The CPG Guys

In this episode of The CPG Guys podcast, Sri & PVSB speak with Heather Marie Udo. the founder & CEO of Shoppable, a distributed commerce technology company with a suite of e-commerce products surrounding Shoppable's patented, universal checkout API. Shoppable's solutions enable advertisers, retailers, and publishers to create shoppable sites, content, ads, videos, mobile apps, recipes and other innovative commerce. The CPG Guys have partnered with Shoppable to report on this solution that provides brands all of the benefits of a 1P customer relationship without being the merchant of record.Please provide feedback to the CPG Guys here: http://ratethispodcast.com/cpgguysIn this episode, Heather answers the following questions:Take us through the founder's journey of how shoppable was founded a decade ago?  What gap in the industry does shoppable fulfill? How has the journey been? No one wins without failures and learning from them? Was this easy, has everything changed during covid? What are lessons learned you would share with other aspiring entrepreneurs?Tell us about how retail partnerships were formed? Who are your retail partners?  How do retailers benefit from this?It sounds like you started working with publishers when you first launched. When did you start working with CPGs and is shoppable a full DTC solution?How did you scale the platform over time? What are the specific features of shoppable?Which categories or types of brands is shoppable suitable for? Let’s talk about the all important topic of data & insights. DTC is usually anchored for data and consumer/shopper relationships. Does shoppable work towards collecting data and harnessing it?To learn more about Shoppable, visit http://www.shoppable.comShoppable YouTube channel.Part 3 of the series (released next week) will feature Shoppable's client GSK.CPG Guys Website: http://CPGGuys.comInstagram: http://instagram.com/pvsbondTwitter: http://twitter.com/cpgguysLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/cpgpodcastMedia Kit: http://tinyurl.com/cpgguysmedia DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. The views expressed by the CPGGUYS, LLC do not represent the views of their employers or the entity they represent.CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, conCPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys, Sri & PVSB, are joined in this episode by Erica Fortune, SVP of eCommerce at Big Lots!, the neighborhood discount retailer with over 1,400 locations. Erica's team is responsible for  e-Commerce, Mobile, Product Management, User Experience (UX), Site Merchandising, Front End Development (FED), Web Analytics, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Online Operations and Customer Care.Erica answers these questions posed to her:Would you share a bit about your professional journey and ultimately what excited you about joining BIG LOTS? Also, what has it been like leading eCommerce in the midst of this pandemic?BIG LOTS! Just released its Q4 results, reporting e-commerce and omnichannel platforms delivered sales growth over 130%. Clearly, the last 12 months have been a big change for your group’s contribution to performance. Are you focused on more “big” things in eCommerce for 2021?What are some of the major priorities for user experience that your team is focused on delivering for the enterprise? How do you consider “build” vs. “buy” in the process?How do you collaborate with brands to contribute content for your site and what are the key content drivers of search? Are they able to access PDPs through 3rd party PIMs? How customer feedback like product ratings & reviews contribute to customer engagement?Can you walk us through some of the thinking behind these various commerce options you have established?In order to work with Instacart, what are the actual deliverables you need to feed them for your assortment to appear on their marketplace? How do you ensure your private brands in particular can succeed on their marketplace?In November, BIG LOTS! Was named the top omnichannel retailer, recognized for your omnichannel capabilities, including a number of recent customer service innovations in both brick-and-mortar stores and online. What are some of the key factors that your team delivered against that you think won you this recognition?Please provide the CPG Guys feedback at http://ratethispodcast.com/cpgguys CPG Guys Website: http://CPGGuys.comInstagram: http://instagram.com/pvsbondTwitter: http://twitter.com/cpgguysLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/cpgpodcastMedia Kit: http://tinyurl.com/cpgguysmedia DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. The views expressed by the CPGGUYS, LLC do not represent the views of their employers or the entity they represent.CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liabilityCPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys, Sri & PVSB, are joined in this episode by Kiri Masters & Stefan Jordev, co-authors of the new book "Instacart for CMOs"Kiri is the founder & CEO of Bobsled Marketing where Stefan works as Director of Marketplace Strategy & Insights.Kiri & Stefan answer these questions posed to him:What prompted you to pick Instacart and focus on them vs other retailers?What is an ideal surround sound brand focus on Instacart look like?Retail media - what are the key pieces of this for Instacart. SEM, display, promo based display etc?Who controls the content on Instacart - Retailer or Brand? Will Instacart sustain its dominance and growth in grocery eCommerce post-pandemic?Brands are reporting phenomenal ROAS on Instacart compared to other platforms. To your knowledge, is the calculation of ROAS different from other platforms?Instacart for CMOs on AmazonCPG Guys Website: http://CPGGuys.comInstagram: http://instagram.com/pvsbondTwitter: http://twitter.com/cpgguysLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/cpgpodcastMedia Kit: http://tinyurl.com/cpgguysmedia DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. The views expressed by the CPGGUYS, LLC do not represent the views of their employers or the entity they represent.CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys Sri & PVSB welcome to this episode Aaron Rubin the founder and CEO of ShipHero, a SaaS solution to help eCommerce DTC sellers with fulfillment & shipping. Aaron got tired of eCommerce shipping software that sucked. So in 2013, he and his co-founder decided to do something about it and ShipHero was born. We know what it’s like to run a warehouse or outsource fulfillment. They’re building the tools to make it easier to ship eCommerce.Aaron talks with Sri & PVSB about these topics:You launched a martial arts web based jiu jitsu ecosystem, then Shiphero in 2013. How does one go from martial arts and leadership there to a software logistics company for eCommerce? What’s the real story here?With the rise of eCommerce in covid, digital sales are surround sound. You run and advertise a logistics optimization platform across the board - true? What unmet industry need does it fulfill? What are the client verticals you service and what are the specific solutions you’ve developed?How does the shipping component work given it focuses on cost reduction for shipping? Do you have a network of suppliers you work and constantly optimize? You are also backed up with a network of 7 + warehouses growing I’m sure. How do you balance software and fulfillment?Since you are also a WMS - who is your competition, and how are you differentiated from others - let’s say enterprise providers like SAP? Do you have the ability to bolt on and work with EMS software? Is there a minimum commitment a brand has to make?Success is dependent on a client’s ability to measure the performance of your solutions. Would you tell us about the analytics included in your platform? Brand have huge issues on fulfillment costs in DTC since they don’t have the experience. Why is your fulfillment attractive to them?Let’s say a DTC brand has outsourced fulfillment services to a 3PL provider. What role do you then play? If they partner with you directly, do you co-pack, do multipacks, inserts, ad collateral? Does each one have a cost on its own? How about boxing or packing? With the meteoric rise of business for brands at WMT, TGT, grocery.com - especially click & collect : what role will ShipHero have there? Have you considered being an agent for retailers for home delivery?What advice would you give brands wanting to get into DTC? Can large brands explore this space without breaking the bank? What is your learning and coaching in this space? How long does it take to get setup with ShipHero?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGGuys.comInstagram: http://instagram.com/pvsbondTwitter: http://twitter.com/cpgguysLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/cpgpodcastMedia Kit: http://tinyurl.com/cpgguysmedia DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entiCPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys, Sri & PVSB, are joined in this episode by  Russ Heilbrun, Director of eCommerce, Category Management & Business Insight at Johnson & Johnson supporting Target.Russ answers these questions posed to him:Your career has passed through retail including being a buyer for several categories at Target and now CPG. Decompose this for our audience and tell us how different it is.The pandemic has obviously changed shopper behavior for good it seems - do you agree. In the role you play how are you responding to this and preparing for the transformation?Taking you back to your retail days, was omnichannel a quest for target way back and if so how did ya’ll evolve at Target?eCommerce is a balance between short term and long term based on shopper analytics & insights. How do you balance both and what should a merchandiser focus on? How do your efforts in diversity & inclusion contribute to a better workplace at J&J?Let’s get into the word omni channel. Can you take us through what that word means to you and what are the drivers of it? Also, a prediction - is store traffic coming back?Is click & collect the future of shopper basket behavior. If so, how does one drive a basket with it?What is your advice for others on the omnichannel journey like you? CPG Guys Website: http://CPGGuys.comInstagram: http://instagram.com/pvsbondTwitter: http://twitter.com/cpgguysLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/cpgpodcastMedia Kit: http://tinyurl.com/cpgguysmedia DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. The views expressed by the CPGGUYS, LLC do not represent the views of their employers or the entity they represent.CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys, Sri & PVSB, are joined in this episode by Michael Kahn, CEO of Astound Commerce.At Astound Commerce, they live and breathe the customer experience. They design interactions that forge lifelong brand loyalty. They generate and capture consumer demand. They push technology to the edge of what it can do.To learn more about Astound Commerce, click here.Michael answers these questions posed to him:Your story starts as a Wisconsin badger, and is cemented in advertising and performance marketing. Now you lead Astound commerce, a UX and eCommerce agency. Decompose this for our audience how this journey evolved..How important is UX and design for commerce & lower funnel success? Are there specific success drivers you’d like to share on this subject?How important is eCommerce in a brand’s journey in 2021? Is it non-negotiable? Does this apply for startups, small brands or larger brands?DTC - it seems every brand is focused on delivering some sort of direct partnership with the consumer especially if subscription oriented. How are you focused on this area given UX?Take us through your innovation methodology and how you improve your platform and deliver value to your clients/brands?Traditionally retail media has been shopper marketing, today every retailer is forming a media agency. Given your media/agency background - is retail media here to stay? What are the criteria by which brands should evaluate and prioritize the various platforms? What is a good balance in marketing mix? DTC vs Amazon? Why does one need DTC when there’s Amazon?The pandemic has obviously disrupted shopper behavior , where we buy, what we buy- when do you expect new habits to begin forming? In the role you play how are you helping your clients prepare for the transformation?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGGuys.comInstagram: http://instagram.com/pvsbondTwitter: http://twitter.com/cpgguysLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/cpgpodcastMedia Kit: http://tinyurl.com/cpgguysmedia DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. The views expressed by the CPGGUYS, LLC do not represent the views of their employers or the entity they represent.CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys, Sri & PVSB, are joined in the first of a 3 part episode arc on enabling DTC with Holly Boni, the Director of Sales & Partnerships at Shoppable, a distributed commerce technology company with a suite of e-commerce products surrounding Shoppable's patented, universal checkout API. Shoppable's solutions enable advertisers, retailers, and publishers to create shoppable sites, content, ads, videos, mobile apps, recipes and other innovative commerce. The CPG Guys have partnered with Shoppable to report on this solution that provides brands all of the benefits of a 1P customer relationship without being the merchant of record.In this episode, Holly answers the following questions:DTC - it’s one of those channels, experiences and opportunities that is either a backbone for a brand, or avoided - why is this the case?What is the distinct advantage of being in DTC? Why would a brand scaled at retail distribution points want to also be in DTC?How does Shoppable provide a bridge to DTC? Is it a bridge to DTC?Tell us about the end to end client experience of working with Shoppable. Once a brand decides to work with Shoppable what happens next? How long does it take to fully implement? What are the major distribution endpoints I should expect to leverage through your platform?Is there any cost or order of magnitude savings using Shoppable vs getting into a full implementation of DTC? What eCommerce platforms does Shoppable support? What is the shopify integration? How is that done? When would you advise shopify vs a larger scaled ERP type implementation vs sending to omnichannel or pureplay retail?Tell us about all the different aspects of DTC that Shoppable supports - UX, payments, privacy, advertising, fulfillment - let’s cover end to endWhy did you choose to be part of this journey? What is your compelling proposition of why Shoppable for brands? What message would you like to leave with our audience?To learn more about Shoppable, visit http://www.shoppable.comShoppable YouTube channel.CPG Guys Website: http://CPGGuys.comInstagram: http://instagram.com/pvsbondTwitter: http://twitter.com/cpgguysLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/cpgpodcastMedia Kit: http://tinyurl.com/cpgguysmedia DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. The views expressed by the CPGGUYS, LLC do not represent the views of their employers or the entity they represent.CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for anCPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys, Sri & PVSB, welcome to the podcast Michael Zakkour, the founder & CEO of 5 New Digital, a brand consultancy focused on enabling unified commerce across enterprises. He is also the author of "New Retail Born in China Going Global" and "China's Super Consumers." He's a expert in emerging commerce capabilities in China & APAC.Michael joins the CPG Guys to discuss these questions:Your experience in China goes deep and perhaps when digital was a phenomenon in the US. Why did you start working in the far east and if there are overall learnings of Asian businesses what would they be?.Connected commerce, digital commerce, ecommerce or unified commerce? What’s accurate and why? Describe each one for us.How important is Unified commerce in a brand’s journey in 2021? Is it non-negotiable? Does this apply for startups, small brands or larger brands? What about data and first party consumer outreach? How important is a 1:1 relationship with a consumer? What are key outcomes a brand can expect from it?Take us through your services and how you improve your platform and deliver value to your clients/brands? How do you and the company personally learn and grow everyday?What are key ‘digital’ attributes from the far east you would pass on as to what’s going on now in China/Korea/Japan that will arrive here in the US in the next year? DTC vs Amazon? Why does one need DTC when there’s Amazon? What are the key attributes of doing a DTC business? What muscle power is the most important for a brand in this space? Why should a US brand look to China and the far east to learn? Michael's email: michael@5newdigital.com CPG Guys Website: http://CPGGuys.comInstagram: http://instagram.com/pvsbondTwitter: http://twitter.com/cpgguysLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/cpgpodcastMedia Kit: http://tinyurl.com/cpgguysmedia DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. The views expressed by the CPGGUYS, LLC do not represent the views of their employers or the entity they represent.CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, conCPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys Sri & PVSB welcome to this episode Cyndi Loza, Associate Editor at EnsembleIQ's Path to Purchase Institute division.Cyndi recently reported on a survey that the Institute fielded related to the value shopper marketing professionals have for 7 different retail media platforms including Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Dollar General, Giant Eagle, CVS & Albertsons.Please provide feedback to help us design content strategy for guests and topics by visiting http://ratethispodcast.com/cpgguysCyndi answers the following questions:Why did you decide to conduct a survey on retail media?How did you decide which platforms to include? Were there others you considered but did not include?How did you find the audience for fielding this survey?What were the attributes you measured? How did you decide on those attributes?What were the key highlights? Was there a decided favorite? Which retailers have room for improvement?Anything surprising in the results?Do you intend to survey this again and build longitudinal data points?Where can our audience learn more about this research and other resources of P2PI?Results from the survey may be found here.The 2021 P2PI trends report may be found here.All of our content may be found at http://CPGguys.comCPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

The CPG Guys Sri & PVSB welcome to this episode Andrew Lipsman, principal analyst at eMarketer where he covers retail and eCommerce. Andrew has a tremendous amount of CPG market research experience with prior work at NPD Group and comScore.Please provide feedback to help us design content strategy for guests and topics by visiting http://ratethispodcast.com/cpgguysAndrew and Sri discuss the following topics during the episode:NPD, comCcore and then eMarketer. That means you are legitimate CPG analyst. Take us through your career journey of being an industry expert on knowledge. How different is eMarketer?Sri first started using eMarketer at Frito-Lay and has been an avid fan since then. Why would a brand use eMarketer given eCommerce and its prevalence these days? What are the key sources for eMarketer data? What methodologies make this reliable for brands and retailers?With the rapid growth of eCommerce in 2020, how is eMarketer keeping up with increased demand and what services do ya’ll offer these days?Given how 2020 has gone, eMarketer is best qualified to tell us what the penetration of eCommerce is for FMCG. What is really going on? Is there a permanent inflection?What kind of industry perspectives do you put out regularly? What can a brand expect when they first interact with eMarketer?What is your prediction for 2021 + ? (Andrew’s episode is being released in Feb 2021 - keep this in mind)Hacking growth in eCommerce requires a deep focus on numbers - what are the metrics that e commerce would advise a brand to focus on? What sort of data does eMarketer track? Can you describe the various forms of content that eMarketer makes available - such as consumer demographics, marketing content and eCommerce penetration, etc? What are the major areas being searched on the platform?What is your advice for brands and retailers wishing to significantly advance their journey on digital transformation? All of our content may be found at http://CPGguys.comCPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.