The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

Hey this is Mike, I'm going to be doing a solo podcast today. Grant had business to tend to, so we're going to put a hold on our series about Getting Off Amazon. Instead, I'm going to talk about ColorIt and our plans for the holiday season. This episode may be a little late to the party, but there is still some value in it. We at ColorIt started planning for the holidays at least 6 months ago. So these plans have been in the works for a while. I'll give you some tips I learned from ColorIt's first holiday season and what sort of promotions and deals you can expect from ColorIt this holiday season. Today's Topics: Why you should start planning for the holidays 6 months out. How to avoid running out of inventory. Remember to stock up through Chinese New Year. My ECommerceFuel Live Talk Our holiday lead magnet on ColorIt. How we use Facebook in our marketing. Our Black Friday information. The 12 Days of Christmas Promotion The importance of Organic Engagement. Remember we do a live podcast on our Facebook page every Monday, If you like our Facebook page at Facebook.com/ecomcrew you can join us for the episodes. Resources Mentioned Today: ECommerceFuel Live Conference Ecom Crew Facebook Page ColorIt ColorIt.com/christmas ColorIt.com/pages/bfcm2016 If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

Today we discuss part 2 of how to move your traffic off Amazon. Last time we discussed the reasons why you should want to move off Amazon. Today's topic is SEO (Search Engine Optimization.) Now, SEO is tricky stuff and you can get in trouble really quick. We discuss our background in SEO and how to do everything "white hat." Topics we covered today: A recap of part 1 of this topic. Grant's business update. Mike's business update. Why leaving Amazon is difficult. The struggles of 3PLS and other shipping issues. Why you shouldn't "black hat" SEO. The usefulness of PPC (Pay Per Click.) The downside of Ebay. Grant's SEO tips. How you get what you pay for in SEO. Why you shouldn't expect overnight results from SEO. Why most people don't understand SEO. Mike's SEO advice. Why you need to be an expert on your business. Why we emphasize SEO. The role of marketing in your business. Mike's plans with Wal-Mart. Retail business vs. Online business What to expect in parts 3 and 4. There are some grey areas with SEO, but hopefully our episode will convince you to leave that stuff alone. This series has been expanded to 4 parts. We will continue to record these episodes on Facebook Live, so if you want like our page on Facebook, you can watch our live streams and talk to us after the episode. Resources Mentioned During Today's Episode: Icewraps.com Colorit.com Cuttingboard.com If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

Welcome to our 50th episode! We were going to do this episode on Facebook Live, but there were technical difficulties. Hopefully we'll be back on Facebook Live for part two of this topic, but for today, our topic is a part one of how to get your traffic away from Amazon. We have talked about Amazon before and the highs and the lows of selling on the platform Today's Amazon is so different from the first phase of users back in the day. This new phase on Amazon requires some business chops. There have been some significant changes to the system and those changes aren't good for the little guy. That's why we are going to discuss the methods of creating a consumer base without Amazon. This will be at least a two parter, but a third may come out of it. So if you're interested in building your business off Amazon, give this episode a listen. The topics we covered today: The changes Amazon has made to their shipping and other changes. The problem with Amazon's personal brand and what that means for the competition. Why building on Amazon is like building on quicksand. How our predictions for Amazon are coming true. Why you need to build your traffic away from Amazon. How to get your traffic off Amazon. The problems with PPC. (Pay Per Click Advertising?) How to use PPC. The pitfalls of bidding on keywords. Why it's hard to go from an Amazon based business to a "regular business." How regular business is easier to defend off Amazon. We plan to be back on Facebook Live the next episode. Tune in for Episode 2 on this topic next week. We will talk about how to think differently about building traffic away from Amazon and other tools we would use to do it. If you want to ask any questions, or if you need examples of how we use PPC, then just leave a comment for us. If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

This episode marks Ecom Crew's one year anniversary on the podcast! We want to thank you for listening and supporting us over this past year. Today's episode we are going to talk about common questions we get asked about our business. This was our first Facebook Live episode, so if you want to interact with us during an episode, follow us on Facebook and watch us live on Mondays. We have learned a lot about entrepreneurship over the years. All we can say that the biggest lesson boils down to 3 little words, "just do it." We discuss how we came to this realization and why you just can't be afraid. Today's Points: Why hard work and tenaciousness are the only way to make a business work. Why so many people shy away from ecommerce. The importance of being willing to learn from mistakes. How the right people make all the difference. Grant's early hard lessons. Why it is impossible to work with friends.' Mike's early on mistakes. Why you should do something uncomfortable. Mike's talk at ECF Live The virtue of stubbornness. Why it's a waste of time trying to plan everything ahead of time. Having unrealistic expectations. The pitfalls of growing a business. Resources Mentioned Today: ECommerceFuel Live Conference Ecom Crew Facebook Page Colorit Cuttingboard.com If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

Discounts as a business model are dying. It used to be companies would have these big discount sales, but that practice is going away. On today's episode we will explain why it is dying and how we use discounts and coupons in our businesses. Here are today's topics: How discounts have helped Colorit in the past. What discounts does to conversions. The J.C. Penney effect. The importance of "anchoring." Why Grant doesn't do discounts. How to deal with hagglers. When to offer a discount. Why you should offer a feedback opportunity. Resources Mentioned Today: Colorit Cuttingboard.com Klaviyo Join us on Facebook and leave a like for us, we will be broadcasting our podcasts live on Facebook. Our episodes are moving to Friday. We still will be releasing our episodes for the other platforms, but Facebook users will get the episode 3 days earlier! During these live episodes you the audience will be able to interact with us! If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

On today's Ecom Crew Podcast we discuss dealing with difficult customers and also why a business owner should hire employees. We talk about what to hire for, why you should hire, and when to hire. Virtual Assistants are worth the time and money, if you have the time and money. We also discuss how to use employees in the best optimal way. It is a major step in growing your business. If you need to hire in your business or are just starting out and wanting to get an idea of a time line, this episode is for you. Here are today's topics: Dealing with issues with customer orders. Reasons to hire your first employees. Why outsourcing is different from hiring an employee. Why when you hire it should be for multiple tasks. How to keep your employees on money making tasks. What Mike and Grant think are the best uses for a VA or full time employee. Resources Mentioned Today: Colorit Cuttingboard.com Icewraps.com Join us on Facebook and leave a like for us, we will be broadcasting our podcasts live on Facebook. Our episodes are moving to Friday. We still will be releasing our episodes for the other platforms, but Facebook users will get the episode 3 days earlier! During these live episodes you the audience will be able to interact with us! If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

Today we are talking about the new policy change from Amazon that impacts product reviews. Amazon announced that they will no longer accept reviews from people who have received the product for free or at a discount. For many people who sell on Amazon, the "pay to play" type model was widely used. While we think it's a good move for Amazon, we acknowledge that it will greatly impact sellers who use Amazon. Today's topics: Possible ways the new policy may or may not affect those who used incentivized reviews in the past How this change may impact our strategies Our plans and new product launch strategies going forward Ways we plan to get reviews under the new guidelines What this policy change means for white label sellers and those just getting started with Amazon How other policies have made doing business on Amazon more difficult The importance of finding other methods besides Amazon to get buyers to your website Toward the end of October we are going to be recording our podcasts live on Facebook! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and plan to watch us live. Resources: Ecom Crew Facebook Ecom Crew Twitter If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

We're back for a new episode. Today we're discussing part 2 of our last topic. The last time we discussed our predictions we spoke about eCommerce in general. So today's topic is Our Predictions for eCommerce: Amazon. The subject of Amazon is so in depth that its own episode. On today's episode we'll talk about what Amazon is facing in the next few years, and what sort of reactions a seller might see to that market. Here are today's topics: The inventory issues Amazon appears to be having. The increase in storage fees. The benefits of sellers having warehouses. Amazon's achilles heel and how the competition is exploiting it. The raise of "crap reviews" and why it's becoming a problem. The "Groupon effect" comes to Amazon. Amazon's growing product expansion. How that expansion affects other sellers. Amazon's brick and mortar stores. The customers Amazon have a hard time reaching (or may never reach.) The differences between A, B, and C grade malls. How the mall grade affects brick and mortar availability. The importance of niche marketing in eCommerce. The challenges a newcomer will see in the future. We don't see Amazon going away, but it will adapt to this highly competitive climate. E-Commerce is an evolving business and it is adapting with its market. These are just our opinions and observations, but maybe we will encourage you to form your own opinions and observations. Resources Mentioned Today: Amazon Cuttingboard.com Colorit Icewraps If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

On today's episode we discuss the future of ecommerce. We talk about what we notice in the market right now. We also discuss our future plans for our businesses. This will be a part one on this subject. Part two will focus on our predictions about business on Amazon. The topics we discussed today: Why Amazon's trade deal with China will cause trouble for American manufacturers. The things that Mike thinks will set China back in a "take over." Signs that retail stores are dying. Automation's role in retail shopping and production. Will Facebook still be king of advertising? How PPC (pay per click) is becoming a unsavory business practice. Why SEO will phase out. Why arbitration sellers will have stricter guidelines and licensing. The reasons we moved away from Amazon and focused on personal selling platforms. Our predictions for Amazon are a whole episode in itself, so tune in for part two of this topic. Our Predictions for eCommerce: Amazon. Resources Mentioned Today: Amazon Color It Cuttingboard.com Icewraps.com If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

During today's episode we talk about the common debate e-commerce founders have: Shopify or BigCommerce. In recent developments BigCommerce has made some polarizing changes to their services. The changes have alienated theme developers and price changes have alienated users. This has caused many users to move their business to Shopify. We discuss this shift and compare Shopify and BigCommerce. We have both had experience with both sites so our conversation is more of a pro and con list. The questions we answer today are: Which site has the most capacity for products that require lots of options (ex: color choice). Which site is most common (thus easier to work with for others)? Which site makes managing orders easier. Which site allows the best customer follow-up process. Which site offers the best coupon or sale options to a customer. Other topics we cover are: What happened to BigCommerce's business. Why Shopify is so much bigger than BigCommerce. Why check out conversation is a big plus for these sites. BigCommerce's theme changes and why it's causing problems. The pros of BigCommerce. The pros of Shopify. We tried to keep away from bashing these sites because both sites have their uses. It all depends on what an entrepreneur needs to do on their platform. So consider this episode as a weighing of the options. Go with whatever will best fit your product. Resources Mentioned Today: Shopify BigCommerce Cuttingboard.com Icewraps.com Color It If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!