An eCommerce Podcast Hosted by Brett Curry

Today’s guest is Zak Stambor. Zak is the Managing Editor at Vertical Web Media, the largest publisher in the e-commerce field, and famed founders of the ever-popular Internet Retailer magazine. Zak has a large role in putting out one of the most widely celebrated editions of IR Magazine: the IR Hot 100.

In today’s episode, we highlight our 10 favorite e-commerce companies from the IR Hot 100 list. We talk about what makes these companies stand out, covering everything from business models to innovative marketing strategies. Get insight into growing trends in e-commerce, discover companies to watch and learn from, and enjoy a bonus 11th company spotlight!

Mentioned in this Episode:
awaytravel.com
boxed.com
crutchfield.com
crownandcaliber.com
purplecarrot.com
footcardigan.com
amazon.com
kidbox.com
herschelsupply.com
nike.com
blacksocks.com

Connect with Zak Stambor:
twitter.com/ZakStamborIR
zak@verticalwebmedia.com

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Today’s guest is Kurt Elster. Kurt is a conversion rate optimization expert, and the Senior Ecommerce Consultant with CRO Company Ethercycle. He is also an accomplished speaker, the host of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, and co-author of Ecommerce Bootcamp. Kurt has worked with brands such as Verizon, NFL, Hilton, Everest Bands, and Shopify.

In today’s episode, we talk about Conversion Rate Optimization. We get into where to begin with CRO, design mistakes, things to think about for mobile, and we even look at a couple of the clients Kurt has worked with and the difference Conversion Rate Optimization made for their business. If you have a website of any kind, especially an ecommerce store, this episode is a virtual gold mine.

Mentioned in this Episode:
Ethercycle.com
Shopify.com
The Unofficial Shopify Podcast
TheUserIsDrunk.com
Paypal.com
Amazon.com
EverestBands.com
MontaWatch.com
RecycledFireFighter.com
Ecommerce Bootcamp (Save 40% with Coupon Code: BRETT)
Ethercycle Resources

Connect with Kurt Elster:
Sign up for Kurt’s Newsletter and reply to his emails!
LinkedIn.com/KurtElster
Twitter.com/KurtInc
Medium.com/@KurtElster

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“The difference between who you are now and who you are five years from now, comes down to the people you meet and the books you read.”
– Charlie “Tremendous” Jones
“The book you don’t read won’t help.” – Jim Rohn

This episode is about getting the right information to feed your brain and better yourself. Brett talks about some of his favorite podcasts and his favorite books, and why you should be monitoring your inputs.

Mentioned in this Episode:
Podcasts:
Ecommerce Fuel – Andrew Youderian
Ecommerce Influence – Austin Brawner & Greg Vayner
Nerd Marketing – Drew Sanocki
The Jason & Scott Show – Jason Goldberg (Razorfish) & Scott Wengo (Channel Advisor)
The Tim Ferriss Show – Tim Ferriss

Books:
Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
Amazon: The Everything Store by Brad Stone
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
In The Plex by Steven Levy
How Google Works by Eric Schmidt & Johnathan Rosenberg
Made To Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller of StoryBrand
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
Love Does by Bob Goff

Connect with Brett Curry:
twitter.com/brettcurry
via omgcommerce.com

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Today’s guest is Chris Brewer. Chris is my long time business partner at OMG Commerce, and a veritable powerhouse of knowledge and experience when it comes to sales and marketing. Always looking for new ways to succeed and grow the agency, Chris has played a huge role in making OMG Commerce the agency it is today.

Today’s episode was recorded on location from the 2017 Traffic and Conversion Summit in San Diego. With so many great insights from all of so many great speakers, we chose to highlight our top 10 takeaways from the whole event. Whether you have an ecommerce store, an agency, or if you’re a solo-preneur these takeaways will provide you with valuable ways to succeed.

Mentioned in this Episode:
Traffic & Conversion Summit 2017
Facebook
Facebook Messenger
Mike Rhodes
Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords
Ezra Firestone
Checklist Manifesto
Roland Frasier
Austin Brawner
Drew Sanocki
Klaviyo

Connect with Chris Brewer:
via OMG Commerce
Linkedin.com/in/momarketer
Facebook.com/momarketer
Twitter.com/momarketer

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Today’s guest is Justin Christianson. Justin is President and Co-Founder of Conversion Fanatics, a top rated Conversion Rate Optimization company. Justin is also author of the best selling book “Conversion Fanatic: How to Double Your Customers, Sales and Profits with A/B Testing”. He also hosts the CMO Roundtable podcast.

In today’s episode, we discuss the differences between split testing vs multivariate testing, little tweaks that can make a big difference, great split testing tools to use, common mistakes ecommerce sites make that lower their conversion rate, and look at a couple of case studies (one that led to an 1,892% boost in conversions!). Split testing is a must in marketing, and Justin shares some insight that could lead to more conversions for you.

Mentioned in this Episode:
Conversion Fanatics
CMO Roundtable
Conversion Fanatic: How to Double Your Conversions, Sales, and Profits with A/B Testing
HotJar
Crazy Egg
TruConversion
Optimizely
Convert.com
VWO (Visual Website Optimizer)

Connect with Justin Christianson:
ConversionFanatics.com
Clyxo.com/justinchristianson

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Today’s episode is about Shoppable Trueview, the dynamic of Google Shopping and YouTube video ads. In this solo episode of eCommerce Evolution, Brett answers several frequently asked questions about this marketing platform including:
• The 5 best remarketing audiences to target,
• How to structure your campaigns
• What Return on Ad Spend and CPA performance should you expect
• How to use Shoppable TrueView ads for top of funnel targeting,
• 5 Keys to an effective video ad
• & more!
If you’re new to Shoppable Trueview ads, or if you’re using them already, this episode can help answer your questions and help you get the most from your campaigns.

Mentioned in this Episode:
YouTube.com
Boom! By Cindy Joseph

Connect with Brett Curry:
twitter.com/brettcurry
via omgcommerce.com

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Today’s guest is Austin Brawner. Austin is the host of the Ecommerce Influence podcast and the Chief Fixer at Brand Growth Experts. Austin is a true expert at building marketing automation and triggered email marketing campaigns that deliver results.

On this episode we cover some really important topics including:

• 3 metrics to help you turn interested visitors into loyal customers
• The difference between automated marketing and traditional email marketing
• The top triggered email sequences every eCommerce store owner needs
• Identifying and targeting the top 20% of your top 20% (your whales)
• Customer life cycle marketing
• Top email mistakes
• & much more!

Mentioned in this Episode:
Stamped.io
Justuno
Really Good Emails
Brand Growth Experts
Ecommerce Influence

Connect with Austin Brawner:
Brand Growth Experts Intensive
Ecommerce Influence

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When you talk to eCommerce merchants about the Google Display Network (GDN) or display ads, in general, they usually fall into one of 3 camps:

1. They feel it’s only effective as a remarketing vehicle.

2. They feel like people are more likely to get struck by lightning than click a display ad (had a guy say that to me once).

3. They’re intrigued but apprehensive because they’ve heard so many display campaign horror stories.

I’ve always been in camp 3.  Very intrigued and knowing it could work, but also knowing that the road to success with display ads (outside of remarketing) is more than a little bit tricky.

I first met Mike when we both spoke at Traffic & Conversion Summit in San Diego this March.  Mike has officially cracked the code for creating profitable GDN campaigns.  He is the co-author of The Ultimate Guide to AdWords and the owner of AgencySavvy.com.  He’s been actively managing AdWords campaigns since 2004.  Mike is the real deal as you will soon witness.  This podcast reveals the method behind the madness that produces GDN campaigns that work and scale.

Mentioned in this Episode:
Google Display Network (GDN)
The Display Grid
The Display Grid Setup
Topics + Keyword Training
Web Savvy
The Ultimate Guide to AdWords
Dale Beaumont
Dean Jackson
DeepMind

Connect with Mike Rhodes:
Via Agency Savvy
Via Web Savvy
Via Facebook

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As an eCommerce merchant you have to pay attention to Amazon and Google.  Google is likely one of your top traffic channels.  Amazon is either enemy or partner #1 or perhaps they’re your top frenemy.  In this episode we dive into recent Google and Amazon news and what it means for your business.  Here are some of the highlights:

Google:

– Google Shopping – Google will roll this out on the display network, calling it Retail Shopping on Display.

–  Google Shopping Q1 2017 year over year growth outpaced Q4 Year over year 21% vs. 19%.

– Google Shopping/PLAs now 75% of non-branded retail clicks.

– Google shopping spend grew 32% in Q1 for year over year

– Google AdWords phone and desktop spend increased 51% and 12%, respectively, while tablet spend fell 23%.

– Similar Audiences for Search & Shopping

– Demographics for Search

– YouTube TV – similar to sling box.

– Original content via YouTube Red.  6 Shows including shows feature Ellen, Kevin Hart, and Ryan Seacrest.

– 18-49 year olds spend more time on YouTube in prime time than watch the top 10 TV shows combined.

– YouTube Scandal – big brand ads placed next to neo nazi and jihadist content.  5% of top advertisers pulled ads.

Amazon:

– Q1 earnings – Sales grew 23%. $35.7 billion in sales, $8billion in growth.

– AWS grew 42% to $3.66B

– Subscription services $1.94 Billion mainly Amazon Prime – 49% YoY

–  Making prime sticky with original content – Manchester by the Sea won two oscars.  Best actor – Casey Affleck and Best Director.

– Purchased the rights to Thursday night football

– Amazon Prime is closing in on Costco in terms of members.  Now roughly 80 million prime users in the US.  37% growth since last year.  In March of 2017 costco has 88.1 million members.  

– Amazon Fresh pickup

– Amazon Go Store

Mentioned in this Episode:

OMG Commerce
http://omgcommerce.com/

Zipify
http://zipify.com/

Camp Chef
http://www.campchef.com/

Camp Chef – Woodwind Pellet Grill
https://www.campchef.com/camp-chef-woodwind-pellet-grill.html

Ad Week – The “Grill God”
http://www.adweek.com/creativity/the-grill-god-preaches-better-barbecuing-in-this-unholy-ad-for-a-fancy-new-grill/

Harmon Brothers
http://harmonbrothers.com/

GOOGLE

Google Shopping on the Display Network
http://searchengineland.com/google-shopping-ads-display-pilot-274251

Google Search & Shopping with Similar Audiences
http://searchengineland.com/google-rolls-similar-audiences-search-shopping-274210

Google Shopping – Product Listing Ads Growth
http://searchengineland.com/google-shopping-ads-so-hot-right-now-the-meteoric-rise-of-plas-248055

Google – Local Inventory Ads Information
http://searchengineland.com/google-local-inventory-ad-maps-knowledge-panel-live-253899

Merkle Statistics – Local Inventory Ads (LIAs) Growth
https://www.merkleinc.com/blog/merkle-q1-2017-digital-marketing-report-released

Demographics for Search Information
http://searchengineland.com/connecting-demographics-search-queries-243440

YOUTUBE

YouTube TV
https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/

YouTube Prime Time Statistics
https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/6/11608036/youtube-bigger-than-tv-brandcast-sia

YouTube Advertising Scandal
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/25/google-youtube-advertising-extremist-content-att-verizon

YouTube Security (https) Information & Statistics
http://www.zdnet.com/article/google-overcoming-hurdles-to-secure-youtube/

Side Note

Google on Securing your Website
http://searchengineland.com/google-starts-giving-ranking-boost-secure-httpsssl-sites-199446

AMAZON

Amazon’s Q1 Earnings Press Release
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2266665

Amazon Prime vs Costco vs Sam’s Club Membership Statistics
http://www.businessinsider.com/amazons-prime-membership-hurting-costco-and-sams-clubs-2016-9

Amazon Prime Members Spending Double
http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-prime-members-may-spend-more-than-double-what-non-members-do-2015-1

Amazon Web Servies (AWS)
https://aws.amazon.com/

Amazon Press Release – Manchester By The Sea
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2268323

Amazon Echo
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Echo-Bluetooth-Speaker-with-WiFi-Alexa/dp/B00X4WHP5E

Amazon Go Store
https://www.amazon.com/b?node=16008589011

AmazonFresh Pickup
https://www.amazon.com/afx/nc/aboutpickup

Amazon Prime – Thursday Night Football
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/amazon-wins-huge-bidding-war-to-stream-thursday-night-football-games-in-2017/

Connect with Brett Curry:
twitter.com/brettcurry
via omgcommerce.com

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It’s one thing to build a site, drive some traffic and close a few sales.  It’s another thing entirely to build a lifestyle brand that resonates with your audience.

The story of Everyday California is a great one chock full of entrepreneurial insights.  My friend and long time client Chris Lynch and his business partner Michael Sammer started their business with just a couple of Kayaks and a beat up truck in La Jolla Shore near San Diego, CA. Fast forward 9 years and they have a super cool apparel line that’s growing at 10x year-over-year online.  They have a license deal with Cherokee – the company that owns Tony Hawk’s brand.  They’re driving traffic through search and social and there’s no slowing down in sight.

Here are some of the lessons we cover in this episode:

– Keys to great design and building a brand that endures

– Top traffic sources for their ecommerce store

– Why they switched from Magento to Shopify Plus

– A crazy Facebook/Instagram post that is raking in the sales

– How to successfully diversify your business

– When to pull the plug on a new initiative

– Plus more!

Mentioned in this Episode:
IRCE (Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition)
Everyday California
Blenders Eyewear
Pura Vida Bracelets
Entrepreneur’s Organization
Larry Page on 10x
Grant Cardone on the 10x Rule
Phil Knight (Creator of Nike) – Shoe Dog
– Book
– Audiobook Cherokee Global Brands
Brooklyn Bridge Everyday California Marine Layer Hat Image
Flip Flop Shops
Everyday California – Flip Flops
Cobian Footwear
MVMT Watches
Marine Layer
Aviator Nation

Connect with Chris Lynch:
via LinkedIn
via Email

Follow Everyday California:
on Facebook
on Twitter
on Instagram
on YouTube

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There is an art and a science to selling.  Boring doesn’t sell.  Neither does average.  Ryan Stewman is neither.  He’s a 4x best-selling author and the host of the very successful Hardcore Closer podcast.

You don’t have to necessarily match Ryan’s style to appreciate and benefit from the principles he teaches.  We uncover some gold on this episode to help you craft better closing product pages, videos, online ads, and social media posts.

Here’s a quick rundown of what we cover:

– 3 things you need to sell more today

– The benefits of building a persona

– Tips to sell more via video

– How to craft emails that close deals and leave people wanting to see your next email

– How to get into the sales state of mind

– His recent weekend speaking to a group of MMA fighters

– Plus more!

Warning – This episode does contain profanity.  Not necessarily excessive, but there is some.  Just a heads up.  The content is excellent.

Enjoy!

Mentioned in this Episode:
Hardcore Closer
Harmon Brothers
Austin Brawner at eCommerce Influence
Ben Settle – World Leader in Email Copywriting Education
Email Players

Connect with Ryan Stewman:

via LinkedIn
via Twitter

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Few entrepreneurs achieve what Russell Brunson has. From selling “how to make potato gun” information in his college dorm to 40,000 paid monthly subscribers on Clickfunnels, his current SaaS platform, Russell knows how to make stuff happen. That’s why leaders like Tony Robbins and The Profit’s Marcus Lemonis speak at Russell’s events and even go to him for marketing advice.

In today’s episode we cover:
– What a successful ecomm funnels look like
– Top ecommerce funnel mistakes
– Why building a movement and building a brand should go together
– How expert status can help combat the “race to the bottom”
– Russell’s incredible story of selling how to make potato gun information online in college to huge SaaS Business and events with Tony Robbins, Marcus Lemonis, etc.
– Traffic sources Russell is most excited about

Mentioned in this Episode:
Russell Brunson
ClickFunnels
“Expert Secrets” book by Russell Brunson
Funnel Hacking Live 2017 Overview
Dave Asprey – Founder and CEO of Bulletproof – Blog
Dave Asprey Podcast – Bulletproof Radio
“Why We Buy” by Paco Underhill (Revised) – Amazon
The J. Peterman Company
“Made to Stick” book by Chip & Dan Heath
IRCE – Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition
OBS – Open Broadcaster Software – Using It for Facebook LIVE Videos
ClickFunnels Community on Facebook (Over 60,000 Members)

Connect with Russell Brunson:
via RussellBrunson.com
via LinkedIn

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My guest on the podcast today has a unique perspective on both Amazon and on building your ecommerce team.

Nathan Hirsch build a wildly successful drop shipping business on Amazon in 2009.  He’s since scaled that to multi-million dollar per year business.  in 2015 he launched freeeup.com to help online merchants find vetted outsourcers with eCommerce experience.

In this episode we dig into some Amazon news and trends to pay attention to and we provide some specific insights for building your ecommerce team.

Here’s a quick snapshot.

– How Amazon has changed since 2009

– Biggest mistakes he sees merchants making on Amazon

– What Amazon changes should resellers be preparing for

– Top hiring mistakes

– Killer interview questions

– Processes for properly vetting and hiring eCommerce rock stars

Mentioned in this Episode:

FreeeUp
Portlight @ Amazon.com
Upwork
“Delivering Happiness” book by Tony Hsieh of Zappos
Appeagle
FreeeUp Blog
“Free Up Your Business” book by Nathan Hirsch

Free Up Facebook

Connect with Nathan Hirsch:
via LinkedIn
via Twitter

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Without good copy, you’re sunk….or at best fighting an uphill battle.

I love all the new tools for eCommerce that we have at our disposal.  From AI tools, to automation, to personalization, augmented reality etc.  But here’s the deal.  None of that matters if you can’t tell a good story or produce copy that compels people to buy.  Often, she who tells the best story wins…

I review dozens of eCommerce sites each week and it’s very clear to me that good copywriting is a lost art.

My guest on this week’s episode is Julie Boswell, co-founder of AskaCopyExpert.com.  Julie was the director of marketing for Bill Glazer and Dan Kennedy at GKIC for 4 years.  Her copy helped fill seats at the famous Super Conference and Info Summit back in their heyday.

In this session we dive into the power of strong copy to boost eCommerce sales.

Here’s what we dive into:

– How to write emotional copy that elicits a response

– Common copy mistakes to avoid

– Copy tips for better product detail pages

– Email copy tips

– eCommerce companies to emulate who understand good copy

– Plus more

Mentioned in this Episode:
Glazer Kennedy Insider’s Circle (GKIC)
GKIC – 2017 Info-Summit & 2018 SuperConference
Ask A Copy Expert
Rebel Enterprises
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – The Beginners Guide to SEO by Moz
Huckberry
Athleta
Title Nine
J. Peterman Catalogues Unique Product Descriptions
Duluth Trading Co. Men’s & Women’s Workwear & Clothing
Ask A Copy Expert – Headline Generator
“Tested Advertising Methods” book by John Caples
“My Life in Advertising” & “Scientific Advertising” all-in-one book by Claude Hopkins
RoomDividersNow
Ask A Copy Expert – Review Service
“Made to Stick” book by Chip & Dan Heath
The Tim Ferriss Show Podcast
Ask A Copy Expert – Ultimate Sales Generator
“The Ultimate Sales Letter” book by Dan Kennedy
“No. B.S. Direct Marketing: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt Take No Prisoners Direct Marketing for Non-Direct Marketing Businesses” book by Dan Kennedy

Connect with Julie Boswell:

via email

via LinkedIn

via Facebook

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If you’re not continually tweaking and testing for better conversion rates, you’re leaving money on the table.

Nick Disabato is a guy that I never heard of until all of a sudden I saw him everywhere.  From working on BOOM with Ezra Firestone to speaking at eCommerce events to being interviewed on multiple podcasts.  All of a sudden I couldn’t escape this guy.  🙂

Nick is incredibly bright and has a great process for finding and fixing conversion rate problems for eCommerce sites.

In this episode we cover:

– Top conversion tools

– Where to begin with conversion rate optimization

– Simple improvements Nick helped Ezra create for BOOM that created a big conversion lift

– What big ecommerce stores fail at over and over again and how you can capitalize on it.

– How to get real answers out of your customers and turn that into conversion gold

– Top conversion resources

– Plus more!

Mentioned in this Episode:
Nick Disabato Podcast – Make Money Online
Guetzli by Google
ImageOptim
Hotjar
VWO (Visual Website Optimizer)
Optimizely
Google Optimize
Google Forms
Wufoo
MailChimp
Mandrill
Typeform
“The Innovator’s Dilemma” by Clayton Christensen
UserTesting
QuickView+
Evan Miller’s Blog
ConversionXL’s Blog
WiderFunnel’s Blog
Annielytic’s Blog
Avinash Kaushik – Occam’s Razor
Ezra Firestone – Smart Marketer
Kurt Elster – Ethercycle
The Unofficial Shopify Podcast
Baymard Institute

Connect with Nick Disabato:

via Twitter

via NickD

via Draft

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What are you doing to delight your best shoppers?  How are you encouraging or incentivizing your best customers to come back and tell a friend?  How are you consistently growing repeat purchases?

If your answer is “I’m not sure,” or “I could do more,” or even “we’re doing pretty good there,” this episode is for you.

I’ve seen different studies, but I think it’s safe to say that driving a new customer is 5 to 25 times more expensive than keeping an existing one.

With that in mind, it makes sense to put plenty of effort and energy into keeping and delighting existing customers.  Also, the best new customers are often those who are referred by your existing customers.

Steve Deckert and his company Smile.io (formerly Sweet Tooth) are veterans in the rewards space for eCommerce.  Here’s a quick look at what we cover on this episode:

– How to build a powerful referral program

– How to build a successful VIP program

– Loyalty campaign mistakes to avoid

– How InkBox saw an 80% lift in repeat purchases with these strategies

– How to properly get the word out about your new program and ensure participation

– Plus more!

Mentioned in this Episode:
Smile.io
InkBox
BottleKeeper

Connect with Steve Deckert:
via Twitter
via LinkedIn

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Bart Mroz has his finger on the pulse of the eCommerce industry.  He’s the co-host of the Register Podcast and writes for Entrepreneur, Retail Dive, Social Media Today and more.

This episode is all about emerging trends, what’s next, and how we should approach (our least favorite term) omnichannel.

Bart moved to the US as a boy who spoke no English.  We talk some about being an immigrant entrepreneur and then dive into some pretty compelling questions such as:

– What technologies will disrupt eCommerce in the next 1-5 years?

– What are the most common problems you’re solving for larger eCommerce clients right now?  How do you think those will differ in 2-5 years?

– What platforms and payment systems are you most impressed with?

– How is omnichannel changing and where is retail in general headed?

– Are there any legitimate contenders for Amazon – who could give them a run for their money?

– Plus more!

Bart is a fascinating guy, and I think you’ll love the interview.  Enjoy!

Mentioned in this Episode:

SUMO Heavy Digital Commerce Strategy Firm

Magento

IRCE

IKEA Store Experience

@WalmartLabs

Shopify

Unite 2017

Magento 2

Why You Should Move to Magento 2 – CreativeMinds Blog

WebLink International

Apple Pay

How Will iMessage Payments Stack Up to Square Cast and Venmo? – The Verge

Venmo

Android Pay

What is a Google Premier Partner?

Amazon Advertising

Amazon Sponsored Product Ads

Alibaba

Bonobos

Warby Parker

Bulletin

Walmart Online Grocery Pickup

Walmart Employee Delivery

Amazon Go Store

Retail Dive

SUMO Heavy Newsletter

SUMO Heavy’s “eCommerce Minute” on Anchor

The Register Podcast

Connect with Bart Mroz:

via Facebook
via Twitter
via Email

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Facebook ads are one of the hottest paid channels for online merchants right now. FB ads played a huge part in Ezra Firestone’s growth from under $10million in revenue to over $22.5 million in a single year.

Part of achieving success on Facebook is keeping up to date on what’s working now.….And it’s a moving target.

Ezra spends upwards of $15,000 per day on Facebook Ads and he’s tracking his performance carefully.

Here’s a glimpse of what we cover on the show:
– How Ezra is currently building his Facebook Sales Funnels
– The 4 types of ads you should be testing
– Why you should consider video ads for FB
– Landing page tips for converting more FB ad traffic
– New audience targeting techniques that are different than what Ezra was teaching & testing just a few months ago.
– Bonus! We get a little bit “deep” at the beginning and end of this episode. We talk about being a mission-driven business and sticking to your values even as you experience rapid growth and have opportunities coming at you from every angle. Learn from Ezra’s wisdom and his story here…

Plus, more!

Mentioned in this Episode:
BeeFriendly Skincare
BOOM by Cindy Joseph
Traffic & Conversion Summit 2017
IRCE
Jon Loomer’s Blog
DigitalMarketer’s Blog
Smart Marketer
Free Facebook Video Ad Training
Kickstarter
IndieGoGo
How to Use Facebook Messenger Ads
Facebook Messenger Ads – Digital Marketer Episode
eCommerce All-Stars 2017

Connect with Ezra Firestone:
via Facebook
via Twitter
via LinkedIn

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Product discovery on Amazon is almost exclusively driven by search.  So if you want to drive more sales on Amazon you have to get better at search – both the organic side (SEO) and the paid ad side.  In this week’s episode, I interview a man who knows Amazon search inside and out – George Lawrence.

He started Merchant Words in 2013 and has grown it into one of the most popular Amazon research tools on the market.  In my chat with George, we dive into all things Amazon search including…

– Common Amazon SEO mistakes to avoid

– Finding hidden sales opportunities through keyword research (brace yourself we use a pretty off the wall and potentially controversial example).

– How Amazon search has changed in recent years and what that means to you.

– When analyzing search data, what metrics matter and what metrics don’t

– Preparing for more product searches on Alexa and “Amazon Choice”

– Current trends on Walmart & Jet.com

Plus more!  Check it out.

Mentioned in this Episode:
Zipify Apps by Smart Marketer
MerchantWords – Amazon Keyword Tool
Eugene Schwartz’s 8 Rules of Great Copywriting – Mindvalley Insights
Eugene Schwartz – “Breakthrough Advertising” book – Amazon
Amazon’s Alexa started ordering people dollhouses after hearing its name on TV – The Verge
“Amazon’s Choice” Want To Make Your Purchasing Decisions For You – Huffington PostConnect with George Lawrence:

via Twitter

via LinkedIn

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It’s very possible that your data sucks. Or if your data is accurate, it’s likely that you’re fixating on the wrong metrics.

I LOVE this interview. While I can’t pick favorites, it would be hard to find an episode that was more important to your business than this one.

Charles Farina and the team at Analytics Pros craft data and analytics solutions for large companies like Yelp, Starbucks, TOMS, Asics and more.

This episode is highly actionable….and fun, in a nerdy way. Here’s a look at what we tackle:

– Top, little-known Analytics “hacks” for better, more actionable data.
– Why asking “what attribution model is best for me” is the wrong question to ask.
– 3 Worthless Metrics you should either stop measuring or understand what they are really telling you (if anything).
– What will Google’s new attribution model look like and when should we expect it?
– Real case studies for making better decisions with proper data analysis
– Top Analytics mistakes to avoid

Plus, more!

Mentioned on this Episode:
Analytics Pros
Urchin Software Corp. Vault – The Unlikely Origin Story of Google Analytics
Set up Event Tracking – Analytics Help – Google Support
LunaMetrics
Jeff Sauer’s Blog
Charles Farina’s Blog
Google Analytics Academy
Digital & TV Attribution Capabilities – Google Attribution 360

Connect with Charles Farina:
via Twitter
via LinkedIn
via Blog

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Facebook ad spend has skyrocketed in recent years to the point that Mark Zuckerberg announced recently that this year they may “run out” or ad space causing rates to go up (techcrunch article).  For online merchants, it’s often the number 2 or even number 1 traffic source with Google usually taking the other spot.

Molly Pittman, VP of Marketing for Digital Marketer, is a legitimate Facebook ad expert and seasoned practitioner.  Today on the podcast we dive into Molly’s 5-Step checklist for making sure that her Facebook ad campaigns are a success.  We dive into some real tactical and strategic info here.  Here’s a glimpse of what we cover:

– Why your approach to targeting might be all wrong, and what you should be testing right now. Molly always looks to build ad sets around audiences of a certain size.…

– How to make your audience “squirm” so that it’s hard for them to say “no” to your offer.

– Video marketing tips including long form vs. short form videos….Molly’s answer here might surprise you especially if you are a long time direct response marketer.

– How competition is forcing advertisers to “up their game” and how good ads cost you less.

– New opportunities to advertise and market using messenger

– and much, much more.

Mentioned in this Episode:
DigitalMarketer
Content & Commerce Summit 2017 (September 18 – 20) – Los Angeles,California

HUBBLE

Quip Toothbrush

Wag!
Perpetual Traffic Podcast

ManyChat

Animoto

Soothe

Connect with Molly Pittman:

via LinkedIn

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B2B eCommerce is poised to explode in the coming months.  In fact, Forrester predicts that B2b eCommerce will be twice the size of B2C eCommerce by 2020.   If you are a B2B company or if you’re a service provider working with B2B companies, or if you just want to see how B2B will shape eCommerce – this episode is important to you.

In this episode I’m honored to welcome two veterans of eCommerce – Darren Sepanek and Carrie Weidenbach.  Darren joined the Magento team in 2010

and helped launch and run the worldwide Magento Partner Network.  Carrie

has been in the eCommerce industry for 12 years and has served in both COO and Director of Project management

roles launching over 20 large eCommerce site builds annually.

They are both now at E7 Solutions and work with the OROCommerce Platform (Co-founded by Yoav Kutner the co-

founder of Magento) to build custom B2B eCommerce solutions.

In this episode, we cover some really important B2B eCommerce Topics including:

– What is OROCommerce, who’s behind it and why should B2B companies consider it.

– How has B2C eCommerce shopping experiences (from Amazon and others) shaped B2B expectations?

– How important is Mobile to B2B?

– How “commodity” products can really benefit from new eComm trends.

– How re-order and subscription models are impacting B2B

– Plus more!

Mentioned in this Episode:

E7 Solutions

Oro Inc

Connect with Darren Sepanek:

via LinkedIn

via Email

Connect with Carrie Weidenbach:

via LinkedIn

via Email

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As you know, we are huge fans of YouTube ads.  At OMG Commerce we run a lot of Shoppable TrueView campaigns – the joining of YouTube and Google Shopping (for more info on Shoppable TrueView check out Episode 10).

Tom is the CEO of Viewability and a master of YouTube ads.  He’s built very profitable campaigns for marketing gurus like Neil Patel, Frank Kern, Amy Porterfield, and Brendan Burchard.  Frank even mentioned that his YouTube campaigns are working better than Facebook right now.

I specifically wanted to dig in and ask Tom about his unique approach to YouTube.  Here’s a glimpse of what we cover in this episode:

– How to key in on the right targeting for your YouTube ads.

– What makes for great ads that convert (it’s not as complex as you think)

– How performance psychology impacts public speaking and YouTube ads

– Finding moments where prospects are most open to your message

– How to measure for success

– Plus more!

Mentioned in this Episode:
Viewability
Traffic & Conversion Summit 2017 – Best of T&C
Veeroll
Content & Commerce Summit 2017 L.A. (Sept. 18 – 20)

Connect with Tom Breeze:
via LinkedIn
via Twitter
via Facebook
via Instagram

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The story behind Xero Shoes is a crazy one.  World-class sprinter over the age of 50 gets hurt, takes advice to start running barefoot and immediately sees improvements.  Then goes on to design a prototype for a barefoot running sandal that would soon land him a spot on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank.  

This episode is a ton of fun and is chock full of insights and stories from a really unique online merchant.  Steven Sashen is a competitive sprinter, a TV and film veteran, an SEO, and an entrepreneur through and through.  This interview is part of our “How I Did It” series and outlines some of the elements driving the growth of Xero Shoes.  Here’s a glimpse of what we cover:

– Some of the factors that lead to the huge success of Xero Shoes (Steven’s answer might surprise you).

– Steven’s favorite sources of traffic

– Conversion tips that have grown Xero Shoes to what it is today

– How Steven and team approach product design and how that’s helped them succeed in the wildly competitive footwear space

– Lessons learned for the Shark Tank (hint: you better know your numbers)

– How Xero Shoes is leveraging the crowd funding trend

– Plus more!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Steven Sashen
Xero Shoes
Invest in Xero Shoes
Dr. Phil Maffetone
Stamped.io

Connect with Steven Sashen:

via LinkedIn

via Twitter

via Facebook

via IMDb

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