The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

From finalizing a soon-to-be-launched content website to releasing a new cockroach product, Mike and Dave unpack a hectic May in this Brand Report episode.   Aside from our recent trip to the Philippines (which you can know more about here and here), May was quite an eventful month.   Revenue-wise, there was a slight increase from April by almost $70,000. If we’re talking about individual brand progress, there was a fair share of wins and losses.   IceWraps saw a big gain, while Offroading Gear and BTG Gear were down roughly 10% compared to May last year.   In May, we worked with our developer on the finishing touches for our new content website. Slight hiccup though, the launch is delayed by a week at least. But we’re still eyeing a July date!   For Dave, he recently rolled out a ‘cockroach’ product that sold out in a couple of days. If you’re curious to know what this is, you’ll have to sign up for Secret Sauce.   On the other hand, the IPI score of one of his brands dropped below the required threshold, which could result in inventory restrictions. But Dave’s not too worried about it.   Listen to the podcast to know more about what went down in May. Check out the highlights from this episode:   Timestamps:  Intro - 0:00 How was May overall? - 2:45 The ups and downs of being an entrepreneur - 5:08 The seasonality of products - 7:49 Raising prices - 10:49 Computing COGS - 13:09 A quick runthrough of our wins - 19:22 Dave hiring new people for his brand - 25:07 Dave’s new cockroach product - 27:40 The cockroach method and why it works - 29:15 How Dave dealt with his brand’s IPI score dropping - 32:03 Amazon’s excess space issue - 33:59   That’s it for our May Brand Report. It’s been a busy couple of months. I expect it’s going to be even busier as we near the launch of our new content website. Wish us luck!   If you want a more detailed breakdown of what we discussed in this episode, you can check out the blog post of the report here.   As always, don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Fresh (yet possibly still jet lagged) from their trip to the Philippines, Mike and Dave unpack their takeaways after reuniting with the team.   It finally happened–we made it to Cebu! Dave and I aligned our travel dates so that we’d have a few days to spend with the EcomCrew team while we were there.   It’s been three years since I last saw some of them (most I haven’t met in person at all), and it was Dave’s first time in Cebu, so we were pretty excited to say the least.   While it was definitely great to finally be back, this visit was also bittersweet because we recently lost a dear member of our Terran family.   If you’re curious to know more about what we did while we were in the bustling metro of Cebu, tune in to the podcast. Here are the highlights of this episode:   Timestamps:  Intro - 0:00 First impressions of Cebu - 1:06 Transiting through Manila - 3:06 Our jeepney adventure with the team - 5:06 How Mike spent his time in Cebu - 8:28 Dave on getting things done - 11:36 The shift in the country’s employment landscape - 13:49 Figuring out what else we can offer our employees - 19:50 Pros and cons of frequent meetings - 23:14 Problems we overlooked and uncovered - 27:06 Musings on life - 30:21 What we have planned for EcomCrew - 35:53   Although I wish this trip happened under better circumstances, I’m still very grateful that Dave and I finally got to see our PH team again. We’ll definitely do our best to make this an annual thing.   We’ve got some exciting plans for EcomCrew and the podcast but we can’t reveal them just yet. For now, make sure to tune in to our upcoming episodes for updates!   As usual, don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our podcast. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Mike sits down with EcomCrew’s Podcast Producer, Ben, to talk about his recent trip back to the Philippines, the value of facetime with your employees, and our big plans for the company moving forward.   I’m in Cebu for a couple of weeks!   Over this short but fun period, I saw old friends again after the pandemic and got to meet new ones whom I've only ever spoken to on Zoom. I had a genuinely fun time being back to the Philippines after several years.   Joining me for this episode is our very own podcast producer, Ben. Ben has been with us for over three years and has done amazing work taking the EcomCrew Podcast to the level it’s at now.    Today, we’ll be talking all about how much the pandemic affected our work environment, our big plans to give you more awesome content over the coming years, and why we bully Steve Chou a lot :)   If you’ve ever thought of building or growing your own Philippine team, this episode should be doubly insightful for you.   I wanna thank Ben for doing this episode with me. I really enjoyed my short stay here in Cebu and we can’t wait for you guys to see everything EcomCrew has in store in the coming years.    If you haven’t already, please leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our podcast. Happy selling and I’ll see you on the next one!

Mike talks to Paul Okhrem, the co-founder of a global ecommerce consultancy company in Ukraine, on what it’s like to maintain operations even amid the escalating conflict.   What’s happening in Ukraine is heartbreaking. Who would’ve thought that an invasion could happen even in the 21st century?   I figured the least we can do is provide a platform to shed some light on the situation there from a local’s perspective, which is why we have Paul Okhrem on the podcast.    Paul is the COO and co-founder of Elogic Commerce, a consultancy company with offices in Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe.   In our conversation, Paul shares his firsthand account on the situation in Ukraine, Elogic’s emergency response, and how the invasion affected the ecommerce industry there.   Timestamps:  Intro - 0:00 Elogic’s response when news of the invasion broke - 1:51 The resilience of the Ukrainians - 8:28 How Elogic’s clients reacted - 9:53 The IT talent in Eastern Europe - 10:48 Ukraine’s progress over Russia - 11:53 How the invasion affected Rozetka, Amazon’s Ukrainian counterpart - 13:41 The importance of having a contingency plan - 15:46 Elogic’s services - 19:47 Elogic’s clients - 20:05 Ukraine’s ecommerce industry - 20:48 How to reach out to Elogic - 22:51 Standing with Ukraine - 23:57   Paul, thank you for taking the time to be on the podcast and sharing your experience with us. We hope to hear good news soon. Stay safe and keep in touch.    For more information about Elogic’s services, you can visit their website. If you just want to learn more about ecommerce, you can check out their blog.   As usual, don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our podcast. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Mike and Dave talk about their wins and losses in April, as well as exciting updates on their not-so secret project, including an official launch date.   It’s time for another Brand Report! Compared to March, there’s a slight decline in last month’s revenue numbers. But that’s not to say April was all bad.   April was a hectic month for me. After over six months of working with several developers, we finally got to launch Tactical.com’s new look, which I am very happy about.   Dave also shares about a recent oopsie doopsie he had with one of his product listings and accidentally changing the price from $199.99 to $19.99. Yikes.   An exciting update on Knitting.com: Hannah (our first new hire) flew in to record some videos with us. I don’t know how we did it, but we managed to script and record around 20 videos.   We’re also eyeing to produce at least 10 products. While I’m not confident we can make it this year, Dave is willing to air freight everything just so we can make it in time for the holidays.   Here are the highlights from this episode, including the launch date for the Knitting.com content website!   Timestamps:  Intro - 0:00 Reconnecting in person, and meeting the team - 1:11 April’s revenue numbers - 3:14 A deeper dive into Dave’s revenue numbers - 4:25 Tactical.com redesign - 9:53 Challenges of website development - 12:42 Recording videos for Knitting (and the launch date) - 15:48 The content plan for Knitting - 16:04 Dave’s pricing oopsies - 20:48 An attempt to lower insurance costs for Dave’s products - 23:21 Product development for Knitting.com - 27:34 Wrapping up - 31:42   That’s it for our April Brand Report. Revenue is a little flat, but it was a productive month nonetheless. Here’s to hoping May will be better.   When this episode is out, I’ll probably be in Cebu by then. While I’m there with the team, we’ll be recording a few episodes for the podcast so stay tuned for that.   Don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Will Performance Max replace all singular campaigns? Mike chats with Brett Curry of OMG Commerce about Google’s latest campaign type feature.   There’s no debate on how efficient and incredibly convenient Performance Max is. It’s a unified campaign for multiple channels rolled into one.   However, there is a common misconception that it replaces your existing campaigns. While it will partially cannibalize some of them (more on this on the podcast), this is not the case at all.   In fact, Brett tells us that reps from Google had explained to him that Performance Max is designed to complement and not replace the campaigns you’re already doing.   It definitely requires some getting used to initially due to some differences in structure and language, but if you’re looking for new customers, a Performance Max campaign will do the job.   Thank you for being with us on the podcast, Brett. As always, it’s a pleasure to chat. I hope to see you again later this year; if not, maybe at the next Sellers Summit!   If you’re interested in working with Brett and his brilliant team of marketers, go to the OMG Commerce website and click on the ‘Let’s Talk!’ button on the top right corner of the home page.  Don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our podcast. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Mike talks to Seller Universe Ecommerce Group CEO Martin Zerrudo about Amazon DSP and how brands can successfully leverage ads with it.   A relatively new system, Amazon’s demand-side platform (DSP) analyzes consumer data and finds the right customers to target ads with.    Unlike Facebook or Google ads, DSP gives you access to a wider network of third-party sites and reach people both on and off Amazon, albeit a pricier option.   A fair warning: doing ads with DSP can get very granular and specific, which can be intimidating to those unfamiliar with it. However, it can be highly effective when executed correctly.   I tried out DSP ads last year with IceWraps and although we didn’t get the results we wanted, I still think it’s a great system.   We have Martin with us today to give us better insight into how the system works and what makes it a formidable tool for ecommerce brands.   Martin, thank you for coming on the podcast and for sharing that message from August. It means a lot to Dave and I.   If any of you listening to this episode is interested in trying out DSP ads, go to the Seller Universe website and fill out the contact form.   Don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our podcast. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

Dave goes through the top third-party sellers on Amazon, what products they sell, how much they make in revenue annually, and what their business models are.   At the start of the year, we began working behind the scenes on producing regular reports on top third-party sellers on Amazon.   Since Amazon doesn’t release reports on third-party sellers, we had to develop a way to harness this data ourselves.    After months of research, we’ve managed to come up with a methodology that produces more or less accurate results.   Analyzing the sellers’ profiles, you see how vastly different their business models are. Some on this list are straight resellers, others are private label brands.   The product categories run the gamut too, from beddings and houseware to pharmaceuticals and electronics.   As we continue this series, we look forward to featuring new third-party sellers on the list and gain some insight into their business models.   That wraps up this episode of the podcast. Don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!   Join EcomCrew Premium In other (exciting) news, registration for EcomCrew Premium will be open starting May 17 midnight! Join the Premium ‘Crew and get access to cool perks such as exclusive webinars and unlimited email support from Mike and I.   Registration will be open for only a week and slots are limited so make sure to sign up as soon as you can! For more information about EcomCrew Premium, visit www.ecomcrew.com/premium.

In this episode, Mike delves into subscription boxes and why it’s an effective business model, featuring special guests Paul Chambers and Chris George of SUBTA.   From food items to lifestyle products, subscription boxes have become quite the trend in ecommerce the past few years.    Chris George and Paul Chambers got their start in ecommerce with Gentleman’s Box, a subscription service for men’s lifestyle products that they started in 2014.   In 2020, they exited the business and co-founded Subscription Trade Association or SUBTA, with a third partner, John Haji.    SUBTA aims to foster a sense of community among entrepreneurs in the subscription industry and promote healthy competition in this space.   From their humble beginnings with Gentleman’s Box to the founding of SUBTA, here are the highlights from our conversation:   Timestamps:  Intro - 0:25 History of Gentleman’s Box - 3:50 Dynamics of creating subscription boxes - 7:50 Production cycle of these boxes - 10:33 Factors to consider if you want to get into subscription boxes - 15:00 Finding your audience - 19:15 Exiting Gentleman’s Box - 22:23 Recent news in the subscription box space - 28:20 About SubSummit - 29:055   Chris and Paul, thank you so much for taking the time to be on the podcast and sharing your story with us.    For anyone interested in going into subscription, SUBTA will be having its annual SubSummit on June 1-3, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Head on over to the SubSummit website for more details.   If you want to learn more about the subscription industry, SUBTA has free and premium plans where you can get access to educational resources. Click here to learn more.   As per usual, feel free to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our podcast. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!

In this episode, Mike is joined by Spencer Jan of Solo Stove to talk about the evolution of ecommerce through the years and how innovation drives it forward.   After hearing him speak at eCommerceFuel Live last March, I invited Spencer Jan to be on the podcast to expound on a particular point in his presentation that struck me the most: innovation.   Spencer is the co-founder of Solo Stove, a company he started way back in 2010 in a garage. After exiting the business, he is now focused on helping other entrepreneurs build their own brands through informative content.   During our quick conversation, Spencer and I were able to cover a bit more ground about his journey and thoughts on the future of ecommerce. Here are the highlights from the episode:   Timestamps:  Intro - 0:00 Spencer’s early years in ecommerce - 3:36 Choosing to focus on Solo Stove - 7:50 The ‘dopamine hit’ of starting something new - 11:40 Keeping up with the times - 13:53 Innovation as a force in ecommerce - 15:31 How ecommerce has evolved since he started - 20:08 Differentiating yourself from the competition - 26:13   Thank you so much for coming on the podcast, Spencer. I hope to see you at Sellers Summit. If you guys want ecommerce-related videos, make sure to check out Spencer’s YouTube channel.   Don’t forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy our podcast. Happy selling and we’ll see you in the next one!