Ecommerce Braintrust
Kiri Masters
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Ecommerce Braintrust
Available episodes
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5 days ago
Prime Day 2023: How To Prepare, Part 2 With Ross Walker - Episode 291
In today’s podcast, Kiri talks with a recurring guest, Ross Walker, Sr. Paid Media Manager at Acadia.
Kiri and Ross recapped the trends and themes observed during Prime Day 2022, noting the competitiveness of tentpole events, the strong conversion rate that helped balance ad performance, and the significance of PD and PEAS as the biggest days on Amazon.
They discussed the likelihood of another Prime Early Access Sale event in 2023, and new tools which are available for ads in 2023 such as AMC reports on complementary ASINs and custom audiences based on "add to cart" data.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Ross manages the advertising strategies for many of Bobsled’s large and enterprise brands. Ross has been in e-commerce and digital marketing for over six years, primarily focusing on Amazon for the last 5 years. He is based in Toronto Canada and is a massive data and advertising nerd.
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May 16, 2023
Prime Day 2023: How To Prepare, Part 1 With Logan Nielsen - Episode 290
In today’s podcast, Kiri talks with Logan, Sr. Retail Marketplaces Sales Development Manager at Acadia.
Logan and Kiri discuss the upcoming Prime Day event and share some useful information for brands looking to maximize their success in this year’s event.
Logan shares his insights on trends and results from last year, as well as differences in tools, trends, and Walmart's expected competitiveness this year.
Logan also provides a countdown of things that brands should be doing leading up to the event, including paying close attention to capacity monitors, preparing for system issues with Seller and Vendor Central, sharing deals with external traffic, and having a backup FBM capability in place.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Logan has been in the ecommerce space for 12 years including on the brand side and agency side, working with Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Wayfair, and other marketplaces.
As an Arkansas native, he is a huge WM fan and advocates for brands expanding to Walmart.com.
Logan was previously a retail account manager at Acadia and has recently joined the biz dev team as a senior manager.
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May 9, 2023
Navigating New Marketplace Models With Elizabeth Rivas, Ecomm Director at Algaecal - Episode 289
In today’s podcast, Kiri talks with Elizabeth Rivas, eCommerce Marketplace Director at AlgaeCal, a nutritional supplement company based in Canada.
Kiri and Elizabeth discussed Elizabeth's experience in e-commerce, including her work with Pelican International and Algaecal. Elizabeth shared how she started in e-commerce, and her success on Amazon.
They also discussed the structure and incentives around retail media networks, the retail marketplace and retail media metrics that Elizabeth tracks, and her experience launching brands on the Walmart marketplace.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Elizabeth has worked in the Amazon ecosystem for 5 years in various categories including outdoor and supplements, scaling them to be top of the category and running 7-8 figure revenue companies in the US and Canada.
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May 2, 2023
The Future of Influencer Marketing: Insights on Success Metrics, Payment, and Brand Trips with Rebecca Yi - Episode 288
In today’s podcast, Kasey Kiser, Sr. Consultant of Strategy & Insights at Acadia, is hosting the new episode. She is joined by Rebecca Yi, Head of Influencer Marketing at Acadia.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
In this episode, Kasey and Rebecca discuss various aspects of influencer marketing such as how to measure success, the impact of video editing tools on the demand for influencers, influencer payment, and the relevance of gifting influencers.
Rebecca also provides advice for small to medium-sized brands starting out with influencers, emphasizing the importance of building intentional relationships with influencers that align with the brand's mission.
The episode also covers red flags to look out for and the future of influencer marketing.
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Apr 25, 2023
The Future of Retail Media, With Andrew Lipsman of Insider Intelligence - Episode 287
Kiri speaks with retail industry analyst Andrew Lipsman who is a prolific researcher and thinker on the topic of retail media. Kiri and Andrew discuss the potential of in-store retail media, whether retailers could band together to challenge Amazon’s dominance, work underway to standardize retail media measurement, and more.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Andrew Lipsman is a Principal Analyst at Insider Intelligence, focusing on retail and ecommerce. Recent coverage includes retail media networks, grocery ecommerce, D2C brands, social commerce, mobile retail apps, holiday shopping, and Amazon Prime Day.
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Apr 18, 2023
Have We Reached “Peak Amazon?” with Brian Walker Of Bloomreach - Episode 286
The episode features Kiri's conversation with Brian Walker, Chief Strategy Officer at Bloomreach. Brian is a veteran strategy and marketing leader who focuses on the transformation of digital customer engagement and commerce.
Brian serves as Chief Strategy Officer, leading the Company’s go-to-market strategy. Prior to joining Bloomreach Brian has held a wide variety of roles in the market including leading Global Commerce Strategy at Accenture, Chief Strategy Officer at SAP Hybris, leading commerce technology research at Forrester Research, as well as leadership positions at Amazon & Expedia.
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Apr 11, 2023
Where Are They Now? Afton Kenyon from Slate Milk Gives a Career Update and Ecomm Industry Outlook - Episode 285
The episode features Kiri's conversation with Afton Kenyon, Sr Ecomerce Manager at Slate Milk, she started out in a small family-owned honey company as marketing. Since then, she went through multiple different categories and aspects of ecommerce across retail brands, and agency life.
This is a great episode for those who are earlier in their ecommerce career or managing/coaching more junior team members who are interested in progressing in their ecommerce career.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Afton was first on the podcast in 2019 when she was pretty new to the world of Amazon and ecommerce.
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Apr 3, 2023
1 Year On: The Amazon Maturity Matrix - Episode 284
The episode features Kiri's conversation with Caroline Adams, Senior Strategic Account Manager at Acadia, where she manages clients who trust Acadia to grow and manage their Amazon sales channels. They recap the Amazon Maturity Matrix, a research report which was published last year.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Caroline has spent the majority of her career as a product marketer across various industries from consumer product goods to publishing to not-for-profit. As a true proponent of learning, she morphed into the ecommerce world and was trained by an ex-Amazon employee. She joined the Agency side of the business about 4-5 years ago and loves working along clients to help them reach their Amazon goals.
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Mar 28, 2023
What’s New with Instacart Advertising? with Juan Munoz - Episode 283
The episode features Kiri's conversation with Juan Munoz, a PPC Specialist at Acadia, where they discuss the recent changes on Instacart and what to look forward to in the future.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Before joining Acadia, Juan was a Sales Account Manager at Amazon, managing Key Accounts at the European level, focusing on the UK and Spanish marketplaces.
In his free time, Juan enjoys researching new emerging e-commerce markets, and going on hikes with his dog named "Whopper".
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Mar 21, 2023
CRO for Ecommerce Brands with Dylan Ander - Episode 282
In today’s episode, Kiri speaks with Dylan Ander, founder of SplitTesting.com, Acadia’s most recent acquisition. They speak about CRO, marketplaces like Walmart and Amazon, and more.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Dylan Ander is a Serial Entrepreneur with deep expertise in all areas of digital marketing, diversifying his experience and businesses in both B2C and B2B companies.
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Mar 14, 2023
23 Better Metrics for Your Amazon DSP Campaigns with Damiano Ciarrocchi - Episode 281
In this episode, Kiri and Damiano discuss their research, dive deep on two of these new metrics, and what brands can expect from the research launch on March 23. Register for the research here.
Most brands are stuck using basic metrics like ROAS and impressions when it comes to their Amazon DSP campaigns, but these metrics provide a very narrow view of performance. Data within DSP is robust, and brands should be using more sophisticated metrics that are tailored to the stage of the customer purchase journey that they are trying to reach. This will provide a much deeper understanding of their DSP performance.
Kiri Masters, head of retail strategy at Acadia, and Damiano Ciarrocchi, retail media manager at Acadia, have spent the past 3 months researching the components of existing Amazon DSP metrics.
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Mar 7, 2023
Dr. Squatch: The DTC Brand That’s Dominating Amazon - With Jamie Roller, Associate Director of Growth Channels at Dr. Squatch - Episode 280
In today’s episode, Kiri speaks with Jamie Roller, Associate Director of Growth Channels at Dr. Squatch. They speak about growth through the DTC channel, the channels Dr. Squatch is selling on, Amazon DSP, retail media networks, and more.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Jamie is the Associate Director of Growth Channels at Dr. Squatch, a men's natural personal care brand. In this role, she is responsible for driving strategy, growth, and management of Dr. Squatch's Growth/Marketplace Channels including Amazon and Walmart.com. She has spent the last 10 years in global strategy consulting and working at several market-leading, high-growth eCommerce companies. She is obsessed with everything eCommerce and is also a productivity geek.
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Feb 28, 2023
Championing Retail Media In An Enterprise CPG: Paras Shah, Georgia Pacific - Episode 279
In today’s episode, Kiri speaks with Paras Shah, director of omnichannel shopper marketing, retail media & consumer promotions at Georgia Pacific. They speak about retail media, how Georgia Pacific adopted RMNs, and more.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Georgia Pacific is a paper company that manufactures household names including Quilted Northern toilet paper, Angel Soft toilet paper, Brawny® paper towels, Sparkle® paper towels, Dixie plates & cups, and Vanity Fair napkins.
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Feb 21, 2023
Managing Large Catalogs & Variations on Amazon
In today’s episode, Kiri speaks with Zlatana Pejovic, a Senior Account Specialist at Acadia. Zlatana shares her experience of working with Bobsled and now Acadia, her takeaways from working with numerous apparel and footwear brands, reorganizing large catalogs, Amazon, etc.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Feb 14, 2023
The Evolving Customer Acquisition Mix, Limitations of AI, and Commerce Outlook - With Jack Ogilvie, Partner at Acadia
In today’s episode, Kiri speaks with Jack Ogilvie, Partner at Acadia, where he coordinates a team that designs service solutions for clients who are looking to make the best use of every marketing dollar - whether that is through SEO, performance media, Amazon and retail media, analytics, or organic social.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Jack has the good fortune to speak with 10+ brands each week about their marketing issues and needs and combined with 16 years in the industry across all functional areas, this allows him to pattern-match quickly and ask some great questions.
Before Acadia, Jack started and built a digital marketing agency Techwood Consulting, which was acquired by Acadia approximately two years ago.
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Feb 7, 2023
Breaking Into The US Market, With CEO Of Colombian Apparel Brand Maaji - Sergio Zuluaga - Episode 276
In today’s episode, Kiri speaks with Sergio Zuluaga, CEO of Maaji, a Colombian summer lifestyle brand. They speak about how their brand broke into the US market, Amazon, what worked and what didn’t, and more.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Sergio Zuluaga is married to Marcela and father of Emiliana, a 16-month-old girl, and Luciano, a boy who hopefully will arrive in March. He is currently the CEO of Maaji. Sergio has 7 years of experience in the fashion industry, more specifically working in Maaji.
Before that, he worked in finance for 7 years, in departments like risk management and investment banking. He’s very passionate about analytics, technology, sustainability, and how the mix of these elements could transform the industry in the near future.
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Jan 31, 2023
Stratably’s Amazon Advertising Benchmark Report, with Russ Dieringer - Episode 275
In today’s episode, Kiri speaks with frequent guest Russ Dieringer, founder of retail insights company Stratably, about Stratably’s new Amazon Advertising Benchmark Report.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Russ Dieringer is the founder of Stratably, a company dedicated to elevating the digital IQ of leading consumer brands. Each week, Russ creates impactful, practical, and easy-to-digest research that speaks to all layers of an organization, helping them see further around the corner of what’s coming in retail.
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Jan 24, 2023
An Amazon Live Success Story With James Thompson From Nutrabolt (C4 Energy) - Episode 274
In today’s podcast, we are speaking with James Thompson, the SVP of Performance and eCommerce for Nutrabolt overseeing digital globally for the C4 Energy, Cellular, and Xtend brands.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
With more than 15 years of experience in digital marketing, a decade on Amazon, and extensive experience leading global D2C businesses, James is driven by improving all individuals on his teams which translates to brand performance. He is an avid surfer having surfed professionally in his early 20’s, free dive spearfisher, a husband, and a father to 2 energetic children.
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Jan 17, 2023
The Convergence of Google SEO & Amazon - with Scott Walldren - Episode 273
In today’s podcast, we are speaking once again with Scott Walldren, the Director of SEO for Acadia.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Scott Walldren is the Director of SEO for Acadia since October 2022. Previously, he spent 8 years developing and eventually heading up the SEO practice at 360i for Dentsu international. In addition to SEO, Scott has managed millions in paid search spend for national brands at Digitas and Razorfish and as a consultant inside and outside of startups. He lives in the far north Atlanta suburbs (close to Lake Lanier) with his wife, 3 kids, and 3 cats.
Incidentally, he has some hands-on experience (albeit about 10 years old) setting up a store, product feeds and running ads on Amazon when he was at Case-Mate.
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Jan 10, 2023
Ecommerce-Specific SEO Strategies - with Scott Walldren - Episode 272
In today’s podcast we are speaking with Scott Walldren, the Director of SEO for Acadia.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Scott Walldren is the Director of SEO for Acadia since October 2022. Previously, he spent 8 years developing and eventually heading up the SEO practice at 360i for dentsu international. In addition to SEO, Scott has managed millions in paid search spend for national brands at Digitas and Razorfish and as a consultant inside and outside of startups. He lives in the far north Atlanta suburbs (close to Lake Lanier) with his wife, 3 kids, and 3 cats.
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Dec 20, 2022
Before You Buy A Customer Data Platform, Listen To This - with Seth Hirsch - Episode 271
In today’s podcast, we are continuing our conversation about CDPs with Seth Hirsch, Head of Analytics at Acadia, where he serves as a translator between Acadia’s number-crunching analysts and the clients themselves, explaining client needs to the analysts and data-driven solutions to clients.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
With a mind for analyzing, Seth took a number of routes in the data-driven retail universe before winding up as Acadia’s Head of Analytics. It’s a position that calls for easy explanations of complex issues.
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Dec 13, 2022
Introduction to CDPs (Customer Data Platforms) with Seth Hirsch - Episode 270
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Seth Hirsch, Head of Analytics at Acadia, where he serves as a translator between Acadia’s number-crunching analysts and the clients themselves, explaining client needs to the analysts and data-driven solutions to clients.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
With a mind for analyzing, Seth took a number of routes in the data-driven retail universe before winding up as Acadia’s Head of Analytics. It’s a position that calls for easy explanations of complex issues.
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Dec 6, 2022
Ecommerce Predictions for 2023 With Russ Dieringer
Today Kiri speaks with a returning guest, Russ Dieringer - founder of Stratably, a company dedicated to elevating the digital IQ of leading consumer brands. Just like last year, Kiri and Russ share their predictions in eCommerce, for 2023.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Nov 29, 2022
Retail Media Deep Dive: Recap - Episode 268
Over the past 5 episodes, Kiri has spoken with 6 brand-side ecommerce practitioners about retail media.
As an emerging discipline and marketing channel, people touching retail media want to understand how retail media is organized, managed, and viewed within other organizations.
While new surveys & benchmarks are being published to show the stats, its also extremely useful to sit down and learn how others are doing it.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Nov 22, 2022
Retail Media Deep Dive: Matt Krueger, EastPoint Sports, and Matt Volk, KEEN - Episode 267
Today Kiri speaks with two guests, Matt Krueger, Vice President of Digital (Amazon & DTC), at EastPoint Sports, and Matt Volk, Director of Performance and Analytics for Pure Play at KEEN. They discuss retail media.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Matt Krueger is the Vice President of Digital (Amazon & DTC) at EastPoint Sports. He began his career with pure play sporting goods retailer Eastbay.com under the Footlocker umbrella. He has 10+ years of eCommerce and Marketing experience in the footwear/apparel space with the past 3-5 years focusing on Amazon + Global Marketplaces. With a passion for the digital shelf, organizational transformation, and team structure; Matt has recently moved into the CPG / Hardgoods space to lead the Digital business for EastPoint Sports', a private-equity-backed company and the leader in indoor/outdoor sporting and recreational games.
Matt Volk has spent his career in eCommerce across a variety of marketing and analytics roles, including managing…
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Nov 15, 2022
Retail Media Deep Dive: Ingrid Milman Cordy from Nestle Health Sciences - Episode 266
Today Kiri speaks with friend, collaborator, and Sr. Director of Digital Strategy at Nestle Health Science, Ingrid Milman Cordy.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Ingrid has been a thought-leader in the DTC, Digital Marketing and eCommerce space for the past 15 years. Leading Digital Growth at many of the fashion, beauty and CPG brands that you know and love like MAC Cosmetics, elf Beauty, Ann Taylor/LOFT, Pepsi, Nuun Hydration and more. Her passion for connecting the brand, creative and technical development has resulted in award-winning digital experiences and growth that are relentlessly consumer focused to deliver proven results.
Ingrid is also the host of the “human-centric retail podcast” Infinite Shelf, where Kiri made a few guest appearances in Season 2.
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Nov 8, 2022
Retail Media Deep Dive Series: Paulo Cesar Bacarin Filho, from Tom’s of Maine
In today's podcast, Kiri speaks with Paulo Cesar Bacarin Filho, eCommerce team leader at the personal care brand Tom’s of Maine, for our “Retail Media Deep Dive” series.
Tom’s of Maine is part of the Colgate-Palmolive umbrella and is a market leader and an “OG” in the natural segment.
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Nov 1, 2022
Retail Media Deep Dive Series: Katie Buczek - Episode 264
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Katie Buczek, about Retail Media. Katie Buczek leads the Ecommerce business for Amazon, DTC, and retailer websites at Totes Isotoner.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Katie Buczek is a Senior National Account Manager with Totes Isotoner, the world's leading designer, marketer, and distributor of functional accessories in the rain, cold weather, and footwear categories. Having spent her 20+ year career in the fashion footwear and accessories space, for the last six years she has been immersed in Ecommerce.
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Oct 25, 2022
Retail Media Deep Dive Series: Christina Kranz-Kissel - Episode 263
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Christina Kranz-Kissel, about Retail Media. Christina has 16 years of experience in ecommerce, and shares some of her insights about RMNs, campaigns, budget, planning, and more!
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Oct 18, 2022
Retail Media 101 - Opportunities and Challenges for Traditional CPGs - Episode 262
In this episode, Kiri shares a recap of her presentation on a Forum for Retail Sales Leaders for CPG brands.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Oct 11, 2022
Is Amazon Pay to Play? Our Latest Research With Analytic Index - Episode 261
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Mike Karlsven, about the new report “In It To Win It” which is a collaboration between Bobsled and Analytic Index. The report was launched just last week, and Kiri and Mike discuss the basis of the report, what they found out while doing the research, and more.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Oct 4, 2022
The Digital Shelf for CPG brands 2022 - Episode 260
In today’s podcast, we are talking with a returning guest, Andrew Lipsman, about the Insider Intelligence report he authored entitled Digital Shelf for CPG brands 2022.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Andrew Lipsman is a Principal Analyst at Insider Intelligence, focusing on retail and ecommerce. His recent coverage includes grocery ecommerce, retail media networks, D2C brands, social commerce, holiday shopping, and Amazon Prime Day.
Previously, Andrew was SVP of Marketing & Insights at comScore. He has been a regular contributor to the Journal of Advertising Research and is frequently quoted by leading news organizations including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Advertising Age.
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Sep 27, 2022
Kiri Reflections on Ad Age 40 Under 40 Award - Episode 259
Last week, Kiri was announced as an honoree for Ad Age 40 under 40. In this podcast, she shares a few lessons she learned along the way since she founded Bobsled seven and a half years ago. These lessons may be helpful for anyone looking to find their journey in life or career.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Sep 20, 2022
Amazon Prime Fall Deal Event - How To Prepare - Episode 258
Kiri, Damiano, and Logan are talking about the Amazon Prime Fall Deal Event which is expected to happen in the first half of October. They are talking about Prime Day preparation on the PPC and organic side of things as well.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Sep 13, 2022
Amazon Is Looking More Like A Social Media Platform. Here’s How Brands Can Benefit. - Episode 257
In today’s podcast, Kiri talks about how Amazon is looking more like a social media platform, how much it’s now dedicated to video content, lifestyle content, and influencer content, and what tools she is recommending to brands to use to their advantage.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Sep 6, 2022
The death of DTC? Not so fast. - Episode 256
In today’s podcast, Kiri is once again joined by Calvin Lammers, the SVP of eCommerce at TRUFF. They are discussing the DTC model, what it used to be, is this the end of it, and what they see in the future of DTC.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
At TRUFF, the truffle-infused condiment brand, Calvin oversees all digital touch points and platforms for the digitally native brand that has seen rapid online and offline growth since being founded in 2017.
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Aug 30, 2022
Working With Influencers to Drive Retail Sales - Episode 255
In today’s podcast, Kiri is once again joined by Paula Ersly, Head of Social Strategy at Acadia. They cover influencer marketing, how to work with influencers, and some of the best tips and tricks for working with influencers.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Paula Ersly has been working in social media strategy for over seven years, with a focus on organic channel management and creative execution that drives engagement. She has worked across a variety of industries, from travel to sexual wellness. She’s based out of Asheville, North Carolina.
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Aug 23, 2022
Are “Gray Hat” Amazon Growth Tactics Worth It?
In today’s podcast, Julian Galindo, a Client Project Manager at Bobsled is hosting the new episode. He is joined by Matt Gallagher, a PPC Specialist at Bobsled.
Many brands are trying to get an edge on Amazon and stand out from the competition. To do this, there are all the Amazon programs like Amazon ads, Amazon Posts, and Prime Exclusive discounts. But there is also a vast “gray area” of tactics and tools that some sellers are using to get an advantage. Today we’re going to discuss some of those tactics, and whether we think they are worthwhile pursuing.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Matt worked with various Amazon and ecommerce brands in a wide range of fields including Grocery, Personal Defense, and licensed merchandise. Previous experience in those roles has included PPC, Organic SEO, Operations, Project Management, and implementing other ”gray hat” tactics.
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Aug 16, 2022
Amazon Fulfilment 101: Operational Best Practices - Episode 253
In today’s podcast, Kiri is joined by Thales Ferreira, Project Manager at Bobsled. They cover Thales’s previous experience with working with managing sourcing products abroad and all the logistics hurdles of bringing them to the US to sell on Amazon.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Thales Ferreira spent most of his career focusing on project management, and international and domestic logistics (7 years ago) in the pet category (since 2008). Made the transition to Amazon account management 5 years ago.
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Aug 9, 2022
Success From Within: A New Research From Bobsled & Stratably
In today’s podcast, Kiri and Russ are promoting their upcoming research report “The 4 organizational factors driving Amazon success” in today's podcast. Register for the webinar or download the report next week!
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Aug 2, 2022
The Amazon Way - What’s Changed, What Has Stayed the Same
In today’s podcast, we are talking with John Rossman about his consulting company, his first book, the Amazon principles and so much more!
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
John Rossman is a business strategist, operator and expert on digital transformation, leadership and business reinvention. He has consulted with many great brands including Novartis, Fidelity Investments, Microsoft, Walmart, and Nordstrom. He served as senior innovation advisor at T-Mobile and senior technology advisor to the Gates Foundation. He is the founder of Rossman Partners, a management consulting team helping clients compete and win in the digital era. He is an operator and builder whose love is diving into business problems and customer needs designing solutions and business opportunities. He is a former Amazon executive responsible for launching the Amazon marketplace business in 2002. He has authored three books – The Amazon Way book series and The Digital Leader Newsletter.
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Jul 26, 2022
Get Answers to Your Top Asked Questions About Vendor Central - Part 2 - Episode 250
In today’s podcast, we are talking with João Couceiro (Kow-Sero) da Costa who is based in Portugal and is a Client Project Manager at Bobsled. Previously at Amazon, he worked in 2 central departments: Global Catalog Operations and Retail Account Management, both focused almost exclusively on the Vendor side of the business, especially Retail Account Management where he had the sole purpose of growing vendor accounts.
This is the second of the 2 part series about the Amazon Vendor Central business model.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Jul 19, 2022
Answers to Your Top Asked Questions About Vendor Central - Part 1
In today’s podcast, we are talking with João Couceiro (Kow-Sero) da Costa who is based in Portugal and is a Client Project Manager at Bobsled. Previously at Amazon, he worked in 2 major departments: Global Catalog Operations and Retail Account Management, both focused almost exclusively on the Vendor side of the business, especially Retail Account Management where he had the sole purpose of growing vendor accounts.
Kiri and João cover some of the main questions we get from our clients regarding Vendor Central. This episode will have two parts, make sure to tune in next week, for part 2!
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Jul 12, 2022
Why Your Brand Needs A TikTok Account - Episode 248
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Paula Ersly, Head of Social Strategy at Acadia, who has been working in social media strategy for over seven years, with a focus on organic channel management and creative execution that drives engagement. She has worked across a variety of industries, from travel to sexual wellness. She’s based out of Asheville, North Carolina, where she enjoys making ASMR hiking content for her personal TikTok.
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Jul 5, 2022
Takeaways from Kantar’s Digital Commerce Conference - Episode 247
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Celia Van Wickel, Kantar’s eCommerce and digital commerce expert, leading syndicated insights focused on digital commerce trends, including last-mile delivery players and Amazon. Celia and Kiri talk about takeaways from Kantar’s Digital Commerce Conference.
Celia is an insights veteran who has focused on shopper and omnichannel insights in her time with Cars.com, Walmart, Lowe’s, and Mattel.
Prior to Kantar, Celia was with Coca-Cola where she was the eCommerce insights lead, influencing eCommerce, DTC, and digital foodservice strategy. Celia has been quoted in various industry publications such as Grocery Dive and Business Insider and is an active contributor on LinkedIn focused on the latest digital commerce news.
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Jun 28, 2022
The Future of Commerce? Themes From Visions 22 - Episode 246
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Phillip Jackson and Brian Lange from Future Commerce, a retail media and research brand. Kiri, Philip, and Brian are discussing VISIONS 22, the new extensive audiovisual trends report by Future Commerce.
Phillip Jackson is co-founder of Future Commerce, a retail media and research brand, and heads up Commerce Strategy at Rightpoint, a 2021 Forrester CX Strategy Challenger-rated consultancy.
Brian Lange is the co-founder of Future Commerce and an industry veteran, with over a decade of experience on the agency side of commerce.
Future Commerce is a retail and e-commerce-focused media company with newsletters, podcasts, and research to help brands grow with purpose.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Jun 21, 2022
Retail Brands Are Planning Fewer Discounts This Prime Day - Episode 245
In today’s podcast, Kiri shares the poll results around what brands plans are for Prime Day and projections on this year’s event. Amazon’s Prime Day has been set for July 12 and 13th this year, giving brands a short window to put in place the best advertising strategies to boost sales and support their brands.
Consumer demand will be dampened this year, and the current inflation rate, as well as macroeconomics, will possibly impact the demand on this year’s Prime Day.
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Jun 14, 2022
Amazon Advertising Strategies for Seasonal Products - Episode 244
Ross Walker, Senior Advertising Manager at Bobsled, an Acadia Company, joins Kiri Masters on the podcast today to discuss his point of view on seasonal demand for categories and products.
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Jun 7, 2022
Google Marketing Live 2022 - Episode 243
Chad Crowe, Partner and Head of Operations at Acadia, joins Kiri Masters on the podcast today to recap his takeaways from Google Marketing Live 2022.
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May 31, 2022
Amazon Marketing Cloud - Episode 242
In today’s podcast, Kiri and Ross give their first thoughts about Amazon Marketing Cloud, a new tool, which was introduced by Amazon recently.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Ross Walker is a Senior Advertising Manager at Bobsled, an Acadia Company. Ross has been a long-time contributor to the podcast and has been in the digital marketing industry for 6 years with a focus on Amazon Advertising for the last 5 years.
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May 24, 2022
Only 21% Of Brands Are Happy With How They Spend Their Ad Budget. Why? - Episode 241
In today’s podcast, Kiri gives a quick overview of the current state as well as the new model for media allocation that has been developed at Bobsled - allocating by the stage of the marketing funnel that your brand wants to target. After that, you can hear the Q&A portion of last week’s webinar Kiri hosted with Matteo Bizon, where you can hear many interesting and relevant questions as well as practical answers.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Matteo is a PPC specialist at Bobsled. He became passionate about digital advertising while studying marketing management at university and immediately started experimenting by launching his own website project and helping a friend start an ecommerce business for his clothing brand. After working for an Italian digital marketing agency, he joined Amazon where he learnt Amazon advertising in a client-facing role. Looking for more challenges and knowledge around advertising on Amazon, Matteo joined Bobsled where he had the opportunit…
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May 17, 2022
Kiri’s Recap of the Retail Innovation Conference (RICE) - Episode 240
In today’s podcast, Kiri shares her experiences at the Retail Innovation Conference and Expo she attended in Chicago. She gives a recap of a workshop she did and an overview of the themes from the sessions. One of the sessions was by the marketplace leader of Albertsons and touched on the software that they use called Marketplacer.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Bobsled’s latest research suggests a better way to allocate retail media budget - by funnel stage! Sign up for the report and webinar that will be out on May 19th here.
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May 10, 2022
DTC Sales Growth vs Amazon Sales Growth for Brands - Episode 239
In today’s podcast, we are talking with John Pak about the balance of aligning best practices on DTC and Amazon while also being channel-specific. We try to unpack where it’s good to align and where to differentiate the two, given that Amazon is fundamentally different to other channels.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
John Pak is a Project Manager at Bobsled, an Acadia company, where he manages the marketplace marketing and operations strategies for some of our consumer brand clients. Earlier in his career John opened his own e-commerce boutique in the novelty apparel category, then became an e-commerce consultant for various local businesses in his hometown of Los Angeles. Since 2015 he has helped companies transition into e-commerce and built their stores on platforms like Shopify and Amazon Seller Central. And in 2021 he joined Bobsled.
Bobsled’s latest research suggests a better way to allocate retail media budget - by funnel stage! Sign up for the report and webi…
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May 3, 2022
Retail Media: A New Budget Allocation Model - Episode 238
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Matteo Bizon about how to allocate your retail media budget. Retail media is the hot topic of the moment with more and more options available and lots of opportunities to reach shoppers. However, your marketing budget is not growing at the same pace as these opportunities! Which channels are ‘worth it’ and which are a waste of time? Which channels do you fund first?
Bobsled’s latest research suggests a better way to allocate retail media budget - by funnel stage! Go to bobsledmarketing.com, find “resources'' and sign up for the report and webinar that will be out on May 19th.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Matteo is a PPC specialist at Bobsled. He became passionate about digital advertising while studying marketing management at university and immediately started experimenting by launching his own website project and helping a friend start an ecommerce business for his clothing brand. After working for an Italian digital mar…
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Apr 26, 2022
Top 6 Mistakes Brands Make When Allocating Retail Media Budget - Episode 237
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Matteo Bizon about retail media budget allocation and the top 6 mistakes brands make with their allocation. Kiri and Matteo discuss the different possibilities as well as traps brands fall into. Bobsled’s latest research suggests a better way to allocate retail media budget - by funnel stage! Go to bobsledmarketing.com, find “resources” and sign up for the report and webinar that will be out on May 19th.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Matteo is a PPC specialist at Bobsled. He became passionate about digital advertising while studying marketing management at university and immediately started experimenting by launching his own website project and helping a friend start an ecommerce business for his clothing brand. After working for an Italian digital marketing agency, he joined Amazon where he learnt Amazon advertising in a client-facing role. Looking for more challenges and knowledge around advertising on Amazon, Matteo joined…
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Apr 19, 2022
Retail Media Networks Perception - Episode 236
In today’s podcast, we are talking with a returning guest, Andrew Lipsman, about the Insider Intelligence report he authored entitled Retail Media Networks Perception Benchmark 2022. This report was launched in March 2022 and was designed to get an expansive view across retail media networks and ensure different types and categories of them are taken into account.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Andrew Lipsman is a Principal Analyst at Insider Intelligence, focusing on retail and ecommerce. Recent coverage includes grocery ecommerce, retail media networks, D2C brands, social commerce, holiday shopping, and Amazon Prime Day. Previously, Andrew was SVP of Marketing & Insights at comScore. He has been a regular contributor to the Journal of Advertising Research and is frequently quoted by leading news organizations including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Advertising Age. Andrew is the author of the Insider Intelligence report, Retail Media Networks Perception Be…
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Apr 12, 2022
What Amazon Brand Registry Is, and Isn’t - Episode 235
In today’s podcast, we are talking with a friend and colleague, Armin Alispahic, about Brand Registry. It’s a program that has been around for a long time but still causes confusion. Find out what this program does and doesn’t do, what the common misconceptions about it are, as well as how to make the most of it, if you’ve got the access.
Make sure you tune in to find out!
Armin is a Team Lead at Bobsled. He's been at the company for almost 6 years. Internally he’s known as Armin.com for his encyclopedic knowledge of Amazon. Over the years, he has gained great experience in working directly with Amazon representatives to support brands in scaling up on Amazon and achieving their goals.
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Apr 5, 2022
4 Under-Rated Amazon Growth Tactics - Episode 234
In today’s podcast, Kiri gives an overview of growth opportunities, often some under-used tactics that can help brands get ahead on Amazon. This is especially important now, when on Amazon there is more competition, ad costs are rising, and many brands are still experiencing supply chain issues. Our main topics are usually centered around how to get the basics on Amazon right and then building on that, but this time Kiri will be discussing something a bit different.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Podcasting is hard to get feedback on! We would love to hear what you think. Which have been your favorite episodes so far? What do you want to hear more about from us? Email Kiri or reach out to her on LinkedIn. Also, it would mean a lot if you wrote a review for EBT on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us.
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Mar 29, 2022
What We Can Learn From Shopper Marketing - Episode 233
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Julie Liu, a returning guest of the show, about the evolution of shopper marketing. The way we shop has changed over the years. How has that affected the marketing space? How do digital marketing and traditional shopper marketing co-exist? What can the two learn from each other?
Make sure you tune in to find out!
Julie has spent the last 11 years in consumer goods marketing, first with Shiseido working on a clean beauty brand in the APAC region, before making the move over to Grocery 6 years ago. She is currently the National Manager of Commerce Media at Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, responsible for leading the company's retail media and digital shopper marketing strategy across Confections and Baking.
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Mar 22, 2022
What’s up Next on the Podcast - Episode 232
In today’s podcast, Kiri gives a preview of what’s to come in the next couple of months: interviews with industry experts, important conversations, relevant topics, and exciting new research.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Podcasting is hard to get feedback on! We would love to hear what you think. Which have been your favorite episodes so far? What do you want to hear more about from us? Email Kiri or reach out to her on LinkedIn. Also, it would mean a lot if you wrote a review for EBT on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us.
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Mar 15, 2022
Part 2: What will it take for Walmart to win? - Episode 231
In today’s podcast, we are continuing our conversation about Walmart with Russ Dieringer. We are talking about Walmart's place has in the marketplace ecosystem, how brands look at it, what we see them working on as well as what they’ll need to do to continue staying relevant.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Russ Dieringer is the founder of Stratably, a company dedicated to elevating the digital IQ of leading consumer brands. Each week, Russ creates impactful, practical, and easy to digest research that speaks to all layers of an organization, helping them see further around the corner of what’s coming in retail.
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Mar 8, 2022
Measure what matters: selecting the right advertising KPIs for Instacart advertising - Episode 230
In today’s podcast, we are doing something a little bit different: Kiri is replaying a presentation that she and Matteo Bizon, a PPC Specialist at Bobsled Marketing, gave at an event organized by firstmovr, an education company for the e-commerce industry. The focus of the presentation was specifically about Instacart advertising and measuring what really matters.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Matteo Bizon has a background in marketing management, and before joining Bobsled, he worked for Amazon as a PPC specialist for the Italian marketplace. During that time, he learned the foundations of Amazon advertising and improved his ability to communicate with clients by evaluating their business goals and by transforming this information into strategic opportunities. Matteo has brought all his knowledge and skill to Bobsled Marketing where he is a PPC Specialist.
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Mar 1, 2022
Part 1: What will it take for Walmart to win? - Episode 229
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Russ Dieringer, our recurring special guest. Walmart has had ample opportunity to be a meaningful challenger to Amazon, but their marketplace is often not the place that most brands consider investing in after Amazon. Russ and Kiri dive into why that is, what value prop Walmart currently offers, and what it would take for them to win the ecomm marketplace game.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Russ Dieringer is the founder of Stratably, a company dedicated to elevating the digital IQ of leading consumer brands. Each week, Russ creates impactful, practical, and easy to digest research that speaks to all layers of an organization, helping them see further around the corner of what’s coming in retail.
Today’s sponsor is Synder.
Synder makes tax season feel like a Friday night because it helps Amazon businesses to close their books correctly, always have a P&L report, balance sheet and inventory tracking on hand. If you run your busi…
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Feb 28, 2022
Announcement by Kiri Masters
Today’s an exciting day. Bobsled Marketing, the company that I founded 7 years ago, has been acquired by Acadia.
First I want to recognize the turmoil in the world around us. We have team members in Ukraine and in surrounding countries. So while this is great news for our team who are all staying on and are more important than ever, many people in this region are facing trauma in their lives.
So who is Acadia?
Acadia is a next-generation digital agency that provides best-in-class growth services for mid-market brands. Mid-market brands are dealing with complexity and change everyday, and don’t have the resources to oversee half a dozen specialist agencies or consultants. Acadia has brought together an amazing team of paid media, SEO, Analytics, social and development experts so far. And with the addition of Bobsled to the fold, will now also be an industry-leading Amazon and retail marketplace partner.
The most pride I have in building Bobsled over the years has been the amazin…
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Feb 22, 2022
Lessons to learn from Chinese Retailers - Episode 228
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Mark Greeven about how China is influencing online retail. We discuss the innovations in technology that Chinese companies are using to connect with their customers and boost sales. Learn about the potential of Chinese private equity and venture capital firms entering the FBA aggregator space. Also, national brands are having a hard time competing with Chinese manufacturers who are starting to sell directly to consumers.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Mark Greeven is Professor of Innovation and Strategy at IMD. Drawing on a decade of experience in research, teaching and consulting in China, Mark explores how to organize innovation in a turbulent world. He has been collaborating with innovative Chinese companies and entrepreneurial multinationals to explore novel ways of organizing, accelerating corporate innovation, enabling digital business transformation and designing business ecosystems to thrive on uncertainty. He is a fluent spe…
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Feb 15, 2022
Podcast Retrospective: My 4 Favorite Podcast Episodes - Episode 227
This week on the eCommerce Braintrust podcast we’re looking back at the last 18 months and remembering some of the most incredible conversations we’ve had with people who are experts in their field. The four episodes we are highlighting today are just some of the conversations on topics that are even more relevant today.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Today’s sponsor is Synder.
Synder makes tax season feel like a Friday night because it helps Amazon businesses to close their books correctly, always have a P&L report, balance sheet and inventory tracking on hand. If you run your business on more than one sales channel, Synder is perfect for you to have all of your revenue and expenses data in one ecosystem and set up KPIs that work for your business. You can start Synder with 40% off with the coupon code EASYBOOKS by going to Synder’s website, that’s synder.me/braintrust and submitting your email in the special form. Visit the website to get a discount and also rec…
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Feb 8, 2022
NFTs for Retail Brands - Episode 226
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Michelle Grant about NFTs. We discuss the ways in which brands are currently using them as well as potential uses for large and medium-sized brands in the future.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Michelle is a seasoned researcher who helps global organizations build the future of their business. At Salesforce, Michelle is a Senior Manager, Strategy and Insights Retail and Consumer Goods, where she blends data and analysis to create thought-provoking content around the impact of digital transformation in retail and consumer goods.
Today’s sponsor is Synder.
Synder makes tax season feel like a Friday night because it helps Amazon businesses to close their books correctly, always have a P&L report, balance sheet and inventory tracking on hand. If you run your business on more than one sales channel, Synder is perfect for you to have all of your revenue and expenses data in one ecosystem and set up KPIs that work for your business. You…
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Feb 1, 2022
So Your Amazon VM Disappeared - Now What? - Episode 225
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Olivera Bojovic about the issues facing brands on Amazon’s Vendor Central platform in 2022. Since late Q1 some brands have been struggling to get support in their day-to-day operations as well with strategy. How did this happen and now what?
Make sure you tune in to find out!
Olivera is a Senior Account Executive at Bobsled Marketing where on a daily basis she is speaking to brands, learning about challenges and obstacles they’re facing on Amazon and helping them to navigate the crazy Amazon ecosystem. Before joining the Sales Team at Bobsled, Olivera worked as part of the Client Delivery Team, directly supporting clients on Amazon Seller and Vendor Central.
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Jan 25, 2022
SHEARED, Shedding Your Coat of Conformity in the Age of eCommerce - Episode 224
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Oskar Kaszubski and Chris Perry about their new eBook called SHEARED, Shedding Your Coat of Conformity in the Age of eCommerce. Their goal is to help first movers free their organizations from the herd mentality and accelerate go-to-market change and omnichannel leadership.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Oskar Kaszubski is Chief Growth Officer at firstmovr and a global eCommerce leader with 18 years of experience leading digital transformation for global, mid-size and start-up companies. Prior to co-founding firstmovr, Oskar held various digital transformation leadership roles across Kellogg's, Mondelez, Kimberly-Clark and multiple start-up manufacturers.
Chris Perry is Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr on a mission to help empower first movers — both people and brands — to win in a disruptive marketplace. As a CPG eCommerce practitioner, executive educator and advisor, he has led eCommerce and digital transformation at Reckit…
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Jan 18, 2022
New research: the Amazon Maturity Matrix - Episode 223
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Caroline Adams about the new research by Bobsled Marketing that is coming out on January 27, called the Amazon Maturity Matrix. What are the really smart and active brands doing to counteract the internal pressures that hold them back in the ecommerce space? How can you create meaningful, long-term change for your company?
Make sure you tune in to find out!
Caroline is a Project Manager at Bobsled Marketing where she manages clients who trust Bobsled to grow and manage their Amazon sales channels. Caroline has spent the majority of her career as a product marketer across various industries from consumer product goods to publishing to not-for-profit. As a true proponent of learning, she morphed into the ecommerce world and was trained by an ex-Amazon employee. She joined the Agency side of the business about five years ago and loves working along clients to help them reach their Amazon goals.
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Jan 11, 2022
Why Effective Amazon Inventory Planning Is Essential… but Elusive - Episode 222
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Chelsea Cohen about inventory planning for Amazon. We are discussing inventory management and how brands can improve their current situation, addressing the Shippageddon and its aftermath, and sharing some tools as well as advice that can help you deal with shipping fees.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Chelsea Cohen is an Amazon inventory management expert and the Co-Founder of SoStocked.com, an Amazon inventory management software that is going into the multi-channel space as well as the cash flow and profit optimization space within the next year. Chelsea is also an Amazon seller, speaker and consultant whose regular clients include 7 and 8-figure sellers.
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Jan 4, 2022
2022 Ecommerce Predictions - Episode 221
In today’s podcast, we talked with Russ Dieringer about our ecommerce predictions for the new year. We discuss emerging trends, potential issues, and try our best to figure out what we can all expect in 2022. How will the supply chain problems end? How will aggregators influence the market?
Make sure you tune in to find out!
Russ Dieringer is the founder of Stratably, a company dedicated to elevating the digital IQ of leading consumer brands. Each week, Russ creates impactful, practical, and easy to digest research that speaks to all layers of an organization, helping them see further around the corner of what’s coming in retail.
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Dec 28, 2021
Measuring Success Across the Digital Shelf - Episode 220
In today’s podcast, we are talking with John Maltman about issues brands have been facing as a result of the shift to online sales channels. John gives his take on the best ways to measure success across retailers and retail media platforms, and explains what he thinks is next in the digital shelf tech.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
John Maltman is the founder and CEO of Digital Shelf Analytics platform e.fundamentals. He has built a successful 30+ year corporate career with blue-chip FMCG (CPG) companies including global giants Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo and Asda Walmart, complemented with leadership roles in high growth B2B technology and service businesses, before stepping into the world of start-ups. Frustrated with the industry’s weak reaction to the enormous opportunities of ecommerce, John decided to apply his deep client-side knowledge to help brands win online, telling colleagues: ‘The market needs it, it doesn’t exist, so we’ll create it.’
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Dec 21, 2021
Opting in to Ecommerce Optimization - Episode 219
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Jon MacDonald about his second book, Opting in to Optimization: How Successful Ecommerce Brands Convert More Customers, Increase Profits, and Create Raving Fans. We are discussing the 9 “laws” defined in it as well as how they relate to a brand’s maturity.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Jon MacDonald is founder of The Good, a conversion rate optimization firm that has achieved results for some of the largest online brands including Adobe, Nike, Xerox, The Economist, and more. Author of two books on conversion optimization, he regularly contributes content to publications like Entrepreneur and Inc. He knows how to get website visitors to take action.
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Dec 14, 2021
Amazon Advertising 2021: Sizing the Prize - Episode 218
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Andrew Lipsman about the Amazon Advertising 2021 report recently published by Insider Intelligence. We talk about the changes, trends and strategies in advertising on Amazon as well as how customers and brands react to it.
Make sure you tune in to find out!
Andrew Lipsman is a Principal Analyst at Insider Intelligence, focusing on retail and ecommerce. Recent coverage includes grocery ecommerce, retail media networks, D2C brands, social commerce, holiday shopping, and Amazon Prime Day. Previously, Andrew was SVP of Marketing & Insights at comScore. He has been a regular contributor to the Journal of Advertising Research and is frequently quoted by leading news organizations including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Advertising Age.
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Dec 7, 2021
Amazon Savviness Scale Launch Announcement - Episode 217
What is standing in your way to success on Amazon? Has your brand reached a level of maturity on Amazon? Which factors reflect Amazon maturity and how does it inform business results? These are just some of the questions that we have been considering over the past few months at Bobsled Marketing while developing a four-minute test that benchmarks your brand’s Amazon potential. We are excited to announce that Bobsled’s Amazon Savviness Scale is now live!
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Nov 30, 2021
‘The Brilliant Basics’ - Lessons From the 2021 Omnichannel Retail Index - Episode 216
In today’s podcast, we talk with Kathy Kimple about the 2021 Omnichannel Retail Index, a study conducted every year that aims to evaluate how retailers and brands from multiple verticals are implementing key digital and omnichannel features as well as to give us insight into the best practices and table stakes. What are the most common features and functions in online retail and which ones should you focus on to boost your conversion rate?
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Kathy Kimple is the Chief Retail Officer of FitForCommerce, a specialty ecommerce and digital consultancy. She has over 30 years of experience in retail with a focus on retailers, brands, and grocery, covering digital strategy and store operations, registry, marketing, tech selection, and organizational design.
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Nov 23, 2021
Hug Your Customer - Episode 215
In today’s podcast, we are talking with Rich Zeldes about the different ways brands can advertise, create a following in the digital space and increase conversion. How much should you focus on the tried and true channels? Should you, for example, use SMS, TikTok, Connected TV and podcasts to advertise? What are some of the challenges of these?
Make sure you tune in to find out!
Rich Zeldes is the Founder and CEO of Zeldes Media Advisors and has over 25 years of marketing and media services experience. He is focused on driving profitable growth for emerging health, beauty, food, fashion and cannabis brands across the DTC, Amazon and Retail distribution landscape. He is obsessed with helping to navigate today's evolving media ecosystem by offering executive-level strategy, insights and attention to brand founders and their leadership.
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Nov 16, 2021
Amazon FBA Aggregators: Should Retail Brands Be Concerned? - Episode 214
In today’s podcast, we talk with Russ Dieringer about Amazon FBA aggregators. We discuss their business model, hiring practices, as well as advantages and disadvantages compared to incumbent brands in the digital space as well as brick and mortar stores. We share our opinions about the future of aggregators and accelerators, as well as some predictions about their future.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Russ Dieringer is the founder of Stratably, a company dedicated to elevating the digital IQ of leading consumer brands. Each week, Russ creates impactful, practical, and easy to digest research that speaks to all layers of an organization, helping them see further around the corner of what’s coming in retail.
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Nov 9, 2021
Will Shippageddon End in a Giant Sale? - Episode 213
This week on the eCommerce Braintrust podcast, Kiri recaps a video she shared on LinkedIn and reads some comments she has received since. She talks about the supply chain disruptions and how they will affect the timing of sales events in the future, two themes conflated from two of her favorite podcasts (linked below).
Ports, warehouses and trucking lines are all backed up with inventory, and there may actually be an excess of inventory in the system due to retailers increasing their orders in a bid to get ahead. Eventually, the logjam will be resolved, but what will happen to the excess inventory?
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Nov 2, 2021
Ecommerce Personalization With Meyar Sheik
Should you invest your time and capital in Ecommerce Personalization? Find out today on the show - we're chatting with Meyar Sheik, the President and Chief Commerce Officer at Kibo.
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Oct 26, 2021
Incumbents Versus Challengers: Ecommerce Platforms - Episode 211
This week on the eCommerce Braintrust podcast, we’re talking about the incumbent and the challengers in ecommerce marketplaces and platforms. Kiri Masters gives a brief history of the changing relationships between Amazon, Walmart, Shopify and others, as well as their changing statuses in the marketplace. She tells the story of CartHook to illustrate her point about challengers, rebels, incumbents and disintermediation. Then, she gives advice on how to find your place in ecommerce and introduces the Bobsled research report entitled How Big Should Your Amazon Channel be?
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
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Oct 19, 2021
Protecting Your Brand on Amazon: What Happens When Black Hats Attack? - Episode 210
Today we are talking with Chris McCabe about what is new and trending in black hat tactics and different ways that inventive sellers use to take each other down. Because there is a lot of money to be made in ecommerce, it attracts the best and worst operators. There are many types of nefarious tactics that are used and this is something that affects all levels of sellers and brands.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Chris worked for Amazon evaluating seller account performance and enforcing Amazon’s policies. Now he runs ecommerceChris.com where he teaches sellers how to think like Amazon, protect their accounts and appeal listing restrictions and suspensions. He provides expert advice that helps to inform and clarify important decisions around Amazon investments by the sellers and any interested parties.
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Oct 12, 2021
Lessons from Scrappy Challenger Brands - Episode 209
In today’s podcast, Kiri gives her take on Jungle Scout’s 2021 State of Amazon Seller report along with her insights into the workings of the small, scrappy brands, and the lessons that can be learned from them.
The scrappy challenger brands are generally at the forefront of the tactics and ideas. Those are worth looking into especially if they are used competitively, if they could be legitimate growth opportunities for larger brands and if they can give some insight into what the future might look like.
Make sure to tune in to find out more!
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Oct 7, 2021
7 Critical Challenges for Omnichannel Brands in 2022 - Webinar
“7 Critical Challenges for Omnichannel Brands” will be held on October 19, 2021. During the session, Kiri will give an overview of the economic headwinds, supply-chain trends and trends regarding likely issues in 2022.
To sign up go to bobsledmarketing.com/webinars
Make sure to tune in to find out more!
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Oct 5, 2021
Macroeconomic Headwinds Affecting Ecommerce - Episode 208
In today’s podcast, our guest is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of BWG Connect, Aaron Conant. We talked about the macroeconomic and supply-chain headwinds in terms of the US economy and retail spending, as well as new marketplaces and retail media platforms.
Make sure to tune in to find out more!
Aaron is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of BWG Connect, a networking and knowledge-sharing group of thousands of brands who collectively grow their digital knowledge base and collaborate on partner selection. Aaron talks to 1,200 brands a year and hosts 250 in-person and virtual events with industry professionals. Prior to this Aaron was Head of eCommerce Sales at Perrigo, where he helped launch their Amazon business as well as D2C and B2B websites. Aaron began his career doing synthetic organic chemistry at Pfizer.
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Sep 28, 2021
The State of Retail Conferences & Staying Current in Ecommerce - Episode 207
In today’s podcast, our guest is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of BWG Connect, Aaron Conant. We talked about the ways of connecting in-person and online, as well as the value of conferences and smaller-scale gatherings especially in lieu of Covid restrictions.
Make sure to tune in to find out more!
Aaron is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of BWG Connect, a networking and knowledge-sharing group of thousands of brands who collectively grow their digital knowledge base and collaborate on partner selection. Aaron talks to 1,200 brands a year and hosts 250 in-person and virtual events with industry professionals. Prior to this Aaron was Head of eCommerce Sales at Perrigo, where he helped launch their Amazon business as well as D2C and B2B websites. Aaron began his career doing synthetic organic chemistry at Pfizer. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Connect with Kiri Masters
Learn more about Bobsled Marketing
Connect with Aaron Conant
Learn more about BWG Connect on LinkedIn
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Sep 21, 2021
The Walmart Marketplace for CPG Brands- Episode 206
In today’s podcast, our guest is CPG retail marketing expert Steven Cleere and our theme is the CPG retail industry. We talked about Walmart, the opportunity of growing there, advantages and differences between Walmart and Amazon.
Make sure to tune in to find out more!
Steven is a host of Nexxt Level Brand’s Podcasts and he is Co-founder and Managing Partner (Emeritus) of the TMI Group (TradeMarketing Inc.). Steven has worked in the advertising and marketing agency industry for over 30 years. While enjoying a successful career as a guidance owner, he began working with small businesses, as a volunteer, at the agency Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center in San Rafael, Calif. in their Food Business Incubator. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Connect with Kiri Masters
Learn more about Bobsled Marketing
Connect with Steven Cleere
Learn more about NexxtLevel Brands Podcast & Community
Check Nexxt Level Brands Podcast
Check NexxtLevel Brands Community
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Sep 14, 2021
Retail Brands Bracing For Second 'Shippageddon'- Episode 205
“Shippageddon” first entered the retail industry lexicon in late 2020, describing a conflation of global supply chain issues that led many brands and retailers to be under-stocked or otherwise unable to fulfill customer demand for purchases last year. A year later, many of those issues have not been resolved, and there are new hazards to deal with. Retail brands are preparing for round two of Shippageddon.
The term Shippageddon was first coined in late 2020 on an episode of the retail podcast The Jason And Scot Show: ”We were talking about the likely e-commerce peak we expected from the holiday, on top of the e-commerce peak we were already seeing due to Covid-19, and we felt like retailers were likely to run into shipping capacity issues,” said the hosts of the show.
And the alarm that retail experts sounded did in fact bear out. Shoppers were indeed met with stock-outs, longer delivery timelines from all carriers, and less overall discounting ahead of the holidays. But the…
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Sep 7, 2021
Doing Well by Doing Good’ on Amazon With the Founders of Think Organic - Episode 204
This week we are joined by Think Organic company founders, Jerry Tenenberg and Jeff Helfand. Their successful and amazing organic story is something you should definitely hear about and we are proud to say that Think Organic is Bobsled's client. Organic agriculture is a systems approach to production that is working towards environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable production.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Jerry Tenenberg is the founder of Think Organic, a brand that sells organic herbs and spices. He is a real pioneer in organic space, having created one of the first natural food supermarkets in the U.S. in 1977 and having traveled the world to locate and organize organic farming production. Today, Think Organic is a supplier to major food companies, big-box retailers, and having its own brand of Think Organic herbs and spices that are sold on Amazon and elsewhere. Jeff Helfand is also joining us today. Prior to starting up Think Organic with Jerry, Jeff has…
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Aug 31, 2021
The Future of Retail Media Platforms With Dean McElwee - Episode 203
Today we are joined by special guest Dean McElwee, Director of International Ecommerce Strategy, Global Tools and Storage at Stanley Black & Decker Inc.
With 18+ years of experience as a commercial leader, Dean has a remarkable track record of designing and implementing innovative growth strategies that not only drive performance, but also higher engagement, and profit.
In this episode, we are approaching The Future of Retail Media Platforms - a topic that Dean is very passionate about. Tune in today to hear his unique perspective!
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Aug 24, 2021
Vendor Chargebacks Deep Dive - Episode 202
Today we have the pleasure to chat with Caroline Adams, one of the Project Managers here at Bobsled Marketing. Caroline recently contributed to one of Bobsled's most popular white papers - Amazon Vendor Chargebacks, A Guide to Avoiding Unnecessary Charges & Increasing Profit on Amazon, and today she’s sharing with us the most important takeaways from this resource.
Make sure you tune in to find out more! This resource was compiled over the course of the past few years, working with more than one hundred Vendor Central clients.
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Aug 17, 2021
Attitudinal Marketing and 1st Party Customer Data With Vinny O’Brien - Episode 201
In today’s episode, we will talk about different skill sets required in eCommerce and the death of the third-party cookie, and what that means for brands. We will discuss how you can acquire your own first-party data so that you're not reliant on cookies in the future, and attitudinal marketing.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Vinny O'Brien is a multi-channel eCommerce consultant with multi-category experience. Based in Ireland, he is Director of eCommerce in a DTC outdoors brand Crua Outdoors and runs a conference in the South West of Ireland called the eCommerce Summit.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Connect with Kiri Masters
Learn more about Bobsled Marketing
Connect with Vinny O’Brien
Find more about Vinny & Co Consulting
Follow Vinny & Co on Twitter
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Aug 10, 2021
Total Growth Accountability in Ecommerce With Molly Schonthal and Chris Perry- Episode 200
In today's episode we are talking about growth accountability. Total Growth Accountability is research that Molly and Chris have conducted with the valuable input and feedback from the Digital Shelf Institute’s Executive Forum members. It lays out the barriers that stand in the way of maximum growth for brands and then posits the four shifts that are needed to maximize market share across all channels. Total growth accountability is a set of new practices that allows brands to achieve success in digital commerce.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
Molly has been a pioneer in connecting technology to business growth including the first-ever mobile email solution (NOKIAOne), and one of first 30m + fan Facebook pages in the CPG industry. She has also built the first cross-functional (sales + marketing), cross-segment (confections, pet, food) global demand technology roadmap @ Mars, tripling central funding for these initiatives in just over 3 years. She now leads Salsify's custom…
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Aug 3, 2021
Protecting your brand from resellers on Amazon- Episode 199
Beauty & Personal Care is among six top retail categories on Amazon and that is why today we’re joined by Maya Crothers, who is Founder & CEO of Circcell Skincare.
Her previous professional experience includes working in energy generation and strategy consulting with Bain & Company. She and her husband are personally interested in the work of the Aspen Institute in the area of criminal justice reform. Through her company, Maya has worked with the Nest Foundation to fight the human trafficking of children in the US. Maya recently moved to Aspen from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and she enjoys all the mountains have to offer with her husband and two teenage children.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Connect with Kiri Masters
Learn more about Bobsled Marketing
Connect with Maya Crothers
Learn more about Circcell Skincare
Follow Circcell on Facebook
Follow Circcell on Instagram
Read Amazon Explodes Beauty Sales With Exclusive 'Gating' For Brands…
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Jul 27, 2021
The Dirty Little Secret of Profitability in eCommerce - Episode 198
This week on the eCommerce Braintrust podcast, we’re sharing with you key points from the report of profitability in eCommerce. Digital has gone from a relatively small percentage of a brand's sales to a larger percentage. While profitability might not have been an issue when the eCommerce channel was small, it most certainly is now back under the microscope as that percentage of sales has increased. Kiri Masters interviewed 10 members of the Digital Shelf Executive Forum for this report. These executive-level digital and eCommerce leaders come from large, multinational brands with annual revenues over $250 million. This report will help you define your profitability metrics, gain internal alignment, scale your program, and separate your sales channels.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Connect with Kiri Masters
Learn more about Bobsled Marketing
Find more about Digital Shelf Institute
Read Forbes article The Dirty Little Secrets Of Profitabi…
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Jul 20, 2021
Digital Retail Media Is a Brand New Industry With Mindy Fashaw, COO Of Pacvue
This week we’re back with Mindy Fashaw of Pacvue to discuss more topics around digital retail media. We are digging deeper into retail media channels and how to measure performance according to actual business objectives, and not just the legible metrics.
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Connect with Kiri Masters
Connect with Mindy Fashaw
Learn more about Bobsled Marketing
Learn more about Pacvue
Register for Q2 2021 CPC Report: Amazon PLUS Walmart Performance Data Webinar on 7/21
Listen to episode 195: Retail Media Assessment Criteria With Mindy Fashaw
Keep on track with Pacvue webinars
Find more about Payoneer
Request A Consultation With Our Amazon Experts
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Jul 13, 2021
Hidden Costs When Selling on Amazon With Mike Ferone
This week we are joined by Mike Ferone of Full Circle Brands. We will discuss some of the costs/overhead that Amazon places on brands that don’t exist in other channels or are more legible in other channels, like co-op fees, chargebacks, and prep fees. Do you want to know what kind of things your 3PL does or how to identify partners in the marketplace - you’re on the right spot!
Make sure you tune in to find out more!
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Connect with Kiri Masters
Connect with Mike Ferone
Learn more about Bobsled Marketing
Learn more about Full Circle Brands
Find more about Payoneer
Request A Consultation With Our Amazon Experts
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