The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

Dave and I discuss the reasons why e-commerce valuations have significantly decreased this year, Mike's run at the World Series of Poker event, and the potential valuation of content websites. Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today! It's been almost a year since I last sold off one of my e-commerce businesses. Since then, a lot has changed. Amazon's new fees were implemented, interest rates have skyrocketed, and FBA Aggregators are few and far between. I invited Dave over today to discuss how Amazon may or may not have had a hand in directly affecting the valuations of e-commerce businesses, and why the market hasn't recovered from 2 years ago. Here are some of the big takeaways from this episode: The Big Takeaways E-commerce valuations have decreased mainly due to the uncertainty caused by Amazon's fees and policies. Who knows when Amazon will come out with more fees that'll impact profitability? Google's latest algorithm update has hit a LOT of content websites, leading to decreased traffic for everyone involved which directly impact its valuations. If your e-commerce business is sold at a 2x multiple, it might not be enough for you to retire. Wouldn't it be better to hold onto your business instead? Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor 02:56 - Mike's Run at the World Series of Poker 08:13 - E-commerce Valuations 20:07 - Valuations for FBA Businesses 21:06 - Valuations for Off-Amazon Brands 22:01 - Uncertainty in Content Site Valuations 28:14 - Decision to Hold onto a Profitable Business 31:08 - Dave's Funny Story 34:21 - eBay's Attempt to Change As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Brandon Eley joins the podcast to talk about his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges and opportunities of picking a complex product for private labelling, and why the road less travelled can be the better option when picking a product. Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today! Complexity can be an opportunity. You've probably heard me say it multiple times if you're a loyal podcast listener. But today's episode is a prime example of this phrase. Brandon Eley sells shoes at his company, 2 Big Feet. What sets his business apart from other shoe stores is that he only sells shoes for US sizes ranging from 15-25. Now you must be thinking: "How big is his target market?" Don't worry, I asked him the same question. Here's some timestamps below if you want to skip directly to it: Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor 01:28 - Starting Too Big Feet and Meeting the Demand 07:12 - Challenges in the Shoe Industry and the Evolution of Too Big Feet 14:15 - The Journey of Manufacturing Shoes 19:06 - Creating Affordable Options for Customers 27:40 - Quality Control and Addressing Manufacturing Defects 36:13 - Success and Growth of Michael Ellis Footwear Takeaways Starting an ultra-niche ecommerce business can be successful, especially if there is a demand for a specific product or service. Manufacturing shoes is a lot more complex than you think. It involves designing patterns, selecting materials, and working with factories to create the final product. Offering affordable options for customers with specific needs can help differentiate a brand and attract a very loyal customer base. Investing in quality control and addressing manufacturing defects early is key to maintaining customer satisfaction. As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave shows 10 ways you can reduce stupid PPC Spend and maximise efficiency just in time for Prime Day. Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today! Prime Day 2023 saw people spend up to $12.9bn alone. Obviously, everyone wants a piece of the pie. You can expect competitors to increase their ad spend 2x or even 3x more just for the possibility of more sales. To prepare for this year's Prime Day, there are some ways you can maximise the efficiency of your ad spend. However what these sellers fail to notice is that it's all about maximising efficiency of your running ads. That's why my partner-in-crime, Dave Bryant, is on the podcast today to talk about the 10 ways you can maximise your efficiency and reduce ad spend. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor 01:28 - Topic: Reducing PPC Spend on Amazon 03:51 - Optimizing Targeting Options in Auto Campaigns 05:16 - Optimizing Targeting Options in Manual Campaigns 07:37 - Using Dynamic Bids Down Only and Avoiding Broad Match 10:30 - Avoiding Ads in Other Countries and Turning Off Sponsored Display 13:52 - Unclicking Expanded Product Targeting and Using Exact Match 17:44 - Conclusion and Call to Action The Big Takeaways Increasing conversion rates can lower ad costs and improve ROAS. Turn off loose match targeting in auto campaigns and optimize targeting options in manual campaigns. Use dynamic bids down only and be cautious with broad match keywords. Don't let Amazon set up ads in other countries and consider turning off sponsored display campaigns. Lowering prices may be a better option than increasing PPC to improve profitability. As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Aaron Hughes makes his second appearance on the Ecomcrew Podcast to talk about all things Tiktok Shop, and why people should start leveraging the platform for their ecommerce businesses. Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today! During my last eCommerceFuel Live Trip, the one common topic that frequently came up was about was how good Tiktok Shop was for their businesses. Unfortunately, ice packs don't really have a passionate audience, so I brought in someone who's products have had a significant uplift from TikTok Shop alone. That's why I've invited Aaron Hughes on the podcast today! Aaron Hughes is no stranger on the podcast but he's back to talk about how Tiktok Shop has performed for his business, the impacts the platform has had on his business, and a few tips for people who haven't bit the bullet yet. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 0:33 - Sponsor Segment 1:43 - Recording Issues 3:03 - TikTok Shop for E-commerce Marketing 7:59 - Getting Set Up on TikTok Shop 9:17 - The TikTok Ban 12:00 - Aaron's Strategies for Tiktok Shop 15:33 - How long did it take to start being successful? 17:32 - Top 3 Tips for TikTok Shop 20:25 - Leveraging Controversial Topics 21:53 - Building a Foundation on TikTok 23:00 - Aaron's New AI Listing Tool 27:32 - Mike's Last Question The Big Takeaways Don't discount your products' potential performance on TikTok Shop, whether they're a commodity or not. TikTok has become what everyone thought Walmart was going to be. Aaron, thank you again for coming on the podcast. If you guys want to learn more about Listbutler or hiring from India, you can contact him directly at aaron@listbutler.ai. As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In today's episode, Joshua George shares the 5 biggest SEO-related mistakes that he's noticed after countless discovery calls with ecommerce entrepreneurs made through his agency, ClickSlice. Mike and Joshua also talk about the many SEO challenges that business owners have been facing from recent Google updates. Joshua George is the founder of ClickSlice, an award-winning SEO agency based in London. He's also a regular speaker who focuses on spreading SEO education. I've invited him over to the podcast to pick his brain about what the current SEO landscape is shaping up to be, and whether the challenges that I'm personally facing right now are just a symptom of Google's newest core update or if they're a serious issue. The Big Takeaways Backlinks are the most challenging, but most rewarding factor to contribute to your SEO rankings. There's a hidden opportunity to get your collection pages ranked on Google! Sub-collections and separate URLs for certain categories of products can actually help your SEO rankings. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor 01:57 - Joshua's Background and Experience with SEO 03:25 - The Impact of Google Updates on SEO 08:42 - The Importance of Long-Tail Keywords and Transactional Intent 10:08 - The Value of SEO and the Common Mistakes Brands Make 13:19 - Mistake 1: Not Doing Enough Keyword Research 14:17 - Mistake 2: Not Adding Content on Collection Pages 21:24 - Mistake 4: Not Leveraging Blogs Properly 25:35 - Mistake 5: Not Building Quality Backlinks 29:24 - Where to Find ClickSlice and Closing Remarks Joshua, thank you again for coming on the podcast! It was nice chatting with you, and picking your brain about my SEO challenges. I look forward to meeting you in person soon! You can find Joshua George through his agency's website, ClickSlice. If you have any inquiries about how you can boost your SEO rankings, book a free discovery call! I highly recommend putting more time and effort into SEO in general. You can also find Joshua George on Twitter, or LinkedIn. If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com. Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Mike and Dave discuss Ecomcrew's new feature, the trending products tab on Amazon. They list out some of the top opportunities found, and why they may or may not be a very good idea. The conversation covers a wide range of trending products and niche opportunities, including the impact of the pandemic on consumer behavior, the rise of hyper-seasonal trends, and the potential for creating brands around products you wouldn't normally think of.

Adam Craft, founder of Elevated Craft, joins Mike Jackness on the EcomCrew podcast to discuss his personal journey in building a brand. Adam shares his approach to product differentiation in a saturated market, and how building a strong brand was the first priority for Adam. This meant that learning the basics of Amazon wasn't his priority. It was all in the hands of agencies. Eventually, Adam learned about the challenges of relying on agencies and how much better it would be to learn and implement marketing strategies yourself. Adam also shares his experience with using Kickstarter, and how his upbringing impacted his business mindset.

In this episode, Chris and Julia Tunstall share their journey of building a successful brand in the cocktail industry, what it's like to have your spouse as a business partner and a few tips on how they make it work. Chris and Julia Tunstall are the owners of the brand, A Bar Above, and have been friends of mine in the industry for longer than I can remember. I've invited them on the podcast today to find out their entrepreneurial story, and how they manage to stay business partners together through 10 years of being in the business together. Spoiler alert: it takes a whole lot of effective communication, trust, and a clear list of roles and responsibilities between each other. Ultimately, they emphasize the importance of finding a system that works for both partners and playing to each other's strengths. The Big Takeaways Here's a few of the big key points from this episode: Creating a high-quality experience for your customers, whether a physical or a digital product, can lead to customer loyalty and repeat purchases. If you sell B2B, you'll know that there's a problem if they make a complaint. Focusing on customer satisfaction and providing exceptional products can lead to long-term success. Clear roles and responsibilities are crucial for a successful partnership, especially if you're working with your spouse. Effective communication and trust are key to navigating the dynamics of being both business and life partners. Understanding and respecting each other's working styles can help create a harmonious working relationship. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Background 03:09 - Transition from Education to Physical Products 07:23 - Expanding Product Line and B2B Market 12:23 - Innovative Experiences for Consumers 19:08 - Customer Satisfaction and Future Growth 20:32 - The Impact of Reviews on Product Success 21:23 - The Importance of Consistent Branding 22:16 - The Evolution of Launch Strategies 23:26 - Appreciating Well-Designed Websites 24:41 - The Challenges of Working with a Spouse 28:12 - Navigating the Dynamics of Being Business and Life Partners 30:48 - The Pressure of Being the Sole Income Provider 32:34 - Understanding and Respecting Different Working Styles Chris and Julia, thank you again for coming on the podcast! It was nice catching up with you again, and I look forward to meeting you both in Vegas soon. If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com. Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Mike and Dave dissect Amazon's latest announcement regarding Return Fees, how this will affect sellers starting on June 1st, and a possible option to combat these fees. Another day, another fee gets announced. It seems like third-party sellers are getting hit left and right lately with new fees, the latest one being Return Fees. In this episode, Dave and I are going to dive into the latest announcement regarding Return Fees, what this means for sellers, and how you can possibly combat these fees. The Big Takeaways If you're in a hurry, here's a few of the big key points from this episode: Starting June 1st, Amazon will start charging sellers $2-$4 extra dollars to process returns. This will only affect SKUs that have surpassed the return threshold in their category. The specific thresholds have been listed by Amazon here. To check for your product's return rate, check out Amazon's SKU Economics Dashboard which is available in Seller Central. Take into account your product's return fees, and double check if your products are still profitable. If you're over the Return Threshold for your product, increase your price. Turning on the "Returnless Returns" option for your most returned products can be a viable way to combat these extra charges. Timestamps Podcast Start - 0:00 Looking at return rates and return thresholds - 0:35 The return fees announcement - 1:22 The published thresholds for categories - 2:21 How return fees affect your products profitability - 3:30 All the new fees to think about - 4:54 Tip: The SKU Economics Dashboard - 5:20 How the Return Rate Thresholds are calculated - 6:08 What sellers should do - 6:56 Mike's most returned product - 7:05 Tip: How to "possibly" combat these return fees: turning on returnless returns - 7:47 Dave's most returned products - 10:33 People taking advantage of Amazon's return policy - 11:26 The automotive category's return threshold - 14:11 The silver lining: being forced to double check operational costs - 15:39 Return fees will be charged for units above the threshold - 19:12 How return fees compare to storage fees - 20:46 Return fee predictions - 21:43 Catching up on Hockey with Dave - 21:57 Links to Tools Mentioned: Link to Amazon Return Thresholds Link to the SKU Economics Dashboard Link to Helium10 Dave, thanks again for coming on the podcast! It was nice catching up with you again, and I look forward to the follow-up episode we'll do about returns soon. If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com. Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

Kevin Williams is on the podcast today to talk about his entrepreneurial journey. From founding brands like Brush Hero to appearing on Shark Tank and finally, to diving deep into AI, we cover the lessons that he's learned through each brand and venture. Kevin Williams is the founder of MadBrains AI, a company that specializes in AI literacy and training. With an extensive background in ecommerce, Kevin consistently provides practical tips to digital marketers on how to leverage AI for their brands. Kevin and I met quite a while back in 2015, where Kevin held a presentation on the importance of product validation before marketing, and that's when I had an epiphany — if no one is interested in your product before you go to sell, it's not worth it. After years of friendship, I've decided to get him on to catch up with him and get a background of his experience as an entrepreneur. Here's some timestamps: Timestamps: Podcast Start - 0:00 Mike's Reason for Getting Friends on the Podcast - 0:30 Kevin's Product Validation Presentation and Business Model - 1:30 Traffic is 4x more expensive now - 2:44 Kevin's Patent Concept - 4:17 The Origins of Brush Hero - 6:28 Importance of Storytelling - 7:26 How Counterfeits Destroyed Brush Hero - 8:41 Being CEO of Balls.co - 11:48 "What happened to Balls.co?" - 13:59 Diving into AI - 20:14 "What's one thing that I should have asked?" - 28:26 If you're in a hurry, I've listed a few of the big takeaways I personally found to be the most impactful: Traffic is so way more expensive now. In 2015, it would cost 25c - 50c to buy traffic on Facebook Ads. Currently, it costs $3-$4 to buy traffic. If you want to start buying ads, it might be more cost-efficient to use a cheaper social networks like TikTok. Being granted a patent is a bucket list item for most tinkerers and engineers. However, a lot of people don't go beyond that point. Partnering with a patent holder can be a good way to find products to sell on Amazon. Storytelling boils down to three main points: Man - your brand or product Mountain - the big problem Getting Over Mountain - how your product solves your problem Online reviews have a big impact on offline sales. If your product is available in a brick and mortar store, shoppers will normally try to price-match by checking your product on Amazon and they'll run into your negative reviews. Running a business that's based overseas while having staff that's based in a separate country can be very physically and mentally taxing. Getting shadowbanned on your advertising account is more common than you think. It's a term that describes getting really poor performance on your advertising account, without explicit notice from the platform. Balls.co suffered from their success in the influencer marketing. After receiving a lot of traffic from their influencer marketing, they were starting to be seen as an entertainment company instead of a product company. This meant that they werent getting much sales from their marketing efforts. All of the Fortune 10,000 companies are concerned about the implications of AI, but only 5% of them have training in place. You should be leveraging AI to automate customer service. There is no reason for you to be doing first-contact customer service anymore as a business owner and AI can make this a lot easier for you. Taking the previous point a step further, you can use AI to sift through previous chatlogs, emails and reviews for practical information that you can use in your marketing, customer service and product development. You need to be checking your SEO and keyword rankings almost daily. AI generated content is really finnicky as of now, and it can affect your keyword rankings on Google by a huge margin. Kevin, thanks for coming on the podcast! It was nice seeing you again, and I hope our paths cross again before the next eCommerceFuel Live. If any listeners would like to have a discussion about this, let me know by emailing us directly at support@ecomcrew.com. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn, where he publishes practical AI tips every week. You can also find him through his company MadBrains. Thanks for coming on to the podcast Kevin! Also, if you have any questions or any topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast, you can email us directly as well! We would really appreciate it if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!