eCommerce Podcast

The merger and acquisition landscape is constantly evolving and it can be tough to keep up with all the changes.  Whether you're thinking of selling or buying a company, you need to pay attention to these changes because they could impact you in a big way.Ben Leonard from Ecom Brokers joins Matt in this episode to talk about the big changes that have taken place in the M&A landscape and what business owners must do to build their brands. ABOUT BENBest known as the founder of Beast Gear, Ben Leonard is the classic millennial entrepreneur. He built a business on a laptop, in a cupboard, in his spare time. The difference? Ben grew an international 7-figure business and successfully exited after three years; the business holy grail! Naturally, people started to ask him for help in selling their business and thus, Ecom Brokers was born. Ben has been a previous guest on the show talking about how to scale and sell your own Ecommerce business.Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:2022 has been a difficult year for small business owners. Costs have been rising and sales has been falling. More and more people are getting into entrepreneurship and it’s not just more competitors but the competition is better. So as a business owner, you have to think about the long-term and build more of a sustainable brand.The risk appetite of most buyers has dropped. So that means it's not a seller's market anymore. There have been fewer deals and the deals that have been done have been done at lower-than-expected prices compared to last year. The multiples have gone down. So, the value of businesses has dropped, particularly for a weak brand. ECOM Brokers was founded to help E-commerce business owners plan and execute their exit and to improve not only the experience of the seller but the buyer as well. For some businesses, it means selling very soon and for others, it means working together for a year or two to get ready to sell their business for a deal that is appropriate for them and that matches their goals.For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

Are you struggling to find new and effective ways to grow your business? Look no further than email marketing! In this episode, our expert guest, Tom Kulzer, shares the most valuable email marketing strategies to help you attract new customers, engage with your audience, and drive growth for your business. Tune in and get ready to learn how to use email marketing to take your business to the next level!ABOUT TOMTom Kulzer is the founder and CEO at AWeber, the leading email marketing and automation platform for small businesses, where he is actively involved in the company’s strategic direction, growth and evolution. Over the company’s 24-year history, Tom has nurtured AWeber from a small start-up to a robust organization, that has enabled over 1 million customers to grow their businesses, all without public or venture funding.Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:AWeber is an email marketing platform that enables small businesses around the world to be able to send communications out to the people that requested them. They are the automation behind communicating with your subscribers. Email has remained one of the top investments for businesses from a return-on-investment standpoint through the years. When done right, it is highly profitable, allowing you to connect with your users in ways that you just can't do across social and other platforms.Another major benefit of email is that you own your audience. Email is more transferable, more ownable, has longer term economics and email subscribers are worth far more than Facebook or Twitter followers.For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

AI is changing the world as we know it and generative AI is leading the change. Max Sinclair from Ecomtent joins Matt in today's episode to talk about the amazing possibilities of Generative AI and sheds light on the most popular Generative AI system right now, ChatGPT.ABOUT MAXMax is CEO and Founder of Ecomtent, who are revolutionising how E-commerce sellers create content with Generative AI. Prior to founding Ecomtent, Max spent 6 years at Amazon. Here he worked on the launch of Amazon Business in the UK, the country launch of Ecomtent in Singapore, and the launch of Amazon Grocery across the EU. Throughout this time, Max worked directly with 100s of sellers of all sizes across many categories, and saw the pain of creating content for Ecommerce first hand.Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:Generative AI is a new wave of Artificial Intelligence that can produce entirely new content such as images, videos, texts and code. It differs from deterministic AI which uses data sets to answer questions or classify objects. Max started Ecomtent to use this technology for e-commerce sellers in order to help them create content more efficiently.ChatGPT uses something called Generative Adversarial Network which consists of two networks: a generator and discriminator. Although useful, Chat GPT should be used cautiously as it only generates text sounding correct but not necessarily accurate.Matt and Max discuss the implications of AI on creation. They explore how chat GPT can be used to write a book with a single prompt, as well as its potential applications in other industries such as law. Max stated that while it is terrifying, technological advances have been beneficial for humanity throughout history and should not be feared.Ecomtent is creating product images and lifestyle images using generative AI. The ambition is to create optimized descriptions, bullet points and A+ content as well as lifestyle imagery that would not be generated again exactly the same if given the same prompt multiple times over.Max explained their vision statement, which is "unimaginable creativity" with limitless personalization. He added that generative AI can create code as well, which will lead to a future where people just have to say “build me a website” and the AI will do so smartly with all permutations taken into account.Max suggests that new e-commerce persons use chat GPT to analyze reviews on competitors and understand customer preferences. Secondly, Max suggests generating a list of 100 search phrases/keywords related to the product as well as optimizing bids on Amazon or Google based on that list.Max has used Chat GPT to discover a unique writing style. He recommends using this technique when creating blog posts, making them more entertaining and engaging. Natural language translation is another application of Chat GPT as it understands the key themes and concepts in order to create new phrases and synonyms for other languages.For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

In this episode, Christian Simovic joins Matt to show you how to create a frothing at the mouth email using nothing but plain-text emails. A lot of people think that you need fancy software or HTML coding skills to create an effective email campaign, but that's not true. You can get great results with simple text-based emails if you know what you're doing. ABOUT CHRISTIANChristian Simovic is a plain-text email marketing specialist. He prescribes daily emails for his clients, and sends out daily email marketing tips via his email list. His clients have ranged from small organic skincare brands to reality TV stars.Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:Copywriting is applying the fundamentals of salesmanship and understanding the psychology of why we buy and then applying that to the written word. From a psychological point of view, a plain text email is a much better approach because it helps build a personal one on one connection. Also, from an email deliverability standpoint, if you have images and newsletter kind of themes, they are likely to end up in the promotions tab, or worse the spam tab. When writing daily emails, you can't just be pure sales. If you're writing fun, informational, and more importantly, entertaining content that segue into a product, you really can't go wrong with daily emailing. Just plain text emails, they could be various lengths - short question, 300 to 500, some 500 to1000 words depending on the kind of content you're sending out, that resonates with your audience and engages them.  The PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solution) approach is great for writing plain text long form marketing emails. If you spend all of your time knowing everything about your market, the problems, their pains, what they want, their slang, their little jokes, then writing daily emails or just writing emails in general becomes very easy because you understand your audience and what they want to talk about.For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

Have you ever wondered why some websites seem to skyrocket up the rankings while others struggle to stay on the first page? It's not just about tricks and manipulation — optimizing for SEO requires a deep understanding of how to build better websites that offer an unforgettable user experience. Kevin Wiles joins Matt Edmundson in this Episode to talk about all things SEO. ABOUT KevinKevin is a passionate technical SEO lead with a career history of working with big household names across New Zealand & United Kingdom.Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:SEO is not a dark art. It is just a methodical approach to understanding how Google works and what guidelines they give. It has been mis-sold in the past by statements that are not factually correct or slightly tweaked to push an agenda.It is much tougher to compete at a national level for things like car parts or mot against bigger brands, but where you can win as a smaller brand is understanding what that search actually returns.Creating less content that is well researched and comprehensive will be more effective than lots of low quality content. This is because people are looking for authoritative sources of information that can provide detail and answer all their questions in one go.From an SEO point of view, some strategy points to consider hitting are: understanding what is on the PDPs (Product Display Pages), making sure there is enough detail, and to go after supporting content. A missed opportunity that many people face when it comes to product page SEO is not thinking about longer tail keywords that have lower search volume but would return a product that the user is more likely to buy.For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

What if you could reduce shopping cart abandonment and increase sales? Learn the secrets of AI and consumer behavior to boost your online sales in this new episode with our guest Valon Xhafa on How AI and Consumer Behavior Can Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment! ABOUT VALONValon previously worked as an AI scientist at Google and at other research institutes, developing sophisticated AI techniques and algorithms. Valon is always looking for innovative methods to use artificial intelligence to improve the online shopping experience at Behamics.Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:Shopping cart abandonment is when a consumer visits your shop, adds products to the cart but leaves without purchasing the products. This is a major concern for eCommerce business owners because statistically 70% of consumers who added something to the cart, abandon it. There are several external and internal factors to cart abandonments. At Behamics, Valon and his team mainly focus on internal factors because these are factors that one can actually impact and improve to prevent cart abandonments. Internal factors comprise of Behavioral & Technical issues.AI not only predicts whether the consumer will abandon the cart but can explain why they choose to abandon the cart. If a consumer leaves the website without making a purchase, it will cost the business more money to try and bring them back through emails etc. It is far more cost-effective to interact with the consumer while they are on the site and to be able to intervene and prevent things before they happen. For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

Get creative with your brand's advertising! In this episode Colby Flood shares his insight on how to develop an innovative and effective marketing strategy. Discover the tips and tricks for designing creative ad campaigns that will get your message across to the right audience. ABOUT COLBYColby founded Brighter Click in 2019 to create an education-first agency that focuses on performance and proactive communication led by education. Hired the first team member in 2020 and saw 300% growth in the next 12 months. By 2022 they managed over $20 million ad spend for their client and the agency has 7 full-time employees. Brighter Click helps eCommerce companies 2-3x their current Facebook marketing performance. The only agency that leads all communications through education.Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:The three levels to Creative Strategy – CMO, Graphic Design, and Research. CMO is the person that is setting the USP, the buyer personas, the messaging that goes across all channels. The next level is the actual graphic design work where you would look at the brand guidelines, making sure you fully understand the USP. And see how you can match your brand voice/identity to different levels of the funnel. And then start doing research on the brand and also your competitors.  Colby says, “A creative is what people are seeing for the ads. So that could be influencer content, that could be graphics, video production, or even PR to put into your actual ads. Whatever is going in that 1080 by 1080 or 9 by 16 square for people to look at. I would say put 10% of your budget focused on that.”Brighter Click is an agency that is focused on creative strategy. They work with clients to provide paid media strategy and production as well as paid ad management. For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

With so much information easily accessible, it can be tough to decipher what will help you improve your eCommerce Business. When first starting out in eCommerce, it's not easy to determine where to begin with everything that's available; as a result, many entrepreneurs never get their business off the ground.And if you're like me and have been at this for a while, we run the risk of using methods from last year that are now outdated while our competition grows utilising new innovations.💡 - enter eCommerce cycleseCommerce Cycles are a way of looking at eCommerce that takes into account the ever-changing nature of the industry.By understanding the different stages that eCommerce goes through, you can better adapt your business to suit the current trends and stay ahead of the competition.Join me in this Live Event training to learn how you can use eCommerce cycles to propel your business growth in this rapidly changing industry.During the webinar, we’ll cover:⚡️ What are eCommerce cycles⚡️ How they can help your business to GROW by adapting your business to suit the current trends.⚡️ How to understand what YOUR customers want and need⚡️ How to use eCommerce cycles to DELIVER what matters most to your customers⚡️ How to get ahead of your competition by using tried and tested techniquesExpect lots of takeaway tips and tricks that are easy to implement and can achieve the best results.Links from the event:Matt Edmundson - www.mattedmundson.comAurion Digital - www.aurion.digitalecommerce Cohort - www.ecommercecohort.com

Attention all business owners! Are you looking to increase customer retention? Look no further because we've got the ultimate guide to help you unlock the potential of your business. Learn how to maximize customer satisfaction and get the most out of your customer relationships with Brandon Amoroso!ABOUT BRANDONBrandon is the founder and CEO of Electriq, a DRINKS company that scales brands with profitable e-commerce models built from innovative proprietary methods. Powered by the freedom and individuality of the Gen Z mindset, Electriq has fueled over 35 in-house specialists in a range of growth-focused strategies, including email/SMS marketing, SEO/content marketing, paid acquisition, and web design/development.Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:Having sold his ecommerce agency to drinks.com, Brandon shares his experience of transitioning from CEO to working within a larger organization. What started as an accidental involvement in customer retention turned into a focus for the entire company; they stopped doing anything related to paid acquisition in 2021.Brands need to start with the basics when building a retention program and not try to do everything all at once. Brandon talks about how Klaviyo can help brands segment their data more granularly.Ecommerce entrepreneurs should focus on customer retention by utilizing email and SMS flows. Subscription programs can be beneficial for long-term customers, but it is important to offer a try-before-you-subscribe option.SMS marketing is a different and more personal communication channel than email and even has an outsized return compared to email. To get started, brands can create a segment of their best customers in Klaviyo and invite them to a VIP SMS subscriber list. Text messages that work well are authentic, fun, cheeky, and have personality from the brand.For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

Are you ready to discover the incredible power of augmented reality marketing for ecommerce? The future is here – find out the amazing benefits of utilizing AR technology for your business today with guest Rich Watson.ABOUT RICHRich Watson is a strong force in Augmented Reality Marketing and one of the leading voices behind it. He has spoken all over the world about the future of eCommerce and how it will be brought into Web 3.0. Rich has over 8 years of Facebook ad media buying experience, and he is an avid believer in the potential of Non-Fungible Tokens (not pictures of monkeys but the technology behind it) and the metaverse.Here’s a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:Augmented Reality (AR) can be defined as upgrading your immediate surroundings with digital assets. AR is something that comes in front of you overlaying the environment that you’re already in. Whereas, virtual reality (VR) is essentially an entire environment that you're stepping into.The importance of understanding the connection between AR and what the technology is key to businesses build a relationship with their customers, retain them and attain a better marketing performance. Augmented Hype helps brands and agencies leverage AR for their marketing by focusing on what their main bottlenecks are, and then creating a bespoke AR experience to harness their goals and objectives.For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.