Podcast
Ecom Experiences
Hosted by Samir Balwani · EN
This is Ecom Experiences, a podcast for e-commerce marketing leaders who want to grow and scale their brands faster. Join us as we interview some of the smartest brand founders and marketing leaders in the industry, explore the lessons they learned, discover the keys to their success, and discuss what excites them most about the future.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Cultivating Brand Awareness During Seasonal Events
Dec 16, 202400:32:06Tap to summarizeCelia Mulderrig is the VP of Ecommerce at NakedCashmere, where she leads a team of five employees and agencies to drive double-digital revenue growth year-over-year. Under her leadership, NakedCashmere experienced a 50% growth in new customers. Celia has 15 years of leadership experience in ecommerce, digital and growth marketing, and scaling DTC brands in Asia, Europe, and North America. In this episode… In a highly seasonal and competitive market, balancing brand awareness with performance marketing is critical, especially for startups. How can brands leverage seasonal sales events like Black Friday to boost visibility and long-term growth? After years of navigating challenges in ecommerce, marketing maven Celia Mulderrig discovered the importance of strategic planning and customer-centric tactics. By aligning promotional efforts with product seasonality and employing early acquisition strategies, you can mitigate rising advertising costs during peak periods. Celia also recommends utilizing hyper-segmentation, live streaming, and AI-driven personalization to enhance customer engagement and drive sales without relying solely on heavy discounts. In this episode of Ecom Experiences, Celia Mulderrig, the VP of Ecommerce at NakedCashmere, joins Samir Balwani to discuss building brand awareness during key seasonal events. She shares how NakedCashmere justifies its brand awareness spend, how to manage marketing resources effectively, and how NakedCashmere has positioned itself as a leader in its industry.
Transcribe →Building a Community-Centered Brand Through Omnichannel Ecommerce
Dec 2, 202400:20:43Tap to summarizeAnne Steeves is the Senior Director of Brand Marketing at Welly Health PBC, a wellness brand producing bandages, ointments, and other first-aid essentials. She played a significant role in scaling the brand from premarket to acquisition. With experience in nonprofits, for-profits, and startups, Anne built a $10 million ecommerce business from scratch. In this episode… In a competitive digital space where legacy brands dominate the market, it's not enough for startups to launch their products on DTC sites. How can you diversify your channel investments to build brand and product awareness? After many attempts to gain brand awareness for a wellness brand on a DTC platform, brand growth expert Anne Steeves recognized the challenge of generating traffic from scratch and ultimately sunsetted the brand's DTC site. Adopting an omnichannel approach allows brands to leverage built-in traffic from retail partners like Amazon, Walmart, or Target. Rather than selling products on a DTC site, you can use it to generate promotional content directing consumers to your retail sites. Partnering with retail channels also allows you to convey your message and build a community of loyal supporters. In this episode of Ecom Experiences, Anne Steeves, the Senior Director of Brand Marketing at Welly Health PBC, joins Samir Balwani to discuss building brand awareness through omnichannel selling. Anne explains how to generate excitement from customers, how to position your products, and how Welly achieved explosive growth by pivoting from DTC to omnichannel ecommerce.
Transcribe →Mastering Paid Acquisition Strategies
Nov 18, 202400:25:10Tap to summarizeKevin Shields is the Senior Growth Marketing Manager and Acquisition Lead at Atlas Coffee Club, a DTC brand delivering fine, freshly roasted coffee. As a DTC ecommerce growth marketer, he has experience in paid social and search, CRO, email, and SMS. Kevin has worked with notable brands, including Harper Collins Publishing, Wedderspoon, Authentic Empire Music Group, and FarmersCart. In this episode… When launching products in a mainstream category like coffee, it can be challenging to differentiate your brand from thousands of others. How can you educate consumers about your brand's uniqueness? Growth and acquisitions marketer Kevin Shields manages strategic channel investments for a luxury coffee brand. He emphasizes testing native ads and creative campaigns on various channels to identify opportunities and assess data results. You can also launch innovative, brand-exclusive products on multiple channels to reach and educate diverse audience groups. This strategic expansion allows you to maintain growth and profitability. In today's episode of Ecom Experiences, Samir Balwani invites Kevin Shields, the Senior Growth Marketing Manager and Acquisition Lead at Atlas Coffee Club, to talk about paid acquisition strategies for growth. Kevin shares advice for new marketing leaders during their first 90 days, how he measures high-performing creative campaigns, and a day in his life as a paid acquisitions lead.
Transcribe →Navigating Seasonal Demand Challenges
Nov 4, 202400:22:16Tap to summarizeKatie Buczek is the Director of Sales for Amazon and Ecommerce at Totes Isotoner, a retailer selling umbrellas and rain gear that was acquired by Randa Apparel & Accessories in 2024. She is also a member of the Digital Shelf Institute and the Women in Retail Leadership Circle. Before Totes, Katie managed independent sales teams at Alpargatas and drove significant sales increases at David Donahue, Inc. In this episode… In today's fast-paced ecommerce landscape, brands must consider consumer behavior, seasonal demands, and fierce competition. How can you strategize growth while balancing these factors? As a sales leader for a retail brand's ecommerce channels, Katie Buczek must generate demand for weather-dependent products. She accomplishes this by monitoring consumer purchasing trends and leveraging data-driven insights for advertising campaigns. Promoting similar products across categories can also drive sales during off-season periods. With so much competition on Amazon, Katie leverages seasonal promotions to capture consumers' attention and drive them to product listings. In this week's episode of Ecom Experiences, Samir Balwani hosts Katie Buczek, the Director of Sales for Amazon and Ecommerce at Totes Isotoner, to talk about scaling product demand among the competition. Katie discusses the brand's data analytics strategies, how she balances wholesale, Amazon, and DTC sales, and the role of influencer partnerships in driving demand.
Transcribe →Decoding Sustainable Brand Growth
Oct 21, 202400:27:13Tap to summarizeAdam Gassman is the Chief Growth Officer at Beam, a functional wellness brand offering natural supplements. He is also the Founder of Lane 529, which offers personalized strategies for brand growth, and an investor and advisor for multiple companies. As a growth and marketing executive, Adam has over 10 years of experience driving user growth for content and DTC brands. In this episode… From rising ad and customer acquisition costs to various ways of measuring creative performance, driving brand growth requires agility and innovation. How can you balance your efforts to promote profitable and sustainable growth? In recent years, creative has become increasingly strategic and integral to brand growth. Optimizing performance on creative campaigns requires analyzing engagement and hook rates through quantitative and qualitative testing. Growth specialist Adam Gassman was eager to launch a campaign on Facebook, but without assessing his target audience, the campaign failed to perform. He emphasizes integrating brand marketing with creative to boost engagement and drive profitable results. As the key growth driver for a functional wellness brand, Adam has observed significant success in channel diversification for advertising and retail media. In the latest episode of Ecom Experiences, Samir Balwani chats with Adam Gassman, the Chief Growth Officer at Beam, about driving growth in the ecommerce age. Adam shares how Beam integrates product innovation in its growth efforts, the importance of continuous learning and testing, and how AI can aid in overcoming marketing shortcomings.
Transcribe →From Lean Budgets to Big Impact: Ecommerce Growth Tactics
Oct 7, 202400:29:01Tap to summarizeCraig Horsley is the Director of Ecommerce Growth Strategy at Revision Skincare and a Digital Marketing Consultant at HRC Digital. As a seasoned leader in creative digital marketing and ecommerce, he has experience in digital and retail media, Amazon Advertising, content, and analytics. Before Revision Skincare, Craig held multiple roles at Galderma, including Digital Marketer and Ecommerce Media Manager. In this episode… Ecommerce is fast-paced, with shiny new technologies distracting brands from their goals. As competition becomes fierce and budgets become tighter, how can you drive brand growth while focusing on what truly matters — the customer? As an ecommerce leader in the beauty and skincare space, Craig Horsley has navigated competitive pressure to increase ad spend. Yet he argues that doubling down on your budget impedes your brand's share of voice. Instead, you should focus on your brand's marketplace value by diversifying your budget across marketing and media channels that allow you to convey an authentic brand voice. In today's episode of Ecom Experiences, Samir Balwani sits down with Craig Horsley, the Director of Ecommerce Growth Strategy at Revision Skincare, to discuss evolving your brand strategy in a competitive market. Craig shares strategies for budget prioritization, fundamental advice for new marketing leaders, and how he stays ahead of the digital curve.
Transcribe →Scaling Brands With Authentic Stories
Sep 16, 202400:42:20Tap to summarizeEleah Portillo is a Fractional CMO at For Wellness, a performance-based wellness brand. As a marketing consultant for DTC and ecommerce brands, she has 20 years of experience managing growth-driven marketing strategies. Eleah is also an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurial Marketing at Loyola Marymount University. In this episode… In a competitive ecommerce market, simply designating yourself as a luxury brand doesn't make you one. You must first identify your precise customer demographic, but some brands may misidentify their consumers, leading them to create a dull brand story that doesn't resonate. How can you specify your target audience and achieve luxury brand status? As a fractional marketer for wellness brands, Eleah Portillo resonates with companies that have universally relatable and authentic brand stories. She found herself drawn to a company that offers wellness products for golfers despite not having any knowledge of the sport. Achieving this widespread reach requires identifying and focusing on your target customers' needs and purchasing preferences to establish a direction for your brand story. You must also craft your products to appeal to these demographic components, driving product demand through a community of loyal followers. Tune in to the latest episode of Ecom Experiences as Samir Balwani welcomes Eleah Portillo, a Fractional CMO at For Wellness, to talk about crafting a luxury brand in today's ecommerce landscape. Eleah addresses the evolution of media-buying and how to integrate retail media into performance marketing, how to optimize the ecommerce flywheel, and how brands can establish relationships with media-buyers.
Transcribe →Revolutionizing the Funeral Home Industry Through Growth Marketing
Sep 2, 202400:24:29Tap to summarizeWill Prout is the Head of Growth at Titan Casket, which manufactures easily accessible and customizable caskets. As an experienced DTC marketer and growth hacker, he specializes in helping consumers in overlooked industries. Before Titan Casket, Will was the Director of Growth Marketing at Perry Health and the Senior Manager of Paid Acquisition at Fabric Technologies. In this episode… Niche spaces like the funeral industry are often hindered by tight buying windows and one-time purchases, necessitating creative marketing campaigns and consumer education. How can you solve these problems to move your startup in the right direction? Upon entering the funeral industry, growth marketer Will Prout discovered that funeral homes often pressure people to purchase overpriced caskets just before the funeral, leaving them with few choices for planning and customization. By developing fun characters, creating educational social media content, and including celebrity features, Will and his team entice customers to purchase customizable caskets in advance on ecommerce sites. If you're struggling to educate and market to consumers, you can offer innovative product solutions rather than exhausting all your marketing resources, allowing you to boost sales and streamline growth. In this episode of Ecom Experiences, Will Prout, the Head of Growth at Titan Casket, joins Samir Balwani to talk about revolutionizing the funeral industry through creative marketing and product strategies. Will explains how he educates consumers on the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) Funeral Rule, the surge of AI in marketing caskets, and the value of continuous learning in niche industries.
Transcribe →Harnessing Innovation and Influencers in Ecommerce
Aug 19, 202400:27:58Tap to summarizeMila Mendez is the Vice President of Digital Media and Ecommerce at RéVive Skincare, a luxury skincare line where she oversees the global strategy and operations of the brand's online presence and performance. She also collaborates with cross-functional teams and external partners to optimize the customer journey, enhance the brand's image, and drive revenue and profitability. As the former VP of Ecommerce at Milk Makeup and Laura Geller Beauty, Mila has a track record of growing ecommerce channels and platforms for consumer luxury brands. In this episode… Are you struggling to balance high-quality content production, rising acquisition costs, and global ecommerce distribution? How can you keep your existing customers engaged while expanding into new online marketplaces? Mila Mendez spearheads ecommerce and digital efforts for a luxury skincare brand, so she understands the importance of consumer engagement and education in scaling. Consumer product brands must produce quality, informative content daily, ensuring their messages reach target audiences across multiple channels. Mila accomplishes this by leveraging influencers who specialize in the brand's sector to build awareness and educate consumers on the products. Once you've identified and engaged your target audience, you can expand into new markets by segmenting your customer base and creating exclusive offers. In this episode of Ecom Experiences, Samir Balwani interviews the VP of Digital Media and Ecommerce at RéVive Skincare, Mila Mendez, about how she scales and innovates in the competitive skincare industry. Mila emphasizes the importance of educating consumers on product value, adapting marketing strategies to various cultures, and maintaining a strong customer base through innovative retention strategies.
Transcribe →Building, Scaling, and Protecting Your Ecommerce Brand
Aug 5, 202400:26:55Tap to summarizeJesse Nuttall is the Head of Ecommerce at Goal Zero, which provides portable, cost-effective power solutions for the Congo. As a senior business leader, he has over 15 years of experience developing digital marketing strategies that have propelled revenue growth for large- and mid-sized companies. Jesse provides strategic thought leadership on digital strategies, revenue growth, partner development, and trends in online channels. In this episode… Maintaining your brand's edge in an increasingly competitive ecommerce landscape can be arduous, especially with disruptive new technology and other industry shifts creating distractions. How can you stay ahead of the curve and position your brand as the go-to option for consumers? With the advent of AI, augmented reality, and automations, ecommerce leader Jesse Nuttall has become an expert in prioritization. He performs cost-benefit analyses to ensure he makes decisions that propel the business forward amid competition. Some top-priority decisions involve generating brand awareness by building customer relationships and communicating a product's benefits over similar ones from competitors. With competitors appropriating market share and commoditizing products, positioning your products as superior is vital. Tune in to the latest episode of Ecom Experiences as Samir Balwani hosts Jesse Nuttall, the Head of Ecommerce at Goal Zero, to discuss tackling competition among technological advancements. Jesse talks about brand differentiation, the importance of networking and being a lifelong ecommerce student, and AI's impact on the ecommerce industry.
Transcribe →