Ecommerce Conversations

On-again, off-again tariffs have not lessened the opportunities for cross-border expansion. Global consumers still seek quality goods from trusted merchants.Yet success in international selling requires careful attention to fulfillment, customs, duties, and more. That's the role of Passport, the provider of cross-border logistics, localization, and support for ecommerce sellers.In this episode, Alex Yancher, Passport's founder and CEO, shares tactics for profitable global ecommerce sales.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/smarter-paths-to-global-salesFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations enhance visibility and help others learn from the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

We've all heard the buzz surrounding agentic AI agents. What's missing for many of us is how they can help our business. What is an AI agent? Can it really perform tasks and get things done?In this episode, host Eric Bandholz asks those questions and more to Anthony DelPizzo. He is the head of product marketing with Triple Whale, the Shopify-backed ecommerce analytics platform that has launched its own AI agent called Moby. It responds to ChatGPT-like prompts, suggests marketing channels, and even composes emails.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/triple-whales-moby-ai-gets-things-doneFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Dive into the essentials of starting a bootstrapped e-commerce business, perfect for new entrepreneurs. Learn about overcoming challenges like tariffs and pricing complexities. Discover effective strategies for managing product-based businesses, from marketing to supply chain management. Explore how to tap into niche markets targeting upscale consumers and the importance of innovative differentiation. Building strong customer relationships is key to sustaining profitability in a competitive landscape.

Customer acquisition costs can ruin a business. Some merchants limit acquisition spend to the gross margin of the first sale. Others look to customers' lifetime value.Yet Taylor Holiday, CEO of the agency Common Thread Collective, profits from acquisition marketing. He calls it "negative CAC."Taylor first appeared on the podcast in 2020. In this episode, he explains his acquisition strategy, experiences with employee ownership, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-to-achieve-negative-cacFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

John Melizanis believes third-party logistics fees often produce surprise charges. Per-item pricing for picks, packs, and receiving can turn an anticipated $1 per order fee into $2.50 or more, he says.John is the co-founder of ShipDudes, a New Jersey-based 3PL launched in 2020. His company uses flat-rate pricing for pick-and-pack and warehousing, and no markup for shipping. "Brands appreciate knowing their exact costs," he told me.In this episode, John addressed the origins of ShipDudes, in-store retail, warehouse automation, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/the-no-surprise-3pl-pricing-modelFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Nate Lagos is vice president of marketing for Original Grain, a direct-to-consumer seller of luxury watches. He relies on Facebook advertising, but not for immediate customer acquisition.“Platforms such as Facebook are megaphones, not salespeople,” he says.In this episode, Nate shares his marketing origins, advertising tactics, influencer management, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/facebook-megaphone-powers-d2c-watch-brandFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Ray Reddy is a two-time mobile commerce entrepreneur, a Google veteran, and, now, the head of Shopify POS, the company's in-store platform. He says the future of retail is location-agnostic, where shoppers can easily move from online to brick-and-mortar without losing account details, order history, and shipping info.That, he says, is the path of Shopify POS.In this episode, he addresses Shopify's physical-store penetration, the needs of modern shoppers, backend complexities, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/shopify-pos-exec-on-future-of-retailFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations enhance visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

This year host Eric Bandholz has sprinkled occasional episodes with real-life master classes from Beardbrand, his company. To date he's addressed hiring, branding, profit-building, priority-setting, and exiting.For this installment, he shares Beardbrand’s experience of losing nearly $1 million across 2023 and 2024. It got bad. Cash levels dropped to where they were in year one, 2014. The business was hemorrhaging money.But it survived. It made it through without outside funding. Eric and his company are now growing and building, eager for the future.He recaps the journey in this incredible, transparent episode.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-to-survive-a-million-dollar-lossFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Next-gen health and wellness is an apt description of MNLY. Luke Hartelust launched the platform in 2021, pronouncing it “Manly,” and then pivoted twice while remaining focused on modern care for men.The current version combines AI with home-based testing, diagnoses, and nutrition. Customers pay an upfront fee and a monthly subscription afterward.In this episode, Luke shared the company’s origins, growth, mistakes, and more. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/mnlys-at-home-ai-powers-mens-healthFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations enhance visibility and help others learn from the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Shakil Prasla once owned 12 ecommerce consumer brands generating $50 million in combined annual revenue with 50 employees. But he grew wary of the fluctuating revenue and non-stop marketing, so he pivoted during Covid to wholesale personal protective equipment.That's when he and I last spoke. The PPE business, Gloves.com, had misgauged demand and lost, initially, a whopping $6 million. He has since recovered and pivoted again, this time to real estate and convenience-store gas stations.He's an inspiring example of resilience, priorities, and seizing opportunities. He shared those lessons and more in this episode.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/ecommerce-to-real-estate-an-owners-storyFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcastsListener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   ******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com