Welcome to Global eCommerce Tech Talks, I'm your host Michael LeBlanc. Live from my podcasting studio high above the Vegas sands during Shoptalk 2022, I sit down and talk about the latest news and developments in the global eCommerce industry with two of the sharpest minds in the space. Kent Allen and Jim Okamura , consultants, advisors, industry analysts and co-founders of the Global Ecommerce Leaders Forum, are back as my special guests in-person together for an exclusive interview in my Las V...
Apr 06, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 22
The pandemic-driven shift to ecommerce jolted many international markets where brick-and-mortar stores previously generated most retail sales. This was especially true in LATAM markets where in recent years legacy distributors may have resisted brands’ ecommerce-direct objectives. Kathy Ando , VP of DTC and Marketing, Tile and Xavier Heriat , VP Client Success, Scalefast join me to chat about their backgrounds, answer our "two starts and one stop" question and they speak briefly to their upcomin...
Sep 21, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 21
We welcome the GELF community back to the Global Stage as the GELF NYC ’21/CommerceNext In Real Life conference heads into Day 2. Our morning keynote tackles how multi-portfolio brands are investing in global DTC strategies in maturing and fast-growing international markets. Marquee Brands has successfully extended its ‘digital first’ approach to global markets, launching advanced localized webstores across three of the group’s key brands: BCBG, Motherhood and A Pea in the Pod. Marquee Brands’ P...
Sep 14, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum co-founder Kent Allen joins Valerie de Charette , Head of International, American Eagle Outfitters and Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne , President & Chief Executive Officer, eShopWorld (ESW) Americas to discuss the complexities of expanding globally through direct-to-consumer channels. Valerie and Patrick’s fireside chat will wrap up the morning keynotes at the GELF NYC ’21 Global Stage during our Day 1 program on Tuesday, September 28th. Join us at the upcoming GEL...
Aug 27, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum co-founder Kent Allen join Kai Li, VP of International at REVOLVE , Agustin Farias, International GM at Everlane and Matthew Steinbrecher, Vice President, Platforms & Partnerships at Reach to catch up on all thing cross-border and talk about their exciting session at of the upcoming GELF event in New York, September 28th and 29th 2021! Our guests each talk about their respective businesses, state of cross-border eCommerce, two starts and one stop advice and fi...
Aug 09, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum co-founders Kent Allen and Scott Silverman join me to catch up on all thing cross-border and talk about the exciting news of the upcoming GELF event in New York, September 28th and 29th 2021! There’s light on the horizon! On September 28th and 29th, the Global Ecommerce Leaders Forum (GELF) community returns to New York City live and in person. This year we’re bigger and better than ever as we join our friends from the CommerceNext team at the New York Hilton! GEL...
Jun 16, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 16
In this episode Kent Allen, Principal of The Research Trust and Co-Founder at Global eCommerce Leaders Forum puts on a master-class in understanding the issues, mechanics, eco-system and complexities that is the reality of cross-border global eCommerce. Mark you calendars and JOIN us for GELF ACCELERATE : A GLOBAL GROWTH SUMMIT Thursday, March 25th – from 1PM to 5PM ET as the GELF community dives into a series of engaging keynotes, actionable panel discussions and fast-paced workshops and breako...
Mar 23, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum co-founder Kent Allen welcomes Aaron Bezzant from Zonos. And Alex Yancher back to the podcast to catch up on the state of cross-border eCommerce in the Brexit era and with the newly revised trade agreement between Canada and the U.S. ****************** Thanks to Alex and Aaron for their insights on the implications of Brexit, USMCA, CUSMA and governments increasing search for tax revenues, and the year of the partner! Mark you calendars and JOIN us for GELF ACCELE...
Feb 25, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum founders Kent Allen, Jim Okamura and Scott Silverman gather for one last time in 2020 to dish on their predictions for the cross-border E-Commerce Industry for the year ahead! Leveraging collectively decades of experience and access to the world’s top community of thought leaders in the space, the team from GELF reveal what they are hearing from leading retailers, brands, service providers and leading industry thought leaders on cross border for 2021 in this first...
Dec 22, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Global E-Commerce Leaders forum co-founders Kent Allen, Jim Okamura and Scott Silverman get together and share their observations, insights and action items coming out of the 2020 Oktoberfest online thought leadership event held over three days in October. ***** Thanks to Kent, Scott and Jim for their comprehensive top line summary of the three action packed days from the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum Oktoberfest If you liked this podcast you can subscribe on Apple iTunes, Spotify, and now on ...
Nov 03, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Curious about how much consumers in Canada are planning to spend this holiday – and on what products? Wondering what fulfillment and shipping strategies will pay off during peak season? Join our panelists to learn more about how the Canadian shopping journey is evolving as we head into the Next New Normal. We’ll also learn more about the “New NAFTA” and how the USMCA/CUSMA trade pact will reduce friction and create new cross-border opportunities for retail brands selling into Canada. Speakers: S...
Oct 07, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. In this episode we meet Jerry McGlynn, CIO, Specialized (formerly) and Adam Coyle, CEO, Digital River who In this sneak-peak panel preview episode of their closing Keynote Fireside: “Digital Takes Center Stage: How to Scale Global Gracefully in the Age of COVID” give a sense of the fantastic discussion to happen October 1, 2020 at Okt...
Sep 28, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. In this episode we meet Tracy Hermans, Director of Ecommerce, L-Space by Monica Wise and Casey Gee, Sr. International Business Manager, MANSCAPED Both from the Oktoberfest Executive Leaders Keynote Panel: How Bold Guesses and “Happy Accidents” Help Digital and Wholesale Teams Work as One Team”. (Register here: http://bit.ly/gelfokto )...
Sep 23, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. In this episode I connect with my partners Kent Allen and Jim Okamura for a wide ranging discussion on the global eCommerce trends they are hearing first hand from the thought leaders that are speaking at the all new GELF OktoberFest which will deliver a mix of strategic insights and tactical cross-border To Dos about global retail ex...
Sep 08, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. In this episode my co-host Kent Allen and I connect with Jeff Lord, Vice President of Global Direct and Digital Commerce at Burton Snowboards. Both an eCommerce and cross-border veteran, comfortable operating from Burton’s hometown in Vermont or on the mountain in Japan or in one of the brand’s flagship stores in Toronto, Jeff shares ...
Aug 24, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. In this episode we connect with Kim Walls, CEO and co-founder of Furtuna Skin, former Global GM of Lime Crime Cosmetics, Entrepreneur, Clean Beauty Pioneer, Advocate and a wealth of knowledge, experience and perspectives on global eCommerce. Kim puts on a master class in understanding the brand ladders behind beauty brands, and how to...
Jul 28, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. In this episode we pivot to Latin America to understand the vast opportunities that Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile and other nations afford for global brands looking to expand their market presence in this huge but complex online retail ecosystem. Along with GELF co-founders Kent Allen and Jim Okamura, we talk with Jose Fernando Far...
Jun 29, 2020•54 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. In this episode highlights from the recent GELF community webinar, T he Path Ahead: Crafting a Cross-Border Strategy in Response to Today's Environment. Featuring introductions by my partners on the podcast Jim Okamura and Kent Allen, and then a great discussion featuring Travis Heard, Head of Finance, Operations & Strategy at bra...
Jun 15, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. The global pandemic has super-charged the growth of E-commerce in markets around the world – and accelerated digital commerce trends for retail brands selling direct-to-consumer (DTC). As different countries respond to the global pandemic with different timelines, retail stores will reclaim a small share of sales that has shifted onli...
Jun 01, 2020•54 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. In this special episode Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum co-founder Kent Allen takes over the mic to provide us with a comprehensive look and interpretation at top drawer global COVID-19 era retail and consumer research coming out of McKinsey Consulting, and super interesting and exclusive insights from within and around the GELF commu...
May 11, 2020•35 min
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. In this episode, part two of my interview with Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum founders Kent Allen and Jim Okamura We talk about the brand building challenges and opportunities going into China, the reality of the multiple platform future that can accelerate brand awareness and adoption, and a broadening of tastes that is framing new ...
May 04, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Welcome to Global E-Commerce Tech Talks, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum. In this our very first episode, part one of a two part interview with my partners Kent Allen from San Francisco and Jim Okamura from Chicago we discuss both the quantitative and qualitative research on going cross border into the “headwaters of retail commerce innovation, China. With this proprietary research, including exclusive roun...
Apr 20, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Created by the team that brings you the breakthrough series of events know as Global eCommerce Leaders Forums or GELF, get ready for the Global eCommerce Tech Talks (GETT) podcast! Together thought leaders Kent Allen, Jim Okamura and Scott Silverman along with host, retail and eCommerce veteran Michael LeBlanc bring you insightful & action oriented episodes laser focussed on 100% cross-border, global eCommerce. Together we’ll be debuting and discussing custom, proprietary research and though...
Apr 06, 2020•1 min
