Ecommerce Conversations
Practical Ecommerce
Ecommerce Conversations is the long-running weekly podcast from Practical Ecommerce, hosted by ecommerce entrepreneur Eric Bandholz. •• Listen in as Eric interviews in-the-trenches founders and executives who address the essentials of launching, growing, and sustaining an online business. Hear their successes, mistakes, and plans — addressing customer acquisition, web traffic, marketing tactics, on-site conversion, shipping, favorite tools, funding, obstacles, and much more. •• New episodes every Friday. Subscribe to the podcast here, and then read a condensed transcript at https://www.PracticalEcommerce.com/tag/podcasts.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 12, 2022 • 36min
Polarizing Tweets Pay Off for Steak-umm
Nathan Allebach began managing the Twitter account for Steak-umm, the food brand, in 2017. It had 1,000 followers. It's now over 200,000. He speaks with host Eric Bandholz in this week's episode, addressing social media branding, divisive content, and more.
Jul 29, 2022 • 33min
Spiceology Founder Pivots to CPG Startups
Having successfully launched Spiceology, a DTC food seller, in 2012, Pete Taylor semi-retired. That was three years ago, after he had hired executives to run the company. He moved to Maui, took a year off, and reflected on his next venture. Fast forward to 2022, and that venture is Midas Brands, a multi-site consumer package goods company.
Jul 22, 2022 • 30min
FBA Seller, Tired of Storage Fees, Launches 3PL
Mark Taylor is a former Fulfillment-by-Amazon seller weary of paying expensive long-term storage fees. He said, “We started looking for ways to solve the warehousing problem for ourselves, and in doing so, we thought it might be interesting for others.” His solution is Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving mainly Amazon sellers, which he launched in 2018.He discusses his journey with host Eric Bandholz, addressing FBA policies, warehouse leasing, fulfillment technology, and more. See, also, the condensed transcript at: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/fba-seller-tired-of-storage-fees-launches-3pl.
Jul 15, 2022 • 33min
Ridge Wallet CEO on Influencer Turmoil, iOS 14.5
The year 2021 produced dramatic escalations in influencer marketing rates and upheaval in Facebook ad performance. Both are critical marketing channels for Ridge Wallet, the maker of metal-clad billfolds. But CEO Sean Frank is unfazed, and the company is thriving.
Jul 8, 2022 • 35min
Guatemalan Entrepreneurs Are Gay, Married, Successful
It sounds like a movie script. A gay entrepreneur in Guatemala launches a cookie company in 2012 from his mom's kitchen. He meets another Guatemalan entrepreneur, also gay, who joins the business. They get married, immigrate in 2019 to the U.S., and, overcoming a slew of obstacles, relaunch the company from their base in Austin, Texas, achieving success.The company is called Wunderkeks. The entrepreneurs are founder Hans Schrei and his co-owner husband, Luis Gramajo.I recently spoke with them. Our conversation addressed much more than selling cookies.Read the condensed transcript on Practical Ecommerce: https://pec-ly.com/?6jMY
Jul 1, 2022 • 30min
Custom Teeth Guards Propel Online Dental Lab
Folks who grind their teeth while sleeping rely on custom-fitted guards for prevention. For sellers of those guards, the complication is the custom-fitting. It requires an exact teeth impression, which presumably calls for an in-person visit.But not if the seller is Pro Teeth Guard, a San Diego, California-based online dental lab that sells made-to-order teeth guards via ecommerce. Its impressions-by-mail process facilitates custom manufacturing — and satisfied customers.I recently spoke with JP Ji, Pro Teeth Guard's president, on production challenges, customer service strategies, marketing, and more.
Jun 24, 2022 • 37min
Lessons from Shopify 2.0 Upgrade, New Theme
Host Eric Bandholz's company, Beardbrand, recently completed a migration to Shopify 2.0 and a new premium theme, the fourth since its inception in 2013. Jenny Durre, Beardbrand's in-house designer, managed the entire 2.0 process — selecting the theme, customizing pages, streamlining the layout, and ultimately going live with the new version. She describes it all in this conversation.A condensed and edited (for clarity) transcript is at: https://pec-ly.com/?6jBh.
Jun 17, 2022 • 34min
180 Marketing Founder: 4 Buckets to SEO
Search engine optimization for ecommerce boils down to four buckets. That's according to Jeff Oxford, founder of 180 Marketing, an Oregon-based firm. Read a condensed and edited (for clarity) transcript at https://pec-ly.com/?6jrc.
Jun 10, 2022 • 32min
PostPilot Is Klaviyo for Postcards
Apple's iOS 14 privacy changes have created a windfall for direct mail providers such as PostPilot. Owners Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein explain how modern postcard programs mimic email campaigns.Read a condensed and edited (for clarity) transcript at https://pec-ly.com/?6jhw.
Jun 3, 2022 • 36min
Cocktail Syrup Manufacturer Pivots to DTC
Chris Harrison co-founded Liber & Co., a maker of cocktail syrups, in 2012. The Austin, Texas-based company thrived by selling mostly to bars and restaurants. Then Covid hit.
