies involve generating a comprehensive brand video for multiple social platforms. But this lacks consideration for audience segmentation and the nuances within each platform. How can you develop a digital-first creative strategy to increase conversions and ROI?
Instead of reshooting videos and editing choppy footage, digital creative involves strategizing how to optimize content for each channel before developing a campaign. Digital marketer Zach Riegle maintains that each social platform has exclusive engagement methods, so you must produce consistent content to convey a cohesive brand story. For instance, TikTok is distinguished by social communities, so identifying and capitalizing on trends is crucial to reach target audiences. Ultimately, video content should generate at least a 20% click-through rate, where audiences watch three or more seconds, enhancing campaign efficiency.
Join Aaron Conant in this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he welcomes Zach Riegle, Blue Wheel Media’s VP of Sales and Marketing, who talks about the importance of digital creative strategies. Zach addresses how to analyze digital creative campaigns, techniques for generating TikTok content, and the future of TV advertising.
Adam Gausepohl is the CEO and Head of Creative and Social Strategy at PopShorts, a social media strategy and influencer marketing agency. As a leader in the social marketing space, he serves as a judge of The Shorty Awards, The Webby Awards, and The Lovie Awards. Adam was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 finalist in marketing and advertising and has crafted award-winning campaigns for the world’s largest brands, studios, and agencies. His past clients include NBC, Sony, Geico, Chase, Nordstrom, Ford, and Adobe.
In this episode… Despite reports of a potential ban, TikTok remains one of the leading social media platforms, so brands must develop a strategy to engage their audiences. Influencer marketing has a high success rate on the platform, but selecting an ideal creator to boost campaign performance is essential. How can you optimize this approach to maximize ROAS and sales?
Social media strategist Adam Gausepohl affirms that creating a viral video is not a necessary component in generating sales. Instead, you should identify a campaign objective so the TikTok algorithm displays your videos to the appropriate audience. When evaluating influencers, Adam recommends selecting creators who market to your target audience and align with your brand goals. Creating a high-performing campaign requires collaborating with creators to integrate your messaging with their style.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Adam Gausepohl, the CEO and Head of Creative and Social Strategy at PopShorts, to discuss best practices for influencer marketing. Adam shares how to generate audience engagement on TikTok, key metrics for evaluating TikTok campaign performance, and how influencer marketing has evolved.
Gautam Kanumuru is the Co-founder and CEO of Yogi, a product sentiment analysis platform that enables brands to gain deeper visibility into customer feedback and voice-of-customer. With a background in AI and natural language processing, he played a crucial role in developing Microsoft products, including Cortana and Xbox. Before co-founding Yogi, Gautam was the Vice President of Engineering at Clarke.ai and a Program Manager at Microsoft.
In this episode… As the digital space becomes increasingly competitive, brands are harnessing customer-centric, data-driven growth strategies. Reviews and ratings have unexplored potential to implement rich feedback from shoppers, but this data source is underutilized as most brands emphasize insights from potential purchasers rather than existing customers. How are leading brands capitalizing on customer sentiment analysis to optimize products and drive sales?
According to product sentiment specialist Gautam Kanumuru, reviews and ratings are more than a measurement of volume. Rather, these data sets provide insight into your products, enabling you to develop and improve PDPs, reframe product messaging based on majority feedback, and create ad campaigns for new product launches. A robust customer sentiment analysis approach involves utilizing automated platforms like Yogi to aggregate, prioritize, and disseminate data to meet customer expectations effectively.
Join Aaron Conant in this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he hosts Gautam Kanumuru, Yogi’s Co-founder and CEO, to address the value of reviews and ratings for product innovations and brand growth. Gautam shares best practices for evaluating reviews and ratings, how to experiment with AI for review analytics, and how data aggregation facilitates business growth.
Hannah Blackburn is the Co-founder and Director of The Hawkers Club, a company that helps vendors and sellers solve their most pressing challenges and navigate eCommerce marketplaces, including Amazon and Target. In her role, Hannah advises online sellers and vendors on how to directly position their brands and value offerings as Amazon partners to increase profitability and revenue.
Before co-founding The Hawkers Club, she joined Amazon as a brand specialist with an initial focus on vendor excellence and marketing before transitioning to stock management and profitability. Since she’s written the business logic powering some of the algorithms that run Amazon, Hannah knows how you can systematically make profitable decisions that Amazon’s algorithms reward.
In this episode… As brands seek to maximize profitability on Amazon, hidden fees, overcharges, and shortages remain a prevailing concern within the platform. How can you identify and address these chargebacks to structure your account spending?
Although you may have a plan in place to mitigate chargebacks and shortages, Amazon expert and accounting veteran Hannah Blackburn says you can leverage additional strategies to safeguard your vendor central account. Amazon places fines and claims on each of its services that brands must recover. These include cost price claims, shipping costs for returns, unjustified provisional rates, overcharges on trading terms, and high direct fulfillment freight costs. When disputing these oversights, it’s essential to prepare invoices and present precise account data to prove your claims. You can also leverage Amazon’s various incentives to facilitate the dispute process.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Hannah Blackburn, the Co-founder and Director of The Hawkers Club, to discuss how to dispute Amazon fines. Hannah explains how to identify chargebacks, shortages, and fees on Amazon, considerations for fulfillment-related charges and shortages, and how to use automation to monitor purchase orders.
Michael Zakkour is the Founder and Chief Strategist at 5 New Digital, a consultancy that advises clients on strategy, structure, implementation, and transformation in the digital realm. Michael has over 20 years of experience in eCommerce, specializing in digital transformation, data science, the China/APAC market, digital commerce, and new retail strategy. He is also the Founder and Managing Director of China BrightStar, LLC. As an author and speaker, Michael has been interviewed for The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NPR, the BBC, and many other media outlets.
In this episode… As the digital landscape evolves to include modern technology and performance-driven marketing strategies, brands are looking to increase profitability, drive conversions, and maintain customer loyalty. With so many trends influencing these factors, it’s tough to know where to begin. How can you adapt to the disrupted eCommerce and retail spaces to boost the customer experience and streamline growth?
Digital-savvy marketing strategist Michael Zakkour stresses the importance of unifying online and offline channels to scale sustainably and elevate the customer journey. This involves integrating supply chain operations, content, and marketing to develop an immersive retail experience that includes 3D product images and augmented reality stores, increasing conversions and reducing customer acquisition costs. Michael also cites the value of AI in personalizing customer recommendations and strengthening experiential commerce.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Michael Zakkour, the Founder and Chief Strategist at 5 New Digital, to discuss unified and immersive commerce. Michael explains how immersive commerce differs from the Metaverse, how to create experiential retail experiences, and how to integrate online and offline retail to drive growth.
Corey Apirian is the CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, a full-service logistics company that uses technology and partners with brands and retailers to help market, sell, fulfill, and ship their products. As an accomplished supply chain and operations leader, Corey has over 15 years of senior management experience. With more than 20 years of experience in the eCommerce fulfillment industry, Corey has been drop shipping for every major retailer since 2004 and has launched over 50 different subcategories through individual online and brick-and-mortar channels.
In this episode… As Amazon’s marketplace becomes progressively convoluted, brands are amplifying their advertising and marketing strategies. But with customer acquisition and ad costs rising, this tactic is insufficient for generating influence, so brands must leverage hyperlocal fulfillment centers to enable 1-2 day deliveries. How can you optimize these micro facilities to enhance the customer experience and remain top of mind?
When structuring your D2C business, logistics specialist Corey Apirian emphasizes diversifying your inventory by utilizing multiple micro fulfillment centers, including Amazon Direct. This promotes agility and allows for precise control of inventory through your network. You can strengthen your fulfillment strategy by incorporating order management and checkout optimization software to reduce inventory shortages and costs. It’s also essential to evaluate the KPIs for each potential 3PL and local carrier facility to ensure they possess these capabilities.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes the CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, Corey Apirian, back to the show to discuss how brands can adapt to Amazon’s fulfillment model. Corey addresses strategies for evaluating 3PLs, how to integrate marketing, product assortment, and delivery into your DTC model, and Flexport’s acquisition of Shopify Logistics.
Udayan Bose is the Founder and CEO of NetElixir, a digital marketing agency designed to help the growth of eCommerce businesses, B2B companies, and retail brands through strategic solutions and an AI-powered platform. Udayan is also the Co-founder of The Udaan Trust, a nonprofit foundation of NetElixir that supports underprivileged young women in India to pursue their education goals and build successful careers.
In this episode… When it comes to Google searches, approximately 20% of customers venture past the first results page. Consequently, the platform has monetized that page, obstructing results and compromising brand visibility and discovery. The emergence of ChatGPT and generative AI further complicates search marketing efforts, as customers receive answers instantly. How can brands get ahead of these new developments to improve success with the technology?
According to digital marketing and AI specialist Udayan Bose, fully comprehending a new technological advancement takes two to five years. To expedite the process, he says organizations must dismantle departmental silos and encourage all team members to exchange ideas, experiment, and innovate. Although failure can be inevitable in this tumultuous landscape, this approach facilitates learning and growth. As search marketing evolves with ChatGPT, you can also input brand-specific prompts to train the software and assess your processes for future integration and automation.
NetElixir’s Founder and CEO, Udayan Bose, is Aaron Conant’s guest on this episode of The Digital Deep Dive to discuss generative AI’s impact on search marketing. Udayan also shares how experimentation and collaboration facilitate AI adaptation, the effect of conversational search on traditional search results, and his framework for navigating the evolving search ad landscape.
Jon Reily is the SVP of Commerce and Loyalty at Bounteous, a leading global digital experience consultancy. In his role, he leads Bounteous’ Commerce Center of Excellence, providing best practices, thought leadership, and co-innovation for brands. With more than 20 years of experience in the digital space, Jon is a Top 100 Retail Influencer, an eCommerce expert, and a UX/CX specialist. Before Bounteous, he was the Head of User Experience and eCommerce Design at Amazon, where he played a role in the platform’s growth and served as a voice for strong customer experiences and accessible eCommerce.
In this episode… Although the digital space has transformed considerably in the past four years, many brands haven’t adapted their strategies. Some utilize antiquated customer acquisition strategies by offering loyalty programs that benefit the business rather than the customer. Yet 20% of a brand’s customer base generates 80% of its revenue, and while the average consumer enrolls in 14 loyalty programs, they only use seven. How can you retain your existing customers by meeting their demands?
Customer experience veteran Jon Reily advises against employing customer loyalty programs. Instead, loyalty involves creating positive experiences to help customers resolve their most pressing concerns, keeping you top of mind in your category. You can leverage the customer lifetime value flywheel to generate existing consumer loyalty by personalizing content and accessing and managing data to assess experiences and make informed decisions.
Jon Reily, SVP of Commerce and Loyalty at Bounteous, joins Aaron Conant in this episode of The Digital Deep Dive to discuss customer loyalty and the lifetime value flywheel. Jon talks about the barriers to customer personalization, optimizing the flywheel through content creation and customer feedback, and how to access and organize customer data.
Dries Buytaert is the Founder, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer, and Board Member of Acquia, a venture-backed software company offering products and services for Drupal, an open-source website-building platform he founded and leads. Honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, he has also been recognized as CTO of the Year by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council and a Young Innovator by MIT Technology Review, among other recognitions. Before Acquia and Drupal, Dries was the CEO and Founder of Mollom, which Acquia acquired.
In this episode… With digital transformation becoming increasingly prevalent, composable architecture has gained traction in the eCommerce landscape. Yet there’s uncertainty surrounding this concept as organizations struggle to transition from monolithic systems to more flexible software. So what does composability entail, and how can you pivot and adapt to this solution to prepare for the digitally native future?
For Dries Buytaert, composable commerce is a philosophy involving an organization’s ability to acclimate to evolving business needs by incorporating various tech stack components into a comprehensive application. This requires evaluating multiple modules from assorted vendors, testing their synergy, and exchanging them to ensure your system remains agile. But composability extends beyond mere architecture to include no and low-code approaches, which entails unifying content, data, and team participation to create ubiquitous customer and business experiences.
Aaron Conant sits down with Acquia’s Founder, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer, and Board Member, Dries Buytaert, in this episode of The Digital Deep Dive to talk about composable commerce approaches. Dries explains how MACH (microservices-based, API-first, Cloud-native, and headless) differs from composability, content management strategies for composable architecture, and how to adapt to composable commerce solutions.
Martin Heubel is the Strategy and Amazon Consultant at Consulterce, a strategy consultancy helping B2C household and CPG brands increase their 1P vendor profits on Amazon. As the founder, he has over five years of experience assisting CPG and household brands to master their bottom line. Before Consulterce, Martin was a Senior Category Manager at Amazon, where he helped brands such as Nestle and Mars turn their digital retail operations into high-performing, eight-figure accounts.
In this episode… During Q4 in 2022, Amazon withdrew inventory to prevent overstocking, disrupting availability and trade relationships between brands, Amazon, and suppliers. With this risk aversion impacting supply and demand, how can brands remain savvy to sustain inventory and profits?
According to Amazon consultant Martin Heubel, Amazon Vendor Negotiations (AVN) are crucial in developing an operational strategy for the coming year. During these mediations, Amazon determines fair trade agreements, including product pricing and margins, that brands must observe to prevent listing removals, Buy Box suspension, and inventory shortages. Maintaining stock and profitability requires analyzing your portfolio structure to mitigate risk and engaging with Amazon throughout the year. It’s imperative to understand and manage your margins, orders, catalogs, and financials to communicate market value and stay relevant.
Martin Heubel, Strategy and Amazon Consultant at Consulterce, is Aaron Conant’s guest on today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive. They discuss the current and future states of Amazon’s business model. Martin also shares how brands can maintain inventory in 2023, advice for winning AVNs, and how the platform’s risk aversion affects brands.
Franz Jordan is the General Manager and Vice President of Perpetua, a SaaS platform that helps brands, media agencies, and Amazon sellers improve ad performance through AI-powered automation. He has nearly 10 years of experience as an entrepreneur in the Amazon, eCommerce, and market intelligence spaces. Before Perpetua, Franz was the Co-founder and CEO of Sellics, the premier provider of AI-powered B2B SaaS solutions that Perpetua acquired.
In this episode… Advertising is becoming increasingly complex as platforms seek to drive revenue by increasing ad volume and value. With so many factors influencing ROAS and sales, how can you leverage the precise data and strategies to outperform competitors and maintain relevance?
Market intelligence expert Franz Jordan urges brands to analyze long-term, holistic performance data on multiple advertising formats, including DSP and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC). This data should encompass acquisition costs and customer lifetime value. Yet brand-specific data and goals aren’t sufficient enough to optimize ad performance, so Franz recommends leveraging market-aware and competitive intelligence by evaluating pricing, top-selling ASINS, product reviews, and keyword rankings.
Join Aaron Conant in today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he sits down with Franz Jordan, General Manager and VP of Perpetua, to talk about competitive and market-aware advertising strategies. Franz also shares how brands should consider the evolving ad landscape, how to leverage AMC, and cutting-edge strategies to differentiate yourself from competitors.
Todd Hassenfelt is the eCommerce Director of Growth Strategy and Planning at Colgate-Palmolive, an innovative growth company that reimagines a healthier future for people, pets, and the planet. He has extensive leadership experience in brick-and-mortar and eCommerce channels, serving as a leader on both sales and marketing teams.
Todd has also sold some of the top brands in the US to multiple channels, including C-store, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, and eCommerce. As an eCommerce and content contributor, his articles appear in publications, including BRAVE Commerce, Ecommerce Braintrust, and The Digital Shelf Cast.
In this episode… Chat GPT’s widespread adoption has initiated the release of GPT-4, with capabilities extending far beyond text to include images and videos. GPT-4’s potential has opened up additional opportunities for workflow efficiencies and creativity. What should you consider about this revolutionary technology, and how can you apply it in your organization?
Todd Hassenfelt maintains that adopting GPT-4 requires a delicate balance between use case opportunities and risk mitigation to avoid copyright infringements and other lawsuits. Once you’ve executed the appropriate due diligence with your legal team, you can leverage GPT-4 to analyze product reviews, optimize content, and personalize ads for consumers. For instance, this generative AI can examine a product detail page to determine common themes among customer reviews. It can also recommend top keywords for SEO.
Todd Hassenfelt, eCommerce Director of Growth Strategy and Planning at Colgate-Palmolive, joins Aaron Conant in today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive to talk about how GPT-4 is disrupting generative AI. Todd mentions how brands can implement GPT-4, generative AI’s role in customer personalization, and how to train generative AI models.
Andrew Lipsman is the Principal Analyst at Insider Intelligence, the leading research, data, and insights provider helping companies maximize revenue, optimize ad spend, and anticipate digital disruption. In his role, he reports on retail and eCommerce, following trends, including holiday shopping, retail media, social commerce, DTC brands, and leading marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. Andrew has spoken at multiple conventions, including Big Show, Shoptalk, and Groceryshop. He is quoted frequently by publications, such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times.
In this episode… Retail media has monopolized the digital advertising landscape, and major retailers are developing ad networks to compete with Amazon. Walmart is the second largest media system with a $6 ROAS, and Target and Instacart aren’t far behind. Given the recent growth and competition, omnichannel strategies are essential to profit in this evolving space. So how should you structure your advertising efforts to prepare for impending retail media developments?
Digital analyst Andrew Lipsman has observed three key drivers of retail media. With prominent retailers like Walmart and Target optimizing the customer experience, brands must ascend the advertising funnel by leveraging onsite media to deliver ads across social platforms and TV streaming. Traditionally, brands have analyzed ROAS for online sales. Now, you can capitalize on in-store retail media and attribution data to drive offline sales. But Andrew warns against over-personalizing in-store advertising to risk losing customer trust. Instead, develop brand awareness by incorporating on-screen QR codes that tap into loyalty programs and encourage purchases across multiple channels.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Andrew Lipsman, Principal Analyst at Insider Intelligence, about the current and future state of retail media. Andrew also talks about AI’s role in data analytics, the challenges retailers face when developing ad networks, and the ideal metrics for optimizing ad spend.
Jacob Harrison is the Director of eCommerce Investment Strategy at CMI Media Group, a full-service media agency specializing in strategic healthcare marketing. For more than eight years, he has launched, developed, and implemented some of the largest marketing programs in the retail, finance, and consumer goods spaces. Jacob has built and led world-class teams and driven significant growth for agencies, including Sparkroom and retailers such as Toys R Us and DSW.
In this episode… In recent years, retail media has dominated the digital landscape, and various industries, including consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fashion, have pioneered major advertising networks to market and sell their products. DTC channels provide viable opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry to target consumers and improve the healthcare experience. But Rx distribution is heavily regulated as brands must comply with HIPAA and other data privacy laws. So what’s the most effective way to employ eCommerce marketing to build brand awareness?
Healthcare has experienced a significant shift to digital with online patient forms, virtual doctor visits, and more. Jacob Harrison says that brands can leverage patients’ growing familiarity with digital to offer information on medications and provide seamless prescription refills. Partnering with leading pharma retailers like Walgreens and CVS allows you to capitalize on consumer data to develop targeted ads, maximizing conversions and ROI.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Jacob Harrison, Director of eCommerce Investment Strategy, to talk about how the healthcare industry is utilizing eCommerce to enhance the patient experience. Jacob also shares how organizations are leveraging ad networks to market products, the limitations of pharmaceutical distribution, and the importance of a digital R&D budget.
Rick Watson is the CEO and Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting, which provides eCommerce strategy consulting to help businesses accelerate their go-to-market processes. Rick founded the company after spending more than 20 years as a technology entrepreneur and operator in the eCommerce industry with companies including ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, and Pitney Bowes.
During a partnership with WHP Global, he was a critical resource in architecting the WHP+ platform, a turnkey DTC digital eCommerce platform powering AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com. Rick hosts The Watson Weekly podcast, where he shares his unbiased, expert take on the retail sector’s biggest news and executives. As a television and conference speaker, he has been featured on national news programs and many retail-focused industry events.
In this episode… The eCommerce business is evolving and becoming more extensive. Amazon is no longer the exclusive selling channel, as brands are beginning to experiment with Walmart and Target’s online marketplaces. So what should you consider about these stores, and how can you diversify your brand to reach a wider audience?
Walmart’s eCommerce channel experienced a higher yearly growth rate than Amazon, with the platform growing 12% in 2022. Yet Walmart is still a growing channel, so Rick Watson warns not to overspend or allocate every resource there. Target offers one to two-day drop-shipping capabilities, and although the emerging marketplace is promising, its categories are broad and unregulated. As a DTC (direct-to-consumer) brand, it’s critical to consider your target audience’s shopping habits and expand your products into multiple marketplaces to attract new consumers.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Rick Watson, CEO and Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting, back to the show to discuss eCommerce marketplace trends. Rick also addresses considerations for selling DTC, AI’s role in UGC (user-generated content), and how he helps entrepreneurs build their eCommerce businesses.
Tim Armstrong is the Founder and CEO of Flowcode, a QR code generator platform for DTC companies. He was the former President of Google Americas, where he built and led the platform from a SaaS search provider to one of the largest ad businesses in the world. Tim was also the Chairman and CEO of AOL, where he helped establish the site as a content company before selling it to Verizon for $4.4 billion. During his time at AOL, he was named by Fortune magazine as one of the 40 Under 40.
In this episode… The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and brands must adapt to new trends and regulations in advertising and data collection. Consumer relationships, engagement, and trust remain at the core of these rapid developments. So how can you optimize first-party data to keep consumers top of mind?
Advertising has become commoditized, and brands are exchanging first-party data with competitive companies, consequently undermining brand and customer value. Instead, Tim Armstrong says to regain control of consumer data by identifying its use and location. Understanding this information allows you to monitor real-time traffic on your ads or marketing campaigns and interact with your audience to foster transparent relationships and deliver value.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant invites Tim Armstrong, Founder and CEO of Flowcode, to speak about how brands can provide consumer value in the volatile digital ecosystem. Tim also addresses the multi-touch attribution model’s potential, AI’s impact on digital business, and how to navigate regulatory compliance during data collection.
Michael Southworth is the Co-founder and CEO of Elemerce, a full-service eCommerce marketing agency that has successfully launched and developed several multimillion-dollar eCommerce brands. Elemerce’s team specializes in marketing, SEO, consumer products, eCommerce trends, and Amazon’s marketplace to help clients reach their goals, increase brand equity, and elevate their Amazon sales. As a connector, entrepreneur, and investor, Michael has created successful businesses in fashion, packaging, marketing, and entrepreneurial networking.
In this episode… Funding for small businesses has become more difficult to acquire. As a result, startups aren’t vetting their options and are accepting opportunities from aggregators whose primary goals are to close deals and expand their portfolios. So what's the best way of obtaining capital for your brand?
Michael Southworth advises identifying an end goal for your business. Whether you’re looking to exit or obtain capital for growth, developing an objective helps you determine an ideal funding method. One of the most valuable funding models you can leverage is partnerships. Strategic partners provide resources and expertise to optimize your business operations and maximize its value for potential investors, allowing your plans to materialize.
Join Aaron Conant in today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he sits down with Michael Southworth, Co-founder and CEO of Elemerce, to talk about funding models for startups. Michael also addresses market trends in the brand acquisition space, how to acquire partners to maximize your business value, and the key criteria for brand success.
Tom Logan is the Co-founder and CEO of Cohley, a content generation and testing platform that helps brands create content for social ads, email marketing, websites, and more. Tom is also a member of Founders Pledge, an initiative enabling philanthropy among founders and investors. Before founding Cohley, Tom was the Director of Customer Development at Piqora and a Client Success Manager for Wildfire by Google.
In this episode… As content creation grows more expensive, brands are beginning to reduce their budgets. But this introduces risks since content is essential for channel diversification, audience reach, and in-ad optimization. So how can you enhance your content budget to maximize growth?
When developing content to boost brand performance and visibility, Tom Logan emphasizes the value of testing and learning. With the rise of new digital channels, you have to leverage various approaches to position your brand and determine the appropriate channels to allocate spending. It’s also beneficial to analyze KPIs and advertising data so you can guide strategies and refine content. User-generated, short-form videos on Instagram and TikTok effectively generate engagement and results.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Tom Logan, Co-founder and CEO of Cohley, back to the show to talk about why brands shouldn’t cut content budgets. Tom discusses how brands can optimize content budgets, the key factors influencing brands’ decision-making, and the importance of developing an R&D budget for testing and learning.
George Wescott is the Founder, CEO, and Managing Partner at A-Ventures Global (AVG), a private equity portfolio focused on technology solutions and services for eCommerce optimization. As a digital pioneer, he has over 25 years of experience developing and managing high-performing digital marketplaces, brands, and communities. George is an investor and holds multiple technology board and advisory roles at companies, including Equity Commerce, ChangeUp, and Humming.
In this episode… Digital transformation is on the rise, and Amazon sellers must remain savvy to optimize their accounts. One viable solution is eCommerce integrations, which involve hiring expert talent to facilitate change or integrating new technology into your architecture. But talent acquisition costs are exorbitant, and retaining these employees is often ineffective. So how can you integrate new systems to maximize your value chain?
According to George Wescott, there are two types of eCommerce systems: a monolithic system, where each component is combined into one large application or a multiple-application system. Monolithic systems are antiquated, so it’s more common for seller central accounts to utilize a tech stack with 15-30 applications. When transitioning to a multi-app, integrated system, George says it’s critical to consider a best-in-class tech stack that’s API-first and can consolidate software seamlessly.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with George Wescott, Founder, CEO, and Managing Partner at A-Venture, to talk about eCommerce and technology integrations. George explains how eCommerce and technology integrations will evolve in the future, which new technology companies should consider, and Buy with Prime’s role in the developing marketplace.
Saoud Khalifah is the Founder, CEO, and CTO of Fakespot, an online service that detects fake reviews and misinformation using AI. Since 2016, 20 million people have used this free service to analyze reviews on Amazon, Best Buy, Sephora, Walmart, and Yelp. Saoud was on the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Retail and eCommerce. Before founding Fakespot, he was a Software Engineer at Goldman Sachs.
In this episode… When shopping online, 90% of consumers consider product reviews and ratings before making a purchase. But 30% of reviews are fraudulent, either generated by a robot or paid individuals. So what does this entail for the future of eCommerce, and how can you mitigate scammers to boost sales?
Artificial content is becoming increasingly prevalent, and reviews are only a portion of the problem. Amazon and other marketplaces are doing little to prevent fraudulent activity, resulting in a loss of trust among consumers. To protect your brand, Saoud Khalifah advises building loyalty upon initial launch. The most authentic businesses have a simple and modest online presence in which real customers leave reviews that display brand loyalty.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Saoud Khalifah, Founder, CEO, and CTO of Fakespot, about how fraudulent reviews impact eCommerce businesses. Saoud discusses the types of review manipulations, how brands can address fraudulent reviews, and the future of online marketplaces amid scams.
John Ghiorso is the Senior Vice President of eCommerce at Media.Monks, a global marketing services company. He is also the CEO and Founder of Orca Pacific, a full-service Amazon and eCommerce agency that brings cutting-edge strategies and managed services to over 100 industry-leading brands, including Reebok, Godiva, Levi, and Mars. The company completed a merger with Media.Monks in 2020.
In his role, John leads Media.Monk’s performance and enterprise teams which are composed of former Amazonians and top industry experts. With a decade of Amazon expertise, he has built a reputation for approximating industry reactions and forecasting shifts within Amazon’s marketplace. John’s insights have been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Vox, and Modern Retail.
In this episode… Amazon pioneered eCommerce and retail media, leading other retailers to follow suit. Yet, these platforms are becoming commoditized and competitive, so brands need to develop sound strategies to remain relevant. How can you optimize eCommerce and retail media to maximize profitability?
John Ghiorso warns against over-advertising on your website because it can diminish the customer experience by reducing site performance. Instead, he recommends establishing a unified retail media strategy that encompasses multiple channels. This entails collaborating with cross-functional teams and analyzing key KPIs to diversify your retail media budget, thereby increasing cumulative ROI.
Join Aaron Conant on today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he welcomes John Ghiorso, Senior Vice President of eCommerce at Media.Monks, to address retail media trends and projections for 2023. John explains Amazon’s role in retail media and eCommerce, how to optimize ads on your eCommerce site, and the importance of developing a unified retail media strategy.
Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at Path to Purchase Institute. With over 11 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs.
Oskar Kaszubski is the Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer at firstmovr and a Digital Advisor and Investor at Shop Crated, LLC. As a global eCommerce leader, he has over 16 years of experience leading eCommerce and digital transformation for global, midsize, and startup organizations. Oskar’s track record of transforming companies with global footprints, complex markets, and diverse cultures includes launching over 40 DTC eCommerce stores for notable brands, negotiating customer agreements with Amazon, and creating innovative new customer experiences.
In this episode… eCommerce as a concept is daunting, with professionals struggling to understand digital product launches and same-day deliveries. Yet, this rapidly evolving space demands a certain level of organizational change and management. As a first mover navigating the tumultuous digital world, how can you educate your team to facilitate digital transformation?
According to Chris Perry and Oskar Kaszubski, the most common growth barrier eCommerce companies face is siloed teams. This occurs because businesses haven’t modified their goals to accommodate future transformation. When dismantling silos, it’s necessary to collect performance measurements of each function in an organization. But true change transpires when eCommerce leaders remain involved in operations and embrace the learning curve that accompanies digital organization.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Chris Perry and Oskar Kaszubski of firstmovr to talk about digital change management and organizational development. Together, they cover how to educate eCommerce executives on change management, the importance of accountability, personal measurement, and growth, and eCommerce leaders’ biggest pain points.
Tyler Gregg is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Ampd, an ad automation toolkit that enables brands to launch expert Google Ads to Amazon campaigns. Ampd began as a data science company helping DTC brands leverage Google analytics and advertising data. During his seven-year tenure at the company, Tyler has held various roles, including Strategic Business Development Manager, Head of Growth, and Director of Operations. Before Ampd, he was a Product Manager at Altus Alliance.
In this episode… Paid media and customer acquisition costs are exorbitant, and Amazon is overtaking the digital landscape with the highest conversion rates. As brands struggle to keep pace with these rapid developments, how can you structure your advertising budget to drive traffic to Amazon?
When assessing how to spend your paid media dollars, Tyler Gregg recommends diversifying your advertising budget by investing in multiple channels. This requires conducting keyword and product research to determine where your customers are going. For instance, you may find higher traffic for a specific product on Google Ads, so converting those consumers to your Amazon storefront is essential. By leveraging traffic on other platforms, you can optimize your ad spend and maximize conversion rates.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Tyler Gregg, VP of Strategic Initiatives at Ampd, to talk about converting traffic from Google Ads to Amazon. Tyler discusses the importance of diversifying advertising budgets, how to leverage brand initiatives to optimize Amazon ad campaigns, and key takeaways from Amazon Ads’ unBoxed 2022.
Destaney Wishon is the Co-founder and CEO of BetterAMS, an advertising services firm that helps brands increase their advertising sales on Amazon. She started at BetterAMS as an Account Executive, where she provided perspective on new industry standards for brands’ eCommerce strategies. Destaney is passionate about providing in-depth, strategic recommendations on sponsored products, brands, and displays, and DSP. As an Amazon advertising thought leader, she has spoken in over 9,000 podcasts and events.
In this episode… Amazon Advertising has become costly, and brands are struggling to allocate their budgets and optimize campaigns to drive conversions. So, what metrics should you consider when structuring your advertising campaigns to maximize return-on-ad-spend (ROAS)?
Amazon Ads expert Destaney Wishon advises against leveraging metrics like Amazon’s new-to-brand and recommends analyzing search term reports instead. This metric provides accurate conversion and loyalty rates by enabling you to view and distinguish between branded and non-branded searches. Destaney also utilizes cost-per-click (CPC) and ROAS to assess and categorize each campaign.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Destaney Wishon, Co-founder and CEO of BetterAMS, about Amazon Advertising campaigns. Destaney also discusses how brands should structure their advertising budgets, how to leverage external marketing campaigns to drive traffic to Amazon, and the common mistakes brands make when maximizing conversions.
Charlie Hull is the Managing Consultant at OpenSource Connections, a search, discovery, and analytics firm focusing on software development and technology consulting. He is the co-author of Searching the Enterprise and is a member of the Search Network, a group of independent search professionals who release regular, free reports on search. Before joining OpenSource, Charlie was the Owner and Managing Director of Flax, which provided high-performance search engine technology for media monitoring systems.
In this episode… With the surge in eCommerce, users have turned to onsite search to streamline the shopping process. Yet, search is highly inaccurate, with discrepancies in search terms between consumers and brands. So, how can you structure your search content to improve the onsite search experience?
According to search expert Charlie Hull, the most fundamental step you should take when optimizing search results is analyzing your queries to measure the quality of each search term. This allows you to recognize the common search terms consumers are using and update your search engines and product descriptions to reflect them. Charlie emphasizes the value of hiring an in-house search team to evaluate search platforms, gain control over your search terms, and make informed decisions.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Charlie Hull, Managing Consultant at OpenSource Connections, about improving onsite search. Charlie also explains the challenges of onsite search, how to structure content to improve onsite search, and strategies for optimizing and evaluating search engines.
Garrett Bluhm is the Co-founder and CEO of Drafted Commerce, an online retail brand advertising and media agency supporting full-service Amazon agencies, Amazon Advertising, Amazon DSP, and various major retailers. He founded Drafted Commerce as a way to provide a data-driven approach to helping private equity companies identify opportunities, validate acquisitions, and help brands build internal capabilities.
With extensive digital and leadership experience, Garrett has consulted and facilitated execution on over 85 brands in the eCommerce and retail space and advised eight commerce tech and SaaS companies. He has helped dozens of Fortune 100 companies structure and establish their in-house digital capabilities.
In this episode… Q4 has brought about a decline in purchase orders (POs) and inventory shortages on Amazon. With these pressing issues, brands need to evaluate 1P and 3P fulfillment methods to anticipate Amazon regulations and avoid shutdowns next year. So, how can you determine the best fulfillment method for your brand?
Although Amazon has not yet initiated a mandatory full transition from 1P to 3P, Garrett Bluhm urges brands to weigh their options. Your first evaluation strategy should be to develop a profit and loss (P&L) strategy for each fulfillment method. This requires performing a complete assessment of available inventory, shipping costs, and product pricing. Then you can analyze FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) or FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant) costs. If transitioning from 1P to 3P, Garrett warns that Amazon can track your account addresses and subsequently remove your account, so it’s crucial to utilize separate business addresses for Amazon and your chosen merchant.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Garrett Bluhm, Co-founder and CEO of Drafted Commerce, to talk about 1P and 3P fulfillment on Amazon. Garrett shares how brands should consider declining POs and inventory shortages, strategies for evaluating 1P versus 3P fulfillment, and how to maintain brand protection on Amazon.
Ajay Bam is the Co-founder and CEO of Vyrill, a fan video discovery, insights, and content marketing platform enabling brand marketers to maximize awareness and revenue. As a product management professional, entrepreneurial thinker, and innovator, he has over 13 years of experience working with startups and world-class brands in web and mobile product development, including native IOS/Android apps, SaaS tools and technologies, and digital commerce. Throughout his career, Ajay has pioneered the adoption of mobile devices for personalized loyalty, developed and launched a scalable global card and operator billing solution, and delivered new revenue for Nokia smart devices.
In this episode… In the era of video, brands are leveraging product reviews and content on TikTok and other social media platforms to drive conversions, engagement, and sentiment. So, how can you optimize product videos to reach target audiences and satisfy evolving expectations?
With younger generations spending an average of five hours a day on TikTok, consumer shopping journeys and purchasing decisions are influenced by product reviews and how-to videos. But, according to Ajay Bam, these videos are often lengthy and inaccessible, negatively affecting the customer experience. To help consumers find exactly what they're looking for, Ajay emphasizes the importance of in-video searches. To maximize video discovery, engagement, and brand sentiment, you can leverage UGC (user-generated content) to increase relevance, reach target demographics, and personalize the customer journey.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Ajay Bam, Co-founder and CEO of Vyrill, to talk about leveraging video reviews and other content on prominent social media platforms. Ajay talks about TikTok’s role in product discovery, the need for in-video searches, and how to maximize video discovery and engagement.
Whitney Gibson is a Partner, Chair, and eControl Attorney at Vorys eControl, an online seller enforcement team. In his role, Whitney integrates technology, data, and services to confront online sales control challenges. He also provides manufacturers with innovative approaches to protect and grow brands online. Whitney received his JD from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
Blake Burrus is the CEO of Precision eControl, a technology and SaaS company that enables brands to thrive in the eCommerce age. As an experienced tech executive, analytics leader, investor, and advisor, he has held leading roles at companies such as Numerator, Quotient Technology Inc., and Nielsen. For the past two decades, Blake has cultivated a passion for innovation and building product platforms for marketing analytics.
In this episode… With Q4 concluding, brands are looking to maximize growth in the coming year. But unauthorized resellers and various control regulations are hampering these efforts. So, how can you protect your brand and boost ROI?
Brand control experts Whitney Gibson and Blake Burrus advise partnering with brand protection analysts and data analytics technology teams to develop channel control strategies. These entail identifying an ideal go-to-market approach, establishing policies for unauthorized resellers, and measuring key data to optimize growth. By leveraging KPIs and advertising, marketing, and sales data, you can identify growth opportunities and target audiences through multiple channels to increase ROI.
Join Aaron Conant in today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he chats with Whitney Gibson of Vorys eControl and Blake Burrus of Precision eControl about brand control strategies to drive growth. Together, they discuss data analytics strategies for channel control, addressing channel disruptors to drive brand growth, and the ideal KPIs to maximize revenue.
John Feather is the Senior Consultant at HHF Strategy, a consultancy that partners with companies to provide structured strategies and heart-led innovation. As a successful brand manager, he was the Senior Associate Brand Manager for Pull-Ups at Kimberly Clark, where he co-managed annual commercial programming. John was also a Brand Manager at the ScottsMiracle-Gro Company, where he drove the marketing, strategy, and innovation of the Air Brands team, a $280 million portfolio of brands serving the indoor cannabis growing industry.
In this episode… With the dynamic changes in the eCommerce landscape, it’s more pivotal than ever for companies to integrate digital capabilities into their operations. So, how can you structure your organization digitally to stay abreast of consumer trends in eCommerce?
As an expert in digital strategy, John Feather asserts the importance of assembling your brand to be consumer-focused. By focusing your business decisions around consumer demands and shopping habits, you can drive crucial digital changes within your company. Another component of a digitally savvy brand is technology implementation. John says to consult with IT departments and digital change agents to help you incorporate platforms such as a digital asset management system or a product information management system to help you achieve digital eCommerce objectives.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant chats with John Feather, Senior Consultant at HHF Strategy, about building a digital organization. John discusses how to drive digital change in a business, tips for adopting new technology to streamline digital operations, and adapting to rapid advancements in the eCommerce space.
Sreenath Reddy is the Founder of Intentwise, a technology platform that provides professional advertisers, large-scale aggregators, and high-volume agencies with automation, competitive intelligence, and data infrastructure for Amazon and other eCommerce sites. With more than 20 years of experience in the digital advertising and data analytics space, he utilizes AI to solve marketplace eCommerce challenges. Before founding Intentwise, Sreenath was the Senior Director of Marketing Strategy at Orbitz Worldwide.
In this episode… When evaluating advertising and marketing campaigns, Amazon offers viable solutions to perform data analytics and generate key insights across multiple channels. But, with so many tools, including Amazon Attribution, Amazon Marketing Cloud, and Amazon Marketing Stream, how can you manage data effectively to optimize campaigns?
When utilizing Amazon’s AdTech platforms, Sreenath Reddy emphasizes the importance of deploying a data strategy. This requires executing a multi-pronged approach to organize data practically and securely. The first step involves collecting and owning the key advertising, retail, and media data sets that the platforms generate. Next, it’s essential to evaluate individual use cases based on business goals so you can consolidate the data and view it holistically. Lastly, leverage forecasting or ad optimization strategies to deconstruct the data pieces for effective decision-making.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with Sreenath Reddy, Founder of Intentwise, about leveraging Amazon data sets to optimize marketing and ad campaigns. Sreenath discusses the factors influencing Amazon ad performance, the importance of combining retail and media strategies, and how to manage multiple data sets.
Corey Apirian is the CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, a full-service logistics company that uses technology and partners with brands and retailers to help market, sell, fulfill, and ship their products. As an accomplished supply chain and operations leader, Corey has over 15 years of senior management experience. With more than 20 years of experience in the eCommerce fulfillment industry, Corey has been drop shipping for every major retailer since 2004 and has launched over 50 different subcategories through individual online and brick-and-mortar channels.
In this episode… In the eCommerce space, Amazon is experiencing volatile changes, including simultaneous inventory shortages and surpluses, limited warehouse space, and fluctuations in consumer spending. As Q4 approaches, how can you control your inventory to meet consumer demands and sell products?
Corey Apirian emphasizes the importance of diversification strategies to manage orders, expand capabilities, and optimize infrastructure. The most effective diversification tactic entails leveraging various direct fulfillment centers that allow you to place your products in hyperlocal facilities to expedite delivery and minimize outbound freight costs. You can also expand into multiple marketplaces to maximize product availability. With the right technology and a holistic approach to inventory, fulfillment, and delivery, you can create a successful selling model that prepares your brand for the future of eCommerce.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant sits down with Corey Apirian, CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, to analyze Amazon inventory and fulfillment trends. Together, they talk about how brands can prepare for Q4 during inventory shortages, opportunities and risks for the future of Amazon, and holistic eCommerce approaches.
Rick Watson is the CEO and Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting, which provides eCommerce strategy consulting to help businesses accelerate their go-to-market processes. Rick founded the company after spending more than 20 years as a technology entrepreneur and operator in the eCommerce industry with companies including ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, and Pitney Bowes.
During a partnership with WHP Global, he was a critical resource in architecting the WHP+ platform, a turnkey DTC digital eCommerce platform powering AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com. Rick hosts the podcast The Watson Weekly, where he shares his unbiased, expert take on the retail sector’s biggest news and executives. As a television and conference speaker, he has been featured on national news programs and a number of retail-focused industry events.
In this episode… Supply chain and logistics are some of the most crucial components of eCommerce. But, this environment is becoming increasingly volatile and uncertain as brands wonder where they should market, store, and ship their products. So, how are each of the major platforms managing their supply chains, and what should you consider before making a decision?
According to eCommerce strategist Rick Watson, TikTok and Shopify are planning to leverage virtual supply chain strategies for brands and retailers to ship their products. Yet, the question remains regarding where this inventory will be stored, so businesses must evaluate and select third-party fulfillment options. Conversely, Amazon has acquired excess inventory, so it’s essential to liquidate your products to avoid storage fees. When assessing your options, Rick maintains the value of collaborative planning to communicate strategies.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Rick Watson, CEO and Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting, to talk about supply chain and logistics trends. Rick explains how TikTok is entering the eCommerce supply chain, Amazon’s methods for liquidating inventory, and how brands should consider Shopify’s logistics strategy.
Matt Snyder is the Vice President of Online Retail at Vari, a company that provides office furniture and offers space-as-a-service workspaces. As a revenue generator, he has over 15 years of experience growing DTC, B2C, and B2B companies within the eCommerce space and Amazon’s marketplace. Matt focuses on building long-term growth by developing alternative sales channels and product lines that complement overarching omnichannel strategies. Before Vari, he was the President, Co-founder, and a board member at Lovepacs and the eCommerce Account Manager at Woot.
In this episode… Studies show that 66% of all customers begin their product searches on Amazon, making it a growth opportunity for brands. Yet, selling on Amazon involves risks, including unauthorized sellers and keyword and product cannibalization. So, how can you develop a strategy to protect your brand?
According to Matt Snyder, there are costs to selling both on and off Amazon, so connecting with the customer to generate brand awareness and mitigate competition is paramount. Amazon offers tools such as DSP for brands to develop content and purchase ads to reach target audiences, analyze key metrics, and drive conversions. To protect against cannibalization, you can offer exclusive products on Amazon with a broader catalog on your website.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Matt Snyder, Vice President of Online Retail at Vari, to talk about the costs and benefits of selling on Amazon. Matt describes how to build brand awareness and limit unauthorized sellers and cannibalization, the Amazon advertising tools and strategies brands should leverage, and the importance of developing partnerships to optimize brand awareness.
Sean Lee is the Co-founder and President of Cincy Brands, a brand management platform that acquires and accelerates better-for-you consumer goods brands. In his role, he leads M&A, marketing, sales, and commercial functions for Cincy Brands and its portfolio companies. As a marketing executive, Sean has leadership experience in brand-building innovation, digital marketing, eCommerce, general management, and P&L ownership across diverse sectors and business environments. He founded Procter & Gamble’s Zevo brand by identifying the addressable market and product-to-market fit and launched it as a digitally-native brand.
In this episode… When it comes to brand growth, revenue diversification is a profitable endeavor that allows you to acquire additional funds, sell your brand, or build your portfolio. So, what are some business models you can implement to diversify your revenue and scale effectively?
According to Sean Lee, there are two main business models to leverage based on individual brand goals. The first model involves acquiring multiple retail channels to mitigate losses and maximize brand value for potential sales. International expansion amplifies brand exposure but requires careful consideration of factors, including registration and translation. To optimize this model, it’s essential to establish international partnerships. By developing a personalized marketplace strategy, you can expand your reach and increase profits.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Sean Lee, Co-founder and President of Cincy Brands, about diversifying revenue to scale and optimize value. Sean discusses how brands can allocate their advertising costs, the benefits and drawbacks of international expansion, and advice for acquiring and distributing content.
Jehan Hamedi is the Founder and CEO of Vizit, an AI-powered visual brand performance platform. The software enables teams to measure, manage, and optimize their image effectiveness at every stage of the customer journey to make the best impression with target audiences. In 2022, the company was named one of Boston’s Top 22 startups to watch by BostInno.
As an AI entrepreneur, inventor, digital marketer, and enterprise technology leader, Jehan has spent his career building and commercializing AI software products to help Fortune 1000 companies harness the power of consumer opinion to make smarter product, marketing, and commerce decisions. He has supported dozens of major global companies’ first integrations of AI to better understand and take action on consumer opinion, including Google, Twitter, PepsiCo, and Mars.
In this episode… In the retail media space, visual content is the #1 driver of conversions. Yet, many brands regard this form of content as a cost rather than an asset to their business. As a result, they lack the strategies required to optimize content effectively for their audience. So, how can you enhance your visual media strategy to analyze and generate conversion rates?
The first principal step in content optimization is investing in a visual analytics strategy to measure your content’s effectiveness. This requires determining your target audience and the ideal shoppers you’d like to convert. According to Jehan Hamedi, each image has an ideal customer that differs by marketplaces, behavioral demographics, and shopping habits. AI allows you to analyze visual data by simulating how a specific audience reacts to your imagery. With these approaches, you can hone your content to generate new leads.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Jehan Hamedi, Founder and CEO of Vizit, to talk about analyzing and optimizing visual content. Jehan shares the importance of curating content for different marketplaces and customers, advice for launching content internationally, and the benefits of AI to streamline visual data analytics.
Matt Krueger is the Vice President of Digital (Amazon & DTC) at EastPoint Sports, a wholesaler that designs and delivers home recreational products. With over 10 years of experience in the eCommerce space, he began his career executing DTC and brand manufacturing strategies for Footlocker before transitioning to global marketplaces on Amazon. Matt focuses on spearheading marketplace strategies and eCommerce operations, with an emphasis on strategic planning, multi-channel marketing, and online merchandising. He has specific experience in digital shelf strategy, P&L management, market planning, and Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), among other areas.
In this episode… In the DTC eCommerce space, market costs — namely shipping, retail, and advertising — have increased by 30-40%, consequently reducing profits and increasing delivery times. So, what do these cost increases entail for your business, and how can you allocate expenses to maximize revenue?
DTC expert Matt Krueger recommends implementing a P&L (profit and loss) strategy in each aspect of your business to assess and prioritize operations. To leverage this strategy, it’s best to analyze each SKU (stock-keeping unit), categorize your products, and optimize your selling channels. With a driven team of data analytics experts, you can strategize your profit margins to structure your business around cost and market trends.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Matt Krueger, Vice President of Digital (Amazon & DTC) at EastPoint Sports, about the costs of running an eCommerce business. Matt shares how cost increases affect eCommerce business operations, strategies for navigating shipping and handling costs, and how brands should allocate advertising and marketing costs.
David Glick is the Chief Technology Officer at Flexe, a company that provides the world’s largest retailers and brands with technology-powered, omnichannel logistics programs. In his role, he is responsible for the design and development of the Flexe Logistics Platform. Before Flexe, David spent 20 years building key components for Amazon’s retail and operations technology. He led a team of professionals to build Amazon’s Automate Pricing system, many features in the platform’s Warehouse Management System, and various transportation systems.
In this episode… When it comes to direct-to-consumer (DTC) distribution and fulfillment, many eCommerce brands lack an efficient operational strategy, resulting in diminished warehouse capacity and lengthy shipping times. So, how can you streamline your operations to replenish inventory and reduce vendor lead times?
One essential action brands should take is to store their inventory in hyperlocal facilities close to the consumer by building a multi-node network offering direct fulfillment. Flexe is a platform that allows businesses to store inventory in a single digital-powered warehouse that ships to multiple channels, including Amazon, Walmart, and Target. With this method, you can reduce your replenishment and lead times by hours or days.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, join Aaron Conant as he interviews David Glick, Chief Technology Officer at Flexe, about optimizing your fulfillment strategies. David explains how brands should consider various fulfillment options, Amazon’s Inbound Cross Dock (IXD), and how to manage supply chain operations.
Adam Epstein is the Co-president of Perpetua, an eCommerce advertising software helping brands, media agencies, and Amazon sellers improve retail media ad performance with AI-powered automation. The company has offices in Toronto, London, Berlin, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Sao Paulo, with over 3000 customers providing over $1 billion in managed ad spend. As a technology entrepreneur and executive, he has experience in SaaS, business and corporate development, sales, operations, strategy, partnerships, and product management. Before Perpetua, Adam was the General Manager at Paytm and the Vice President of Velocity Mobile Ltd.
In this episode… When developing an advertising strategy on Amazon’s marketplace, precision is pivotal in driving traffic to your storefront. Yet, many brands lack an effective strategy and struggle to obtain key data and insights. So, how can you hone your advertising approach to drive profitability?
One common method to employ is a dayparting strategy, which allows brands to schedule their ads for specific times to target audiences more effectively. With Amazon Marketing Stream, you can access your performance data in real time, including attributed sales, conversion rates, click-through rates, and impressions. This service streamlines any advertising strategy to optimize campaigns and drive traffic.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Adam Epstein, Co-president of Perpetua, about enhancing your Amazon advertising strategies. Adam explains how Amazon Marketing Stream enhances advertising strategies, how brands can allocate their advertising budgets to drive traffic, and key considerations for creator and OTT campaigns.
John Ghiorso is the Senior Vice President of eCommerce at Media.Monks, a global marketing services company. He is also the CEO and Founder of Orca Pacific, a full-service Amazon and eCommerce agency that brings cutting-edge strategies and managed services to over 100 industry-leading brands, including Reebok, Godiva, Levi, and Mars. The company completed a merger with Media.Monks in 2020.
In his role, John leads Media.Monk’s performance and enterprise teams which are composed of former Amazonians and top industry experts. With a decade of Amazon expertise, he has built a reputation for approximating industry reactions and forecasting shifts within Amazon’s marketplace. His insights have been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Vox, and Modern Retail.
In this episode… The advancement of Web 3.0 brings about modern technologies such as virtual and augmented reality that will transform customers’ shopping experiences. So, how can you leverage these technologies to stay ahead of eCommerce trends?
According to John Ghiorso, one impending technology that has functional implications for retailers is augmented reality (AR) glasses. This device would provide consumers with 3D renderings of an item to influence their purchasing decisions. By developing a strategy that combines physical and digital stores for experiential involvement, brands can gather practical insights and data on each aspect of the customer journey.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with John Ghiorso of Media.Monks and Orca Pacific about how brands can prepare for the future of eCommerce. John discusses Web 3.0’s technologies and their impact on consumer purchasing, how retailers can leverage AR to improve the customer experience, and the effects of technological changes on consumers and brands.
Hannah Blackburn is the Co-founder and Director of The Hawkers Club, a company that helps vendors and sellers solve their most pressing challenges and navigate eCommerce marketplaces, including Amazon and Target. In her role, Hannah advises online sellers and vendors on how to directly position their brands and value offerings as Amazon partners to increase profitability and revenue.
Before co-founding The Hawkers Club, she joined Amazon as a brand specialist with an initial focus on vendor excellence and marketing before transitioning to stock management and profitability. Since she’s written the business logic powering some of the algorithms that run Amazon, Hannah knows how you can systematically make profitable decisions that Amazon’s algorithms reward.
In this episode… Amazon’s direct import is an excellent opportunity for brands to sell their products internationally and expand their reach. But, utilizing this service requires strategic planning since there are many factors to consider, including pricing and inventory. So, how can you optimize direct import to drive growth and maximize revenue?
The first action vendors should take is to prepare their pricing structures. Brands must adjust their product value to coordinate with stock increases, so it’s essential to correlate pricing with profit margins. Hannah Blackburn suggests implementing a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) Policy to determine the most beneficial pricing. When assembling inventory, it’s crucial to consider lead times and establish production dates accordingly. With the right strategies in place, you can capitalize on direct import to amplify your impact.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Hannah Blackburn, Co-founder and Director of The Hawkers Club, to discuss considerations surrounding Amazon’s direct import. Hannah explains the criteria for direct import, how brands can prepare their pricing and inventory, and best practices for optimizing the service.
Zac Garthe is a Founding Partner at Copernicus Law, a firm specializing in intellectual property, online enforcement, and litigation. As a former chemist turned lawyer, he focuses on intellectual property law with an emphasis on online enforcement and litigation. Zac is also the Chief Executive Officer at Sigil, Inc., a company that protects online prices for consumer brands in the omnichannel eCommerce space.
In this episode… When it comes to patent infringements, court proceedings can be a long and arduous process, with many disputes remaining unresolved. So, how can you streamline the procedure and effectively manage violations by unauthorized sellers?
The Amazon Patent Evaluation Express (APEX) program offers a viable option to remove unauthorized listings. After filing a complaint, Amazon will procure an independent evaluator to assess the patent infringement. Both the brand and the seller must fill out a contract and agree to the proceeding, upon which Amazon will provide you with a patent attorney. According to Zac Garthe, only 15% of sellers will agree to the proceeding, with the majority yielding, prompting Amazon to remove their listing. With this program, brands can regain control of their patents in as few as four months.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Zac Garthe, Founding Partner at Copernicus Law, to discuss Amazon’s patent infringement program. Zac shares Amazon’s process for identifying violations, the benefits of leveraging this program, and tips for approaching legalized patent disputes.
Rohan Shah is the Co-founder and CRO at Extend, a company that allows merchants to offer extended warranties and protection plans as services. Extend’s technology supports a seamless customer experience by automating brand warranty and protection processes. As a technology entrepreneur, Rohan has spent over a decade scaling both startup and Fortune 500 software companies. Before co-founding Extend, he was the Senior Product Manager at BCG Digital Ventures and the Founder and CEO of WITHIN.
In this episode… With the decline in consumer purchase rates, website traffic is decreasing, causing an increase in conversion costs. So, how can you engage customers to drive bottom-line growth?
Rohan Shah says that instead of creating additional website traffic, brands should focus on enhancing existing customer experiences. He recommends incorporating services such as extended warranties, protection plans, and subscriptions to generate brand affinity and customer relationships. Engaging with consumers on a personal level to solve post-purchase issues ensures customer lifetime value and drives profitability.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Rohan Shah, Co-founder and CRO of Extend, to talk about innovative methods to increase profits. Rohan shares how brands should consider bottom-line growth, the benefits of extended warranties and protection plans, and strategies for building customer relationships.
James Thomson is the Managing Partner at Equity Value Advisors, where he supports private equity and branded product leaders with due diligence and strategy consulting to accelerate equity value through eCommerce. He is a Board Member and Investor in Mamenta, Davinci Micro Fulfillment, and MAVI.io. Before his current roles, James was the Chief Strategy Officer at Buy Box Experts, a company that offers premium Amazon services to medium-sized and large-sized brands around the world to optimize and grow their businesses.
James continues to immerse himself in the world of Amazon issues. Before Buy Box, he served as the Business Head of Amazon Services — a division of Amazon responsible for recruiting 10s of 1000s of sellers annually to the marketplace. He also served as the First Account Manager for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). Before Amazon, James was a management consultant and banker.
In this episode… When it comes to the eCommerce M&A (mergers and acquisitions) space, investing in Amazon aggregator brands can be profitable. Yet, these collectors often lack the strategies to manage and scale their companies effectively, resulting in debt and profit loss. So, how can you facilitate the aggregator business model to optimize your portfolio?
When acquiring a portfolio company, you must first develop an M&A strategy to maximize profit. This requires analyzing your portfolio and the price point to determine if the acquisition is right for you. When rebuilding a brand after purchase, it’s essential to recruit strong operational teams that understand Amazon’s policies and growth prospects. By strategically preparing for your investment and developing the appropriate standard operating procedures, you can leverage aggregators for your portfolio.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with James Thomson, the Managing Partner at Equity Value Advisors, about the current Amazon aggregator market. James explains the requirements and challenges of the aggregator business model, strategies for optimizing your investment portfolio, and how to drive growth in acquired companies.
Garret Caudle is the Founder and CEO of Influent, a full-service agency that turns executives and thought leaders into industry influencers. With six years of experience in the B2B marketing space, Garret helps brands tell stories through their executives. Before founding Influent, he was the Head of Marketing at MightyHive and also Orca Pacific.
In this episode… B2B marketing has largely transitioned to social platforms, yet many brands lack a practical strategy to identify an ideal platform and generate content. So, how can you determine the best strategy and platform for creating brand awareness?
Garret Caudle maintains that people connect with people, not brands, so it’s crucial to develop a strategy that creates and utilizes a personal brand style. This involves identifying influencers or other personable creators to establish a profile that matches your brand’s vision. Once you’ve accomplished this, you can research and leverage LinkedIn’s growing social platform to create short, engaging pieces of content that resonate with your target audience.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Garret Caudle, Founder and CEO of Influent, to talk about leveraging LinkedIn into your content marketing strategy. Garret shares how brands can use LinkedIn to generate leads and awareness, the importance of influencer relationships in B2B marketing, and how to implement an innovative content strategy for brand awareness.
Todd Hassenfelt is the eCommerce Director of Growth Strategy and Planning at Colgate-Palmolive, an innovative growth company that reimagines a healthier future for people, pets, and the planet. He has extensive leadership experience in brick-and-mortar and eCommerce channels, serving as a leader on both sales and marketing teams.
Todd has also sold some of the top brands in the US to multiple channels, including C-store, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, and eCommerce. As an eCommerce and content contributor, he has published articles in publications including BRAVE Commerce, Ecommerce Braintrust, and The Digital Shelf Cast.
In this episode… The pandemic has altered the trajectory of selling and marketing for brands. In the pandemic’s aftermath, consumers are transitioning back to in-store purchasing, yet online selling remains. So, how can you develop a strategy to meet these evolving demands?
Todd Hassenfelt urges brands not to disregard the digital shelf. Instead, you should compare and contrast both online and in-store selling options to gauge the customer journey effectively. With consumers buying from multiple brands and retailers in both settings, it’s essential to optimize your digital shelf to increase your online and in-store presence. By engaging your teams, you can build solutions to maximize your ROI and meet consumer needs.
Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant talks with Todd Hassenfelt, the eCommerce Director of Growth Strategy and Planning at Colgate-Palmolive, about leveraging the capabilities of the digital shelf. Todd explains the major differences between the digital shelf and brick-and-mortar stores, how the digital shelf impacts offline stores, and strategies brands can use to leverage both online and in-store selling.
Charlie Ninegar is the Vice President of Sales at Nixon, a brand that sells watches and accessories. He oversees all sales and business strategy implementation for Nixon’s market and serves in an advisory role on the Marketplace Steering Committee. Over the past 15 years, Charlie has gained experience integrating cutting-edge technologies and ensuring business continuity and consistent growth under challenging market conditions. He is also a speaker at conferences on topics including "The Future of eCommerce and How You Can Help Your Brand Prepare," "Competing In A Marketplace-Heavy World (And Still Maintaining Margin)," and "Preparing your Amazon Strategy for Long-term Success."
In this episode… Digital and consumer marketing are rapidly evolving, and brands must find new methods to secure conversions and customer acquisitions. So, what is the best strategy for brand awareness?
High-growth digital brands should leverage a multi-channel strategy to reach more customers. Executing this approach requires establishing the most popular retailers among your consumers and understanding their buying habits. It’s also important to determine which channels are the best fit for your brand so you can create a lasting impression.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Charlie Ninegar, Vice President of Sales at Nixon, to talk about multi-channel strategies for your brand. Charlie discusses what brands should consider when using multiple channels, the importance of a holistic brand marketing strategy, and how to launch a new brand.
Todd Hassenfelt is the eCommerce Director of Growth Strategy and Planning at Colgate-Palmolive, an innovative growth company that reimagines a healthier future for people, pets, and the planet. He has extensive leadership experience in brick and mortar and eCommerce channels, serving as a leader on both sales and marketing teams.
Todd has also sold some of the top brands in the US to multiple channels including C-store, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, and eCommerce. As an eCommerce and content contributor, he has published articles in publications including BRAVE Commerce, Ecommerce Braintrust, and The Digital Shelf Cast.
In this episode… Data sharing in eCommerce sales has become increasingly complex, with multiple sources to analyze and options to choose from. So, how can you determine the best course of action for performance and growth?
For starters, it’s useful to develop a data scoring system that allows you to evaluate market changes. With this framework in place, you can dictate the most valuable data source for your business goals. Another productive strategy is to collaborate and communicate with internal teams and departments to leverage opportunities and examine your data. Through teamwork and the right scoring system, you can establish the most effective data sharing option to meet your long-term growth objectives.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant joins Todd Hassenfelt, the eCommerce Director of Growth Strategy and Planning at Colgate-Palmolive, to discuss the best methods for choosing data sharing options. Todd shares his tips for analyzing data sources, the importance of communication in data analytics, and how to optimize the customer experience
James Thomson is the former Chief Strategy Officer at Buy Box Experts, a company that offers premium Amazon services to medium-sized and large-sized brands around the world to optimize and grow their businesses. While at Buy Box, James supported brand executives with issues of channel governance, branding governance, online growth strategies, and pricing standards. James continues to immerse himself in the world of Amazon issues.
Before Buy Box, James served as the Business Head of Amazon Services — a division of Amazon responsible for recruiting 10s of 1000s of sellers annually to the marketplace. He also served as the First Account Manager for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). Before Amazon, James was a management consultant and banker.
In this episode… The emergence of Buy with Prime has created a competitive selling environment. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands that sell on Amazon Prime are outperforming those that use alternative platforms such as Shopify. So, how can you optimize your selling channel to serve your consumers better and compete with Amazon sellers?
It’s essential to offer your consumers the same shipping times they expect from Amazon. To achieve this, you must develop a long-term eCommerce strategy that maximizes your fulfillment networks and leverages quick and efficient delivery methods. By transitioning from third-party logistics companies (3PLs) to a more automated distribution system, you can successfully sell, fulfill, and deliver your products without relying on Amazon fulfillment.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant talks with James Thomson, former Chief Strategy Officer at Buy Box Experts, to discuss developing an eCommerce strategy to outperform your competitors. James shares how DTC brands can maximize their fulfillment centers to compete with Amazon Prime sellers, the challenge of using Buy with Prime, and how to optimize shipping to your consumers.
Corey Apirian is the CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, a full-service logistics company that uses technology and partners with brands and retailers to help market, sell, fulfill, and ship their products. As an accomplished supply chain and operations leader, Corey has over 15 years of senior management experience. With more than 20 years of experience in the eCommerce fulfillment industry, Corey has been drop shipping for every major retailer since 2004 and has launched over 50 different subcategories through individual online and brick-and-mortar channels.
In this episode… With the supply chain industry shifting to digital mechanisms, many marketplaces now offer micro fulfillment services to meet evolving consumer demands. Yet, brands are struggling to adjust to this shift, and some still rely on traditional fulfillment methods. So, what steps can you take to transition to micro fulfillment?
When shifting to micro fulfillment centers, it’s critical to balance your supply chain operations by leveraging both eCommerce solutions and your chosen marketplace. This entails analyzing consumer sales data through methods such as shopping cart and buying analyses to meet demands. Once you’ve compiled all the relevant data, you can use micro fulfillment centers to ship your products directly to the end consumer from hyper-local facilities.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, join Aaron Conant as he talks with Corey Apirian, CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, about adopting micro fulfillment services to meet customer demands. Corey explains how eCommerce fulfillment has evolved, how brands can adopt sustainable practices, and what brands should consider when utilizing Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
Kiri Masters is the Founder of Bobsled Marketing, a digital agency that helps consumer products brands grow their sales on web marketplaces. In February 2022, Acadia acquired Bobsled, and Kiri is now Head of Retail Marketplace Strategy. Bobsled has been named one of the top 18 Amazon firms by Business Insider and ranks in the Marketplace Pulse Top 100.
Kiri is the author or co-author of The Amazon Expansion Plan, Amazon for CMOs, and Instacart CMOs, books that offer an in-depth view of generating predictable results for retail brands. Kiri is also a regular contributor to Forbes Retail, sharing knowledge gathered from managing hundreds of brands’ accounts on Amazon.
In this episode… The digital marketplace is expanding far beyond just Amazon. Stores like Walmart and Target are transitioning to retail media networks, making it difficult for brands to manage their selling and advertising channels. How can you effectively navigate the digital marketplace and allocate your budget to boost sales?
The marketing funnel allows brands to organize and distribute their product ads through each stage of the customer journey. When you shift your focus from each selling channel to your target options for products, you can create a selling strategy that markets your product to the customer. And by assigning ads to each stage based on product needs, you can determine which selling channel is right for you.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant joins Kiri Masters, Founder of Bobsled Marketing, to discuss creating a selling strategy to navigate retail media networks. Kiri reveals her tips for allocating retail media budgets, a common mistake brands make when trying to scale, and how her business uses Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) to create targeted ads.
Nich Weinheimer is the General Manager of Strategy and Commerce at Skai, an enterprise marketing intelligence platform. The platform includes a myriad of data-driven products for market intelligence, omnichannel media activation, testing, and measurement that are based on 15 years of experience building within Google and Facebook. Skai enables brands to make predictions, improve strategic planning, and drive growth on essential customer channels.
In his current role, Nich delivers innovative software and data solutions to the rapidly-evolving landscape of retailers and brands. With over a decade of experience in digital advertising, Nich has held leadership roles, including Head of Advertising for Buy Box Experts, Co-founder and Managing Partner of WNW International, Data Consulting and Enterprise Sales at Ekata, and Director of Sales Operations at Commerce Hub.
In this episode… The continued advancements in retail media present a new set of challenges for brands and retailers who must transition from traditional to digital media. So, how can your business stay ahead of this shift to drive performance and growth?
Driving growth in digital retail media requires understanding and managing your brand’s data to leverage upper funnel media. AI programs such as digital signal processing (DSP) simplify this process by deciphering all your data to help you anticipate trends. DSPs translate digital signals so you can determine when to market your brand to the consumer based on user intent and competition.
In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Nich Weinheimer, General Manager of Strategy and Commerce at Skai, to discuss navigating the shift in retail media. Nich covers some of the top challenges brands and retailers face across the eCommerce continuum, the benefits of investing in DSP, and how retailers can scale their businesses using display media.
Tom Logan is the Co-founder and CEO of Cohley, a content generation and testing platform that helps brands create content for social ads, email marketing, websites, and more. Tom is also a member of Founders Pledge, an initiative enabling philanthropy among founders and investors. Before founding Cohley, Tom was the Director of Customer Development at Piqora and a Client Success Manager for Wildfire by Google.
In this episode… There’s a demand for content now more than ever before, yet content is more expensive than ever. To help fulfill that need, some brands are turning toward off-brand, third-party content, while others are averse to giving up their brand control. Amidst this debate, Tom Logan shares advice and best practices for using content to grow your brand.
Tom says that it’s crucial for brands to generate diverse, high-quality content from a variety of sources. But what’s most important is the ability to test and learn. Every single piece of content should be heavily decided on by using data because it’s much more consistent — and successful — than judging by a gut feeling. Data is the key to building an enduring brand.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant is joined by Tom Logan, Co-founder and CEO of Cohley, to talk about on-brand and off-brand content generation and marketing. Tom discusses how one type of content can double your sales, why data is vital to your brand’s success, and why you shouldn’t rely on one specific channel. Plus, Tom guides brands through the strategies and changes they should be considering for the future.
Daren Garcia is a Partner and Brand Protection and eCommerce Attorney at Vorys eControl, an agency that helps brands grow their value and achieve online sales control both domestically and internationally.
As a partner at Vorys eControl for nearly two decades, Daren has worked with hundreds of brands and their sales, eCommerce, and marketing teams. He guides them in implementing solutions to minimize unauthorized sales and to control MAP violations and channel conflict.
In this episode… Unauthorized sellers on marketplaces such as Amazon and Walmart compromise a brand’s value and undermine sales. But, with hundreds of resellers and few regulations in place to mitigate these sellers, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain brand control. So, how can you protect your brand?
One of the most important things to consider when dealing with unauthorized sellers is that online platforms won’t remove them for you. It’s essential to establish a robust legal framework for defining and creating authorized selling channels for your brand. Once you’ve set clear guidelines for authorized selling, you can implement a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy to ensure long run sales and brand protection.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Daren Garcia, Partner and Brand Protection and eCommerce Attorney at Vorys eControl, to discuss protecting your brand through online sales control. Daren shares how you can regain control over your brand, how to determine if a MAP policy is right for your brand, and some legal tips for handling unauthorized sellers on the marketplace.
David Lucatch is the CEO, President, and Chair at Liquid Avatar Technologies, a digital identity and fintech solutions company that provides verified users with services to manage, control, and benefit from their digital identity. David has over 35 years of experience inventing technology and business solutions in the international marketing arena. He spent the last 20 years developing payment technology, language, and translation services to support the infrastructure of conducting business online.
In this episode… Are you trying to grow your brand and adapt to the dynamic digital infrastructure but aren’t sure where to begin? The metaverse is making its way into the digital landscape and taking the technology industry by storm, so how can you ensure a successful transition into this space?
Consider integrating augmented reality into your online store for a more user-engaging immersive experience. With augmented reality, you can create a 3D walkthrough of your store so customers can view your products in real-time. And, with digital identites, you can leverage verification procedures to give your customers authority over their profiles while providing them with maximum security. With these strategies, you can seamlessly progress into the metaverse while maintaining a user-friendly experience for your customers.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with David Lucatch, CEO, Prescient, and Chair at Liquid Avatar Technologies, to discuss preparing brands for the metaverse. David discusses how brands can implement non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to promote brand awareness, the scope of digital identity and how it provides opportunities for brands and government entities, and strategies for adapting to the developing technological industry.
Calvin Lammers is the Senior Vice President of eCommerce at TRUFF, a truffle-infused condiment brand. He has a strong background in the world of eCommerce management, planning, and digital marketing. Calvin has held leadership roles at Health-Ade Kombucha, Spindrift Beverage Co, Inc., Bai Brands, and KIND. He was recognized in both 2018 and 2019 by Shopper Marketing Magazine in its list of Who's Who in E-Commerce as s retail executive who is making notable contributions in the area of eCommerce.
In this episode… How can you successfully transition your product from the digital space to physical shelves in retail stores? Is it possible to track performance and maintain or enhance your targeting capabilities?
When transitioning from digital to physical, it is important to diversify where you place your ads. An approach of constantly testing and learning can help your brand survive in various markets. Paying attention to data and sales attribution can help your brand increase community engagement and maintain consumer retention. Listen to Calvin Lammers in this episode to hear his insights on shifting from a digitally native retail brand to a physical retail brand.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Calvin Lammers, Senior Vice President of eCommerce at TRUFF, to discuss digitally native brands making the shift to a physical retail store. Calvin talks about the importance of targeting consumer shopping destinations, why diversifying your ad engagement can lead to higher consumer retention, and choosing your retail partners based on research and brand opportunity.
Tim Zawislack is the Chief Operating Officer at Dey’s End Consulting, LLC, a full-service certified Shopify Plus Partner focused on eCommerce and marketing challenges. It offers an analytics suite that provides a one-stop-shop for all of your e-commerce analytics.
Tim has led various eCommerce and omnichannel teams — from startups to Fortune 100 companies — including Jimmy Jazz, Delta Galil Industries, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Brooks Brothers, and Luxottica Group. With his extensive background in the eCommerce and digital marketing space in senior-level executive positions, Tim is also an Advisory Board Member for BWG Strategy.
In this episode… How can you focus on building your direct-to-consumer presence and not take away from your valuable time? Is it possible to measure performance engagement across eCommerce platforms?
Tim Zawislack says that understanding the metrics and connecting with your creative and marketing team can eliminate disparate groups and cultivate a remarkable product. By optimizing how you recognize click-through rates, performance reviews, and data, you can target and connect with consumers through SMS and email messaging. But data isn’t everything. Relating with your consumers through holistic communication on the value of your brand is crucial. Once you articulate that to your consumer, they become enthusiastic about your brand.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Tim Zawislack, Chief Operating Officer at Dey’s End Consulting, LLC, to talk about implementing and accomplishing robust SMS marketing techniques through holistic conversations. Tim shares his strategies for approaching and cultivating a creative online customer experience, actionable steps to level up your social media presence, and elevating your product through traditional marketing techniques.
Rick Watson is the Founder and CEO of RMW Commerce Consulting, where his work is centered around supporting investors and management teams. He has over 20 years of experience as a technology entrepreneur and operator exclusively in the eCommerce industry. He has worked with companies like ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, Merchantry, and Pitney Bowes. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a major in electrical engineering and a minor in computer science. Rick is the host of The Watson Weekly podcast, where he speaks with experts in the retail space. He has also been a featured speaker on Bloomberg Surveillance, Bloomberg West, NRF Shop.org, ECommerce Europe, and ETail West.
In this episode… Is it in your company’s best interest to introduce your brand into a crossborder marketplace or to enter into a headless platform? If you’re looking for a better way to navigate a headless eCommerce space, Rick Watson is here to share his expert strategies for navigating the back-end architecture and strategies that contribute to the success of your brand.
With years of experience in the eCommerce industry, Rick knows that at the end of the day, the consumer experience is what matters most. For brands, consumer acquisition should be at the top of the list. Rick suggests that brands keep things fresh, interesting, and new to keep hold of consumers in today’s fast-paced marketplace. How? By entering into a crossborder marketplace, brands can make it convenient for the consumer to find their products on various platforms.
On this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Rick Watson, CEO and Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting, to discuss how best to optimize the headless eCommerce marketplace for your brand. Rick talks about how to avoid pitfalls in the eCommerce ecosystem, how crossborder platforms can increase your revenue and brand reach, and why understanding data is crucial for the success of any brand.
Jordan Brannon is the Co-founder and President of Coalition Technologies, a top-ranked SEO and digital marketing firm. With 20 years of experience working in eCommerce, he helps D2C and B2B brands succeed in the eCommerce and digital marketing space. Jordan and his team at Coalition have helped propel over 1,000 businesses forward across various industries. Jordan has a bachelor's degree in political science, human rights, environmental sciences, and computer science from the University of Washington. In this episode… Are you thinking about migrating from one platform to another, but you’re now sure how? Is it possible to transition websites without derailing your consumers?
Jordan Brannon proposes that if you’re an established eCommerce brand, you have to have a clear thought process before you begin. What steps do you need to take to revolutionize your brand’s online presence? There isn’t a simple solution for every business, but Jordan recommends starting with small visual changes: font, images, and colors. Then you can begin to route your emails, establish certifications and authentications, and manage your data flow warehouse into an ERP. If you want a competitive advantage, providing a unique and faster experience can be the solution. If you’re looking at the next step forward for your brand, this is an episode you do not want to miss.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Jordan Brannon, Co-founder and President of Coalition Technologies, to discuss the advantages and challenges of migrating from one platform to another. Jordan talks about how to redesign your aesthetics without confusing your consumers, the purpose and superiority of headless commerce, and streamlining management software.
Marc Uible is the Vice President at Threekit, a visual commerce company that helps brands increase sales by customizing and configuring products in an augmented 3D reality environment so customers can interact with them as part of the buyer experience. Marc is also a member of the board of advisors for LIFT and has held roles with Braintree, The Numbered Days, and Avondale. He graduated from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business with a degree in international business, business economics, and public policy.
In this episode… Providing consumers with a realistic representation of your product can be why they click “buy.” What if they could customize your product as part of their online shopping experience? How can you enable customers to interact with your product?
Businesses can upload product information files and instantly create an unlimited number of interactive augmented reality and photorealistic 3D visuals. When shoppers use augmented reality in their buyer experience, they’re much more likely to purchase the product. The ability to customize the image in real-time provides the client with a personalized experience that makes your products stand out. Using augmented reality and 3D image technology for your product allows for quick changes in marketing, and this technology can easily meet changing market demands. Marc Uible is here to share expert strategies for delivering engaging, interactive imagery to provide your brand with a competitive advantage.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Marc Uible, Vice President of Marketing at Threekit, to discuss the benefits of a web-based augmented reality customer experience to promote your products. Marc talks about how 3D augmented reality can reduce photography and marketing costs, what data can reveal about consumer interactions, and configuring an environment to showcase complex products.
John Ghiorso is the Founder and CEO at Orca Pacific, a Media.Monks company, which is a full-service Amazon marketing services agency. He has over a decade of experience working with Orca Pacific and has built a reputation for approximating industry reactions and shifts in the Amazon marketplace. John is a keynote speaker and has been featured in publications like The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Vox, Modern Retail, and Digiday. He graduated from the University of Arizona Eller College of Management with a degree in marketing and entrepreneurship.
In this episode… Are you an Amazon seller who wants to drive more traffic to build your brand? Scaling your brand is about taking chances and figuring out what works and what doesn’t — so what can you do to optimize and manage your brand?
John Ghiorso says that to overcome the dilemma of a typical four-wall retail strategy, brands need to understand the Amazon environment to be successful. If you have a foundational approach to retail platforms, you can find tremendous opportunities for growth as you move away from traditional methods. But use caution when establishing a marketing strategy. John recommends installing a budget and following how consumers perceive products.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant sits down with Founder and CEO at Orca Pacific, a Media.Monks company, to discuss viewing Amazon as an opportunity to optimize your brand. John talks about the shift in brands considering Amazon as a growth platform, why establishing a budget is crucial for tremendous success, and using targeted marketing strategies to upscale products and increase ranking.
Michael Zakkour is the Founder and Managing Director of 5 New Digital, a digital and retail consultancy focused on helping startups to Fortune 100 brands develop successful eCommerce and digital commerce strategies and shape their retail and consumer pathways. They work with companies in North America, Europe, and Asia and navigate growth opportunities through innovative solutions that drive revenue in their domestic and international operations. As an acclaimed and sought-after professional speaker and lecturer, Michael is a regular guest on the BBC, CNN, NPR, and NBC. He has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, FORBES, WWD, MSNBC, NYSE TV, and countless other print, digital, web, and broadcast outlets. He is also an author, entrepreneur, and investor with more than 20 years of experience building successful businesses.
In this episode… As digital marketplaces continue to expand, how can your brand prepare to engage with consumers on the next level? Consumers are demanding personalized experiences, which drives the need for brands to offer elite eCommerce shopping experiences. What if you could use practical applications of digital tools and technologies to build a luxury experience?
According to Michael Zakkour, there’s an opportunity for individual brands and large organizations to make the leap into the metaverse and use digital tools to become leaders. Innovative tools and the fusion between eCommerce and virtual space produces the perfect foundation for brands to associate themselves with these environments. Building a brand in this environment means giving consumers a new and elevated experience with how they shop, entertain, and consume information. How can you boost your brand performance across these emerging digital worlds? Today, Michael is here to share his advice and insights on the digital space.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive podcast, Aaron Conant sits down with Michael Zakkour, Founder and Managing Director of 5 New Digital, to talk about how brands are interacting with the metaverse and associating with NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Michael discusses the monetization and consumption of brands in the digital space, how brands and retailers are engaging and using NFTs, and rapidly growing your brand in the metaverse by educating consumers on the value of your brand.
Michael Zakkour is the Founder and Managing Director of 5 New Digital, a digital and retail consultancy focused on helping startups to Fortune 100 brands develop successful eCommerce and digital commerce strategies and shape their retail and consumer pathways. They work with companies in North America, Europe, and Asia and navigate growth opportunities through innovative solutions that drive revenue in their domestic and international operations. As an acclaimed and sought-after professional speaker and lecturer, Michael is a regular guest on the BBC, CNN, NPR, and NBC. He has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, FORBES, WWD, MSNBC, NYSE TV, and countless other print, digital, web, and broadcast outlets. He is also an author, entrepreneur, and investor with more than 20 years of experience building successful businesses.
In this episode… How can businesses take advantage of the current opportunities presented by the digital age and adapt to the changing business landscape? If you are a company that wants to thrive in this challenging environment, you will want to discover new strategies that help keep you in step with all the developments at your doorstep.
As an investor, consultant, author, and entrepreneur, Michael Zakkour has valuable insights into how companies can thrive in the changing digital landscape. Building brand loyalty and increasing customer value mean implementing business strategies that leverage the digital landscape. Do you know if you should use a unified commerce versus an omnichannel strategy? There is a lot to consider. You can decrease customer acquisition costs while increasing the consumers’ lifetime value with the right strategy. Whether you're running a small business or managing a large company, Michael's expertise will help grow your business.
In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive podcast, Aaron Conant interviews Michael Zakkour, Founder and Managing Director of 5 New Digital, about how companies can thrive in a world where the digital age continuously shapes consumer behavior and demands. They talk about the approaches brands can use to adapt and boost revenue through a robust unified digital commerce approach, ways to decrease customer acquisition costs, how the retail renaissance affects brand strategies, and much more.