Your Basket Is Empty: Recent Episodes
Tim Richardson
In this podcast series, Tim Richardson (founder, Fern Studios) sits down for an insightful and not-so-serious chat with smart people doing cool stuff. So if you’re into brands, technology, design, e-commerce and people, then tune in.
On this episode, I’m asking a simple question with a very complicated answer. Is the AI bubble about to burst? With Luke Hodgson, co-founder of Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion.
We kick things off by reviewing four recent news stories that have fuelled bubble talk, from Mira Murati’s $2 billion raise at Thinking Machines Lab to Palantir’s stock drop and Meta’s AI hiring freeze. Then we dig into the reality. What’s hype, what’s real, and how should brand operators navigate it?
Luke and I explore whether the current wave of AI investment is overinflated or just misunderstood. We talk about unit economics, cracks in the AI stack, and how the winners might not be the AI-first startups, but the brands quietly experimenting in the background.
We also zoom out. If this is an industrial revolution compressed into a decade, what happens to jobs? How should brands structure their teams? And is there any government on the planet actually ready for what’s coming?
If you work in tech or commerce, and you’re trying to make sense of the AI noise, this one’s for you.
Depict.ai are on a mission to help shoppers discover the products they love - while giving merchandisers total creative control. Turn keyword searches into real conversations. Help customers explore and uncover more of your catalogue. Merchandisers stay in control of the story.
Upgrade your storefront at Depict.ai
Checkout Factory here.
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On this episode, I’m talking with John Tan (CEO of Depict.ai) about why onsite search is broken, what it will take to fix it, and how Depict is reimagining discovery through AI.
We unpack the difference between onsite search and traditional search, and explore why it’s time for ecommerce to move beyond the basic grid. John shares his vision for a more conversational, more emotionally resonant way to browse, what he calls “vibe searching”. Less keyword filtering. More: “I’m going to a wedding in Tuscany next month. What should I wear?”
We also talk about how this kind of interaction could change how websites are built, how merchandising is done, and what consumers expect from brand experiences. And we look at the broader AI landscape. What’s real, what’s hype, and whether the house of cards can hold.
If you’re working in ecommerce and thinking about the future of CX, conversion and what shoppers really want, this one’s for you.
Depict.ai are on a mission to help shoppers discover the products they love - while giving merchandisers total creative control. Turn keyword searches into real conversations. Help customers explore and uncover more of your catalogue.
Merchandisers stay in control of the story.
Upgrade your storefront at Depict.ai
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode, I’m revisiting the big shifts in commerce tech with Luke Hodgson. Who’s winning, who’s losing, and what’s changing under the surface.
We break the conversation down into four key areas: platforms, frontend tools, back office systems, and AI. We look at why Shopify still has the momentum, why BigCommerce’s rebrand hasn’t made much impact, and why platforms like Centra are gaining ground with modern fashion brands. Luke also explains why Magento is fading, and why Salesforce Commerce Cloud rarely comes up in conversation anymore.
We talk about why fragmented tool stacks are falling out of favour, and how consolidation is changing the frontend experience. And we dive into the back office, where the ERP landscape is overdue for disruption, but still proving hard to unseat. Luke shares a strong view on where AI will change everything and where it won’t.
We end with predictions. Luke backs next-gen merchandising tools. I put my money on the Nordics.
If you’re watching the commerce tech landscape and wondering where to place your bets, this one’s for you.
Depict.ai are on a mission to help shoppers discover the products they love - while giving merchandisers total creative control. Turn keyword searches into real conversations. Help customers explore and uncover more of your catalogue. Merchandisers stay in control of the story.
Upgrade your storefront at Depict.ai
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode, I’m talking about what it takes to build a modern footwear brand in 2025. My guest is Douglas Holm, Head of Online at Myrqvist.
We explore how Myrqvist balances premium product with accessible pricing, and why customer experience is the real driver of long-term growth. Douglas shares how the team thinks about loyalty, discovery, and CX. From replying to Reddit threads to designing better packaging, everything ladders up to a more thoughtful brand experience. And when it comes to community, it’s less about building a forum and more about showing up where the customer already is.
We also talk about how Myrqvist is using AI behind the scenes and on the website. From translations and product copy to AI-powered search, Douglas explains how they’re enriching PDPs to be more discoverable by AI tools, not just humans.
If you care about digital brand building, operational scale, or staying visible in the age of AI discovery, this one's for you.
This episode is brough to you by depict.ai. Their mission is to help shoppers discover the products they love while giving merchandisers total creative control. So if you're still stuck in traditional keyword land, head to depict.ai and level up to natural conversational search.
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On this episode, I’m talking about what commercial leadership really looks like in 2025. What’s changing, what’s staying the same, and how smart operators are navigating uncertainty - with Kelsey Fahy, Commercial Director at The Fold.
We get into the evolving role of commercial leaders, and why success now depends on cross-functional thinking, faster decision-making, and a deep understanding of the customer. Kelsey shares how The Fold balances agility with consistency, and how they stay laser-focused on their purpose while expanding across channels and markets.
We also explore how AI is creeping into commercial conversations, not to replace people, but to unlock faster, smarter decisions. And we talk about why brands need to stop over-personalising the wrong moments, and start paying more attention to post-purchase.
If you're a brand operator thinking about growth, CX, and where to invest next, this one’s for you.
This episode is brought to you by Reveni. Reveni helps eCommerce brands turn refunds into retained revenue, by making instant exchanges the default, not the exception. Learn more at Reveni.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode, I’m talking about the future of AI, the end of websites as we know them, and what’s actually changing behind the scenes in commerce, with Luke Hodgson, co-founder of Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion.
We explore the idea of agentic shopping, how the consumer experience might shift from browsing websites to delegating tasks to AI, and what this means for platforms like Shopify and OpenAI.
We also discuss the operational side of AI adoption, where brands are seeing real value today, what’s getting in the way, and why post-purchase and repetitive workflows might be the most fertile ground for automation.
If you’re trying to separate AI signal from noise, or wondering what “practical AI” looks like inside a real consumer brand - this one’s for you.
This episode is brought to you by Reveni. Reveni helps eCommerce brands turn refunds into retained revenue, by making instant exchanges the default, not the exception. Learn more at Reveni.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode, I’m talking about returns, refunds, and the hidden layer of post-purchase experience with Fernando Pedraz, founder of Reveni.
We get into why instant refunds aren’t just good CX, they’re good business — and how Reveni is helping brands turn a painful process into a growth lever. Fernando shares how they assess refund risk in real time, what most brands get wrong about cross-border returns, and where automation adds value without losing the human touch.
We also talk about the role of AI in fraud prevention, logistics, and finance infrastructure, why the post-purchase stack is still underdeveloped, and what smart brands are doing to stay profitable in a tougher market.
If you’re thinking about CX beyond the buy button, or building smarter systems behind the scenes, this one’s for you.
This episode is brought to you by Reveni. Reveni helps eCommerce brands turn refunds into retained revenue, by making instant exchanges the default, not the exception. Learn more at Reveni.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode, I’m talking about the pace of the AI economy, who’s driving it, who’s struggling to keep up, and what it means for brands, with Luke Hodgson, co-founder of Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion.
We explore whether the AI economy is moving too fast, and what “too fast” even means. Is AI solving the right problems? Is it driving real progress, or just creating a new layer of complexity?
We also discuss how brands can make smart, steady bets rather than chasing hype, why AI isn’t just about conversion but retention, and how the post-purchase space is ripe for innovation.
If you’re building a brand, navigating automation, or wondering how to keep your business human while embracing AI, this one’s for you.
This episode is brought to you by Reveni. Reveni helps eCommerce brands turn refunds into retained revenue, by making instant exchanges the default, not the exception. Learn more at Reveni.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m talking about AI managers, automation, and how brands are reorganising themselves around intelligence, not just roles - with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce Thinking & High Cohesion.
We explore what it means for a brand to have an “AI manager”, why every team will need an AI champion, and how automation is already reshaping how businesses operate behind the scenes.
Luke shares what he’s seeing from inside large organisations experimenting with AI, the tension between curiosity and capability, and why the future isn’t about replacing people, but redesigning the way they work.
We get into practical examples of AI-enhanced roles, the importance of cross-functional thinking, and how AI will disrupt every link in the retail value chain, from merchandising to customer service.
If you’re thinking about how to structure your team, where to apply AI, or what leadership looks like in an automated world, this one’s is for you.
On this episode I’m joined by Lucy Davis, my co-founder at Factory, as we unpack the messy reality of AI in commerce – beyond the hype and into the hard questions.
We get into whether traditional discovery processes still matter when AI can simulate, generate, and iterate at speed. Are briefs still useful? Is AI discovery even a thing? Or is it just a shiny wrapper on what strategy teams already do?
We talk about sustainability in AI, how brands like L’Oréal are experimenting with Nvidia to create more personalised beauty experiences, and why so much of what’s sold as intelligent automation is still smoke and mirrors. You’ll hear why smaller brands might actually be better placed to move fast, where AI is helping with internal efficiencies, and when it's just adding noise.
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering whether an AI tool is a real unlock or just a pitch deck promise, this one’s for you.
This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn’t send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend’s 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it’s boring! Try for free today.
Checkout Factory here.
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On this episode I’m talking about brand loyalty in a hyper personalised AI world with Emily Gray, Founding Partner of Untangld: an international Strategy Studio defining how businesses win.
We get into what loyalty really means today, from communities and connection to the risk of over optimised personalisation, and why Emily believes true loyalty is earned through relevance, not reliance.
We talk about the impact of AI on brand relationships, how to design for meaning instead of mechanics, and what marketers can learn from the likes of Starbucks, Elf and Rapha. Emily also shares how brand strategy needs to evolve in a world where customer expectations are fluid and attention is scarce.
If you're thinking about retention, CRM or how your brand shows up in a world shaped by automation, this one is for you.
This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn’t send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend’s 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it’s boring! Try for free today.
Checkout Factory here.
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On this episode I’m breaking down Shopify’s Summer Editions 2025 with Ben Homer, Senior Solutions Engineer at Shopify.
We cover Shopify’s new AI-powered Horizon theme and what it means for design freedom, explore the interplay between consumer- and merchant-facing AI, and dig into standout updates—from Sidekick’s new voice and screen-sharing capabilities, to split fulfilment via Ship and Carry Out, and big unlocks like Multi-Entity and Multi-Currency Payouts.
We also talk about the role of partners and agencies in a post-AI world, the future of immersive checkouts like Roblox, and whether this Editions release is quietly reshaping the platform for the next era of commerce.
Checkout Factory here.
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On this episode I’m talking about investing in creator brands with CJ Daniel-Nield, co-founder of Planes Studio.
We unpack why creator-led businesses are booming, the shift from personal brand to product ecosystem, and why CJ believes creators have already solved the hardest part of building a business: distribution.
We dive into projects like Skin Rocks and Mila, explore the challenges around LTV and long-term engagement, and discuss what it takes to spin a creator brand out into a standalone company. CJ also shares more on Kites—Planes’ new initiative to support creators with capital, product, and operational backing—and what the modern playbook for audience building looks like in a post-D2C world.
If you’re building, backing, or advising a creator-led brand, this one’s full of lessons and signals.
This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn’t send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend’s 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it’s boring! Try for free today.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
In this episode, I’m joined by Matty to talk about his journey from studying marketing to shaping some of the most well-known brands in the DTC space. We go back to his days at MyProtein and Represent, where he cut his teeth in SEO and digital PR, learning first-hand how community building can and should be the core of a modern brand proposition.
Now at Cadence, Matty shares how the brand has evolved from a small startup to a company lazer focussed on fuelling athletes. We discuss what it takes to innovate in a crowded space, the importance of real connections with athletes, and why organic marketing is underrated.
We also get into the realities of scaling a business quickly, adapting to constant change, and the lessons learned along the way. If you’re interested in what it takes to build brand loyalty in competitive markets, this one’s for you.
This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn’t send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend’s 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it’s boring! Try for free today.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m chatting with Hamish McKay, co founder of Order Editing, and we’re discussing what it’s like to build a $20m app in public.
We discuss how the origins of Order Editing, the moat they’ve built by building in public, the realities and exhaustion that comes from building in public, his personal branding framework, the importance of vulnerability, why they encourage their team to build their own personal brands, the stark reality of bootstrapping, where they sit within commerce technology landscape and what life would be like after they sell for $20m.
This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn’t send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend’s 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it’s boring! Try for free today.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m chatting with the Jeremy Horowitz, managing partner at Because Ventures and writer of the very excellent newsletter - Let’s Buy A Biz!, and we’re debating whether buying a business is the the best business in 2025?
We start by exploring why buying a business has become popularised by social media and retiring baby boomers, why understanding financial statements is crucial for any business buyer or owner, how AI is transforming the business acquisition landscape, the power of a due diligence checklist, green and red flags to look out for when buying a business, how the current market conditions might actually be a positive and why trust is the ultimate deal breaker.
This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Omnisend. Your email marketing platform shouldn’t send you on side quests just to get help. Omnisend’s 24/7 support is always here — real people, real answers, no hold music. So good, it’s boring! Try for free today.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we’re re-exploring a subject we discussed a few weeks back - the technology state of play.
We start with the impact of tariffs on backend operations and tech choices, the demand for low code solutions, the likelihood and shape of consolidation for the rest of the year, who the commerce platform winners and losers will be, the opportunities for new tech ventures in a volatile market, what is going on with the MACH Alliance, Shopify's recent partnership with ChatGPT and whether AI maximalists have got it right or wrong?
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Inventory Planner by Sage. What do brands like like Astrid & Miyu, ROKA London and Passenger have in common? They all use Inventory Planner by Sage to cut excess stock by a third and scale multi-locations with confidence. Get two month’s free by following this link.
Checkout Factory here.
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On this episode I’m back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we’re debating whether system design is a luxury or a necessity for modern brands?
Before jumping into it, we touch on how TikTok is becoming the battleground for Trump’s trade tariffs and whether Strava buying Runna is a playbook for running brands acquiring niche running clubs.
Then we get into system design. We explore the importance of establishing systems from day one, common mistakes brands make, the interplay between data and system design, the impact of AI on system design and why good system design is often a function of an ‘oh shit’ moment.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Inventory Planner by Sage. What do brands like like Astrid & Miyu, ROKA London and Passenger have in common? They all use Inventory Planner by Sage to cut excess stock by a third and scale multi-locations with confidence. Get two month’s free by following this link.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we’re discussing New Product Development 101.
Before jumping into it, we recap on last week’s episode and bring you up to speed with Trump’s tariffs. We also explore what we’re hearing on the ground from brands who are trying to navigate this new trade normal.
Then we get into New Product Development 101. We start with the triggers that spawn a New Product Development process, how to forecast demand and effectively use marketing data, the importance of supplier relationships, how AI is impacting NPD, product launch failures of the last 10 years and whether Sketchers bet on Harry Kane will pay off.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Inventory Planner by Sage. What do brands like like Astrid & Miyu, ROKA London and Passenger have in common? They all use Inventory Planner by Sage to cut excess stock by a third and scale multi-locations with confidence. Get two month’s free by following this link.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we’re discussing how to navigate Trumpenomics. Maybe some would argue, Trumpageaddon.
This was a big one. And I’ll preface the conversation with the fact that we are not economists. But we started by focusing on the impact of the recent tariff changes on brands and the broader economic landscape.
Then we got into the meat of the conversation where we discussed the uncertainty faced by brand leaders, the potential shifts in manufacturing strategies, how brands can adapt quickly, the likely changes in consumer behaviour, who the winners and losers will be, the importance of scenario planning and if there are indeed any silver lining opportunities.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Inventory Planner by Sage. What do brands like like Astrid & Miyu, ROKA London and Passenger have in common? They all use Inventory Planner by Sage to cut excess stock by a third and scale multi-locations with confidence. Get two month’s free by following this link.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we’re discussing whether stock management is your secret marketing weapon.
Before we kick off we quickly discuss H&M announcing that they’ll be using AI models and Napster’s recent sale for $200m. Yes, Napster just got sold for $200m.
Then we get into the meat of the conversation and debate whether stock is actually a secret marketing weapon. We touch on why stock management is often overlooked compared to marketing, why brands should focus on selling everything they buy, the power of personalised promotions, the fallacy that tech is the solution to stock issues and why all brands need a stock health checkup by a qualified stock doctor.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Inventory Planner by Sage. What do brands like like Astrid & Miyu, ROKA London and Passenger have in common? They all use Inventory Planner by Sage to cut excess stock by a third and scale multi-locations with confidence. Get two month’s free by following this link.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m back with Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce thinking and high cohesion and we’re discussing going global!
Before we kick off we quickly discuss the Gary Stevenson Diary of CEO debate, Magento’s move to the cloud and Klarna teaming up with Door dash.
Then we get into the meat of the conversation. We discuss why brands go global in the first place, what they need to consider to do so from a CX and tech perspective, the intricacies and considerations of supply chain and logistics (were I think most of the thinking needs to happen) and whether Trump’s tarrifs are encouraging or discouraging brand to expand to the US.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m chatting with with Ed Whelpton Co founder of Bold Bean Co and we’re discussing why the world should eat more beans.
We start with Ed’s journey and obsession with food operations, the idea and early stages of Bold Bean Co, their D2C versus trade strategy and why D2C is so important, the power of community and how it can shape ones new product development, where Bold Bean will be in 2030 and whether they as a brand are normalising the weird or weirding the normal?
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Check out Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m back with Luke Hodgson, co founder at Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion and we’re tackling some hot commerce and business news - including Pretty Little Thing’s rebrand, Tala’s retail expansion and Bryan Johnson (the bloke who won’t die) staring a religion. We then dive into a discussion about how to budget for a big digital transformation project. We cover the complexities of budgeting, whether AI will make it easier, budget allocation, blindspots to look out for, how to handle push back and whether or not communicating a budget before a project has begun is a good or bad idea.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m chatting with David Franks, co-founder of Kick Game and building Zelph, and we’re discussing whether D2C exits are back. Which is topical as VGC just bought a controlling stake in Kick Game.
We rewind and get a sense of those early days of Kick Game, the power of celebrity collaborations, why they bucked the trend during COVID and pushed hard on their bricks and mortar strategy, why they sold their stake to VGC and transition into their new roles and then we switch gears to talk about Zelph - a solution to that aims to help Retailers, Brands and Suppliers manage and scale their marketplace & dropship businesses.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m back with Luke Hodgson, co founder at Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion and we’re tackling some hot commerce news - including the demise of the Humane AI pin, and Skims and Nike teaming up - then diving into a discussion about digital transformation projects. We define what a digital transformation project is, the reasons for embarking on one, how to approach such a project and the big question - is a legacy mindset the biggest challenge to success?
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode we’re exploring whether new media is redefining the way we consume business news, with Sammi Cohen, Consumer Expert & Founder of Social Currency.
I first came across Sammi via TikTok and was immediately impressed with her ability to distill interesting business topics. So I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk to her about how new media is reshaping the consumption of business news, the concept of 'business lore' and why it’s important for story telling, the rise of TikTok as a platform for B2B content, the launch of her Social Currency newsletter, the success of creator-led brands such as Chamberlain Coffee and whether the rebirth of Enron is real or a hoax?
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m chatting with James Collier - a Nutritionist, Author and Co-Founder & Chief Sustainable Nutrition Officer at Huel. On the back of his new book, Well Fed, we’re discussing whether we need to change the way we eat. We discuss the complexities of the food system, the ethical considerations of food choices, the importance of consumer education, the challenges of overconsumption, why misinformation is impacting food and what James would do if he was advising the UK Government on food policy today.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them outhere.
Checkout Factoryhere.
Sign up to our newsletterhere.
On this episode I’m back with Luke Hodgson, co founder at Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion and we’re discussing his recent time in LA.
We touch on the dynamics of operating in the US, the challenges and opportunities for brands and services providers in LA, the investment landscape compared to the UK, the cultural perceptions between the US and here and a side detour of reflections on the UK government's approach to business strategy.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them outhere.
Checkout Factoryhere.
Sign up to our newsletterhere.
On this special live podcast, I sit down with Rosie Duffy (Head of Customer Care, ME+EM) and Hannah Bennett(Head of Digital, Paul Smith) to discuss whether post-purchase is your secret CLTV weapon?
What did we chat about?
- how effective post-purchase communication can unlock retention
- the internal resources you need to craft excellent post purchase experience
- the interplay between loyalty and post purchase
- the role of stock experience
- the tech stack to make this all possible...and a smidge of AI.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Ingrid.
On this episode I’m back with Luke Hodgson, co founder at Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion and we’re discussing his recent time in LA.
We touch on the dynamics of operating in the US, the challenges and opportunities for brands and services providers in LA, the investment landscape compared to the UK, the cultural perceptions between the US and here and a side detour of reflections on the UK government's approach to business strategy.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m chatting with Olly Hudson - D2C Growth expert, Founder of Soar With Us & For You Advertising, CMO of JAQ Group - and we’re discussing whether disrupter brands are dead.
We start by exploring Olly’s journey to consumer, what it’s like to run an agency and work inside a brand. Then get into the meat of the conversation where we define what a modern disrupter brand looks like, whether creator or founder-led brands are the new disrupter and if one is going to disrupt - what does that look like in 2025.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m back with my co conspirator and regular guest Luke Hodgson - co founder of Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion.
Today we’re discussing the week’s most interesting commerce news. Which are: Klevu and Searchspring’s partnership, Yotpo sunsetting subscriptions and Adanol’s collab with Kendal Jenner. We then deep dive on Operator Experience. What is it and should it be your number one priority this year?
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Checkout Factory here
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m back with my co conspirator and regular guest Luke Hodgson - co founder of Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion.
Today we’re discussing the 2025 predictions report we (Factory) released last week. The report was a bit of a big dog, so we decided to tackle a few but not all subjects. However, I highly recommend you go and check out the full blog at Factory-digital.com
So what did we talk about?
The importance of community as a central element of brand strategy, the evolving nature of commerce platforms into customer experience platforms, the changing eCommerce technology landscape, the implications of AI adoption for brands, where we are with sustainability and why stock turn will be the most important topic in 2025.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m chatting with Rob Watkiss, CTO at Sungod and we’re discussing whether composable stack’s are the future of commerce?
We touch on Rob's journey from aerospace engineering to consumer, Sungod’s transition from monolithic to composable, why choosing the right stack is crucial for scalability, how internal resources can be both a strength and a challenge, the power of composable architecture when it comes to experimentation, why it’s so important to balance the skills in your internal team and answer the question - is composable the future of commerce?
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
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On this episode I’m breaking down the most boring product update of 2024: Shopify’s Winter Editions with Ben Homer Senior Solutions Engineer at Shopify.
We touch on Ben’s journey from agency to tech, the pros and cons of RFPs, Black Friday Cyber Monday stats and how Shopify held up over the period, a deep dive on Edition announcements - specifically, customer accounts, checkout, POS, semantic search and Shopify Flow, and why this Editions release was so so boring.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
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On this episode I’m chatting with Miranda Shanahan a very excellent brand consultant and we’re discussing whether brands are becoming TV shows?
We touch on the evolving landscape of brand marketing, the impact of platforms like TikTok and Instagram on content distribution, the role of brand hosts, how brands can create compelling content on a budget, the significance of targeting niche communities for brand relevance and whether brands are indeed becoming TV shows?
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here
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On this episode I’m back chatting with my mate, and tech strategy guru, Luke Hodgson - co founder of Commerce Thinking and High Cohesion - and we’re dicussing whether UK brands need to worry about Trump’s tariffs.
We touch on what UK brands need to think about in order to assess their exposure to US tariffs, the de minimis rule changes and their impact, why brands should model potential scenarios to prepare for tariff impacts before policies are formalised, why opening a US distribution center may be a strategic move, what the tariffs mean for consumer price, whether these tariffs will repair the frosty EU and UK relationship and pose the question - is Trump bluffing?
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
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On this episode I’m chatting with Louise Macnab, founder of JERMS - a brand creating A Holistic Approach to Gut Health and we’re discussing why bacteria has a bad reputation?
We touch on the mission to make gut health accessible to everyone, cutting through the gut health market which is becoming more and more saturated, why scientific credibility is crucial for building trust in health brands, the power of customer engagement through consultations and how it helps build community and loyalty, how Louise's background in law aids her in navigating business challenges and why bacteria is often misunderstood but so incredibly beneficial and essential for health.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here.
Checkout Factory here.
Sign up to our newsletter here.
On this episode I’m chatting with my with Morgan Fowles - CEO at active wear brand Tala - and we’re debating whether customer obsession is overrated.
We discuss why customer obsession is not a box ticking exercise, the power of involving customers in the product development process, why understanding the customer profile is both qualitative and quantitative, how creators play a significant role in modern branding dynamics and why customer obsession should be a core value from the start.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here: https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise?utm_source=your-basket-is-empty&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=24q4_cneparme_ne_media_partnerships&utm_content=enterprise-uk-en-newsletter-1
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On this episode I’m chatting with my friend and long time collaborator Luke Hodgson, co founder of Commerce Thinking & High Cohesion.
This is a new format I’m trialing where Luke and I pick off topics and debate them. I’ll admit I’m taking a lot of reference from Pichfork’s under or over Youtube series and Food 52’s overrated content.
For this conversation, we’re debating experiential retail. We cover why new luxury focuses on knowledge rather than just price ,the Commerce Thinking team’s Field notes from cities and how it reveal consumers interests, why community plays a crucial role in modern retail, how luxury experiences can sometimes feel intimidating, how brands like Kith, Arket and Rapha are approaching retail, and of course, our final thoughts on whether experiential retail is underrated, overrated or just rated.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here: https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise?utm_source=your-basket-is-empty&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=24q4_cneparme_ne_media_partnerships&utm_content=enterprise-uk-en-newsletter-1
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On this episode I’m chatting with Rob Abrahams, Founder & CEO at COAT Paints and we’re discussing what it’s like to reimagine a 1,000 year old product.
We discuss Rob’s transition from automotive to consumer products, how Coat is aiming to modernise both the front end and back end of the paint industry, why the DTC model is central to Coat's business strategy and certainly NOT dead, how TikTok is gaining importance for engaging their consumers and its impact on the home DIY movement, and how a pair of sweatpants was central to the inception of the brand.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here: https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise?utm_source=your-basket-is-empty&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=24q4_cneparme_ne_media_partnerships&utm_content=enterprise-uk-en-newsletter-1
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On this episode I’m chatting with James Kearns, Managing Director at Rapanui Clothing. Part of the Teemill group and a brand that focusses on natural and recycled materials.
We discuss his journey in retail, transitioning from corporate giants to direct-to-consumer, and the intricacies of migrating to Shopify. specifically, the importance of technical resources during migration, risk management strategies, the significance of prioritisation, why the reason behind a migration is so important and how to avoid major migration miss steps.
This podcast is brought to you by our mates at Shopify.
Shopify is a key player that’s revolutionising retail by empowering unified commerce across online, offline, and wholesale channels. With one of the largest and robust ecosystems among commerce platforms, we’re excited to have them join us on this podcast journey. Check them out here: https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise?utm_source=your-basket-is-empty&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=24q4_cneparme_ne_media_partnerships&utm_content=enterprise-uk-en-newsletter-1
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We discuss Holly’s transition into a CEO role whilst acquiring Hera, the inception of their rewear programme, the commercial reality of recycle concepts for D2C brands, the importance of consumer experience when it comes to these programmes, why they decided to build instead of buy a recycle platform, the logistical considerations of rewear and why it can be both a retention and acquisition strategy.
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We discuss his transition from car salesman and DJ to the world of D2C, why unlearning can be an advantage in a commerce world that is changing so fast, the new D2C playbook built on scaling profitably, the realities and challenges of new international markets and how to win at opinion leader marketing.
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We discuss the skill set solutions people need, the ideal tech stack evaluation process, what tech companies can do to help their chances during a discovery process, the power of flex in a project, how brands can best prepare for a discovery and why perfection should not be the enemy of good.
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We discuss why post purchases experiences are generally poor, the impact Amazon has had on consumer expectation, what it’s like to build a modern B2B SaaS roadmap, why eCommerce operating systems are important, taking incumbents like Global E and the power of a cool B2B brand.
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We discuss why Luna Daily started as an omnichannel brand, the advantages and realities of working with retail partners like Sephora, the playbook for successful retail partner selection, the key ingredients and people one needs to scale a B2B operation, and why why more brands should embrace Amazon.
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We discuss the complex nature of modern B2B and why it’s hard to define, the similarities and differences of B2B strategy circa 2017 and now, Chloe’s top B2B guests on her podcast and what others can learn from them and what’s exciting and what’s scary about B2B in 2024.
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We discuss the advantages and challenges of independent retailers, what it’s like to work with distributors, why international expansion is an good B2B strategy - albeit harder than most think, balancing D2C and B2B and why the brand world trumps agency land.
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We discuss where the biggest B2B opportunity are (B2B2C or B2C2B), whether modern D2C playbooks are informing modern B2B playbooks, the B2B and broader market opportunities in LATAM - where Jason currently lives, and what market places are winning and losing in 2024.
We discuss the definition and confusion of B2B, the different angles and channels B2B brands are faced with, what B2B2C and B2C2B brands can learn from each other, the emergence of B2B buyer experiences and what it means for B2B buyer personalisation and whether we need to rebrand or democratise the concept of omnichannel.
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We discuss Martin’s journey from McKinsey to Centra, how a technology roadmap is developed and deployed, the impact VC funding has had on the eComm vendor market, the convergence of generative Ai and low code, what low code is doing to the agency landscape, the pros and cons of Headless and whether Centra will or won’t IPO in five years.
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We discuss the reasons behind their move away from Magento, their technology decision process, the unique relationship they have with their agency (Limesharp) and how this helped shape a successful replatform, timeline and KPI expectations of the project, the keys to success of managing a project of this scale and why it’s good to think about migration first and growth second.
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We discuss what structured content is and why it’s important, how much airtime Ai should be given when it comes to content, the differences commerce, media and tech companies take when approaching content, what it’s like to work with Morning Brew (one of my big inspirations) and where content and commerce will be in 5 years.
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We discuss why they were early adopters of Magento, the impact of their Paul Smith case study on them and the wider market, how agencies make platform decisions, balancing platform relationships and the big question - will Magento be around in 10 years?
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We discuss how they think about Ai internally, whether Ai will power all personalisation, whether brands are actually adopting Ai, what verticals are best suited for Ai, general musing on MACH and Headless and whether we’ll be talking about Ai and MACH in 5 years.
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We discuss the history of eComm tech from custom to open source to SaaS, the impact automation and commoditisation is having on platforms and service providers, the convergence of commerce and media and how that impacts the market, whether agencies will become more boutique, ShopifyGPT prompt predictions and why Ai WON’T end the agency model
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We explore what design-significant brands are, why Headless accelerators are useful from a speed to market perspective, the key to finding harmony between brand and eCommerce metrics, the power of subscription design services, the importance of a CMS in a Headless architecture and why Grebban bet on Centra.
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We start by defining the mid-market - a topic with many perspectives, how Headless offers a future-proofed vision, why ‘never having to replatform’ needs more airtime in terms of marketing, the huge advantages of Headless for editorial and brand-led companies, the misconceptions of losing the app market, the pros and cons of inhouse versus outsourced teams, the mechanics of total cost of ownership analysis and why 2024 will be the renaissance of Headless.
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We discuss the history of commercetools, why the term Headless is meaningless, the advantage of a build AND buy tech strategy, why Ai tools are distracting from customer experience fundamentals, Shopify’s move into enterprise, the death of legacy platforms and why Kelly is bullish on B2B and making composable easier.
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We discuss the growing desire for better quality coffee in the UK, why subscription models can be challenging but are well-suited for coffee due to its high frequency and repeatability, why brand identity and marketing metrics should be balanced to ensure a consistent and authentic customer experience, the importance of tailoring your loyalty programme based on different customer profiles and finally, what is coffee-core and why is it important?
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I sat down with Camilla Craven, fractional CMO. We discuss the mechanics of what it means to be a fractional CMO, the pros and the pitfalls of the role, the stage of businesses that get the most value from a fractoinal resources, why starting in agency world is major benefit, betting on luxury in bull and bear markets and why customer loyalty is incredibly but incredibly powerful. ………….
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On this special simulcast episode, I sat down with Richard Chapple, co-founder of The Growth Foundation. It’s a broad conversation where we tackle what it’s like to operate in the brave new world of growth. We cover why CRM is a gold pot waiting to be unleashed, the D2C principles that still exist today, avoiding choice paralysis, why D2C trumps omnichannel if it’s profitable, the pros and cons of geographical expansion and growth channels Rich is bullish on in 2024; Threads, Reddit and Podcasts.
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On this episode Will and Tim discuss predictions, results and what brands like Finisterre, Ocean Bottle, Batch LDN and Lucy and Yak are doing for Black Friday Cyber Monday. They also round out their favourite news stories of 2023 and predictions for 2024.
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We discuss the Agora investment thesis and process, why VC dollars can mask product market fit, where VC-backed D2C is going in 2024, whether it’s better to IPO or sell to a big CPG, why the pandemic was bad for FBA aggregators and the advantages of being a D2C operator and investor.
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We discuss building the Tripadvisor for beauty, the difference between customisation and personalisation, arming brands with better customer feedback, their fund raising process and why you should date your co-founder before starting a business.
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We discuss the importance of agency people, the power of curation when it comes to agency selection, why awareness is key for growth, the shift from full service to niche and back to full service, why omnichannel is replacing D2C, how investing has complimented their business and why human IP is underrated.
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On this episode we discuss Dollar Shave Club moving to Shopify and being put up for sale, how Hello Bello got into trouble, Indonesia banning TikTop Shop, why Wiggle might get bought, Nike’s new D2C gym equipment brand, Apple’s Ai announcement and Tala getting into outwear.
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We discuss why a basic product with product-market-fit is key, how they define the SMB and mid-market, the pros and cons of conversational commerce, why customer support and marketing teams should talk more, product-led-growth versus partner-led growth, why they’re backing multiple eCommerce platforms and the power of building a startup in Lithuania.
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We discuss the importance of product, why seasonal moments are so powerful, the parallels of dog treats and the baby clothes market, who and what Genz-ennial’s are and the perfection retention strategy (Routine, Iteration, Product, Experience and New news).
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On this special episode, which was recorded live earlier this month, Tim sat down with Mel McVeigh (VP Consumer Product, Conde Nast) & David Greenaway (Product Team Manager, We Make Websites)It’s a wide ranging discussion about the interplay of content and commerce, where they discuss, the ecom considerations for the multiples brands at Conde Nast, how companies like Toast are nailing the content driven storytelling, creator culture, influencer culture and trend culture driving our commerce experiences on social, whether TikTok shop is more of a modern day QVC than we think and the pros and cons headless and composable.
We discuss what an analogue-digital brand is, why tone of voice is the key to scale, how to balance customers and trade partners, building online and offline communities and why brand activations opportunities with companies like Malin + Goetz are so important.
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We discuss building a personal brand on LinkedIn, the pros and cons of Gartner’s magic quadrant, his role at the MACH Alliance and how they fit into the ecosystem, the Shopify versus Commercetools debate, the rise and fall of Magento and who will be the dominate platform in 10 yrs time.
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We discuss the early rise of Christmas-related Google searches, Tesco in hot water, H&M charging for returns, OpenAi and DALL-E 3, Days going viral via Tube Girl, Shopify’s 3D modelling feature and NME making a comeback.
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We discuss the fallacy of big data, the importance of harvesting the right data, GA4’s TLDR, navigating data regulation, the power of Shopify’s product velocity and the pros and cons of being platform partner agnostic.
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We discuss transitioning from dentistry to D2C founder, the power of indirect marketing, the pros and cons of appearing on Dragon’s Den, taking on the FMCG giants and how to change the habits of every single person on the planet. ………….
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We discuss the power of having a purpose, the similarities between dating and hiring, the huge potential of ex-service people, humanising SaaS branding with humour and the power of ambition coupled with trusting your gut.
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We discuss creating new channels like communities, avoiding product and marketing silos, whether brand trumps product, the rise of LinkedIn as a new medium for D2C brands (eg Surreal), who are best at adapting to the new paradigm of marketing and Joe’s take on whether to hire an agency or not.
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We discuss why they are disrupting dairy, the power of attention to detail and data, the challenges of D2C unit economics, category expansion, the pros and cons of leveraging a huge audience and why we might need to wait a while for chicken skin butter.
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In this Wednesday’s episode, Will and Tim deep dive on the eComm news of the last week. They discuss the US military sending incorrect emails, WooCommerce and TikTok partnering up, TikTok’s new fulfilment service, Youtube’s affiliate programme and the demise of Wilko, WeWork and Hopin ☹️
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In this week’s episode Tim sat down with Shopstory co founder and CEO, Andrzej Dąbrowski. From his background in building digital experiences in Ecom, Andrejz talks about how Shopstory empowers designers and marketers to build visual content without the use of code or developers. Thus meaning, developers can spend their time elsewhere. Hear Andrejz's thoughts visual building, CMSs and the Headless horse race between Shopify, commercetools, Centra, Commerce Layer et al.
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We discuss the advantages of a long term strategy horizon when it comes to a sale, why internal and external alignment on what people want out of the deal is key, the ceiling ones hits when they bootstrap, the pros and cons of different communications strategies when announcing the deal and Craig’s top tips for a better due diligence process.
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It’s the last Wednesday of the month so Will and Tim are here to deep dive on eComm (and beyond’s) most interesting news. They tackle IKEA adopting AI, LMVH’s innovation award, Shopify’s answer to Prime Day, BNPL Pizza, Shop Pay moving into the enterprise, Peleton on the ropes and the sad passing of Bother.
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We discuss the history of Recharge, structural changes in the market and how they’re impacting merchants, the move from deterministic to probabilistic marketing, why maximising customer LTV is so important, differentiating loyalty from subscription, the pros and cons of referral programmes and why you just need to trust your gut.
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We discuss moving from Kickstarter to Amazon to DTC, the keys to assessing CPG product-market fit (TAM, ship friendliness, shelf life and repeatability), launching new categories and product lines, under indexing on the product, the importance of brand experience in a retail environment and how Will’s LinkedIn shower thoughts are created.
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We discuss pivoting from SaaS to agency, being early adopters of Headless, the importance of goal alignment between client and agency, the advantages of starting a brand as agency founders, why Shopify is incredibly hard to beat and the pros and cons of sharing a bed with your co founder.
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We discuss the early days of shopify, transitioning from platform to agency, the ins and outs of the Able sense deal, agency M&A opportunities, why it’s better to buy than build and the broader headless composable market.
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Instead of our normal broadcast, we’re doing something a little different. Will and Tim spend 30 mins chatting about the past week’s most interesting eComm (and beyond) news. Think Pivot meets Morning Brew pod meets The Rest Is History. We discuss Threadup’s resale report and the general state of circular platforms, Gymshark’s approach to retail and where omnichannel is at, Vice’s demise, KIKI the new Web3 beauty brand and Domm Holland’s new startup, Trady.
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We discuss Tash’s transition from journalism to agency world, opportunities for brands in the current economic climate, why getting back to basics is and always will be a good strategy, building and fostering a community, the challenges of sweat equity and why one needs to take responsibility for their own personal brand.
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We discuss the advantages of starting a brand with agency experience, balancing DTC and retail, why being on draught is the holy grail, the challenges and advantages of finding early adopters, the value prop to pubs for non alc options and why focussing on the boring stuff is a key ingredient to startup success.
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We discuss why Shopify POS was an important service in the early days at Kubix, a day in the life of an agency Ops Director, why brands are likely already using AI but don’t know it, navigating the tech partner landscape and the most challenging aspect of the current economic climate; hiring.
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We discuss the beauty of building and selling something you enjoy, the pros and cons of bootstrapping, the similarity in challenges at each stage of the agency life cycle, value-based pricing, the best uses of AI in an agency context, the importance of cultural fit between a buyer and seller and what life looks like after an exit 🚀
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We discuss how a challenging personal period and extensive experience in the FMCG space led to the creation of the brand, the power of combining beauty and emotional well-being, why barriers to entry in the DTC space are both a blessing and a curse, the pros and cons of celebrity-backed brands and what Namrata is most excited about in 2023.
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We discuss what skills he acquired after the Peoplevox acquisition, why becoming a trusted advisor is an excellent sales tactic, what a dark stack it is and why it’s important, the power of eCommerce tech curation, why software sales experience is an advantage when advising eCommerce brands, balancing work and life and Ollie’s secret business book recommendation 🤫
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We discuss how a last flight out of London at the start of the COVID lockdown kick-started the brand, the advantages of crowd-sourced product development, why embracing a COVID-enforced D2C strategy was so powerful, the process of moving from D2C only to a multi-channel player, using D2C data to inform your retail strategy, why not spending any money on acquisition until the eComm basics were in play was a smart move, why sticking to 0% alcohol, whilst difficult, has been a key ingredient for success and their five year mission to build the world's next great beer business.
We discuss why being exposed to her family fashion business was a stepping stone to a corporate career, the importance of personal values alignment when making career choices, the untapped potential of Web3, Sprint’s investment criteria and process, the current state of financial markets and central bank strategy and advice to anybody considering a pre seed, seed or Series A investment raise.
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We discuss the print services origins of Wiro, pivoting from a platform-agnostic model to Shopify only, his take on Commerce Components and why this additional enterprise layer is useful from a pricing perspective, the similarities of brand expectations and caution between COVID and now, using the current market volatility to their advantage when hiring, why partnerships with bigger agencies is a great growth initiative, why we need to enter a new era of hyper-realistic case studies and his go-to internal agency stack including Slack, ClickUp, Notion, Google Drive, Pipedrive, Quickbooks and Loom.Sign up to the newsletter here: https://yourbasketisempty.com/Enjoy ✌️
We discuss building the Lizz Truss of Shopify apps, the advantages of being non-developer founders, approaching the agency business from a fist principles perspective, the keys to hiring great people, why the best partnerships are based on client needs not the best technical solution, the advantages of having a wide partner network including VCs and branding agencies, why adding quality to the conversations is the key to good personal branding, the advantages of a fully remote team and why working with your best mates is a good foundation for a successful business
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We discuss getting approached by an agency group in 2019 sparked the idea of an exit, how COVID derailed the exit plans, the key milestones of the Born deal; the initial conversation, due diligence and SPA negotiations, the advantages of having one person focusing on the deal, the importance of the business being able to run in parallel to the exit plan, the challenges of due diligence, specifically the difference in process between the target and acquirer, the lessons learned of not taking corporate finance advice, the inherent risk of a deal falling through and what he’d do differently if he did it all again.
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I sit down with Gavin Ballard, founder of Disco Labs and Submarine.
We discuss how a love of Shopify led to the creation of Disco Labs, why they decided to pivot from an agency to a product, the challenges of process transition when pivoting, why being at the coal face of client issues helps with product development, Submarine’s GMT through their existing agency partner network, the importance of the developer experience and a revolutionary new paradigm in online retail; ‘flexible commerce’
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I sit down Lauren Kleinman, founder of Dreamday and co-founder of The Quality Edit and we discuss why being brand side helped shape the agency model, the impact key hires can have on a business, how a passion project turned into a separate business in The Quality Edit, why gut and intuition are so important for decision making, why hiring for culture and vetting clients reduces the chances of working with assholes and what Lauren’s dreamday looks like.
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I sit down with Harry Willis, Director of Partnerships and Business Development at Relo. We go deep on the recent Blueprint and Klaviyo deal, the power of a consultative product approach, James White’s infamous and trad marked follow the energy principle, the importance of giving in a partner relationship, why the time to value in a partnership requires patience, the pros and cons of being a remote partner manager and his take on personal branding and the power of repurposing content
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I sit down with Dan Partridge, CEO at Swanky. We go deep on transitioning from an entrepreneurial corporate lawyer to the agency world, Shopify’s Commerce Components rollout and it’s impact on the wider market (especially on Commerce Tools), what it’s like working with £100 GMV brands, being cautiously optimistic about the eComm landscape in 2023, the advantages of being vertically agnostic and focussing on subscription brands, the process of coming into a new company and industry as a CEO and the pros and cons of being a lawyer in an agency
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I sit down with Oliver Duffy-Lee, Founder of Authority Agency and we discuss why building authority is key to any services business, how to pivot away from referrals as your key lead generation source, the incredible power of positioning, why being a thinker is better than being a doer, how to produce consistently good content, why differentiation is the biggest challenge for agencies in 2023, AI’s influence on the agency landscape and why Notion is the GOAT when it comes to agency ops.
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agency #podcast
I sit down with Jim, Chris and Andy from Rotate° agency. We explore the origins of the agency, why the tech stack is secondary to solving client business problems, the evolution and future of headless and composable commerce, working with brands like Seedlip and Chilly’s at the early stages of their growth, why being a fractional digital team is a great way to work with clients, the advantages of hiring senior talent and building a high-performing teams and their go-to agency internal tech stack, which includes: Notion, ASANA, Linear, Slack, Figma / Figjam.
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Link in the comments to listen 🤙
directtoconsumer #podcast
I sit down with Matt Kennedy, CEO & founder of Fussy. We explore why working in advertising is a great foundation for starting a business, launching a product on kickstarter, being relentlessly focussed on the costumer and product. why growth equals marketing AND ops, their Dragons den experience (spoiler alert, the lift is fake), why everything is a creative opportunity and acquisition opportunities in the current macro climate
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Link in the comments to listen 🤙
directtoconsumer #podcast
I sit down with Georgie Carter, founder of Pepped. We explore creating an agency by accident, the importance of lifecycle marketing and creating relevant customer experiences, how to optimise your retention strategies, the power of high-value content emails, finding opportunities in the current macro climate, the value of creating a niche position and why SMS is going to be a key strategy for brands in 2023
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I sit down with Adison Clark, Co-Founder of P&Co. We explore how a love of music and motorbike-coffee-tattoo culture led to the creation of the brand, the power of community building and DIY content for early stages of growth, why they focussed on psychographics not demographics, why we need to rebrand the term influencer, pivoting from a brand to an agency and the best piece of advice if you’re starting your own brand.
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Tim Masek, founder of 1-800-D2C. We explore how a passion for eComm and a spreadsheet turned into 1-800-D2C, the process of curating the most exciting D2C brands and tech, the power of differentiation through branding, why D2C is NOT dead, rethinking traditional events that focus human connection, why Shopify will continue to dominate and what’s next for 1-800-D2C.
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Nicole Compen, founder at raye the store. We explore how working brand side led to the creation of raye the store, the nuts and bolts when it comes to running pop-ups, the secret sauce of truly exceptional experiential retail, how to find and manage and nurture amazing brand partnerships, the challenges of property management and what’s next for raye the store; permanent locations and or going international 🌏
A quick word on my sponsor...
Klaviyo is the world’s leading owned marketing platform known for accelerating revenue for online businesses using the channels they own like email, web and mobile.
Enabling companies to leverage these owned marketing channels, Klaviyo makes it easy to store, access, analyze and use transactional and behavioural data to power highly-targeted customer and prospect communications. And unlike other marketing platforms, Klaviyo doesn’t force companies to compromise between advanced functionality or ease of use - so companies of all sizes are able to maximize their sales quickly.
I sit down with Jed Coleman, co-founder & CEO of Rise & Fall. We explore the origins of Caravan Coffee, the power of timing, creating the antithesis of fast fashion, the advantages of disruptive supply chain models, navigating the current macro climate with great products and value, how to find the ideal co-founder and his ultimate surf and restaurant spots
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I sit down with Lauren Murrell, CEO/Co-Founder of By Sarah London. We explore how a personal trauma led to starting the brand, the pros and cons of starting a business with your sister, community building, why you need to be nimble and adaptable when it comes to social media, the power of morning TV, why becoming a B Corp has been a great business decision and why finding mantras to live by can get you through adversity.
This episode is proudly brought to you by Klaviyo 🙏
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I sit down with Mike Stevens, founder, consultant and author of The Direct To Consumer Playbook. We explore working in startups before startups were a thing, shaking up the confectionary industry with Peppersmith, why timing is so important for selling a company, DTC’s state of play and relevance in 2022, why he decided to write The Direct To Consumer Playbook, the power of omnichannel strategies and disrupting the homeware category with his new venture, Hutside.
This episode is proudly brought to you by Klaviyo 🙏
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I sit down with Gary Penn, Global eCommerce Consultant at Chameleon Collective. We explore how the eCommerce landscape has changed in the last twenty years, what the modern DTC playbook looks like, how the Chameleon Collective are disrupting the traditional consultancy model, the challenges of platform selection, why brands need to think about multichannel strategies and how crypto can be used for a good cause.
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I sit down with John-Ruben Holtback, founder of UNNA. We explore how a personal health journey led to the creation of UNNA, tackling customer relationships at scale, why taking time out is important, the pros and cons of having already started a fashion company, finding inspiration in unlikely places and starting communities by building co-creation programmes with customers.
This episode is proudly brought to you by Klaviyo 🙏
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I sit down with Lottie Unwin, Founder of The Copy Club. We explore key learnings from the early stages of her career, why marketing mates are helpful, creating an octopus business model, what it takes to build a community (I mean, really build a community!), how brands can rethink their approach to community, fostering customer conversations and the do’s and don’ts of personal branding.
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Topics we explore:
~ Why 90s culture is still relevant in 2022
~ Celebrity endorsements
~ The changing face of DTC playbooks
~ Attracting the wrong customer
~ Running a serious business but not taking yourself too seriously
~ And why everyone needs to see the movie ‘Prayer of the Rollerboys”
Topics we explore:
~ Growing up in Jersey Shore
~ The pros and cons of running a family business
~ The advantages of founder-led content
~ Balancing online, wholesale and retail sales channels
~ How DTC playbooks change over time
~ Navigating the current macro climate
~ And why Rusty is the GOAT surf brand
Topics we explore:
~ Why Turmeric is so good for us?
~ The challenges of disrupting the supplements space
~ The pros and cons of being an athlete and founder
~ Celebrity partnerships ~ Web3’s application in the eComm space
~ Guilty food pleasures
~ And a whole bunch more
Topics we explore:
~ Key startup stage growth areas
~ Relearning after iOS 14 ~ Working with TikTok creators
~ Balancing acquisition and retention
~ Harnessing the power of marketplaces
~ Dedicated reviews pages
~ And a whole bunch more
Topics we explore: ~ Disrupting a 300 yr old industry ~ The importance of IRL retail ~ Accidentally becoming a tech business ~ Avoiding Facebook ~ Navigating the current macro climate ~ Finding mentors and not sweating the small stuff
I chat with Chaz Olajide, founder of Sir Dogwood - a curated online marketplace and inclusive community for swank pups and their sartorially-minded pet parents. We explore how to build a community, balancing acquisition and retention, using SMS effectively, key learnings from the pandemic and her favourite animal Instagram accounts.
I chat with Josh Enzer, co-founder of Swell and VP of Strategy Yotpo. We discuss why pivoting from a Bitcoin tech start-up in 2015 was a good idea, the advantages of a business/tech co-founder combo, the pros and cons of getting acquired three years into your journey, community building from a non-brand perspective and what companies Josh would invest in right now.
I chat with Sarah Arts, Head of Marketing and Communications at Asket. We discuss why we should strive for the pursuit of less, the advantages of strategic naivety, bucking the BFCM trend by closing down your stores, the challenges of re-commerce, the pros and cons of working with content creators and becoming the David Attenborough of the apparel industry.
I chat with Kelsey Moreira, Founder & Fearless Leader of Doughp. We discuss how getting sober led to the creation of Doughp, where we are in terms of de-stigmatising addiction recovery, why not starting a canned mocktail company was a good idea, how the pandemic brought about a successful pivot, the advantages of having real SMS conversations with your customers and what it's like to be a Shark Tank contestant.
I chat with Fanny Damiette, CMO at Girlfriend Collective. We discuss whether slow fashion and current supply chains can find harmony, why customer sophistication is creating a brand identity crisis, how to prioritise purpose, investing in and the challenges of circular-commerce and why personalisation is the holy grail of brand marketing.
I chat with Hannah Samano, Founder & CEO of Unfabled. We discuss why it's important to re-write the period care story, the evolution of personalisation to meet the demands of consumer lifestyles, whether community building is part of the new D2C playbook, why being impact-led helps with customer advocacy and our favourite Tony's Chocolonely flavours.
I chat with Aman Advani, co-founder & CEO of Ministry of Supply. We discuss why it's important to know the industry you're disrupting, the art of balancing form and function, how they created the workliesure category nine years before it existed and why giving your personal phone number to customers is a great idea
I chat with Matt Bland, co-founder of Ragged Edge.
We discuss how a childhood dream led to the creation of Ragged Edge, moving from agency adolescence to agency adulthood, the advantages of finding a niche, the keys to a successful business partner relationship and how they solved their own brand problem.
I chat with Liz Whitney, agency world master and founder of Cove.
We reflect on the challenges modern agencies face, why coaching helps you become a better consultant, the importance of enjoying the journey, creating employee personas to help navigate the new hybrid working environment and what the ideal agency model looks like.
I chat with Hannah Russell, co founder of Mags Creative.
We discuss how a curated marketplace led to the creation of Mags, creating audio that reaches millions of listeners, not believing the highlights reel, the diversity challenge in the podcast space, predictions from 2019, enjoying the early 2020 Clubhouse moment and a new idea to help DIY podcasters level up.
On this episode, I chat with Peter Kang - co founder of Barrel.
We discuss the challenges of side projects, being deliberate, transitioning life stages at the same time as your co-founder, investing in your clients, creating team experience frameworks, documenting your own agency journey and why John Starks is the greatest NBA player of all time.
I chat with CJ Daniel-Nield, co-founder of Planes Studio. We discuss how a New Zealander ends up founding a product agency in London, building a reputation when you don't have a portfolio, the realities of no new business, defaulting to openness and why clients may not need agencies in the long run.
I chat with Glen Burrows, co-founder and CMO at The Ethical Buther. We discuss how a vegetarian of 25 years came to co found a butcher, the relevance of modern food labelling, challenging veganism, the benefits of pre agriculture and how a thought-provoking Facebook post turned into an accidental viral hashtag movement.
On this episode, I chat with Fionn Hart - UK Country Manager at Flipdish. A Dublin-based digital food-ordering platform. We discuss the challenges of remote hiring, taking on the big food delivery apps, the power of customer advocacy, their recent €40m investment round, predictions for DTC food in 2021 and getting comfortable with worst-case scenarios.
I chat with Emilie Vanpoperinghe, co founder & CEO at Oddbox. We discuss the complexities of a food-based subscription model, balancing purpose and profitability, the advantages of being a B-corp, maintaining work-life balance when your co-founder is your life partner and why we should all be eating more wonky fruit and veg.
I chat with Amanda Hesser - co-founder & CEO at Food 52. We discuss the early days of Food 52, the success of bootstrapping, pioneering the content and commerce curve, the power of community, the recent acquisition of Dansk and why failure was never an option.
I chat with Ian Baron - Chief Papa at Mamamade.
We touch on the advantages of building a brand with your life partner, organically growing a community to 30,000 members, the art of asking the right questions, experiential supermarkets and the ideal vegan feast.
I chat with Gini Newton - co founder of Karma Cans and Karma Kitchen. We touch on how Karma Cans led to the creation of Karma Kitchen, the advantages of running a business with your sister, building communities and how a trip to Norfolk to buy a kitchen for £600 ended up being a very wise decision.
I kick off the season by chatting to Claire Warner, co-founder of Aecorn Drinks. We discuss her transition from big corporate to start up, the concept of unlearning, Aecorn's unique product development process and whether isolation has actually made us more open to new things?!
I chat with Eva Pascoe - a technology and eCommerce trailblazer, speaker, writer, co-founder of the world's first internet cafe and Director of Ecommerce at The Retail Practice.
We discuss how the tragedy at Chernobyl led to her journey in technology, the shift from omnichannel to pure-play DTC, working smarter not harder and why 2020 was more challenging than the dot com crash.
I chat with Keir Whitaker - a digital pioneer, co-founder of Default (a Shopify app company) and a freelance marketing and business consultant for Shopify Partners. We touch on his 20+ years of digital experience, reimagining events in a post-COVID world, states of flow, t-shaped skill sets and nerding out on Bowie. The article that touches on individual contributors Keir mentions is this one: https://staff.design/
I chat with Shimona Mehta, Managing Director EMEA at Shopify. We look at predictions for 2021, whether DTC is being replaced by DTE (direct to everywhere), how brands are scaling responsibly and the word on every iOS users' lips - Clubhouse.
I chat to Ana Andjelic - a Strategy Executive, author of “The Business of Aspiration”, one of Forbes’s World’s Most Influential CMOs and recently appointed Chief Brand Officer at Banana Republic. We unpack some of the themes in her book, learnings from 2020, using your personal brand to add value and the importance of being patient.
I chat to Sam Jones, Co-founder and CEO of OOOOO, a new live commerce app connecting consumers with real people, real products and real opinions. We touch on Sam's unique journey, the reincarnation of live shopping, building a global team and selling Manchester United merch when you're a Liverpool fan.
I chat to Connie Nam, founder and CEO of Astrid & Miyu - a London based jewellery brand who placed ninth in the 2020 fast Track 100 list. We touch on the origins of the company, organic evolution, building communities, reimagining experiential retail and some tattoo talk.
On the sixth and final episode of the Agency Side Series, I sit down with Piers Thorogood and Alex O’Byrne, co-founders of We Make Websites. We touch on how they met and started the agency, what’s changed in over 10 years of working together, the keys to a successful business relationship and how a £5 Gumtree ad changed the course of their lives.
On the fifth episode of the Agency Side Series, I sit down with Adam Clarke, General Manager EMEA at Reload Digital. We touch on what it means to be a truly global agency, keeping a cool head during periods of great change (e.g. a global pandemic), the pros and cons of staying niche and how not pursuing a PhD in history and politics led him down a digital path.
On the fourth episode of the Agency Side Series, I sit down with Kelly Brown, COO and CFO of The Working Party. We touch on managing a business when your business partner is also your life partner, the eComm and Shopify scene down under, the fluidity of culture and what she’d be doing if she wasn’t running an agency.
On the third episode of the Agency Side Series, I sit down with Paul Rogers, co-founder and Managing Director of Vervaunt.
We touch on starting a business with his best friend, staying niche at scale, Shopify versus Magento and how doing spin classes with clients has given Vervaunt a competitive edge.
On the second episode of the Agency Side Series, I sit down with Leja Kress, CEO and Founding Partner of Sweden Unlimited.
This is a pretty special episode as Leja and I share a passion for 80s new wave and post punk music. So it was a unique opportunity to sit down with her and learn how the band she formed with her husband and twin sister led to the creation of the agency, what they’ve learnt in 20 years of operation, how to maintain relevance, building culture and who would be in her ideal line up for a show at CBGBs, circa 1985.
On the first episode of the Agency Side Series, I sit down with Kelly Vaughn - Founder & CEO of The Tap Room. We touch on her unconventional background, building culture whilst not creating an echo chamber, the concept of an ideal client and advice she’d give to somebody embarking on their own agency journey.
On this episode, I sit down with Chris Nawrocki, co founder of Heur - an eCommerce growth and strategy consultancy. We touch on an array of subjects from Tik Tok to VC funding to sustainability to the existential crisis traditional agency models are facing, and everything in between.
On this episode, I sit down with Rob Bridgeman, founder and CEO of Snug - the sofa in a box company. We touch on his personal experience of moving house which lead to Snug, how they’ve bucked the trend of VC funding and creating not just a product but a category.
On this episode, I sit down with Raph Babalola - co founder of Temple, a new natural skincare and wellness brand for men of colour. We touch on his journey, building communities, starting a business in the middle of a pandemic, how he manages to juggle everything and advice for anyone embarking on a similar path.
On this episode, I sit down with Katherine Heath - Head of Social at Hug London and an advocate for ethical and sustainable business. We touch on her journey, an ethical directory she co-founded, some recent headlines and tips to live a more conscious existence.
On this episode, I sit down with Matt Gillet, Chief Commercial Officer at Slerp. We touch on his Journey, the concept of change, whether food and hospitality has been disrupted forever and what he misses most about Australia.
On this episode, I sit down with E-commerce and Digital Marketing Consultant, Hannah Spicer. We touch on her journey, building a personal brand, the pros and cons of consulting, and - as you guessed it - the world right now.
On this episode, I sit down with Nicola Becerra (Head of eCommerce and Digital at Lightbox Jewelry) and we touch on differences between London and LA, the state of D2C and her go-to food spot for when the lock down ends.
On this episode, I sit down with James Symes (co-founder of The Bike Club) and we touch on The Bike Club journey, starting a business with his life-partner, how he's handling COVID and the best piece of advice anyone has ever given him.
On this episode, I sit down with Shauna Moran (founder of Operate Remote) and we touch on her journey, leadership, working from home culture and whether WFH will be the new norm post coronavirus.
For this International Women's Day episode, I sit down with Faye Oakenfull (Growth Manager at We Make Websites) and Hannah Samano (We Make Websites interim Head of Projects) and we touch on their experiences in a male-dominated industry, creating open conversations, who their sheros are and what the world would be like if women redesigned the system.
On this episode, I sit down with Lucy Hirom (Marketing & Digital Consultant) and we chat about her time at Ralph Lauren, the perks of business travel, building teams at Selfridges and the state of digital eComm right now.
On this episode, I sit down with Max Whicher (co-founder of Spin Brands) and we talk about cutting through the digital noise if you're a D2C brand, scaling the agency model and which famous people he'd prefer to be stuck in an elevator with.
In this episode of Your Basket Is Empty, I sit down with my friend and colleague Faye Oakenfull (Marketing & Partnerships Manager at We Make Websites). We touch on her jewellery startup, gender balance in the eComm space and how she maintains perspective.
In the fifth episode of Your Basket Is Empty, I sit down with my friend Hannah Samano (Head of Product at Kasha). We touch on her time at Unilever, scaling a women's health brand in Africa and her alter-tech-ego, @Tech_Han.
In the fourth episode of Your Basket Is Empty, I sit down with my friend Luke Hodgson (co-founder of High Cohesion). We touch on his mission to help developers of all abilities work more creatively with data, building CSR into the DNA of a start-up and the time he added 'sock model' to his CV.
In the third episode of Your Basket Is Empty, I sit down with Ilana Lever (co-founder of Motley). We touch on the UK's DTC funding scene, meeting her business partner in a tutorial about witchcraft and a mutual fondness of Melvyn Bragg.
In the second episode of Your Basket Is Empty, I sit down with Diana Pearl, journalist at Adweek. We touch on the rise and fall of Victoria's Secret, the state of the UK's online retail sector and the origins of the saying 'it's all gone Pete Tong'. Enjoy.
In the first episode of Your Basket Is Empty, I sit down with Priya Downes (co-founder of Nudea) to talk obsession, work-life balance, bra fitting and where Nudea will be this time next year. Enjoy!
This is a trailer podcast to explain who I am and what the Your Basket Is Empty podcast is all about.