#747: Shutterfly's Chip Lewis on building a strong content strategy by listening to customers

Summary

The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX

Episode #747: Shutterfly's Chip Lewis on Building a Strong Content Strategy by Listening to Customers

Date: October 8, 2025
Guest: Chip Lewis, Director of Web Analytics at Shutterfly
Host: Greg Kihlström

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on building a robust content strategy by attentively listening to customer needs, preferences, and engagement patterns. Host Greg Kihlström speaks with Chip Lewis, Director of Web Analytics at Shutterfly, to discuss how data, analytics, and AI contribute to seamless omnichannel customer journeys, personalized content experiences, and long-term brand value. The conversation highlights practical insights from Shutterfly’s journey, mistakes learned from, and the evolving potential of marketing technology in the customer experience landscape.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chip Lewis’s Background and Experience

[02:47 - 03:26]

• Chip shares his 15-year progression from Snapfish (a former competitor) to Shutterfly after both brands were acquired and merged by Apollo Capital.
• With deep expertise in analytics platforms (notably Omniture/Adobe Analytics), his approach has always focused on leveraging data for actionable customer insights.
  • “I've run analytics really the whole time I've been here... I've actually used Adobe analytics since before it was Adobe.” (Chip Lewis, 02:47)

2. Cross-Device and Omnichannel Experience Challenges

[03:26 - 05:04]

• Chip discusses the complexity of crafting seamless journeys as customers bounce between devices and channels.
• For a photo-centric business like Shutterfly, the source of content (photos from mobile) means the mobile app experience is as critical—if not more—than desktop.
• A key early insight: inconsistencies between mobile and web experiences caused user frustration and abandonment.
• They worked to closely align the app and web journey using analytics to identify user pain points.
  • “We found people getting stuck where, where the experience was different. So, so I think we've really done a good job of aligning those experiences better.” (Chip Lewis, 03:59)

3. Data-Driven Content Strategy and Actionable Metrics

[05:04 - 07:14]

• Chip describes the overwhelming volume of data at Shutterfly compared to Snapfish.
• Focus is placed on KPIs like 'Project Start'—users initiating photo books or calendars, which can require hours of engagement.
• Observing behavior across not just devices, but sessions, is crucial—especially for projects customers return to over days or weeks.
  • “Project Start is probably our most critical metric…getting someone to start a project is really key for us.” (Chip Lewis, 06:11)
• Understanding blockers and what gets users past the initial hurdles is vital for long-term engagement.

4. User-Based vs. Event-Based Data Modeling

[07:14 - 08:00]

• Shutterfly’s analytics shifted toward a user-based (versus event-based) model, allowing for better tracking of complex, multi-session, multi-device customer journeys.
• Tools like Heap Analytics enable this comprehensive user view, matching the real-world behavior of customers working over multiple sessions and devices.

5. Mobile App vs. Web Engagement & Content Consumption Patterns

[08:00 - 09:19]

• The Shutterfly app is used primarily for quick tasks: selecting/uploading photos, and ordering simple prints or items (e.g., mugs, ornaments).
• More complex projects (like photo books) are often finished on desktop, especially by older users who prefer larger screens for detailed editing.
• Younger, more app-native users are exceptions, sometimes completing complex projects entirely on mobile.
  • “Finding the photos and uploading them originally is like exclusively on the apps now.” (Chip Lewis, 08:57)

6. Translating Data Into Customer Experience (CX) Enhancements

[09:19 - 11:39]

• Data and AI must directly fuel improvements to the customer experience; collecting data without this goal is fruitless.
• The merger revealed Shutterfly’s edge: a dedicated team of data scientists harnessing analytics for actionable strategy.
  • “I see a ton of potential for AI helping us do that...there’s just a ton of potential and it’s moving so fast, it’s really hard to keep up.” (Chip Lewis, 10:45)
• Excitement for new AI features (e.g., Content Square's AI capabilities) and exporting data into their own data science models (using Databricks) was palpable.

7. AI’s Role in The Future of Content Creation

[11:39 - 13:02]

• Chip describes a personal pain point: building a complex photo book for his son’s wedding, wishing for smarter automation.
• Shutterfly’s current “Make My Book” service is useful but basic—AI could do more to intelligently organize, group, and arrange photos, saving customers dozens of hours.
  • “AI just has a huge potential to make the experience much easier…Instead of spending 20, 30 hours on my photobook, I can do it in five or six…” (Chip Lewis, 12:34)

8. Staying Agile in a Rapidly Changing Environment

[13:02 - 14:06]

• Chip reflects on the evolution from floppy disk releases to today’s internet speed, noting how agility has transformed software and marketing workflows.
• Mobile app release cycles can actually be less agile than web, but overall internet allows for fast iteration, A/B testing, and “fail fast” learning.
  • “Try things. AB test stuff. Try some ideas—some are bad, some are good. Try it. Fail fast. Iterate. I think it's just a very agile world now.” (Chip Lewis, 13:43)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Data and Channel Consistency:
  “We found people getting stuck where the experience was different. So I think we've really done a good job of aligning those experiences better. And we've learned we've done that based on analytics data.”
  —Chip Lewis [03:59]

• On What Metrics Matter:
  “Project Start is probably our most critical metric…getting someone to start a project is really key for us.”
  —Chip Lewis [06:11]

• On AI’s Real-World Impact:
  “AI just has a huge potential to make the experience much easier…Instead of spending 20, 30 hours on my photobook, I can do it in five or six and still have a product that's just as good.”
  —Chip Lewis [12:34]

• On Agility:
  “I think it's just a very agile world now and I really, really appreciate that because I started in such a cumbersome sort of slow waterfall-y process.”
  —Chip Lewis [13:53]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 02:47 | Chip’s background in analytics and brands | | 03:26 | Challenges of cross-device, omnichannel experiences | | 05:23 | Making data actionable: focusing on touchpoint KPIs | | 07:14 | User-based vs. event-based analytics | | 08:15 | How mobile app engagement differs from desktop | | 09:19 | Using data and AI to improve customer experience | | 11:51 | Future of AI: smarter photo book creation | | 13:15 | Staying agile and lessons from software’s evolution |

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Episode Tone and Approach

The discussion is practical, conversational, and candid. Chip brings a veteran’s perspective (“I’m a relatively old guy…we released our first product on floppy disks.” [13:15]) but is clearly energized by new technology and the rapid pace of change. The tone is optimistic, emphasizing both the power of analytics and humility—adapting quickly, learning from mistakes, and focusing relentlessly on the customer’s real-world experience.

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Summary

This episode provides a roadmap for marketing leaders seeking to build agile, customer-driven content strategies. Through Chip Lewis’s experience, listeners gain insight into the real challenges and rewards of harmonizing cross-device journeys, leveraging analytics, and embracing emerging AI tools—all in the name of delivering better, more meaningful customer experiences.

Transcript

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[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

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[Chip Lewis]

What is this, your first date?

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[Chip Lewis]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

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[Greg Kilstrom (Podcast Host)]

Welcome to Season seven of the Agile Brand where we discuss the trends and topics marketing leaders need to know. Stay curious, stay agile and join the top enterprise brands and martech platforms as we explore marketing, technology, AI, e commerce, and whatever's next for the omnichannel customer experience. Together we'll discover what it takes to create an agile brand built for today and tomorrow and built for customers, employees and continued business growth. I'm your host Greg Kilstrom, advising Fortune 1000 brands on martech, AI and marketing operations. The Agile Brand Podcast is brought to you by Tech Systems, an industry leader in full stack technology services, talent services and real world application. For more information, go to teksystems.com to make sure you always get the latest episodes, please hit subscribe on the app you listen to podcasts on and leave us a rating so others can find us as well. Now onto the show.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

Is your content strategy guided more by

[Greg Kilstrom (Podcast Host)]

hunches than by data?

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

Agility requires being nimble enough to adapt everything from a single post to key components of your content strategy based on how real customers are interacting and engaging. Today, we're going to talk about listening to what your customers want and how they interact with your content to help create a brand with the strongest possible content strategy. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Chip Lewis, Director of Web analytics at Shutterfly. Chip, welcome to the show.

[Chip Lewis]

Thanks Greg. Glad to be here.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

Yeah, looking forward to talking about this with you. Before we dive in though, why don't you Give a little background on you and your role at Shutterfly.

[Chip Lewis]

Sure. So I started actually 15 years ago at Snapfish, which was Shutterfly was of course our big competitor. And then 5ish years ago, Apollo Capital bought us both and put us together. So we're now on the same team. I've run analytics really the whole time I've been here, so I've had a lot of different titles, but I've actually used Adobe analytics since before it was Adobe. So back in the Omniter days, I ran the Internet for Hollywood Video years ago on the Omniture platform. So I have a lot of experience in that and analytics and I've leveraged that at Snapfish and now it's Shutterfly.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

Nice, Nice. And just a little context here. We are both here at Content Square CX Circle in New York. You just wrapped up your session here about cross device journeys and just about that. I don't know anyone, myself included, who doesn't bounce from channel to channel or device to device. So this is a complicated challenge for brands. What are some of the lessons that you've learned in your experience through analytics that help you create more seamless journeys for your audiences?

[Chip Lewis]

I think when you think about Snapfish and Shutterfly, we sell digital photo products, so probably mobile app is as important or more important to our business than maybe any other because the source of photos is now all phones. So we look at this a lot. I think some of the things that surprised us early on was just how often people move back and forth. There's a lot, especially if you're building one of our complex products like a book or a calendar, you know, you don't necessarily upload all your photos or you think of something, oh, well, I should have that photo from last year. So you're hopping back and forth a lot. And I think we've spent a lot of effort examining that and trying to align the mobile app experience with the site experience more so that as users move back and forth, they're not, they're not confused. We found people getting stuck where, where the experience was different. So, so I think we've really done a good job of aligning those experiences better. And we've learned we've, we've done that based on analytics data. So yeah, yeah.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

And so, yeah, to, to that point, I mean, to get that understanding, you're obviously looking at reporting and things, but the things that the, what drives those reports is data, of course. So, you know, how do you look at, you know, what type of data is important to you know, how do you, how do you make it actionable?

[Chip Lewis]

Yeah, that's a great question. Actionable is, I mean, we generate so much data, we have so many users, particularly on Shutterfly. When I first moved to Shutterfly from Snapfish, I was just astonished at the volume of data that we get. So I think, you know, really, we care a lot about key touch points during the funnel, of course. So starting a project, people often spend many, many hours building a project, particularly a photo book. I just built one myself and I probably put 30 hours into that photo book. It was a bunch of vacation photos. And you get really deeply into this and spend a lot of time there. So we look at how users behave across sessions in addition to across device. Because I'm relatively old, so I can't build a book on a phone, it's too small. So I'll get my photos there and then I'll hop over to the computer as quickly as I can. But really the key sort of KPIs for us are those touch points like we want. Project Start is probably our most critical metric that we watch to watch users start building products. And then depending on the product, there's more complex steps further along in the funnel. But that project start, like getting someone to start a project is really key for us.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

Yeah, yeah, well, yeah. And then I would imagine 30 hours, you know, even 10, 20, like that's a, that's an investment of, of time. And, and so to be able to track that along, along the way, you know, that requires understanding, you know, what, what are the blockers, right? Because you want that, you want them to get past, I don't know what the threshold is, but you know, you want them to get past that threshold so that they are willing to, you know, invest that, that time and effort and make something great that's memorable, all of that. Like, how do you look at getting kind of over the first hurdle?

[Chip Lewis]

So I think the difference for us, especially because we have products that people can spend so much time working on, is that the data model itself is user based rather than event based. So prior to, we actually started as Heap customers, Snapfish, coincidentally, we were in the same block in downtown San Francisco. So I could walk out the front door, Snapfish, walk around the corner and go to the Heap office and, and spent a lot of time there. But that was really the factor that pushed us into using this particular tool set is because it allowed us to track easily across device types, which is what I just finished talking about, but also across sessions.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

So you mentioned Shutterfly has a mobile app and mobile apps can certainly be tricky to develop and manage. How is customer mobile engagement different than say the dot com?

[Chip Lewis]

Yeah, I think customers are doing different activities generally on the mobile app. Much more about selecting photos and uploading those photos. We see a lot of people ordering really simple products like prints in particular, just direct from the app. You don't need to leave the app for prints or like a single surface product, like a coffee mug or an ornament or a mousepad, something like that. So I think we do, except for, you know, probably our youngest users who, who are intrepid enough to build an entire project, even a complex one, on, on the app or even on m web on a phone. I think that most of the activity we see on the apps tends to be the, the simpler, quicker products to build that. And of course photo management, photo management is really it almost all or photo selection really management. People will often manage their photos in their library on the PC. But finding the photos and uploading them originally is like exclusively on the apps now.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

Yeah, yeah. So Dave Anderson from Content Square mentioned today, you know, AI is, you know, it's, it's a means to an end and that end is a great experience. You could, you know, you could probably say the same for the data collection and all that. It's like it. If it doesn't create a great customer experience at the end, you're really just collect. You're storing a bunch of stuff in a bunch of places. Right. So what questions do you ask yourself about the customer journey that, you know, kind of keeps you centered on cx?

[Chip Lewis]

You know, as I said before, we generate just a ton of data. And when I moved from Snapfish or when Snapfish and Shutterfly merged, I got a glimpse into Shutterfly and one of the first questions I asked myself is, why are they so much bigger and well known than we are? And the answers, of course, were marketing. We have just unbelievable marketing organization, but also data analysis. We have a team of data scientists. We didn't have one of those at Snapfish. And so I think all of the data that we generate has to be used usefully. And I see a ton of potential for AI helping us do that. I really enjoyed the morning session where they showed us all the new AI features. I'm super excited. In fact, I have people texting me from the office, like, when can we start using it? I'm like, hold on. Like the session is not, you know, the day is half over.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

Right, right.

[Chip Lewis]

So we'll get there. So I Think there's a lot of excitement around that. We also are just beginning to use the new Connect product to dump the data out into databricks and put it into our own data science models. And so I think there's just a ton of potential and it's moving so fast, it's really hard to keep up. But I like that Content Square is focusing on giving us stuff we can use right now. I've always been a crawl, walk, run guy, and I think AI is moving so fast, you almost feel like you have to just skip the crawl phase and start walking and maybe running to keep up. Totally. But I'm super excited about the direction it's moving and particularly for Shutterfly, I mean, we have a lot of data. There's a lot of data in our user photos, for example. There's a lot. So I think the potential for us is really, really massive.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

Yeah, yeah. Is there anything on your mind in particular as far as, like, you know, what's. Future. Future thoughts on using AI or things like that?

[Chip Lewis]

Yeah, I mean, I mentioned I just built a photo book. I would love to have an AI help me build a photo book. Yeah, it's really time consuming. We have a service called Make My Book where we have designers put your book together. And actually I've used that a couple of times as a starting point, but then, you know, inevitably it's just sort of a, you know, they put them in order by date or time taken. It's never as smart as I want it to be when I get my. My product back. So I think AI can really enhance that. It's. I think it'll be a lot smarter about blending images of, you know, a particular event or like. Like I. I built a photo book of my son's wedding and, and it was hard to even get the. Even though the, like, the photos have time and date stamp. Like, some of the pictures were still out of order. Like, AI could have fixed that for me, I think really easily could have grouped together all the photos of the bridesmaids super easily and the groomsmen super easily. So I think AI just has a huge potential to make the experience much easier. And Instead of spending 20, 30 hours on my photobook, I can do it in five or six and still have a product that's just as good.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

Yeah. Yeah. Love it. Well, Chip, thanks so much for joining today. One last question I like to ask all my guests here. What do you do to stay agile in your role and how do you find a way to do it consistently?

[Chip Lewis]

Yeah, it's funny because I'm a relatively old guy. So I started software development back when actually I ran my own company years ago and we released our first product on floppy disks. So I think I have a huge appreciation for how agile the Internet is to begin with. In some ways, mobile apps are a step back from that because you have to do releases sort of like old school, like publishing the CD rom, submit them to the app store and all that. The mobile release process is really clunky compared to the Internet. I think the the Internet just by its very nature allows you to be much faster and much more agile. So you can try things. You may be test stuff, you know, you try some ideas are bad so try it. Fail fast iterate. I think it's just it's a very agile world now and I really, really appreciate that because I started in such a cumbersome sort of slow waterfall y process.

[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

Yeah, love it. Well, again, I'd like to thank Chip Lewis, Director of Web analytics at Shutterfly, for joining the show. You can learn more about Chip, Shutterfly and Content Square by following the links

[Greg Kilstrom (Podcast Host)]

in the show notes. Thanks again for listening to the Agile Brand brought to you by Tech Systems. If you enjoyed the show, please take a minute to subscribe and leave us a rating so that others can find the show as well. You can access more episodes of the show@theagile brand.com that's theagile brand.com and contact me. If you're interested in consulting or advisory services or are looking for a speaker for your next event, go to www.gregkillstrom.com that's G R E G K I H L S t r o m.com the Agile brand is produced by Missing Link, a Latina owned, strategy driven, creatively fueled production co op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. Until next time, stay curious and stay agile.

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[Chip Lewis]

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[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

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[Chip Lewis]

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[Podcast Host (Greg Kilstrom)]

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[Greg Kilstrom (Podcast Host)]

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