Podcast
Ecommerce Conversations
Hosted by Practical Ecommerce · EN
Ecommerce Conversations is the long-running weekly podcast from Practical Ecommerce, hosted by ecommerce entrepreneur Eric Bandholz.
•• Listen in as Eric interviews in-the-trenches founders and executives who address the essentials of launching, growing, and sustaining an online business. Hear their successes, mistakes, and plans — addressing customer acquisition, web traffic, marketing tactics, on-site conversion, shipping, favorite tools, funding, obstacles, and much more.
•• New episodes every Friday. Subscribe to the podcast here, and then read a condensed transcript at https://www.PracticalEcommerce.com/tag/podcasts.
29episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Avoid All-Caps Headlines, Says CRO Pro
2w ago00:32:42Tap to summarizeNate Lagos is a seasoned conversion rate optimizer, yet a recent A/B test surprised him.A client used all caps in key landing page headlines. Nate, having read a tip on X, suggested they test headlines that capitalized only the first letter of each word.The result? Conversions increased by 25%Nate first appeared on the podcast in 2025, when he addressed Facebook ad performance. For this episode, he focuses on "bottoms-up" testing, audience targeting, and marketing male products to women.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/avoid-all-caps-headlines-says-cro-proFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com
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Printful Exec on Profitable Print-on-Demand
3w ago00:32:48Tap to summarizeThanks to companies such as Printful, an enterprising entrepreneur can select a product, upload an image to place on it, sync it with her ecommerce site, sell it, and then pay for it.Print-on-demand is big business, and David Hooker is a prominent participant. He's the brand director at Printful and a long-time SaaS executive.In this episode, he addresses POD pricing strategies, sales tactics, merchandising, and more. For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/printful-exec-on-profitable-print-on-demandFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com
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Building a Life, Not Just a Business
4w ago00:25:29Tap to summarizeThe last few years have been rough for Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer company that host Eric Bandholz founded over a decade ago. He says pretty much nothing has worked post-pandemic. The business is finally seeing revenue growth, but costs are rising too.In this week's podcast episode, Eric departs from interviewing guests to share his own experiences at Beardbrand and his evolution to a more balanced life.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/building-a-life-not-just-a-businessFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com
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Pinwheel CEO on Selling Kid-Safe Phones
Jun 1200:36:41Tap to summarizeIn 2019 Dane Witbeck had a problem familiar to parents: What were his kids doing on their smartphones?That problem became his motivation to launch Pinwheel, an Austin, Texas-based seller of Android phones with parental controls for apps, usage limits, monitoring, and more.Fast forward to 2026, and Pinwheel is thriving and profitable. In this episode, Dane shares his company's production process, marketing tactics, economic model, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/pinwheel-ceo-on-selling-kid-safe-phonesFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com
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Engineer Quits, Launches Online Art School
Jun 500:35:04Tap to summarizeFlorence Morin is an artist-turned-engineer-turned-entrepreneur. She graduated from Canada's Polytechnique Montréal in 2013, only to realize she disliked engineering work. She longed to earn a living from making art.Fast forward to 2026, and Florence Art & Drawing is her online art school, launched in 2020, selling classes and instruction. Her 10-person team includes web developers, instructors, and support staff.In this episode, she shares her tactics for course content, customer acquisition, hiring, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/engineer-quits-launches-online-art-schoolFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com
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2 Bootstrapped D2C Brands, 1 CEO
May 2900:29:16Tap to summarizeFor four years Eric Steckling has run two direct-to-consumer brands. Brio, the company he founded in 2014, sells beard trimmers and related goods. In 2022, he acquired Ollie, then a seller of teeth-whitening strips and now an expanded oral care provider.Eric first appeared on the podcast in 2023. In this latest conversation, he addresses Brio's challenges of selling long-lasting goods, Ollie's opportunity with consumable items, and juggling the two.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/2-bootstrapped-d2c-brands-1-ceoFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com
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Ecommerce Investor on Turnaround Tactics (Encore)
May 2200:38:59Tap to summarizePlease enjoy this repeat of a popular episode first aired in April 2025.Mehtab Bhogal is the co-founder of Karta Ventures, a Canada-based acquirer of troubled ecommerce businesses. The firm seeks companies with "issues," such as unpaid taxes, regulatory problems, and founder disputes.He says buying distressed companies is like salvaging a crashed car. "What are the parts worth?" he asks.In this episode, he addresses identifying hidden value, turnaround tactics, seller concerns, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/ecommerce-investor-on-turnaround-tacticsFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com
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Chord Commerce CEO on Pivoting to Data
May 1500:36:22Tap to summarizeWhen he appeared on this podcast in 2021, Bryan Mahoney had just co-founded Chord, an ecommerce platform that separated the public frontend from the nuts-and-bolts backend. It was a "headless" structure that enabled merchants to connect with their preferred external providers rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.The problem, Bryan says in retrospect, was a complicated setup that required replatforming. What merchants wanted was his tools that consolidated data from external vendors for a holistic view across channels, customers, and more.So he pivoted. In 2023 Chord became an ecommerce-focused data management company, no longer requiring customers to use its frontend layer.In this episode, he explains the transition and the importance of data in an AI world.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/chord-commerce-ceo-on-pivoting-to-dataFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com
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Inside Beardbrand's Expansion Plan
May 800:32:31Tap to summarizeWe've hit a plateau at Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer business I launched 15 years ago. Our revenue is down from its peak. We've made mistakes.The beard care space has dried up. We've moved from a blue ocean of growth and opportunity to a red ocean of fierce competition. If Beardbrand grows, a competitor loses, and vice versa.In this episode, I'll depart from my typical interview format and share our plans for moving Beardbrand forward. My goal is to help other merchants in similar circumstances.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/inside-beardbrands-expansion-planFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com
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Viahart Founder Eyes Sales in China
May 100:33:38Tap to summarizeContrary to much U.S. sentiment, Molson Hart sees opportunity in China. His direct-to-consumer toy brand, Viahart, sells mostly on Amazon, though growth has slowed in recent years. China, he says, offers promise.In this our third interview (following episodes in 2022 and 2024), recorded from an X live stream, he shares his plans to sell toys in China, addressing cultural nuances, legalities, shopping preferences, and more.For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/viahart-founder-eyes-sales-in-chinaFor all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts******Practical Ecommerce helps online merchants improve with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. Founded in 2005, we're an independent publisher, unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. https://www.practicalecommerce.com
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