Connect with Dan

Linkedin

This Show's TL;DR

• Dan explains what Puravida is all about 
• We talk about why the team is called customer success and not support or service 
• We discuss why CS is the glue-team 
• Dan gives the framework for how growing brands should think about customer success
• We talk about the help desk being the backbone of the CS team 
• Dan shares tools they use to collect the right customer feedback
• We go over a tool that Puravida uses to automate those WISMO conversations
• Dan explains the value of seamless returns experiences
• We talk about why Dan doubled the return window length 
• We discuss what channels customers are looking to engage with Puravida on 
• Dan shares how they handle answering customer inquiries on Instagram
• We discuss where the best CS reps for ecommerce come from 
• Dan shares his go-to questions for interviewing
• CS is an investment, not a cost

Connect with Nell:

Twitter
Instagram
Hill House Instagram

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Nell gives us all a quick summary of what Hill House Home is all about 
• We go over what the brand started selling and the transition that has happened over time
• Nell explains that from very early on the customer was part of product decisions
• We talk about using retail spaces and Instagram to find your next product idea
• Look for active sharing to see what is resonating (share > likes)
• We discuss how Nell knew she had found a winner with their flagship product "The Nap Dress" 
• Nell explains the "group chat effect" and why it's more powerful than referral programs
• There's insane value in being a customer yourself
• Nell gives a few easy tips for getting customers talking
• We go over the added expenses and logistics of apparel over bedding
• Returns are the fitting room of the internet and are a customer experience play
• Changes are best when they are iterative 
• Nell shares her number one tip for getting customer feedback

Connect with John:

Linkedin

Resources we Discuss in This Episode:

Baseballism on building a brand around your passion
The Returns Benchmark Report

Brands John Looks to for Inspiration:

Brooklinen
Any brand he shops at :)

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• John shares a bit about what Baseballism is all about 
• We talk about how a return is where you get the best feedback to improve 
• John talks about how returns fit into website and customer service experiences
• We go over how all of these pieces fit together
• John gives us a look into how returns were handled in the past 
• We cover why the old way was such a poor experience (pre-paid labels and excel docs)
• Why returns were taking 10mins per return
• Using Loop has allowed Baseballism to see how returns play into the bigger picture
• The pitfalls of manually tracking 
• The data that John is looking at 
• How he uses individual comments to find the next place to improve
• The benefits of turning refunds into exchanges 
• Tips for discovering you have a return problem

Articles Referenced:

How Canadians Feel About Cross-Border Commerce
Solving Cross Border Returns

Show Notes:

• Barb explains that she runs a bed and breakfast 
• We talk about her first purchases online 
• We discuss what she likes and dislikes about online shopping 
• We go over what my mom thinks these terms mean (ROAS, Re-targeting, 3PL, and LTV) 
• My mom explains how she is being tracked and bombarded by ads 
• We talk about some of my stupid purchases as a kid
• My mom explains that she does not know how to unsubscribe and is inflating your email metrics 

Connect with David:

Twitter
Linkedin

Fanocracy site

Brands David mentions as examples:

MeUndies
Duracell
HubSpot

Here's this shows TL;DR:

• David explains what a Fanocracy is
• We go over the destructive nature of Facebook and other social tools
• We talk about how the book came to be and why his daughter was the co-author
• Answer why brands should be building fandoms
• David and Alex discuss what they are fans of and the communities around that
• Even businesses you think would have zero benefits from fans like hospitals actually do 
• David explains what it means to "listen to humanize" 
• We go over the science behind feeling a sense of belonging 
• David explains how stock images and jargon kill your brand 
• We discuss how MeUndies is a great example of listening to humanize
• We talk about the difference between influencer vs advocate and why influencers are not as great as you think
• David explains what is meant by "give more than you need to" with an example from Duracell
• We go over why you need to build your employees to be fans as well 

Connect with Ben:

dane@ecocart.io
Linkedin

EcoCart on Instagram
EcoCart on Twitter

Learning that Dane referenced:

UN Sustainability Goals
EcoCart Blog

Brands Dane mentions as great examples:

Clean Cult
Patagonia
Worn Wear

Here's this shows TL;DR:

• Dane explains what EcoCart is all about 
• We hear the story of how the company started as a rental company believing in a sharing economy 
• Dane explains why sustainability has a greater spotlight on it than ever before 
• Consumer preferences and education levels are changing 
• Brands are under pressure from conscious consumers and government regulations
• Dane explains the value of transparency and how you can leverage it
• How EcoCart decides what projects to support and how you can use a similar process
• Dane give his tips and tricks for brands to start with sustainability  

Connect with Ben:

Linkedin

Videos we Discuss in This Episode:

Sexy Dad Campaign Video
Commuter Campaign Video

Brands Ben Looks to for Inspiration:

Patagonia
Allbirds
Chubbies

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Ben shares where the inspiration for &Collar came from 
• We go over the definition of buyer and user personas
• Ben shares how he sees himself as the user persona and how that has helped with decisions 
• We go over who &Collars buyer persona is and how they discovered that 
• Ben explains what has changed about the site experience since making that discovery
• We talk about the creative the &Collar team created to speak to their buyer persona instead of just the user 
• Ben shares why a good mix of both user and buyer content leads to the best results
• Start looking for the difference NOW you don't need Nielsen to do the research

Connect with Audrey:

Linkedin
Medium
M&G Podcast - Nothing to Hide
M&G Instagram

Brands Audrey Looks to for Inspiration:

Jenni Kayne
Everlane
Whitney Stoddard Art

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Audrey tells us about Moore & Giles and the development of their ecommerce business 
• We discuss the role of product in ecommerce and why it took so long for ecom to adopt the discipline
• Audrey tells us how she finds the next product idea 
• We go over how to curate your product catalog and what to do before you cut something 
• Multiple people and teams should be involved in product development and launch, Audrey describes who 
• We go over how the sprint methodology has made product development easier
• Audrey explains how the pandemic lead to new innovation
• We go over when product and marketing need to coordinate handoffs
• Audrey tells us how Moore and Giles uses pre-sales to create added demand 
• Audrey tells us the brands she looks to for inspiration 

Other Helpful Resources:

Return Benchmarks by Vertical

Connect with Lisa:

Instagram
Linkedin

Brands Lisa Looks to for Inspiration:

Apparis
Fashion-forward brands
Home goods space

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Lisa tells us a bit about what Walkee Paws is and how the idea came to be 
• We talk about who is the most intimidating shark to pitch in front of 
• Lisa explains the process of getting on the show and how she lucked out a bit 
• The goals you should have in mind when you go to pitch 
• The value of doing your research on each shark
• We talk about the doors that open after your show airs (retail, sponsorships, endorsements) 
• Lisa shares how her sales were impacted in the week after (up over 500%) 
• We talk about some inventory issues and how Walkee Paws worked though that 
• Lisa shares her tips for making sure that you own the pitch and get to talk about what you want 
• We go over the best tips for brands to survive life after Shark Tank

Other Helpful Resources:

3 Strategies Walkee Paws Used to Transform Their Returns Page
Return Benchmarks For Each Vertical

Connect with Baboon:

Instagram
Twitter

Brands Kush Looks to for Inspiration:

Benetton
Diesel
Nike
Patagonia
Urban Outfitters
Leon Dore

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Kush makes Alex and Tim guess what the name of the brand means
• Alex and Tim butcher it and Kush doesn't bail us out :) 
• Kush explains how the ideas for some of their graphics come together
• We go over the importance of a mood board 
• The importance of defining what you are not as well as what you are 
• Where to turn for inspiration so that you don't look and feel like everyone else 
• The correct checkpoints to get feedback on creativity
• We talk about how most things are a remix, you need to build your own that's unique 
• Kush explains some of the places he looks to so he can break away from the "bag market" 
• We talk about some of Kush's favorite brands and what we can learn from them 
• Don't shock just to shock you need to build everything into your purpose

Connect with Benjamin:

Linkedin
Twitter

Tool's Benjamin References:

UN Sustainability Goals
B Corporation Certification

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• A brief overview of Kotn 
• Benjamin defines what social responsibility means to Kotn
• We go deeper on how Kotn integrates social responsibility into everything they do 
• Difference between a vicious and virtuous cycle
• Benjamin explains what he most proud of accomplishing so far 
• We go over the best place to start 
• Value of choosing a single sustainability goal from the UN's list to get started 
• How to avoid seeming disingenuous
• The appropriate time to start marketing your social responsibility efforts 
• Value of being a B Corporation
• Commerce and ethics need to be in harmony 
• Being ethical does not mean you can avoid an amazing quality product
• Best time to start is at brand creation the second best time is right NOW

Connect with Stephanie:

Linkedin

Manly Bands Video:

Finding Your Band That Doesn't Suck

Brands Stephanie Looks to for Inspiration:

MANSCAPED
Squatty Potty
Purple Mattress

Tool for Finding Brands Doing Sweepstakes:

DOJOMOJO

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Stephanie explains the value of a strong brand partnership 
• We discuss how to find the right partner 
• Stephanie shares her experiences partnering with Jack Daniels 
• We go over the value of starting with a smaller partnership before investing too heavily 
• Tips for getting partnerships with brands much bigger than you
• MLB partnership discussion (Tim goes obnoxious Boston sports fan 😏)
• Do you want a partnership with a bigger brand?
• Should you partner in a similar industry?
• How to find the right contact at the brand you want to partner with 
• The collaboration that needs to happen between your internal teams

Connect with Phil:

Linkedin
ARKA

Brands Phil Mentions:

Birddogs
Chubbies
Verma Farms
EcoCart
Pachama

Resources Mentioned:

EcoCart on being a sustainable brand

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Phil explains what ARKA is all about 
• We discuss why so few brands create branded packaging 
• Phil explains why an iterative process to improving your packaging is the way to go 
• We talk about how to justify the cost of branded packaging
• "No one gets the customer excited with a brown cardboard box"
• Find branded assets that also provide a function like tape
• Understand SIOC (Ships In Its Own Container)
• Inerts are a clean experience that removes the need for packing peanuts, paper, and air packs
• Cardboard is underrated 
• The top-flap of your box can be a QR code to direct you to other experiences
• The effort is clear in your unboxing experience 
• Don't focus all your effort pre-purchase then ghost customers post-purchase 
• The number one tip is actually an obvious one make sure it arrives in one piece
• Gen Z will make eco-friendly packaging a requirement 

Connect with Joey

Experience This Podcast
Joey's Website

Where to Get the Book:

Physical Copy
Audio Book

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Joey explains the problems he was seeing that inspired him to write an entire book about customer retention 
• We cover the importance of the first 100 days after purchase and where that number comes from 
• Retention rates in different industries 
• An overview of the 8 A's Framework 
• A deep dive on the Affirm Phase and how to solve buyers remorse in ecommerce 
• Examples of how to create a stronger Activate Phase via the unboxing experience
• 3 super creative examples of how to be memorable with your unboxing
• Why the Accomplish Phase is not when a customer receives the product 
• Our thoughts on why ecommerce is asking for advocacy too early 
• When and how to ask for reviews and referrals
• The dangers of discounting especially for new customers only

Other Helpful Resources:

Is Ecommerce Doomed Without Customer Retention
Three Chapters of Never Lose a Customer for Free
Creating a Hub of Customer Information Through Your Success Team

The Backyard Quartet:

Exchange Program
Shipping Song
Lifetime Warranty

Connect with Raja + Grant:

Raja Instagram
Raja's Music Instagram
Sunski

Brands Raja + Grant Look to for Inspiration

Peak Design
Allbirds
Marine Layer
Rumple

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• We ask Sunski about the music video that explains their exchanges program 
• Raja shares the inspiration behind the "Backyard Quartet" 
• We talk about the customer response to the video and whether customers have a better understanding of the program because of it
• We ask Sunski to explain their Returns Stoke program where they let you gift a return for a 50% refund 
• Raja explains why this program has been great for marketing 
• We cover why Sunkski isn't concerned with the program being abused 
• Grant explains the tool they use for augmented reality experiences 
• We go over whether AR has helped reduce returns 
• Grant explains how their AR tool has been super helpful in retail locations through the pandemic

Other Helpful Resources:

The 5 Most Important Things Customers Want to See on Your Returns Page
How to Write a Return Policy: The Questions You Have to Answer

Connect with Tyler:

Linkedin
Clubhouse - @tylerwentworth

Brands Tyler Looks to for Inspiration

The Washington Post
Slim Jim
Dunkin Donuts

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Tyler discusses how he and the team decide what to post 
• We discuss the value of being a user of the channels you create content for 
• Tyler tells us what type of content goes to each channel 
• Does being first to a platform help?
• Tyler explains the purpose of organic social and how it impacts the business 
• A tactic that MANSCAPED used to get personal with users on TikTok
• We discuss if it's better to introduce your own team members into your content instead of UGC/Influencers
• Tyler shares an easy tip to make organic social attributable to revenue

Other Helpful Resources:

The Right Way to Use TikTok for Ecommerce
How Beardbrand Uses Youtube to Create a Customer Community

Connect with Juliana:

Linkedin
Twitter
juliana.jackson@omniconvert.com

Articles & Resources Referenced

Shopify predictions for 2021 (includes customer retention)
How to segment through an RFM analysis (recency, frequency, monetization)

Here's this Shows TL;DR:

• Why has ecommerce been so slow to adopt customer retention practices?
• Acquisition is so much easier to start and track and that has put retention on the back burner 
• We talk about whether there will always be a cheap acquisition channel
• Juliana's number one tip to understand your experience through your customer's eyes
• Is 2021 the year we will see a record number of brands close up shop?
• Emotions are the true driver of action not discounting
• Is the elimination of the 3rd party cookie the catalyst for rapid retention adoption 
• Why RFM analysis is the best thing you can do for better customer retention 

Connect with Casey:

carmstrong@shipbob.com
Twitter

Articles & Resources Referenced

NYT Article on how Spending is Changing
Weekly Changes in Carrier Times
2020 Holiday Shopping Trends
The Future of Online Returns

Here's this Shows TL;DR:

• Shipaggedon was an appropriate name for the holiday shipping in 2020 
• We go over what industries were hit the hardest by holiday shipping 
• We hypothesize on why carrier transit times are still high after the holidays 
• Why fulfillment and returns are a customer experience play and not a cost savings play 
• How you can integrate shipping and fulfillment into your marketing strategy 
• What type of brand shouldn't be using a 3PL 
• Some predictions for 2021

Connect with Marco:

Linkedin
Extempra
His Podcast

Brand's Marco Looks to for Inspiration:

Shopify
Chewy
Well.ca
Coal & Canary

This Show's TL;DR:

• Building the right educational material for your customers
• Why you need your support/success team to be a hub of customer information 
• Information about the customer needs to flow both in and out of that hub
• Examples of how this hub supports incremental improvements and new innovation 
• How Inkbox structures the success team 
• The role of the special projects team
• The difference between operational and experiential KPIs in success
• How to hire the best support/success talent

Other Helpful Resources on This Topic:

• Building a customer-centric return policy
• Saving your support team time with an on-demand returns portal

Connect with Jonathan:

Twitter
Linkedin

The Article Tim and Jonathan are Talking About:

Amazon and Walmart Tell Customers to Skip Returns

This Show's TL;DR:

• Why are Amazon and other big retailers telling customers to keep what they want to return? 
• The constant tug of war between unit economics and an amazing customer experience with returns
• Which is more important unit economics or customer experience
• Is return fraud an issue to consider with some of these strategies?
• Jonathan gives his three pieces of advice on the future of returns

Other Helpful Resources on This Topic:

• Brooklinen's Return Policy Page
• Chubbies CFO on LTV Increases Through Return Policy 
• The Easy Way to Handle Return Fraud
• How to Build a Customer-Centric Return Policy

Connect with Dave:

Linkedin

This Show's TL;DR:

• The evolution of how finance is viewing returns
• Does the finance team agree with doing free returns?
• How finance is evaluating the effectiveness of a returns policy 
• The change from a cost center to a profit center
• What's a net-zero customer and how to avoid them
• Tactics to retain more revenue and even create up-sell potential 
• Tips to convince your finance team to invest in returns

Other Helpful Resources on This Topic:

• A Return ≠ A Refund 
• 4 Strategies to Turn Refunds Into Exchanges
• The Different Types of Returns and How They Impact LTV

Connect with Aaron:

Linkedin

Brand's Aaron Looks to for Inspiration:

Manscaped
Beardbrand
Nike
Away
Puravida

This Show's TL;DR:

• Why BFCM started so early this year 
• What Aaron and Alex think will happen to BFCM in 2021 
• Dangers of discounting 
• Starting the customer relationship during BFCM is not a good strategy 
• Did we actually see shipageddon?
• Don't forget about the return season 
• 2021 is all about content and creativity 
• How you can use a mood board for 2021 goal setting

Other Helpful Resources on This Topic:

• The Right Way to Use Tik Tok in Ecommerce With Stryx
• How Beardbrand Used Youtube to Create a Customer Community
• How to Reduce Refunds Through The Return Season

Connect with Jon:

Twitter
Linkedin
Tik Tok

Tik Tok Accounts to Inspire you:

Chipotle
Washington Post
Manscaped
Bang Energy
Gymshark

Brand's Jon Looks to for Inspiration:

Manscaped
Leaf Shaving
Hero Cosmetics

This Show's TL;DR:

• The mission and vision of Stryx 
• How Jon got started on Tik Tok 
• Strategies to help ecommerce brands get started on Tik Tok 
• Tactics for a more established account 
• The metrics you should pay attention to on Tik Tok 
• When to leverage different social channels 
• The truth about whether Tik Tok is only teens

Other Helpful Resources on This Topic:

How Beardbrand uses Youtube to Build a Community 

Connect with Adam:

Linkedin
Subscribe to Adam's newsletter on his site

Brands Adam Mentions:

Deathwish Coffee
Spotlight Oral Care
Sleep Ez
Little Big Playroom
Snug Sofa
Just Strong

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Adam explains Magnet Monster and his approach to email 
• We discuss what email metrics will disappear with the iOS15 update 
• Segmentation via email opens will not be possible 
• We discuss how email marketers are going to have to change how they attribute value via email 
• Brands are going to start looking at email value in a different way and that might make some email marketers nervous 
• Adam explains how to prepare for the update and reminds us of some bad habits 
• We discuss how to collect customer information upfront for better segmentation
• Adam thinks we will see marketers looking for shortcuts will add more clickbait links since we still have a click-through rate
• The design will become much more important and should be based on engagement and clicks
• Start the relationship right by asking for data, its when they are most likely to share
• Adam gives a case study on how asking the right questions changed a jewelry brand's email strategy
• While a pop-up discount is boring it is effective if you are also collecting other info not just an email address
• Adam explain tactics he thinks are overrated 
• Email is a content distribution channel not just a sales channel 
• Adam talks about how content emails usually generate the same revenue numbers as a discount email
• We talk about the importance of content creation and some things to try that builds content via email

Connect with Omari:

Linkedin

Brand's Omari Looks to for Inspiration:

Zappos
Sunski

This Show's TL;DR:

• Omari explains what factory to foot means
• The difference between customer support and experience
• Why customer experience is like a roller coaster
• The one meeting every operations leader needs for customer alignment 
• How returns impact the customer experience
• The metrics that inform whether you have created the right experience

Other Helpful Resources on This Topic:

Improving Your Customer Experience With Return Reasons
How to Write a Return Policy, The 5 Questions You Need to Answer
The 4 Types of Returns And How They Impact LTV

Connect with Eric:

Twitter
Linkedin

Eric's Channels:

Beardbrand Youtube
Ecommerce Conversations

Brand's Eric Looks to for Inspiration:

GymShark
Groove Rings

This Show's TL;DR:

• Eric shares how he got started with Youtube 
• Explains how to evaluate the early days of building a channel 
• Tactics for finding the right type of content 
• Viewership of subscribership... which is better?
• How to evaluate your channels impact on your brand
• Whether you should build a community at all 
• Eric's thoughts on brands who don't invest in content 

Connect with Ben:

ben@octaneai.com
Linkedin
Twitter

Learning that Ben referenced:

Personalization Playbook

Brands Ben mentions as great examples:

Rooted
Doe Lashes
Mavi Jeans
Universal Standard

Here's this shows TL;DR:

• Why quizzes are so effective 
• The benefits that brands are seeing with quizzes 
• How to structure the best quiz 
• The right amount of questions to ask 
• The best type of quiz to use 
• Examples of brands doing quizzes right

Connect with Luis:

Linkedin
Medium

The dog that makes a cameo in this episode is Rocky :)

Courses Luis References:

Smart Social with Ezra Firestone
Introduction to Retention Marketing with Alex McEachern

This Show's TL;DR:

• Luis shares why he thinks acquisition-minded marketers are so much more prominent in ecommerce
• We go over the relationship between the acquisition team and retention teams at Shapermint
• KPIs and retention metrics you should be paying attention to
• Luis' favorite retention projects 
• Courses Luis recommends
• The day to day of a retention marketer

Connect with Aaron:

 
Personal Twitter
Personal Linkedin
The eHouse Blog

Brands Aaron mentions as great examples:

Athletic Greens
Hubble
4 Ocean

 

Here's this shows TL;DR:

 

• A summary of what has changed in ecommerce over the last 5 and 10 years 
• Defining what is meant by there is no "user guide for customers in ecom"
• The best way to think about subscriptions 
• Metrics that tell you whether you are successful or not
• The correct way to build a product bundle
• The best examples of subscription services done right

 

Other helpful resources on this topic:

 

How to optimize ecommerce subscriptions with analytics
The value of product bundles and how to handle bundle returns
How to build the best bundles possible

Here's this shows TL;DR:

• Why does every brand set a 30 day window?
• We see the majority of returns happen in the first 14 days
• Brands are likely just copying each other to always create 30 day policies
• Most returns happen early which means you can extend the length of your return window
• Three steps when looking to change your return window length
  • Benchmark against the competition in your industry
  • Make sure that you are aligned with the rest of your policy 
  • Evaluate your current conversion rate so you can evaluate how a change in your return window impacts it
• Your return policy is for your customer

Other helpful resources on this topic:

How to build a customer-centric return policy (ebook)
Setting a return window for the holidays
The different types of returns and how they impact LTV

Connect with Travis:

 
Personal Twitter
Personal Linkedin

Brand Instagram
Brand Twitter

 

Here's this shows TL;DR:

 

• How Baseballism got started 
• The value of having an audience before you have a product
• How to integrate your brand message into the entire customer journey
• Specific examples from Baseballism's customer journey
• The value of authenticity and speaking directly to your fans
• How to build a team around you to succeed
• Travis' number one tip for building a brand
   

Other helpful resources on this topic:

 

How Baseballism turns refunds into up-sell opportunities

Connect with Sam:

 

Connect with him on Linkedin

 

Here's this shows TL;DR:

 

• How Sivana Spirit got started 
• Why being a wholesaler is a bad call and discovering your brand niche 
• How building a community of customers outside of your store is still valuable 
• Use the community around your niche to help you create content 
• Content becomes a reason to always be talking to your customers 
• Don’t try to grow using Facebook ads that strategy has been dead for years 
• Set your ad budget at a percentage of your revenue so you are forced to find other ways to grow

 

Other helpful resources on this topic:

 

How to build a customer centric return policy (ebook)

Connect with Julia:

Subscribe to her blog
Connect with her on Linkedin

Here's this shows TL;DR:

• An ecommerce product manager is obsessed with creating the best shopping experiences not the physical products 
• There is a logical path between customer support and ecom product management 
• The best experiences are often accidents that come from other projects 
• Knix's content is successful is because it is authentic and allows people to be vulnerable 
• The virtual fitting room has been amazing to help customers with sizing 
• Julia shares some of the best experiences that Knix has created to ensure customers end up with the right product

Other helpful resources on this topic:

How to build a customer centric return policy (ebook)
Return policy strategy for intimate and bathing suit brands
Communicating sizing online to reduce returns

Here's this shows TL;DR:

• A return does not equal a refund
• There are multiple types of return outcomes 
  • A variant exchange 
  • A different product exchange 
  • Store credit 
  • A refund 
• Most shoppers want an exchange and that extends the shopping relationship 
• You focus so much on frictionless acquisition what about frictionless retention?
• Your goal should be drive refunds down and exchanges up 
• Tips that we see top Shopify brands use to drive more exchanges

Other helpful resources on this topic:

How to build a customer centric return policy (ebook)
The different types of returns and how they impact LTV

Connect with Aaron:

Linkedin

Mentioned Resources:

Visual of the seat cover sponsorship
The previous episode where Aaron and Alex predicted 2021 (see if they were right)

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Aaron gives a summary of what Hush is all about 
• We briefly explain the type of sponsorship that Hush did with the Montreal Canadians in the NHL 
• Aaron explains how this opportunity came to be 
• We go over how Hush was able to see exactly how much traffic this specific sponsorship drove over two weeks 
• We discuss traffic increases and when the most effective times for eyes were 
• Aaron talks about how the players got involved and extended the reach of Hush 
• We touch on whether this has helped Hush in the American market
• Aaron explains why we are seeing more DTC brands invest in out of home ads 
• We talk about the race to derisk and find creative talent

Welcome to The Exchange. This show is dedicated to helping you become an expert in retention, brand building, returns/exchanges, and the entire post-purchase experience. Each week we’ll bring you interviews with Shopify brands to hear their approach, marketing tips you can use for your business, and lessons from the leading ecommerce experts. Here's our demo tape to give you a taste of the show.

Connect with Rishi:

Linkedin
Newsletter
Website

Brands Rishi References:

Zingermans

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Rishi describes why he only focuses on the product page 
• We talk a bit about why 3% became a standard for e-commerce conversion 
• The PDP is the end of the window shopping experience and Rishi explains why that is so crucial
• Forget everything on the product page and focus solely on the written description for the best results 
• The written word is the most effective tool to change purchase intent
• Rishi explains why its most important to focus on the first time shopper on the 
• Understanding the difference between methodical and impulsive shoppers 
• Rishi takes us through an example of how you can be appealing to both types of shoppers 
• The best place to start testing is with words, Rishi explains why 
• We discuss why active participation is key on the PDP
• Rishi explains that product video is superior to copy but it's expensive and difficult
• We go over the two questions your PDP NEEDS to answer
• Reduce friction not try to "hack" results 

Connect with Jack:

Linkedin

Resources we Discuss in This Episode:

Birddogs' newsletter (The Weekly Bird)

Brands That Inspire Jack:

Pit Viper

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Jack gives us a summary of what Birddogs is all about
• We talk about the concept of "minimal but maximized" and why it's important in ecommerce
• Jack shares how to find the core of the story and how to communicate that to customers 
• Hot take... pick up the phone and call customers to understand what they want
• We discuss finding the difference between how loyal customers consume and new customers consume information
• Jack explains how you talk and learn from prospects who have not yet bought from the brand
• We discuss the importance of scaling messaging without losing who you are as a brand
• We talk about the Rose, Bud, Thorn approach to customer research 
• Jack shares a few things they found that fit in each of those categories

Check out the Integration:

Klaviyo + Loop

Here's this shows TL;DR:

• Goals you should focus on with return emails
• Why we believe this is such an underutilized area of email 
• Alex explains why he would consider adding a link to your return policy in every email 
• Joe talks about the impact your return policy can have on cart abandonment emails
• We explain the different types of emails we would create based on return outcome (exchange, credit, refund) 
• Joe talks about the value of branding your transactional returns emails
• We discuss the most important touchpoints during a return 
• Alex explains how he would use return reasons to create segments in Klaviyo 

Other helpful resources on this topic:

8 post-purchase emails that create a stronger returns experience
The different types of returns and how they impact LTV

Connect with Val:

Twitter

Resources we Discuss in This Episode:

Really Good Emails

Brands Val References:

Brooklinen
Lululemon
Everlane
Olipop
Outdoor Voices

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Val explains her journey into email specifically retention focused emails 
• We talk a bit about how retention started in SaaS and first made its way into subscription ecommerce 
• Val gives us her take on why retention has become a priority this year 
• We highlight a few north star metrics you can use to evaluate your retention efforts 
• Is the best type of email one that asks customers to disengage
• We talk about emails that are designed just to get a reply 
• Val goes over the value of collecting additional info to use in your email strategy
• A great email strategy is about a relationship with the customer and the inbox 
• Post-purchase flows are the email tactic everyone should use ... with a twist 
• Val gives everyone a tip on how to discover the best retention email strategy for you

Connect with Greg:

Linkedin
Twitter
Instagram

Resources we Discuss in This Episode:

Reflecting on 2020 and Ecom in 2021 with Hush Blankets

Brands Greg Looks to for Inspiration:

Truff Hot Sauce
Hush Blankets
Lasso Socks

Here's This Shows TL;DR:

• Greg give us the background on how CROSSNET was started 
• We discuss when wholesale became a part of the growth strategy 
• Greg and the team jumped in headfirst and started their first partnership with Shields
• The decision to add in wholesale came down to bigger orders and an extension of the brand 
• CROSSNET is now in dozens of retailers and the decision to use wholesale as a channel has really accelerated their growth
• Some of the biggest pitfalls of wholesale are inventory issues, operations become a vital piece of your team
• Controlling the pre-purchase experience is tough but you can still control the post-purchase experience you create
• Greg discusses why they proudly show where to get their product in-store, even on their ecom site.
• We discuss CROSSNET's experiments with billboards
• Greg explains how his personal brand has opened a ton of doors for the business