Danielle Malconian is the CEO at Vikki Vi and Plus by Design. She started Plus by Design as an online fashion store selling to the Plus size market in 2001 and took over plus size fashion brand Vikki Vi in 2008 which wholesales to both Plus by Design and other retailers. Across wholesale and their Shopify store the combined revenue is now $1.5million annually. Hit PLAY to hear: Plus by Design’s focus on plus-size fashion How product quality and fit are key factors in the industry Danielle’s stra...
May 13, 2024•32 min•Ep. 490
Nicky Lomax is a super star CRM leader–most recently spending 4 and a half months at global fashion retailer Ted Baker as Head of CRM to build and train the new team, fix the CRM tech stack and database, launch SMS, cut costs, and put in place a killer strategy for 2024. Hit PLAY to hear: The importance of CRM in eCommerce How to start building your CRM strategy Going about doing a CRM audit Why negotiation is an crucial CRM skill The role of the team and leadership in CRM Key timestamps to dive...
May 06, 2024•34 min•Ep. 489
Costanza Tomba is a co-founder and CPO (Chief Product Officer) at TA-DAAN, a brand founded in 2020 as a destination for craftsmanship, creativity, and sustainability, selling contemporary craftsmanship across homes, gifts, accessories, and jewellery. Their community is over 200,000 followers, and a network of over 5,000 artisans across Europe creating the products. TA-DAAN fully launched on Shopify in 2023 and in the first year achieved sales of over EURO 500,000 and is currently growing 30% eve...
Apr 29, 2024•32 min•Ep. 488
Emily Hollender is a Fractional Marketing Director for Early-Stage Consumer Start-ups, especially those looking to build brand and community across both online and offline platforms. Current and past clients include: Rent the Runway, The Wing, Tia, The Sill, and Modern Animal. Hit PLAY to hear: Emily’s exciting eCommerce journey Why brands should leverage customer feedback in their marketing strategy What the critical role of community is in long-term growth How to gain organic growth through ow...
Apr 22, 2024•35 min•Ep. 487
Paul Sherratt is the founder and CEO of gloveglu, a global sports brand specialises in goalkeeper products and services. Founded in 2010, they now sell via their Shopify store, marketplaces, and wholesale. In 2023, gloveglu sold to over 80 countries, growing at 45% year on year with annual sales on track for £2.5 million in total, with 20% via the eCommerce store. Hit PLAY to hear: Paul’s eCommerce journey Founding gloveglu Expanding the business to cover eCommerce Growing their social media pre...
Apr 15, 2024•40 min•Ep. 486
Yup, we're doing another multi-guest mashup! This time we're asking SEVEN eCommerce Tech specialists for their answer to this question: "What is your top tip for Tech Stack Optimisation in 2024?" Tech Stack Optimisation – but what’s that??! I hear you cry. Well, it’s how you can get more out of your tech stack – from your website to your marketing tools, to your back end systems, to the tools you use behind the scenes to keep your team organised. Our guests are: Rachael Jones from Studio Rotate,...
Apr 08, 2024•33 min•Ep. 485
Kate Doran is the founder of Flotsam Flo. An upcycled accessories brand founded in 2021 who create products from waste that cannot easily be recycled, or is impossible to recycle. Selling via the Shopify site, taking bespoke and corporate orders and recently diversifying into workshops. They’ve even got 14 bins located around Cornwall to collect their raw materials. Hit PLAY to hear: Kate’s eCommerce journey and inspiration The founding of Flotsam Flo How community engagement and sustainability ...
Apr 01, 2024•33 min•Ep. 484
Sarah Whale is a B Leader (that’s someone certified to help other businesses become B Corps) and founder of Profit Impact where she helps many businesses create a thriving future. She's joining us to discuss the BEST bit about being a B Corp - the long term impact it has on your business performance. Hit PLAY to hear: Sarah’s B Corp journey Why businesses need to work on continuous improvement What B Corp recertification entails Post-certification work for businesses The importance of governance...
Mar 25, 2024•33 min•Ep. 483
Josh Pitman is the Managing Director at Priory Direct, purveyors of Planet Friendly packaging, and certified B Corp. Founded in 2006, Priory Direct is the eCommerce side of the Priory Business Group. Running sales via their bespoke website, and customer service team, they now supply over 21,000 UK businesses. Hit PLAY to hear: How customer feedback became a catalyst for change at Priory Direct Why they run sustainability and purpose-driven business The significance of becoming a B Corp and its i...
Mar 18, 2024•33 min•Ep. 482
Lucy Jeffrey is the Founder of Bare Kind – a seller of bamboo socks that save endangered animals. Bare Kind is based in the UK and sells globally mainly via Shopify and wholesale platform Faire. Founded in 2018, last year they hit £530,000 total sales about 20% of which was wholesale. Hit PLAY to hear: Bare Kind’s family business transformation Why they decided to focus on profitability over growth Their decision to work on their B Corp certification How the certification has impacted the busine...
Mar 11, 2024•41 min•Ep. 481
Paul Walker was until very recently Chief Commercial Officer at Vivobarefoot. Founded in 2012, Vivoebarefoot is at the forefront of “good retail”, a case study many others try to emulate, and a B Corp. They sell via a Magento store, a single store in Covent Garden London, and wholesale channels. And over the 10 years Paul was there, the whole business went from £4m to £70 million and eCommerce grew £500k to £50 million. This is the first our 4 episode "B Corp" series to celebrate B Corp month. H...
Mar 04, 2024•32 min•Ep. 480
Nick Reed is the founder at Neem London, a men’s fashion brand focused on making climate conscious clothing. He also has a phenomenal background in men’s fashion buying – he was instrumental in taking Charles Tyrwhitt from £10m to £200m and spent 4 years driving buying efficiency at Moss Bros. Neem London was founded in 2021, and sells via it’s Shopify store & London shop. They now are doing £400-£500,000 a year. Hit PLAY to hear: Nick’s transition from direct mail to ecommerce Why having ph...
Feb 26, 2024•37 min•Ep. 479
James Francis is the Sales and Marketing Director at Mozillion. The mobile phone marketplace. In fact the UK’s first consumer to consumer marketplace for buying and selling preowned and refurbished mobile phones. Founded in 2021, they now have a multi-million pound annual turnover, and have tripled in size in the last 12 months. Hit PLAY to hear: Their strategy for selling refurbished goods How SEO and organic growth have contributed to their success The importance of customer reviews in growing...
Feb 19, 2024•40 min•Ep. 478
Freddie Winterbotham is the co-founder at CosyPanda, sellers of sustainable warmth in the shape of hot water bottles and covers. They sell via their Shopify store, wholesale, and collaborations. Founded in 2022 they’ve already achieved £100k in the first 16 months of trading. Hit PLAY to hear: Freddie’s eCommerce journey About CosyPanda main product What Freddie thinks about doing wholesale, trade shows, and D2C activities CosyPanda’s marketing hits and misses Their continued focus on product qu...
Feb 12, 2024•32 min•Ep. 477
TikTok is a channel with HUGE potential for eCommerce brands, and if you want to make it work for you - you need to listen to this episode. Host Chloe Thomas is discussing the ins and outs of the various TiKTok and TikTok Shop strategies you can deploy with a group of total TikTok Experts including: Barney Waugh, TikTok Ben Muir, Unsociable - ads expert Manisha Taparia, Shipbob - ops expert Thiago Nogueira, Insense - influencer expert Hit PLAY to hear: How to work out what you should be doing on...
Feb 05, 2024•54 min•Ep. 476
James Barron is a fashion buyer. With over 13 years at ASOS, and previous roles at Envy, Moss Bros, M and S, and Arcadia, there’s little James doesn’t know about either buying third party brands in or product development of own brand fashion. Hit PLAY to hear: James’ eCommerce journey The Importance of Understanding the Customer’s Persona in Buying Tips for Successful Buying In Brands and Products for Your eCommerce Store Advice on Developing Your Own Products Collaboration Between Merchandising...
Jan 29, 2024•41 min•Ep. 475
Every January, we come up with an episode that serves as your comprehensive guide to achieving success. This year, our guest experts are again sharing their top tips for eCommerce success in 2024. They are: Emily Long from Genie Goals, Rosie Bailey from Nibble, Kathleen Sullivan Garman from SullyGarman & Associates, Peter Beckman from Treyd, Anita Kulkarni from SHOPLINE, Dave Smallwood from Super Payments, And Janis Thomas from Look Fabulous Forever. Plus! You'll also hear the thoughts of ou...
Jan 22, 2024•34 min•Ep. 474
Our host Chloe's going solo for this episode - sharing her tips on how to make the most of events, and picking some of her favourites for 2024... Hit PLAY to hear: What events you should attend How to maximise these events Must-attend eCommerce events in the UK Must-attend eCommerce events in the US Tips for attending virtual events Taking a sustainable approach to events and conferences Key timestamps to dive straight in: [06:21] Tips for choosing and maximising upcoming industry events. [18:52...
Jan 15, 2024•47 min•Ep. 473
Haydn Parks is a CRM specialist. He now consults for brands like Balance Me, Hunter Boots and Sisley Paris via his firm Digital Fit. And before that, was Head of Performance at LoveCrafts, Global Head of CRM at Moet Hennessy, and Head of Digital at Agent Provocateur. Hit PLAY to hear: Haydn’s eCommerce journey Why defining the goals is the first step The importance of data in identifying opportunities What’s involved in planning the activation strategy Step four that is executing the strategy Ho...
Jan 08, 2024•37 min•Ep. 472
Arin Schultz is VP of Sales and Marketing at natural mattress brand Naturepedic. Founded in 2003, Naturepedic sell via their Magento website, 22 stores, and via wholesale. Sales-wise they’re in the mid-high 8 figures, and have tripled in size since Arin joined 9 years ago. Hit PLAY to hear: Arin’s journey into eCommerce How Naturepedic found success with affiliate and influencer marketing Their strategic use of SEO Naturepedic’s commitment to environmental consciousness Customer education and it...
Jan 01, 2024•36 min•Ep. 471
Michele Ferron is the founder of fully bootstrapped Once Upon A Tuesday–selling calendars and planners for design lovers. Founded in 2020, Once Upon A Tuesday now sells via their Shopify store, Etsy, and Wholesale. They’re on track to hit £1,000,000 in annual sales this year, and have a growth rate of 100% year on year. Hit PLAY to hear: Michele’s accidental eCommerce journey from Etsy to Shopify to wholesale Their motivation to venture into wholesale How they handle the ever-changing stationery...
Dec 25, 2023•32 min•Ep. 470
Bartosz Skwarczek is the founder and CEO at G2A, the world’s largest marketplace for digital entertainment enabling the trading of games and other digital items. Founded in 2010, they now have over 25 million users who have purchased over 100 million items. Listen to discover: Bartosz’s eCommerce journey What a product eCommerce business can learn from a digital eCommerce business How G2A became the world’s largest digital entertainment marketplace The importance of security and the strict verif...
Dec 18, 2023•36 min•Ep. 469
Daniel Parekh-Hill is the Co-Founder & CEO of Flare, where they’re on a mission to create more profit and less waste for eCommerce businesses. In this episode, we discuss: The motivation behind Flare Current strategies for overstock problems The case of preorders The benefits of Flare Alps & Meters case study [00:59] Merchandising, overstocks, and surprising customer behavior. [04:00] Building a better future by connecting businesses and customers. [07:57] Customer data: better than what...
Dec 11, 2023•32 min•Ep. 468
Danny Garg is the CEO & founder of Valka Yoga. Founded in New Zealand in 2017, Valka Yoga now also sells to the US, UK, and Australia and is growing 30% year on year. They now sell via their Shopify site and wholesale offering via their own site and Faire and do about $500,000 per year. Listen to discover: Danny’s eCommerce journey to consistent 30% annual growth Valka Yoga’s international team structure How Valka Yoga keep costs and carbon down with their global fulfillment methods How Dann...
Dec 04, 2023•32 min•Ep. 467
Ian Leslie is the CMO at US homewares brand Industry West. It all started with Industry West in 2010… now they have a Shopify store and B2B sales reps, with sales of over $20m a year. He's back on the show AGAIN to share his latest insights on the eCommerce market with host Chloe Thomas and all of you listening. Always insightful, in this episode we discuss: The main decision to move from Magento to Shopify How do you enhance interaction with B2B customers on Shopify? Why they're redesigning the...
Nov 27, 2023•33 min•Ep. 466
Alison Metcalfe is a Merchandiser. She ‘does stock’ to create efficiencies in the supply chain and maximise profit for retailers. She’s worked at many high street brands including BHS, Woolworths, and M&Co, and most recently spent 13 years as Merchandise Co-ordinator for fashion at John Lewis. In this episode we discuss: How to effectively promote and mark down stock that is not selling Why is June a time for deeper discounting? Merging sales data and stock information Why do you need to ana...
Nov 20, 2023•32 min•Ep. 465
Maxim Gelmann is the founder and Chief Stroodle at Stroodles, DTC sellers of eco-tableware. Founded in 2018 they now sell via a B2B trade site, a B2B sales team and a D2C site, both built on Shopify. With sales to over 250 businesses in the hospitality industry. In this episode we discuss: How can a business effectively balance B2B and D2C operations? Portraying sustainability positively Successful brand partnerships in the eCommerce space The importance of giveaways and joint marketing efforts ...
Nov 13, 2023•33 min•Ep. 464
We’re in a fascinating time in the world of eCommerce websites. We’ve left the era of “just use Shopify”, and getting back into the world where which platform you choose to be the basis of your tech stack can have a fundamental impact on your success over the next 5-10 years. A replatforming project isn’t one to be taken lightly. It can have a huge impact on your future success – screwing it up, or enabling it It can have a huge impact on your team and their effectiveness. And during the project...
Nov 06, 2023•31 min•Ep. 463
Christina Dean is the founder and CEO of The R Collective, an upcycled fashion brand and social impact business that rescues luxury brands’ excess materials and collaborates with award-winning sustainable designers to create circular fashion. Founded in 2017 they are selling via their Shopify store and wholesale. They have rescued 238,000 yards of fabric and 8,100 square feet of leather. In this episode we discuss: Why excessive textile materials pose a challenge for charities and businesses The...
Oct 30, 2023•36 min•Ep. 462
Kalle Sjöholm is the eCommerce manager at Swedish fashion brand Dedicated. Founded as an environmental retail chain in 2006, Dedicated is now selling from 3 stores in Sweden, various retailers around the world, and globally via its Centra eCommerce store. In total they did sales of just under 10 million euros in 2022 about half via the eCommerce store. In this episode we discuss: How does Dedicated communicate their sustainability efforts? What is the significance of their "Plant Friday" initiat...
Oct 23, 2023•30 min•Ep. 461
