The Digital Deep Dive Archives

Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at Path to Purchase Institute. With over 12 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[2:00] How firstmovr provides omnichannel education for eCommerce brands
[6:48] Chris Perry talks about firstmovr’s ENDCAPS program and the challenges of content creation
[13:50] The importance of updating and auditing content
[20:33] Strategies for uploading images for content and PDPs
[25:05] Considerations for mobile-first content
[32:41] How to produce and measure full-funnel content
[37:33] Testing tools for content creation

In this episode…

As brands grapple with small teams and increased content demands, compelling, optimized content remains a priority. In a landscape where even a 1% improvement can produce significant gains, how can brands ensure their content resonates with target audiences across channels?

With platform and retailer algorithms ranking content based on qualitative and quantitative factors, eCommerce thought leader Chris Perry emphasizes the importance of conducting content page audits. This includes measuring keywords for specific categories, identifying your target audience, including relevant images, and ensuring your titles reach the required character count. Updating your PDPs with a single image can increase conversion rates by 2%. Chris also recommends optimizing your content for mobile devices to meet customers where they shop. This involves creating user-friendly designs and prioritizing image creation.

Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Chris Perry, the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, to discuss optimizing content for the digital shelf. Chris explains how to test content creation tools, how to produce and measure full-funnel content, and firstmovr’s ENDCAPS educational program.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

"If we're 1% better than our competition, we win."
"The digital shelf is a practice, not a project."
"Who owns content? Full funnel content? Nobody."
"It's about start. Start with the big: fewer, bigger, better."
"How do we create an awards program that celebrates best practices but also educates on best practices?"

Action Steps:

Conduct regular digital shelf audits: Regularly auditing your digital shelf ensures that your product pages remain relevant and optimized for the shopper experience. This allows you to create content that meets retailer requirements and evolving consumer expectations.
Prioritize mobile-ready content: Optimizing your content for mobile devices is crucial as more consumers shop via smartphones. This captures consumer attention in a mobile-first world.
Integrate social proof and user-generated content: Leveraging social proof can enhance credibility and engagement, making product pages more compelling. This provides an opportunity to build trust and connection through authentic consumer voices.
Develop a full-funnel content strategy: Aligning your content with various stages of the consumer journey ensures a consistent and persuasive message. This addresses the challenge of fragmented content strategies and provides an opportunity to enhance conversion rates.
Adopt a continuous improvement mindset: Embrace content creation as an ongoing practice rather than a one-time project, allowing for regular updates and optimizations. This mindset is effective in driving incremental improvements and staying ahead of the competition.

About BWG Connect...

BWG Connect provides executive strategy and networking sessions that help brands from any industry with their overall business planning and execution. We network and knowledge share together to better understand and adapt to the newest trends, strategies, and pain points shaping growth in the digital space. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Strategy, has built an exclusive network of 125,000+ senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events on an annual basis.

In addition, we have had 1x1 conversations with over 5,000 brands and have a real-time pulse on what digital strategies are successful and why. This in-depth knowledge allows our team to operate on the cutting-edge and provide our clients with best-in-class guidance on how to win in the digital world. We have provided free consultations and strategy sessions for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune-100, to enable growth, resolve issues and make curated service provider introductions that can impact your digital footprint.

We have held to the philosophy of providing high-level insights and actionable knowledge with no sales pitches in order to provide to our network the ability to listen, learn and act to improve themselves as well as their organizations. Our ultimate goal is to be the resource out there to help digital executives find the research they need to excel in the modern marketplace.

If you are interested in getting involved with any of our current or past events, you can find them here. If you are looking for help & would like to set up some time to chat with our team, you can schedule a time or reach out directly to Aaron@bwgconnect.com or Tiffany@bwgconnect.com.

Mike Black is the Chief Growth Officer at Profitero, a leading eCommerce acceleration company offering intelligence-driven solutions for profitable growth. With a background in marketing, he held leadership positions in product marketing and demand generation at various global analytics companies. Before Profitero, Mike was the Vice President of Product Marketing at Nielson.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[3:35] The democratization of eCommerce
[5:56] How to integrate eCommerce into your entire organization
[12:54] Will integrated eCommerce teams become mainstream?
[19:14] Collaborating with retailers on holistic omnichannel and eCommerce strategies
[23:03] KPIs for eCommerce team building
[31:03] Organizational trends surrounding AI adoption
[38:15] TikTok Shop and AI-powered search as emerging eCommerce platforms

In this episode…

According to a recent eCommerce organizational benchmark study, eCommerce has become increasingly democratized, with brands embedding its capabilities into each business function. This has led to joint business plans that prioritize eCommerce in every business goal. How can organizations collaborate with interdepartmental teams to accelerate eCommerce efforts throughout?

Traditionally, eCommerce has been confined to a single team that executes media and content single-handedly without input. Yet, the landscape has become more nuanced, with organizations needing to implement change management practices to outperform competitors and manage omnichannel selling and advertising. eCommerce leader Mike Black emphasizes a holistic eCommerce approach that involves collaborating with teams to align omnichannel strategies and expand roles and capabilities. He also notes the role of organization-wide education in promoting eCommerce efforts.

In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Mike Black, the Chief Growth Officer at Profitero, about the future of eCommerce capabilities in businesses. Mike discusses results from Profitero’s 2024 eCommerce Organizational Benchmark study, the rise of integrated eCommerce teams, and the importance of collaborating with retailers.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

"eCommerce used to be held in the center, almost like a sidecar; now it's becoming embedded into all business units."
"One thing I could do is start engaging with retailers I want more engagement with, just by sharing insights."
"There's a hesitancy for brands to really scale [AI] out because we find one out of three brands are saying they're testing it."
"If you think about digital shelf analytics next generation, it's going to be less about reporting the weather and more about actioning."
"If you can give your sales team one KPI metric that's digitally related they can optimize, that's a huge victory."

Action Steps:

Invest in education and upskilling: Prioritize training programs that enhance digital literacy across sales and marketing teams. This approach addresses the challenge of aligning traditional business units with the fast-paced demands of eCommerce, ultimately creating a more cohesive and effective team.
Enhance retailer collaboration: Foster deeper, more strategic relationships with retailers by sharing valuable insights and data. This step helps overcome superficial engagement and aligns both parties on omnichannel strategies, driving mutual growth and understanding.
Implement category management: Establish dedicated category management roles to bridge brand strategies with consumer insights, particularly in digital contexts. This addresses the opportunity to elevate retail relationships and improve market presence by focusing on category-specific trends and demands.
Adopt market share as a key metric: Shift your focus toward omnichannel market share as a foundational performance metric to align goals across the organization. This approach measures success and promotes a unified strategy that reflects both online and offline growth.
Pilot AI initiatives in eCommerce: Begin small-scale AI projects to generate and optimize product content, such as images and descriptions. This addresses the current hesitancy around AI adoption by allowing companies to explore its potential benefits while navigating legal and operational considerations.

About BWG Connect...

Tim Zawislack is a senior eCommerce executive for global DTC and B2B brands. He most recently served as the Chief Digital Officer and Senior Vice President of eCommerce at Conair, where he managed the company’s eCommerce channels for its brands. With over a decade of management experience leading consumer and digital strategies, Tim has delivered rapid, profitable digital growth for multi-brand portfolio companies. He is also an Advisory Board Member for BWG Strategy.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:44] Tim Zawislack shares insights from leading digital strategies for legacy brands
[7:19] How to integrate AMC into your Amazon Ads strategy
[10:59] The importance of establishing an Amazon presence
[17:37] Why you should hire an Amazon agency — and how to integrate them into your team
[28:45] Tips for developing an omnichannel strategy

In this episode…

In the early days of eCommerce, brands could advertise and sell on Amazon without a defined strategy. Today, Amazon should be used as a storytelling medium. How can you optimize your presence on Amazon?

With new brands hijacking market share from brands with an established Amazon presence, eCommerce executive Tim Zawislack says to expand your channels and advertising strategies. This requires integrating top-of-funnel advertising with branding and retail efforts to increase platform visibility and generate customer loyalty. Tim also recommends hiring an Amazon agency as an extension of your marketing team to ensure adequate market share and optimize ad spend.

Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant chats with Tim Zawislack about the past, present, and future of Amazon. Tim shares how to develop an omnichannel Amazon strategy, how to integrate AMC into your ads strategy, and what he learned from leading eCommerce efforts for legacy brands.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

"Amazon serves not only as a cash register but also as a vehicle to really explain why your brand is relevant."
"The days of brands having the ability to throw money at these things today; it's over."
"Find me a tech vendor that won't take all your money. Google, Meta, TikTok, Yahoo; they'll all take your money."
"If you're not orchestrating some meaningful channel strategy, you have challenges of profitability."
"At some point, the spend can't just have a sales team asking for more on a specific retailer."

Action Steps:

Leverage Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC): Utilize AMC to integrate Amazon Retail, Amazon Ads, and your internal brand strategies. By doing so, you can orchestrate a cohesive marketing approach that maximizes brand visibility and potentially increases sales.
Develop a comprehensive channel strategy: Create a dedicated merchandising strategy for each channel, such as Amazon, Walmart, and DTC platforms. This approach addresses profitability challenges and ensures you’re not leaking market share to smaller, more agile brands.
Engage with a specialized agency partner: Partner with an agency that understands Amazon's unique advertising and retail landscape. A specialized agency can help you stay on top of rapid technology and platform changes, providing an outside perspective that can lead to better strategic decisions.
Focus on top-of-funnel advertising: Invest in top-of-funnel advertising to build brand awareness and drive potential customers to your product listings. This strategy is crucial for stimulating market consumption and creating long-term customer loyalty, which addresses the challenge of nascent brands eating into your market share.
Evaluate your product unit economics per marketplace: Analyze the unit economics of your products on a per-marketplace basis to inform your advertising strategy. Understanding the profitability of each SKU at each retailer allows you to allocate your advertising budget more effectively, ensuring your investment yields profitable returns.

About BWG Connect...

Chris Orzechowski is the Founder of West Egg Agency, an X Ads agency that helps brands acquire new customers using X. As an email copywriter, he helps eCommerce brands grow their revenue using email automation. Chris is also the author of Make It Rain and Scale While You Sleep.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:44] Chris Orzechowski’s journey from a freelance copywriter to an X Ads specialist
[7:54] How to optimize ads for X
[10:48] Integrating X Ads with other advertising efforts
[15:13] Top mistakes brands make when advertising on X
[20:20] The budget for advertising on X — and how to get started
[27:24] Chris foreshadows X’s upcoming integrations with Shopify and payments

In this episode…

Advertising on X isn’t new, yet many brands avoid it in favor of platforms like Meta and Google that produce faster results. However, these platforms are becoming increasingly saturated and competitive, making X a cost-effective and untapped alternative. How can you optimize your existing ads for X?

Brands that haven’t achieved results on X likely haven’t targeted or engaged with enough followers. X Ads trailblazer Chris Orzechowski recommends targeting brands with your ideal customer profile and creating follower look-alikes to convert their followers into your customers. This requires developing creative copy to rank for specific keywords. While you can reuse high-performing content from Meta on X, you must modify the copy to align with X’s requirements, like character limits and parameters for other creative mediums like video.

Tune in to this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant invites Chris Orzechowski, the Founder of West Egg Agency, to discuss launching ad campaigns on X. Chris shares X’s upcoming integrations, the platform’s profitability, and how to structure an ad budget for X.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

"If it's a good offer and you put it in front of the right people, it doesn't really matter what platform that's on."
"People want it to be as easy as Meta... and just switch on another platform and have it roll."
"Sometimes your ads will get that earned media, which is the most fun thing in the world... and they're buying."
"If you think your customers are there, they probably are."
"This advertising thing works. Who would have thought? Go figure. Crazy."

Action Steps:

Experiment with X Ads: Leverage the underutilized potential of X Ads to reach a wide audience at a lower cost. This approach addresses the challenge of high competition and costs on other platforms by tapping into a less saturated market.
Optimize content specifically for X: Tailor your ad copy and creative assets specifically for the X platform to increase engagement and conversion rates. This addresses the common mistake of using content designed for other platforms, which may not perform well on X due to its unique user engagement dynamics.
Utilize broad and diverse targeting strategies: Implement a comprehensive targeting strategy by using keywords and follower look-alikes to ensure your ads reach a broad and relevant audience. This tactic is effective in overcoming the challenge of limited reach and high costs associated with narrow targeting.
Leverage earned media impressions: Create ads that resemble regular posts to blend into users’ feeds and encourage organic engagement naturally. This method reduces advertising costs by generating free impressions through user interactions, addressing the constraint of limited advertising budgets.
Start with a manageable budget and scale up: Begin your X Ad campaigns with a modest budget to test the waters and gradually increase spending as you analyze performance. This strategy helps mitigate risks and allows brands to optimize their campaigns over time, combating the challenges of budget constraints and uncertainty about platform effectiveness.

About BWG Connect...

Avi Moskowitz is the Co-founder and CEO of PrettyDamnQuick, a fast-growing eCommerce delivery app facilitating delivery experiences for top DTC and CPG brands. As an eight-figure veteran entrepreneur, he specializes in improving brands’ checkout conversions and shipping revenues. Avi also hosts the Delivering Delight podcast and co-founded BeerBazaar, a top-rated craft brewery with an online shop that became one of the top 10 Shopify stores in Israel.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:51] Avi Moskowitz addresses the widespread abandoned cart issues
[5:02] How to optimize the checkout experience
[13:10] Building trust with the customer to increase conversions
[20:21] Strategies for increasing profitability through checkout optimization
[27:32] The future of the customer checkout experience
[31:03] Customer segmentation tactics for the holidays and beyond

In this episode…

Brands expend money and resources acquiring customers just for them to abandon their carts at checkout. This is an industry-wide epidemic, with yearly revenue losses of up to $270 billion. How can you optimize the checkout experience to convert customers before they churn?

Avi Moskowitz, an eCommerce delivery optimizer, says that brands spend a lot of time creating content and advertising campaigns to acquire customers but overlook the checkout experience. Rather than employing quick fixes and hacks to solve the abandoned cart issue, brands must identify and segment their consumers into subscribers and first-time, returning, and high-value customers. This allows you to personalize their experiences with relevant messaging and product offers. You can also optimize the checkout page by experimenting with various layouts and simplifying shipping options. When it comes to delivery times, customers expect transparent communication and consistency.

In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Avi Moskowitz, the Co-founder and CEO of PrettyDamnQuick, about optimizing the checkout experience to convert customers. Avi explains how checkout optimization enhances profitability, how to segment customers for the holiday season, and the future of the checkout experience.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

"It's crazy to think that four out of 10 or 40 out of 100, or even a higher number abandon at checkout."
"If you hyper-discount it, I could theoretically increase shipping to ensure that if you're going to place the order, I'm not going to lose money."
"Imagine if we're able to dynamically choose a badge or a collection of badges based on what we know, without the brand having to worry."
"For us, brands doing $10 million or more in revenues a year will typically see close to $1 million in increased revenue."
"It's not just the fact that you have a customer who is now happy, but it actually is cash in the bank."

Action Steps:

Personalize the checkout experience: Implement personalized checkout experiences by segmenting customers based on their purchasing behavior, such as first-time visitors versus returning customers. This addresses the challenge of generic checkout processes and enhances customer satisfaction by tailoring the experience to their preferences.
Use A/B testing for optimization: Regularly conduct A/B testing to determine the most effective checkout strategies, such as one-page versus three-page checkouts or the presentation order of shipping options. Testing allows businesses to identify what works best for various customer segments and maximize conversion rates, addressing the challenge of blindly following best practices without data support.
Communicate delivery information clearly: Provide precise and clear delivery information during the checkout process to build trust and reduce customer anxiety about their orders. By clearly communicating delivery times and tracking updates, businesses can minimize "Where is my order?" inquiries and enhance customer confidence in their service.
Implement dynamic pricing and offers: Utilize dynamic pricing and offers based on customer data to improve conversion rates and ensure profitability. This strategic approach addresses the opportunity to influence purchasing decisions by offering deals that align with each customer's value and purchase history, encouraging more sales.
Enhance post-purchase communication: Establish a robust post-purchase communication system that proactively informs customers about any changes or delays in their order delivery, coupled with compensation offers when necessary. This proactive approach helps mitigate dissatisfaction due to unforeseen circumstances, thus strengthening customer loyalty and retention.

About BWG Connect...

Max Sinclair is the Founder and CEO of Ecomtent, which generates AI-powered product content across eCommerce sites. Before founding Ecomtent, he spent six years at Amazon, where he launched Amazon Business in the UK, Amazon.sg in Singapore, and Amazon Grocery across the EU. Max is also the host of New Frontier: The AI for ecommerce podcast.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:50] Max Sinclair’s extensive background at Amazon and how he founded Ecomtent
[6:55] The rapid surge of generative AI
[10:41] How to optimize AI for content generation
[18:52] Use cases for AI-generated content and AI-powered search
[21:59] The future of search — and how Rufus changes the game for Amazon searches
[29:18] Rufus and the future of SEO
[36:32] What are the barriers to AI adoption?

In this episode…

As content creation becomes increasingly sophisticated, brands rely on AI to produce visual and written product content. Additionally, Amazon’s new AI-powered search engine, Rufus, has created more personalized and in-depth searches, making optimized content essential. How can you adapt to the future of AI-powered search and content?

Amazon’s Rufus AI assistant allows consumers to ask specific questions to receive highly personalized search results. This tool analyzes product copy and images to produce relevant results, so Amazon veteran Max Sinclair recommends refining AI models using data to optimize content for search. Rufus has altered SEO, so rather than ranking for specific keywords, you must adjust your content to accommodate the AI search algorithm, ensuring your products appear in the list of relevant results.

In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Max Sinclair, the Founder and CEO of Ecomtent, about optimizing product content for Amazon’s AI-powered search engine. Max talks about Rufus’ role in the future of search and SEO, the barriers to widespread AI adoption, and the use cases for AI-generated content and search.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

"I believe that this is going to be the future of search on Amazon."
"I could pretty immediately see how transformational this was going to be."
"We generate the content at speed and scale, and we optimize for Rufus and Cosmo."
"The future is going to look radically, radically different."
"I think the changes will be on that scale where... it's going to have a bigger impact than... the internet did in creating eCommerce."

Action Steps:

Explore and utilize AI-powered tools: Familiarize yourself with platforms such as Ecomtent to generate high-quality, scalable eCommerce content. This helps to streamline content creation processes and addresses the challenge of producing vast amounts of content at lower costs.
Optimize for AI-powered search engines: Understand the nuances of AI-driven search mechanisms like Rufus to ensure your content is well-optimized for these platforms. This step is crucial as it tackles the opportunity to improve search relevancy and personalization, which are becoming central to eCommerce success.
Invest in fine-tuning AI models: Use fine-tuning methods to enhance AI models, ensuring they better understand and generate eCommerce-specific outputs. This is effective because it directly improves content quality, addressing past challenges of AI's inability to produce precise and accurate content.
Prepare for conversational commerce: Begin adopting and adapting to conversational AI technologies to better align with upcoming trends in customer interaction and shopping preferences. This addresses the opportunity presented by the shift toward voice and text-based interactive shopping experiences.
Engage with emerging technologies: Stay updated and experiment with the latest advancements, like AI-generated video content, to stay ahead in the digital content landscape. This proactive approach addresses the ongoing transformation in digital marketing and content delivery, providing a competitive edge.

About BWG Connect...

Mark Lotman is the Co-founder and COO of Monocle, which creates AI-powered customer incentives for businesses. After developing product strategies and pricing and fostering customer engagement at Stripe and McKinsey & Company, Mark founded Monocle to optimize incentives.

Noam Szpiro is the Co-founder and CEO of Monocle, where he leverages his experience as an engineering manager and director at Lyft and Instacart. Noam is also the former Co-founder of Interviews.tech, a marketplace for mock interviews with tech companies that he sold in 2022.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:47] How Mark Lotman and Noam Szpiro leveraged their customer engagement and product experience to launch Monocle
[7:06] Optimizing customer incentives for profitability
[12:40] The role of AI and machine learning in personalizing customer incentives
[16:46] How to integrate Monocle into email, SMS, and direct mail campaigns for improved segmentation
[20:41] Tips for utilizing A/B testing to determine ideal discounts — and how incentives drive conversions
[27:25] Trends in the customer personalization space
[31:39] Noam and Mark’s recommended software platforms
[35:32] Omnichannel strategies to increase profitability

In this episode…

Customer incentives are gaining significant traction in the eCommerce space, with brands offering exclusive deals to drive conversions. Yet with customer acquisition costs rising, discounts have become costly, so brands must be strategic with their offerings to maintain profitability. How can you optimize your incentive programs?

Customer engagement experts Mark Lotman and Noam Szpiro leverage causal AI to personalize customer discounts and incentives. This analyzes key customer behaviors, preferences, and engagement rates to determine ideal offerings. Personalizing incentives based on how customers interact with your brand allows you to identify the offers’ incremental value so you can drive conversions and increase lifetime value. You can also utilize A/B testing to establish ideal discounts that boost profitability and ROI.

In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Mark Lotman and Noam Szpiro of Monocle about how to leverage customer incentives to drive conversions while maintaining profitability. Together, they discuss how to integrate Monocle into email, SMS, and direct mail campaigns, customer personalization trends, and their recommended software platforms.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

"There's a lot of opportunity in optimizing the promotions."
"It's not about recommending products; it's about recommending the right incentive."
"We're always looking at the cause and effect of different actions."
"There's an increased importance to engage your retained base, but also a cost to it that wasn't there before."
"You want to understand the incremental value of giving that person a discount because giving a discount is costly."

Action Steps:

Implement personalized offer strategies to improve conversion rates: By targeting offers based on customer behavior, you're more likely to convert hesitant customers, directly addressing the challenge of profitability.
Embrace machine learning over rule-based systems: Leveraging AI to personalize offers can outperform static rules and adapt to changes in consumer behavior.
Ensure transparency in machine learning models to maintain control of marketing operations: This visibility helps marketers trust the system and utilize its insights for other strategic decisions.
Regularly experiment with A/B testing on an individual level: This approach of continuous, personalized A/B testing can fine-tune offers for each customer, ensuring maximum engagement.
Recognize the value of retention and develop targeted campaigns for existing customers: With acquisition costs rising, engaging your customer base with personalized incentives is crucial for long-term profitability.

About BWG Connect...

Adam Epstein is the Co-founder and CEO of Gigi, which helps brands and agencies buy and measure Amazon Streaming TV ads. As a technology entrepreneur and executive, he has experience in SaaS, business and corporate development, sales, operations, strategy, partnerships, and product management. Before Gigi, Adam was the Co-president and VP of Growth at Perpetua, a growth infrastructure software for eCommerce.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:10] Adam Epstein’s career background from Perpetua to Gigi — and the evolution of Amazon ads
[8:55] The rise of Amazon Streaming TV ads
[15:04] How to incorporate streaming TV into your Amazon ad strategy
[22:29] Budget allocations for Amazon Streaming TV ads
[25:21] Will streaming TV ads become table stakes?
[32:59] Key opportunities in the streaming TV ads space
[40:54] What Amazon’s partnership with major publishers means for brands

In this episode…

The Amazon advertising space is evolving constantly, with budgets for on-site sponsored ads plateauing. Streaming TV has emerged as a profitable advertising channel integrated with Amazon Marketing Cloud. With streaming TV still in its infancy, how can you evaluate if it’s right for your business, and how can you incorporate it into your existing Amazon ads strategy?

As a pioneer of Amazon Streaming TV ads, Adam Epstein has advised brands and agencies on this imminent channel, emphasizing that it’s not for everyone. Smaller brands that invest less than $250,000 a month on sponsored ads should consider investing more to build awareness before diversifying to streaming TV. For brands that have exhausted their sponsored ads spend, Adam suggests investing 10% of their total Amazon ad budget into streaming TV to generate a broader reach. Once you’ve obtained exposure on streaming TV, you can allocate your budget evenly across all Amazon ad channels and even leverage Amazon’s partnerships with other streaming platforms like Disney+ and Hulu.

In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Adam Epstein, the Co-founder and CEO of Gigi, about the emerging potential of Amazon Streaming TV ads. Adam talks about its seamless integration into other Amazon advertising channels, its potential to become table stakes for brands, and how to leverage its profitable opportunities.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

"The growth wasn't necessarily in sponsored ads, but certainly starting to manifest itself at the top of the funnel through Amazon Streaming TV ads."
"If you're not using the full suite of Amazon Marketing Cloud to effectively measure your streaming TV campaigns, you're really flying blind."
"Amazon has built a host of tools for people to use, but the incumbent out-of-the-box means of collaborating first-party data with Amazon are a little challenging."
"You're able to capture sales both on Amazon and your DTC channel, giving you unprecedented measurement capabilities."
"The time is now; there's still early days. There are massive opportunities for brands that are investing in this right now."

Action Steps:

Evaluate your current Amazon sponsored ads and DSP strategies to determine if they're plateauing, and then consider investing in streaming TV ads to drive new brand interest: This step ensures you don’t leave growth opportunities on the table by sticking to stale, underperforming tactics.
Allocate at least 10% of your total Amazon ad spend toward streaming TV ads if your budget exceeds $250,000 a month across Amazon channels: This percentage is significant enough to make an impact without being overly risky, optimizing your potential ROI.
Integrate both Amazon and DTC sales data to create richer audiences and more precise targeting for your streaming TV ads: Combining data sources enhances your understanding of customer behavior across channels, maximizing the relevance and effectiveness of your ads.
Reallocate your traditional TV and awareness budgets to Amazon Streaming TV ads in proportion to where your sales originate: This strategy ensures you invest in advertising channels that contribute the most to your bottom line, making every dollar count.
Stay informed of the rapidly evolving opportunities within Amazon's ad landscape, including advertising on platforms like Netflix through DSP partnerships: Keeping abreast of new developments allows you to leverage additional high-value inventory and remain competitive in capturing audience attention.

About BWG Connect...

Andrea Leigh is the Founder and CEO of Allume Group, an eCommerce knowledge-sharing network. She is also the co-host of The CPG Guys podcast. With over 20 years of eCommerce experience working with thousands of brands, she is an educator, speaker, and writer involved with various organizations, including The Digital Shelf Institute and Path to Purchase Institute. Andrea spent 10 years as a Senior Executive at Amazon, where she led over 15 categories, helped launch Amazon’s automated pricing system and other programs, and managed Amazon Prime in Canada.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[2:40] How Andrea Leigh’s career has evolved with eCommerce
[7:52] The challenges of navigating the digital commerce space
[15:33] Pivoting your business model to adapt to changes in the digital landscape
[19:55] How to embrace digital-first by learning new skills and building relationships
[26:10] What brands learn from adopting digital strategies — and a framework for aligning these strategies
[36:43] A deep dive into digital decision-making
[41:44] Trends from omni-retailers

In this episode…

As the eCommerce landscape grows and evolves, businesses face many conundrums. They hire for new roles and integrate the latest technology only to realize they’ve gone too far. Middle management runs amok, and traditional business models begin to crumble. How can companies bounce back to navigate this space effectively?

As a brand educator in the digital space, Andrea Leigh understands that it’s difficult to identify an ideal starting place. It’s no longer practical to rely solely on cross-functional teams to execute eCommerce strategies. Instead, businesses need participation and collaboration from the entire organization, requiring teams to build strong relationships for idea-sharing and digital strategy alignment. Team members and stakeholders must also adopt new skills to stay abreast of digital trends and develop ways to pivot in unexpected situations.

In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Andrea Leigh, the Founder and CEO of Allume Group, about navigating and adapting to the digital shift. Andrea talks about pivoting your business model from analog to digital, embracing consumers’ digital-first demands, and the complexities of digital decision-making.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

"You can't just look at ROI across all platforms, especially if you're running different strategies."
"Digital commerce requires fabric because it's always on."
"If you don't know what you're trying to accomplish, stop spending right now."
"Digital folks going through the exercise of putting together a business case internally and championing it... those are super transferable skills."
"It's less of a one-size-fits-all answer and more of an exercise of tailored planning."

Action Steps:

Define your digital commerce goals for each retail media platform you engage with; clear objectives are critical for efficient budget allocation: This ensures targeted and strategic spending, improving ROI by aligning with desired outcomes in the complex digital media landscape.
Foster cross-departmental collaboration by integrating digital teams into broader company functions: This enables holistic decision-making and action planning, essential in the fast-paced and interconnected realm of digital commerce.
Encourage continuous education within your organization on digital commerce innovations and best practices: Staying informed and adapting to market changes strengthens a brand’s competitive edge in the digital-first consumer market.
Regularly reevaluate your organizational design to ensure it remains agile and responsive to the shifting digital landscape: This proactive approach can prevent redundancies and keep an organization streamlined and focused on core digital commerce activities.
Establish measurable benchmarks for assessing digital commerce initiatives, and adjust strategies based on performance data: This allows for data-driven decision-making, mitigating risks and maximizing opportunities in the online retail environment.

About BWG Connect...

Matt Dornfeld is the Senior Director and Head of Global Partnerships at Feedonomics, a subsidiary of BigCommerce and an enterprise that provides leading product feed management solutions for brands, retailers, and agencies. Feedonomics offers brands a robust platform to aggregate their product data and syndicate it to marketplaces, ads, and affiliate channels worldwide. Matt's role is pivotal in facilitating global business partnerships and helping brands scale their operations, resulting in win-win-win outcomes for clients, partners, and Feedonomics.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[2:40] Matt Dornfeld breaks down instant commerce and its potential for brands
[9:56] The importance of delivery transparency and customer choice in online shopping
[13:03] How instant commerce drives profitability and growth
[16:38] North Star strategies for executing instant commerce
[18:49] Which platforms have experimented with instant commerce?
[21:12] How to boost profitability for DTC sites
[29:38] Best practices for marketplace expansion

In this episode…

Instant commerce allows customers to receive their orders within hours of purchase. Platforms like Amazon, DoorDash, and UberEats have pioneered this commerce method, and with more customers expecting same-day delivery for every order, brands are capitalizing on this trend. How can you break into the instant commerce space while driving long-term profitability?

According to feed management expert and strategist Matt Dornfeld, consumers shop mainly on Google and Amazon, making these channels their primary starting points. Google’s local inventory ads feature targets consumers with ads for locally available products and directs them to the merchants’ websites where they can select from same-day pick-up or delivery. This tool allows brands to foster transparency and build trust with customers online and in-store, which are crucial for elevating experiences and driving conversions. Facebook and Bing have similar local inventory features, so you can expand into additional marketplaces to reach more shoppers. This requires understanding where your customers shop and investing in channels that align with your overall brand strategy.

In the latest episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant hosts Matt Dornfeld, the Senior Director and Head of Global Partnerships at Feedonomics, who shares insights about instant commerce for brands. Matt talks about the importance of providing customers with multiple shopping options, North Star strategies for executing instant commerce, and how to boost profitability on your DTC site.

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Quotable Moments:

"Instant commerce is helping shoppers get the things they're looking for really, really, really fast."
"If you're not investing in Amazon ads, you're missing out on a significant opportunity to drive conversion."
"You have to meet your shoppers where they are, and they are on Google and Amazon."
"Retail is starting to hit an innovation curve as it relates to instant commerce."
"Investing in the right services with mega partners can yield easy wins, assuming they're aligned to your category."

Action Steps:

Evaluate channels for alignment with brand strategy and customer behavior to avoid oversaturating the wrong marketplaces: This ensures targeted growth by focusing efforts where they will be most impactful and relevant.
Optimize product data for marketplace success to ensure accurate and compelling listings: Accurate product data reduces friction for customers, increasing the likelihood of conversions and repeat purchases.
Leverage local inventory advertising to bridge online marketing with in-person purchasing experiences: This approach enhances the customer journey by providing immediate gratification while driving foot traffic to brick-and-mortar locations.
Develop a North Star strategy to provide cohesive growth across all business functions: Having clear long-term goals allows for flexibility in strategy while ensuring every step contributes to overall success.
Engage with trusted partners and vendors for proactive, innovative solutions tailored to current market dynamics: Collaborating with seasoned experts facilitates informed decision-making and adaptive strategies, potentially maximizing ROI.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

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About BWG Connect...

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