Ecommerce Conversations

Mike Beckham, Co-founder of Simple Modern, shares his ecommerce journey, addressing Amazon, digital-first merchandising, and physical-store sales. He talks about the benefits of competitive markets and the importance of capturing a small percentage of those markets. The podcast also discusses the challenges of entrepreneurship, the advantages of digital and agility, strategies for protecting channels in competitive markets, scaling a business, and investing in machines.

Joe Anhalt is a New York-based copywriter turned designer turned all-around marketer. He consults with direct-to-consumer ecommerce companies on growth strategies, including branding.He emphasizes storytelling and conveying a brand’s point of view. “You can bring shoppers into your world,” he said. “Brand-building is like world-building.”In this episode, he addresses multiple growth tactics, including marketing channels, design essentials, multichannel selling, and, yes, the importance of the brand.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6quNFor 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 if you're so moved.   ******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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

David Perell helps folks improve their writing skills. His company offers an online course, YouTube author interviews, and a weekly newsletter. But his broader goal is supporting excellence.He stated, "It's worth doing exceptional work with whatever you do. The modern world is polluted with mediocrity."In this episode, Perell addresses writing and speaking and their impact on entrepreneurial success. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qr9For 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 if you're so moved.   ******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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Postscript is an SMS marketing provider for Shopify brands. The company launched in 2018 and has since raised a whopping $106.2 million across four funding rounds, per Crunchbase. Alex Beller is Postscript's president and one of three co-founders.Postscript's marketing platform is SMS-only and Shopify-only. To Beller, that translates to "best in class" performance.In this conversation, Beller addresses the company's focus, regulatory compliance, 2023 results, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qoDFor 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 if you're so moved.   ******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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

In 2016 David Gaylord was a Shopify employee looking for a side hustle. Then he came up with a funky idea: skincare lotions for hair removal along bikini lines. The business name was even funkier: Bushbalm.Fast forward to 2023, and Bushbalm is booming, selling lotions and trimmers directly to thousands of consumers and wholesale to Ulta Beauty and 3,000 waxing salons. It spends a whopping $200,000 per month on Facebook ads.In this conversation, Gaylord shares his journey, addressing sales channels, marketing tactics, and, yes, the name.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qjYFor 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 if you're so moved!   ******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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Merchants often default to China for outsourced manufacturing. Yet competitive suppliers exist worldwide. For Palermo House, a direct-to-consumer provider of luxury furniture, Argentina is a natural source.Marco Ferro is the company’s California-based founder with Argentina roots. He was born there, as were his parents, co-owners of the business.In this episode, Ferro addresses importing goods from South America, shipping furniture to customers, bootstrapping challenges, and more. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qgkFor 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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

In 2014 Eric Steckling launched Brio, a Michigan-based direct-to-consumer seller of beard trimmers. In 2022 the company acquired Ollie, a subscription-based provider of teeth whiteners.The brands are seemingly complementary. Both sell grooming products. But merging them was challenging. Having been combined post-acquisition, they now function separately.In our recent conversation, Steckling addressed launching Brio, acquiring Ollie, and lessons learned along the way. The entire audio of our discussion is embedded below. The transcript is edited for clarity and length.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qcnFor 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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Mark Wagner believes the best payment chargeback recovery systems are automated and data-driven. He founded Disputifier, an Austin, Texas-based chargeback software company, on that premise in 2021.He told me, "We've developed an intuitive system over the years. It combines data from the transaction with our testing and identifies an appropriate response."In this episode, Wagner discusses the state of ecommerce chargebacks and how merchants can recover false claims. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pYNFor 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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Ryan Hunter Masters is a Colorado-based musician who loves to dance. In 2015 he launched Show Her Off to teach swing dancing online. The business sells video courses — streaming and DVD — to booming success.Hunter Masters first appeared on the podcast in 2019. In this second conversation, he addressed the origins of Show Her Off, customer acquisition channels, and his internal litmus test for starting any new company. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pSlFor 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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

The last time host Eric Bandholz discussed his company in an episode was in July. Things were close to their worst. He had furloughed his team for a month. But now the team is back to full-time. His strategy is focusing on Facebook as an acquisition channel. He switched the company's Facebook marketing approach from multi-phase testing to bid caps.He made the change at the beginning of October, and he's seeing cost per acquisition fall in line with profit expectations. The downside is that there are only a few conversions daily due to the negligible budget. Beardbrand is now at a breakeven profit-wise. That's not what he expected after 11 years, but he has "come to terms with the fact that this is essentially a new business. I have to look at Beardbrand from a startup perspective. What worked for us when we launched in 2012 is entirely different than now."It's a new beginning for a venerable, 11-year business, as told here in an admirably transparent manner.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6pO3For 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. http://www.practicalecommerce.com