In this episode of Retention Chronicles, Brynn Snyder, CEO and Co-Founder of Slate Flosser, joins Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles and Head of Marketing at Malomo, to discuss her journey from a multi-business entrepreneur to developing a groundbreaking three-in-one flosser. Snyder shares insights into her life as a mother of five, her entrepreneurial roots, and how personal experiences in her husband's dental practice inspired the creation of Slate. The conversation covers the intricate processes behind product development, the challenges and costs associated with launching a high-quality product, and the crucial role of feedback from dental professionals. Snyder emphasizes the importance of education in marketing, the effectiveness of different acquisition channels like Meta and Google ads, and the nuanced strategies for retaining customers through email, SMS, and subscription models. She also highlights the significance of key support systems such as female founder networks and advisory boards in navigating business challenges. As the episode wraps up, Snyder discusses Slate's marketing strategies around habit-building and the limited sales events, providing listeners with a special discount code (MARIAH10) for aspiring buyers.

SLATE FLOSSER DISCOUNT CODE: MARIAH10

Episode Timestamps:

00:15 Meet Bryn Snyder: CEO and Co-Founder of Slate Flosser

00:47 Inspiring the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

02:38 The Journey to Founding Slate

04:30 Innovating Oral Health: The Slate Product

14:51 Challenges and Triumphs in Product Development

20:28 Educating Dentists and Consumers

21:16 Finding Initial Testers

22:58 Kickstarter Insights

24:36 Marketing Strategies

28:41 Retention Marketing

33:56 Holiday Gifting Potential

36:44 Networking and Problem Solving

38:42 Promotions and New Year Resolutions

39:46 Conclusion and Discount Code

Jesse Clemmens, Co-Founder & CEO of HiTide, a Shopify solution for growing email and SMS lists through direct message automation. Jesse shares HiTide's journey from helping creators manage messages to focusing on Shopify brands, emphasizing the importance of bridging social media engagement with direct messaging for retention. He highlights that 60% of social followers engaging with posts are not yet subscribed to email or SMS lists, presenting a significant untapped market. Jesse also discusses best practices for direct messaging, emphasizing the need for timely, personalized communication to avoid spam and enhance customer relationships.

Episode Timestamps: 

• 1:51 Jesse's Background and HiTide's Origin

• Jesse introduces himself as one of the co-founders of High Tide, a solution for Shopify brands to grow their email and SMS lists.

• He explains that High Tide focuses on direct message automation, bridging the gap between social and brand-owned channels.

• Jesse shares his background, including his experience at Meta and Google, and the initial idea of helping creators organize messages.

• He describes the pivot from the Creator space to the Shopify ecosystem, emphasizing the success of their current platform.

• 8:00 The Role of Social Media in Retention

• Mariah and Jesse discuss the importance of social media in the Shopify ecosystem and the challenges of managing inboxes.

• Jesse explains the inconsistent reach of social media and the value of direct messages in reaching consumers.

• He highlights the potential of SMS as a personal and professional communication channel, with consumers signed up to fewer brand text lists.

• Jesse shares insights on the high conversion rates of SMS opt-ins and the importance of measuring the value of subscribers.

• 13:12 Best Practices for SMS and Email Marketing

• Jesse outlines the best practices for SMS and email marketing, including the importance of welcome automations and event-specific campaigns.

• He emphasizes the need for brands to understand the value of individual subscribers and measure the success of new channels.

• Jesse discusses the importance of having a well-tested program for both welcome automations and event-specific campaigns.

• He highlights the role of SMS platforms in optimizing messages and the importance of measuring the output of new channels.

• 21:07 Segmentation and Retention Strategies

• Mariah and Jesse discuss the importance of segmenting customers based on their engagement and purchase history.

• Jesse explains how High Tide helps brands fill out customer profiles and send targeted messages based on engagement data.

• He highlights the potential of re-engaging customers who have previously opted out of SMS or email lists.

• Jesse shares insights on the untapped potential of social followings and the importance of capturing serendipitous interactions.

• 30:40 Leveraging Social Media for Retention

• Mariah and Jesse discuss the potential of social media for retention, emphasizing the importance of timing and engagement.

• Jesse shares examples of how brands can use social media to alert customers about product availability and sales.

• He highlights the importance of capturing moments of engagement, such as comments and tags, to build long-lasting impressions.

• Jesse emphasizes the role of direct messages in building trust and winning lifelong customers.

• 41:29 Best Practices for Direct Messaging

• Jesse provides an overview of the best practices for direct messaging on social media platforms.

• He explains the importance of reactive messaging and the rules set by Meta to avoid spam.

• Jesse highlights the potential of direct messages to convert social followers into subscribers and the importance of following specific rules.

• He emphasizes the role of High Tide in keeping accounts safe and ensuring compliance with Meta's guidelines.

Chris Miller, Co-Founder & CRO of Flaunt Loyalty, and Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles & Head of Marketing at Malomo, discuss the importance of dynamic loyalty programs for Shopify merchants. Chris highlights Flaunt Loyalty's unique service & software model, which includes designing, implementing, and managing loyalty programs to grow LTV and profits. They emphasize the need for ongoing optimization and strategic alignment with marketing campaigns. Chris shares examples like Barefaced's Mother's Day campaign, which integrated loyalty rewards into existing promotions. They also explore the balance between subscription perks and loyalty programs, stressing the importance of personalized rewards and gamification elements like badges and leaderboards to enhance customer engagement and retention.

Episode Timestamps:

• 2:49 Introduction of Chris Miller and Flaunt Loyalty

• 4:30 Bandwidth and Expertise in Loyalty Programs

• 10:49 Benefits of Dynamic Loyalty Programs

• 13:39 Case Study: Barefaced Loyalty Program

• 23:11 Subscriber vs. Non-Subscriber Loyalty Programs

• 26:24 Gamification in Loyalty Programs

• 43:52 Examples of Effective Loyalty Programs

• 44:07 Resources and Further Learning

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Luis Lluis, Founder of GrowthStable, a leading agency for Shopify brands to enhance their suite of Ecommerce tools. Luis, Noah, and Mariah chat through Luis’s background as the Director of Ecommerce for Porto’s Bakery as well as continuing the conversation and excitement with your customers post-purchase, how to achieve the growth margins you’re looking for, creating a cyclic flywheel with increasing LTV, how brands are losing money on acquisition, retention as acquisition, and more!

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, Yaw and Mariah chat through whether or not they like to have questions beforehand for presentations and podcasts, procrastination, Google Multisearch, TikTok as a search engine, and shopping on TikTok because it’s entertaining.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this week’s episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Sergio Tache, Founder & CEO of Dossier, the leading perfume brand that is the fair alternative to luxury perfumes. Yaw and Sergio share a background in Investment Banking and have brought those learnings, such as having a strong work ethic and finding a great mentor, into founding their own brands. We also discuss the large profit margins of the beauty industry, creating more value and giving back to the consumer, removing nasty ingredients, marketing scents, empowering the buyer to make a good decision, influencer marketing, and conveying a story through video.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode Yaw and Mariah chat with Aaron Schwartz, President of Loop Returns, the leading returns & exchange platform that helps Shopify’s best brands optimize return costs, retain more revenue, and prevent return losses. Aaron tells us about his past ventures as Founder of ModifyWatches, which was acquired by Custom Ink, Founder of Passport Shipping, and previous Chief Business Officer of Returnly. We also chat through the notion of influencers on a local level, when there’s demand but people aren’t buying if shipping isn’t up to par, carrier handoffs, keeping track of feedback from different channels, sustainable growth, and how consumers are trained to look for pitfalls.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we welcome Noah Rahimzadeh to chat! Mariah and Noah chat through BeReal and how brands are experimenting with it, B2C and B2B marketing strategies on TikTok, and the BFCM holiday rush in ecommerce.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On today’s episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Jennifer McKay Newton, Founder & CEO, and Hannah Toporoff, Social Media + Marketing Coordinator, at DefineMe Fragrances. DefineMe Fragrances is a clean, every-day fragrance brand all about bringing out your emotions through fragrance. On this episode we chat about the founder story of DefineMe, the science behind fragrance and emotion, hidden easter eggs in each butterfly logo, evoking what a scent smells like online, how DefineMe’s crystal infused perfumes are paired with scents, the launch of their hair fragrances and educating customers around products that go into your hair, the DefineMe Goddess Gang, TikTok learnings and #perfumetok, using the post-purchase experience to retain customers, as well as preparing for BFCM with email and SMS messages, gift guides, and bundles.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Michael De Santis, Director of Business Operations at Doris Dev, a full suite product development agency, and is a member of the founding team at Canopy, a no mist and no water diffuser brand. Michael, Mariah, and Noah chat through product inception and design, eco-friendly packaging, fulfillment, product testing, thinking about retention even when you're developing your product, building customer loyalty with samplers, and more!

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode, Brian and Mariah chat through whether they’re a loyal Google maps or Apple maps user, Brian quizzes Mariah on geography, AARP going viral on TikTok, if Amazon Prime Day takes away from BFCM or adds to it, the newest Shopify ad, and Chipotle announcing they’re now in the Metaverse.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode, we’re joined by Tim Swindle & Scott Brown, Co-Founders of Paddlesmash, the next great backyard game where Pickleball meets Roundnet. We touch upon manufacturing in the US vs internationally, creating new board games, getting games on the shelves of big retailers, the virality potential of games, how its changed getting the products into the hands of the consumer, sending free product out to get content back, QR codes on packaging, and building brand awareness through DTC so there's brand recognition in retail.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles we’re joined by Mat Bingham, Director of Technology Partnerships at Okendo, the customer marketing platform that builds connections through showcasing high-impact social proof such as product ratings & reviews, customer photos & videos, and Q&A message boards. On this episode we chat about

• collecting data and influencing customer behavior,

• what to do if you have 5 reviews for one product and 100 for another,

• how cross and upsells should include social proof, UGC, and/or reviews

• onsite post purchase surveys

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

Maria Hatzistefanis, CEO and Founder of Rodial, discussed her journey from beauty writing in Greece to launching her skincare brand (Rodial) with Host of Retention Chronicles, Mariah Parsons. Maria highlighted the importance of unique ingredients and targeted treatments, such as Rodial’s Snake Serum and Dragon's Blood hyaluronic acid, to stand out on shelves. Rodial's success includes availability in 35 countries and 3,000 luxury stores. Hatzistefanis emphasized the role of influencers in customer acquisition and the strategic use of paid media, particularly on Instagram and Meta. She also shared her experiences with filming on Dragon's Den and her motivational books, which aim to inspire entrepreneurs.

Episode Timestamps:

• 2:25 Maria Hatzistefanis’ Background and Career Journey

• 4:05 Inspiration from Editorial Background

• 8:22 Founding Rodial and Market Gap

• 21:13 Product Development and Market Strategy

• 28:03 Influencer Marketing and Customer Acquisition

• 36:14 Paid Media Strategy and ROI

• 43:02 Thought Leadership and Personal Projects

47:10 Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, Brian and Mariah get each other's opinions on;

• Trying Tenzo matcha, reading instructions, and the post-purchase experience

• Improvements for SMS strategy from a consumer perspective

• Bed bath & beyond and the downfall of department stores

• If DTC brands have the option of having a wedding registry

• FedEx announced they’re raising prices because of a lack of demand, inflation, and market instability

• Adobe purchasing Figma for $20 Billion and how Figma made collaborative design a thing

• The differences between Canva and Figma

• The meaning of ‘cheugy’ and what constitutes as cheugy

• Texting and slacking with abbreviations

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined my Michelle Paulhus, Sr. Growth Marketing and Retention Manager of Olipop, a healthy soda brand. On this episode, we discuss;

• Selling in retail and DTC

• Food pairing with Olipop flavors

• How Olipop launches new flavors

• Making repeat purchases easy

• Utilizing post purchase transactional flows to educate customers

• Using post purchase transactional flows to generate UGC

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Andy Warren, Senior Director of Strategy at Tomorrow Agency, an ecommerce focused digital agency based in New York City and official Shopify Plus Agency Partner. We chat about;

• Enterprise level methodology for both creative and technical strategy

• What enterprise brands are looking at

• How enterprise and SMB brands differ in documentation of strategy

• Data metrics that show conversion and revenue generated

• The gap between customer expectation and merchant expectation

• Why ‘Micro Personalization’ is attainable for everyone

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, Brian and Mariah get each other's opinions on;

• If a sales representative offering a gift card is an effective outbound strategy

• Being a high LTV customer by subscribing to various brands (or not)

• Disney adults and the business strategy behind theme parks

• Influencers turning their audience into buyers

• The Attentive x Loop integration

• The competition between TikTok and Instagram.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

This episode we’re joined by Vasa Martinez, Founder of Growthbuster, an ecommerce agency, and Perfy, a beverage brand, as well as the CMO at Outer Aisle. On today’s episode we talk about

• Vasa’s internship with Quest Nutrition Bars

• Developing a network early in your career to learn from the best

• When to outsource to get the job done vs when to keep it in house

• Creating a rolodex, or a housefile, to know your audience

• Shifting your retention strategy based on the quarter

• How to get people to continue to open email and SMS

• As well as how being authentic manifests a better connect with your customer

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode, we’re joined by Steve O’Dell, Co-Founder and CEO of Tenzo, a Matcha brand that is 100 % USDA Organic, Kosher, Paleo, and Vegan! They work directly with farmers in Kagoshima, Japan to provide you with a delicious matcha that is changing the game of the tea industry. Steve tells us about;

• What Matcha is and how it is different from coffee

• How a product can be iterative while brand story stays the same

• How to increase lifetime value (LTV) after someone buys (post purchase)

• Testing the unboxing experience through SKU iterations and mapping Klaviyo flow IDs

• Acquisition data with privacy updates

• Focusing on creating good organic content

• Looking at and diving into retention data the same way we do acquisition data

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

Episode resources: The Culting of Brands by Douglas Atkin, Seth Goden's This is Marketing, and Play Bigger by Al Ramadan.

On this very first episode of Season 2, we’re introducing a new co-host, Brian Lastovich! Brian is the Head of Marketing at Malomo and he joins Mariah to discuss updates in the Shopify ecosystem as well as plenty of other topics (and yes, some tangents!). In these shorter episodes of Retention Chronicles, Brian and Mariah each pose two topics to discuss. Today, we teach Brian how to use a microphone (and become a professional podcaster 😝), what Mariah thinks of Ultra Fast Fashion, if LinkedIn stalking is ok, quiet quitting, whether hot dogs can be straws, our reaction to Shopify Collabs dropping, as well as reflecting on Gorgias’ $30M Series C.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by FriendBuy’s Head of Partnerships, Samantha Samuels and Partner Marketing Lead, Emma Kimberly. Friendbuy is a platform that powers referral and loyalty programs for the world’s most innovative brands. By listening to this episode, you’ll learn about;

• Key benefits of referral and loyalty programs

• KPIs to pay attention to

• Why referral channels are great for growth

• What incentives are successful and motivating to your customers

• Scaling word of mouth marketing

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

Episode resources: Friendbuy blog, Morning Brew, Future Commerce, Seth Godin's blog.

On this week’s episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Aaron Dungca, Director of Merchant Success at Rebuy, a personalization platform that creates intelligent shopping experiences. Aaron, Noah, and Mariah chat through;

• How merchant success and retention relate

• Taking a consultative approach to help rather than sell

• Creating lasting relationships

• What it means to have an intelligent shopping experience and how to create one

• KPIs to look for

• How to increase your AOV (average order value) and ROI (return on investment) on ad spend

• How to navigate building partnerships with other technologies vs building out product features

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Episode resources: The Leader Who Has No Title by Robin Sharma, The Customer Success Professiona’ls Handbook by Ashvin Vaidyanathan, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, Malomo Resource Library.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Marcus Ohanesian, Partners Manager at Trellis, a full service eCommerce solution provider that specializes in implementing websites. Marcus talks to us about;

• The differences between ecommerce platforms Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce

• Auditing to have a baseline to completely understand the whole picture (and the tools to do so)

• Different technology solutions to implement depending on vertical

• Building out a whole website experience that appeals to a customer

• Headless websites and optimization

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Episode resources: Our CEO's presentation at the DTCX4 Conference, 1-800-DTC, Trellis blog, The Hard Truth About B2B podcast, Malomo agency program, Shopify Updates

Mariah Parsons, Head of Marketing at Malomo and Host of Retention Chronicles and Noah Tucker, Founder & CEO of Social Snowball, discuss the evolution of affiliate marketing and its impact on e-commerce. Social Snowball, with 2,200 merchants, focuses on influencer and micro-influencer partnerships, addressing the shortcomings of legacy affiliate platforms. They highlight the importance of clear communication and incentive structures, particularly during high-traffic periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Noah emphasizes the need for influencers to frequently post branded content to ensure audience conversion. They also touch on the dynamic of the e-commerce influencer B2B community, noting its high school-like nature but overall supportive nature.

Episode Timestamps:

• 2:49 Noah Tucker’s Background and Entrepreneurial Journey to Starting Social Snowball

• 3:06 Challenges and Solutions in Affiliate Marketing

• 26:32 Affiliate Program Best Practices for Black Friday and Cyber Monday

• 32:35 Finding and Evaluating Influencers as a Shopify Brand

40:50 B2B Ecommerce Influencer Community and Social Media Presence

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Chase Alderton, Partner Marketing Manager at Recharge, the leading subscription platform. Chase shares brilliant take-a-ways with Noah and Mariah, including his perspective that retention starts at the beginning, not the end. During this episode, you’ll hear us discuss starting your subscription program with best practices, enhancing your current subscription program with segmentation and personalization, and driving the most value out of your subscription model.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Episode resources:Recharge 2021 Report and Brandon Amoroso’s Newsletter

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Tim Masek, founder of 1-800-DTC and Director of Growth at Storetasker. 1-800-DTC is a directory for ecommerce brands when they’re considering all their tech stack possibilities as well as a community around identifying trends between brands. In this episode you’ll hear about Tim’s Under the Hood interviews that dive into the operations behind a brand to give a technical approach to success, how to turn a one-time purchaser into a subscriber, whether having a subscription only business model is right for you, how to have a streamlined tech stack, what patterns have emerged after looking at a ton of brands, how to outshine competitors, and driving exclusivity through memberships, gated communities, dark stores.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Episode resources: 1-800-DTC Yellow Notes Newsletter, Oddit Newsletter, and Indie Hackers Newsletter.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we are joined by Marco de Paulis, Director of Partnerships at Whiplash. Whiplash is a 3PL (third-party logistics), also known as a nationwide omni-channel fulfillment provider. Marco explains what a 3PL is and does, what to look for and prioritize in the shipping and fulfillment space, how to be efficient while setting up your inventory, how to live up to the buy once the customer purchases, how to improve customer satisfaction and so much more.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Episode resources: Privy and Crossbeam

On this episode of Retention Chronicles we are joined by Will Laurenson of Customers Who Click and he is an expert on conversion rate optimization (CRO). He works with ecommerce brands to reduce customer acquisition and get a higher return on their spending but to also get more customers through the door, increasing their average order values (AOV) and lifetime value (LTV). By listening you’ll obviously hear about CRO but we go into so many cool topics surrounding CRO because as Will points out, it isn't just about conversions but so much more. We’ll chat about various tests you can run for areas like free trials, marketing copy, customer pain points, CTAs, and returns policies. We also talk about sending helpful content to your customers and why customer feedback might be more helpful than data.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Episode resources: Baymard Institute and GoodUI.org

In this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Brandon Amoroso, Founder and CEO at electrIQ marketing and Noah Rahimzadeh, Director of Partnerships at Malomo. ElectrIQ marketing is a Shopify agency located in Miami that aims to help brands improve retention and LTV. We’ll share about how Brandon and his team do exactly that and how that process differs for subscription vs non-subscription brands. You’ll be given multiple use cases and creative ways to revolutionize subscription adoption and retention as well as how to leverage information from multiple technology platforms. And speaking of tech, Brandon shares his golden tech stack that he believes every Shopify brand should have. Have you ever wondered how you can get a customer back if they have a bad experience? Or what can go wrong if you segment but don’t personalize? Look no further…

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Episode Resources: Here’s more information on Brandon’s golden tech stack as well as our Malomo x Rebuy exclusive deal!

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Aminah Fawad, Director of Operations and Emma Henderson, Lifecycle Marketing Manager, at Stix. Stix is the female-founded, no-judgment health brand with the products and space you need to make confident decisions about your body. What will you take away from this episode? How marketing and operations can be co-utilized in the customer retention space, opportunities that can be left on the table if customer retention isn't at the forefront of your strategy, how to first get feedback from your customers and how to implement those findings, why post purchase is important for your business, capitalizing on every touchpoint (even packaging), and how to center your team around your brand mission.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

In this week of Retention Chronicles, we are joined by Co-Founder and CMO Jennifer Jane and Co-Founder and CEO Christopher Jane at Proper Good. This sibling team founded Proper Good- brand with tasty, healthy, ready-to-go meals. We talk about their journey bringing Proper Good to life and share about their experience going into wholesale with a different company before starting Proper Good. One of their biggest take-a-ways? Building a nimble supply chain based on your customer data. The Proper Good team was on Shark Tank and wildly increased exposure and sales pretty much overnight. How do you prepare for that? Have you seen Jen and Chris in their costumes? Chris and Jen give us the inside scoop on all of it. Have you thought about customer retention as having a great product that can stand alone on its own? By listening to this episode, you’ll hear Jen and Chris walk through all of it.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

On this week’s episode of Retention Chronicles, we are joined by Chandler Dutton, Director of Retention at Magic Spoon, which is a fun, healthy, gluten free, high protein, low to no sugar cereal brand. They strive to bring you right back to eating cereal when you were a kid while not jeopardizing the taste and nutrition. We’re thrilled to have Chandler on the podcast as he is truly a retention expert and talks about both the technical and philosophical side of customer retention. Magic Spoon is also a super unique brand that is super successful in both their ad hoc purchases and subscription program. He talks about how their goal changes depending on the customer. He talks about how curating flavor profiles might play into the customer retention strategy because choice is a positive thing but can be a friction point for customers. Chandler advises people to look at data that is actionable. He stresses the importance of being able to take a step back and compress it down into a few take-a-ways to unlock your best customer retention strategy.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Join us for this week’s episode as we talk with two incredible co-founders for a very special look into what it's like to be an entrepreneur. We’re joined by McKenzie Bauer, Co-Founder of ThreadWallets, and our very own co-founder and CEO here at Malomo, Yaw Aning. McKenzie and Yaw share their business origin stories (and the names of their companies). P.S. if you haven’t heard these origin stories before, you definitely need to. But as any entrepreneur will tell you, you can’t go about it alone. Yaw and McKenzie share their experiences of working closely with their loved ones and leaning on them for support when starting a business. After joyfully taking a stroll down memory lane, we relate these authentic and real stories to customer retention on a greater level and having a pulse on how your brand is perceived.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, Blake Imperl, who heads Partner Community as the Manager of Partnerships Growth & Insights at Attentive, the largest SMS marketing platform for Shopify merchants. He walks through his experience in bringing his perspective as both a user and an expert working in SMS to the table. Blake shares his opinion on why he thinks SMS has gotten to be so popular. He paints a 360 view on what Attentive can actually do for their brands and how SMS marketing can compliment email marketing to create a bulletproof network of communication to your customers. In Blake’s opinion, he’s seen SMS being used as a tool for relationship building and email marketing as a more informative communication. We dive into the ‘do’s’ and ‘don'ts’ of conversational marketing and some examples in how strategies can differ based on industry. The Attentive x Malomo integration is now live and we chat about the what and why behind this integration and how brands can build phenomenal SMS post purchase transactional notifications. Blake walks us through some cool use cases with current brands that stick out and are doing some really cool things through SMS.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles Podcast & Head of Marketing at Malomo, and Kit Henseleit, Global Operations Manager at Custom Neon, Founder at Clouding Over, discussed the unique challenges and opportunities of operating in the signage industry and the differences between B2B and B2C marketing. They emphasized the importance of creativity, flexibility, and building strong relationships with clients to deliver customized solutions. They also discussed the challenges of expanding a business globally and shared strategies for retaining customers in the hospitality industry. Additionally, they shared their experiences in scaling a custom neon sign business while balancing customer expectations and business growth, highlighting the importance of setting clear expectations and providing proactive communication.

Episode Timestamps:

• 0:05 Custom neon signage branding and e-commerce experiences with a global operations manager from Australia

• 5:19 Custom neon sign business, challenges, and best practices

• 12:23 Challenges faced while expanding a neon sign business globally, including cultural differences and customer expectations

• 19:45 Custom neon sign production and customer expectations

• 25:49 Custom neon signs for various events and campaigns, including a collaboration with Coach

•  30:41 Customer retention and repeat orders for custom products

38:02 Customer retention strategies and Black Friday planning

On this week’s episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Chuck Melber, Marketing Director at Nomad Goods, a consumer electronics and accessories brand that values resourcefulness, seeking adventures, and living in the moment. Chuck and Mariah cover so much in this episode but we start out covering affiliate marketing and how to reach out and sustain valuable partner relationships. Chuck dives into his opinion keeping a very healthy email marketing list and why he believes this helps your brand in multiple faucets. Nomad Goods has been dabbling in their SMS strategy and is exploring older methods of marketing, such as direct mailers, billboards, and even aerial advertising. All this is then tied back to customer retention and comparing ecommerce customer experiences to brick and mortar customer experiences. Chuck and Mariah pivot to discuss Nomad’s commitment to environmental stewardship (and a pretty impressive one at that) then round out the episode with some chat about product developments.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

On this week’s episode of Retention Chronicles, we welcome Josh Knopman, Director of Growth and Digital Product at Caraway, a brand that centers around beautifully designed non-toxic kitchenware. Caraway has been doing such amazing work on communicating with their customers and it truly shines through in this episode. Josh recounts all of their efforts by telling Sarah and Mariah about the unique communication channels they considered and ultimately implemented in order to add value to their very loyal consumers. Josh acknowledges the strategic shift of focusing on customer acquisition to retention and importance of capitalizing on the post-purchase space, which he believes is underinvested in. Josh also tells us about the experience in growing a brand from a single product to a multi-product company with a product that has a lower frequency of purchase than consumer goods while still being able to maintain customer engagement. With all the supply chain demands and backorders, we discuss the importance of transparency and thoughtful messaging with your customers, which flows into the overall intentionality behind Caraway’s messaging and support team. Caraway does something very unique for their customers who reach out to the support team for some assistance but you’ll just have to listen to find out! Consider this your warning, all this talk about cookware and bakeware may make you want to grab a snack! Enjoy!

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

This week on Retention Chronicles, the Malomo Sales & Marketing team hosts Jesse Bern, founder of Red Beard Conversions and overall expert in email and SMS marketing. This was such a fascinating conversation all about email marketing and SMS marketing. Jesse walks us through his process in capturing your audience in a subject line to spur curiosity and then rope them into a story in the body of the email copy. He is a master at using conversational, humorous, and even sometimes riskier language to entertain and intrigue customers. We also discuss how to pivot and bring new experiences to your work to keep things relevant and fresh. Jesse shares he is trying to focus on sharing more about himself and his story on social media to connect both with the brands he works with and their customers and his own following. Jesse and Spencer bounce off of each other about the concerns they hear from brands on the marketing side and on the sales side, which is fascinating to hear. Last but certainly not least, we discuss the differences between email and SMS marketing and wonder if and when boundaries that are native to SMS will be broken. Be sure to tune into this amazing episode and share your thoughts with us on your favorite social media channel.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Today on Retention Chronicles we are joined by Zach Niemiec, Director of Administrative Services at Bariatric Fusion, a supplements company specifically designed for customers, who are also affectionately known as patients within the Bariatric Fusion community, who have undergone Bariatric surgery. You can almost feel the authenticity seep through the microphone as Zach tells Mariah about the care and community Bariatric Fusion provides their patients with. In addition to sharing how Bariatric Fusion listens to their customers with features such as access to a product recommendation email, health questionnaires, and recipe quizzes, Zach also shares about meeting the needs of his patients. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, a lot of support groups Bariatric Fusion patients relied on were put on pause. Zach, seeing the positive impact these groups provided for his patients, swiftly acted to institute virtual support groups that have stayed within the Bariatric community even with in-person events resuming. This is a phenomenal example of how to understand your customers and add value to their life so that your brand creates a community for your people. As stated in the episode, the goal should be to make a brand community that is so loved that when and if someone walks away, they feel homesick. Make sure to tune in to hear more and subscribe on all your favorite channels.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

On this week’s episode, we are joined by Simona Ioannoni, Senior Marketing Manager at Brigit and previous Senior Marketing Manager at Haus and Stitch Fix. Simona shares very valuable information on this episode, such as her macro approach to customer retention and how she’s seen the shift in the ecommerce space from a fragmented approach to a more unified strategy. She makes a fantastic point that the client experience faces the same customer through each step and so it must be seamless for each and every customer. After Simona sets the stage, she then walks Sarah and Mariah through her step-by-step guide to customer retention where she starts out with her first step of building out the customer experience by establishing trust and having clear communication. Her second step for brands trying to grow their customer retention strategy is to segment where you can and to measure key points so that you can understand your qualitative and quantitative data. Simona’s third and final step to her guide is to automate and change up your channel mix to present different communication outlets with your customers, whether that be through email, SMS, QR codes, or other creative yet subtle ways of communicating and engaging customers. Be sure to follow Malomo on your favorite streaming service and social media to interact with all of the content we are publishing- we want to hear from you!

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Dan Brady, Customer Success Manager at PuraVida, joins Sarah and Mariah to discuss how PuraVida connects with their customers to launch new product lines that stay true to their authenticity as a brand. Dan shares his perspective on how the new IOS privacy updates continuously change their strategic approach towards focusing on their post purchase data to inform their roadmap. Dan details PuraVida’s very successful brand ambassador program, which is arguably one of the most successful ambassador programs in ecommerce. PuraVida believes in the importance of having a social mission and holding themselves responsible at the corporate level and Dan walks Sarah and Mariah through how PuraVida does exactly that. PuraVida recently updated their returns policy and Dan shares the trends they saw with that change and they might not be what you’d guess, so tune in for all the details. Don’t forget to subscribe and follow Malomo on social media to add your commentary!

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

On the fourth episode of Retention Chronicles, Sarah and Mariah are joined by Lisa Oberst, Director of Email Marketing at FuelMade, and Cristina Donati, Senior Marketing Manager, also at FuelMade. On this specific episode we chat about so many different things as they pertain to customer retention, like making a good brand impression, valuing and knowing your customers, customer first data, personalized surveys and quizzes, and so so much more. We have a really rich fact check so be sure to have your pen at the ready! We share a ton of laughs along the way so be sure to learn- and laugh- along with us!

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

In this episode, Sarah and Mariah welcome our first customer guest, Bryan Smith. Bryan is Head of Ecommerce at Ned & Co, a D2C brand that specializes in hemp products. We dive right in and talk about the importance of a brand’s story, possible touch points with customers, tempering expectations, performance goals, and incorporating user generated content. One awesome topic we discuss is everything that surrounds a subscription mode- in the ecommerce world, there can be negative connotations that surround this business structure. But luckily for us, Bryan walks Sarah and Mariah through the very successful structure of Ned’s subscription and how they’re winning in their customer experience by looking into the nuances around cancellation policies and messaging frequency. Bryan also shares the different and easy platforms that Ned uses to grow different avenues of their business, so stay tuned and subscribe for more customer guests to come!

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, Kat Gordon, Head of Customer Success at Malomo, Sarah and Mariah discuss customer retention as it pertains to Black Friday Cyber Monday. We first focus on why it is important to concentrate on customer retention during the hectic holiday season. Obviously, brands want to keep the customers they gain during the holiday season and maintain those they already have. Kat, Sarah, and Mariah discuss some strategies on how to do exactly that. We first kick it off by covering how to adjust and troubleshoot, why it's smart to optimize for mobile, as well as how to handle a surge in website traffic and shipping fulfillment. Then, we dive into some initiatives to reward loyal customers, from both the customer success and marketing avenues. Then to finish out the episode we dive into the post-purchase experience and how to provide the best support possible to increase customer retention. Stay tuned until the end to hear Sarah and Kat’s advice as to what they have carried with them from each holiday season to the next and for the fact check where I will make sure we cover all the bases we ran through in this episode.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Welcome to our first episode of Retention Chronicles! On this episode, our hosts, Sarah and Mariah, discuss the top customer retention trends you need to follow, such as delivering fast support to customers, using automation where you can, implementing referral and rewards programs, as well as KPIs and tools you can use to evaluate and accelerate growth! We cover some fun stats that may surprise you so stay tuned for the fact check at the end of the episode for all your resources in one place. Be sure to subscribe and follow Malomo on social media to share your thoughts and stay up to date.

Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com. Try our free trial today!

Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles & Head of Marketing at Malomo, and Lindsay Baylor, Senior Director of Customer Care & DEIB at Kendra Scott, discussed the importance of leveraging technology and diversity initiatives to improve customer service at Kendra Scott. They emphasized the value of creating an online experience that is easy for new customers to adapt to, and the need for a comprehensive view of the customer journey. Mariah Parsons and Lyndsay Baylor also discussed the importance of integrating customer data from various sources to create personalized experiences, and the challenges of connecting data from online and in-store interactions. Finally, Mariah Parsons and Lyndsay Baylor discussed the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the fashion and jewelry industries, and the need for brands to be intentional and authentic in their approach to diversity and inclusion.

Episode Timestamps:

• 0:05 Adapting to pandemic-era customer needs at Kendra Scott, prioritizing omnichannel experiences

• 8:48 Tying customer data across multiple channels for improved brand experience

• 13:44 Using technology to improve customer service

• 19:39 Implementing chatbot technology and improving customer experience

• 26:19 Personalizing customer experiences through social media engagement

• 30:35 Diversity, inclusion, and representation in marketing and customer service

• 35:25 Internal and external perspectives on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the jewelry industry

39:53 Customer inclusivity and diversity in product development

Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles, and Bob Verlaat, Co-Founder of Dore & Rose and Hears, discussed their experiences launching and scaling e-commerce brands, emphasizing the importance of having a clear vision, solid business plan, and strong support system. Mariah highlighted the value of taking calculated risks and learning from failures, while Bob stressed the need to maintain quality and customer satisfaction as the brand scales. Bob added their perspective on launching multiple brands and incorporating user-generated content in advertising. The group discussed factors to consider when launching a product, the role of artists and influencers, approaches to launching and retaining customers, and the challenges they faced in a saturated market. They emphasized the importance of problem-solving, educating consumers, providing a seamless customer experience, and scaling while maintaining passion and caring attitude.

Episode Timestamp:

• 5:55 Launching two e-commerce brands, Doreen Rose and Here's, with different approaches and industries

• 13:12 Brand collaborations and launch strategies

• 16:44 Launching a new brand in a saturated market with limited attention span

• 23:23 Using user-generated content (UGC) in ads for authenticity and engagement

• 27:29 Educating customers through product development and customer experience

• 34:17 Scaling customer service and technology for two e-commerce brands

Mariah Parsons, Head of Marketing at Malomo and Host, and Lisa Oberst, Founder of Womads, discussed the importance of sustainability and comfort in footwear design, particularly for women. They emphasized the need for quality control and good relationships with manufacturers. They also discussed various challenges and opportunities in the e-commerce industry, including networking, technology integration, and customer experience. They highlighted the significance of optimizing transactional emails for customer engagement and creating personalized customer experiences. Mariah and Lisa stressed the importance of building relationships with other entrepreneurs and marketing agency directors, and simplifying the reverse logistics process to foster long-term relationships.

Episode Timestamps

• 0:05 E-commerce brand Womads and its founder Lisa, with a focus on versatile and comfortable accessories for women

• 4:11 Shoe design and development, focusing on flexibility and comfort

• 11:04 Shoe design, manufacturing, and partnerships in Colombia

• 17:36 Entrepreneurship, manufacturing, and quality control

• 22:31 Launching a shoe brand, marketing strategies, and tech tools used for e-commerce and customer management

•  28:26 Simplifying reverse logistics for e-commerce businesses

• 32:08 Customer experience and e-commerce strategies for a women's shoe brand

• 35:56 Post-purchase experience and tech stack for a fashion brand

  41:47 Email and SMS marketing strategies for e-commerce brands

Mariah Parsons, HOM at Malomo and Host of Retention Chronicles, and Madison Lee, Co-Founder & CEO of Nemah, discussed the challenges and opportunities of transitioning from a talent agency to a e-commerce brand. Mariah and Madison explored the importance of personal branding, consumer insights, and technology in developing a private label. They emphasized the need for brands to prioritize customer experience, retention, and the delicate balance between automation and human touch in e-commerce. Mariah Parsons and Madison Lee also discussed the challenges of founding a vegan skincare brand for moms and babies, scaling a DTC skincare brand while maintaining customer trust, and educating and supporting parents through science-backed content.

• 4:38 Founding a vegan skincare brand for moms and babies

• 10:30 Branding and consumer insights for a clean skincare line

• 15:54 Scaling a DTC skincare brand for pregnant and postpartum women, focusing on customer experience and trust-building

• 22:54 Using consumer insights to inform educational content and product development for parents

• 26:59 Creating a clean beauty brand with a focus on community and science

• 31:31 Post-purchase customer experience and its importance for e-commerce brands

36:57 Customer experience and retention in e-commerce