eCommerce: Hacking The Holidays

What do cool kicks, cricket protein and eCommerce have in common? Props from serial entrepreneur and CEO/Co-Founder of VaynerMedia, Gary Vaynerchuk. In this special episode (shot on Gary’s birthday), VaynerMedia’s SVP of eCommerce, Sabir Semerkant, and Partner Manager for Shopify Plus, Mac King, learn how the launch of Gary Vee’s KSwiss Signature Shoes broke the internet. Speaking from the heart, Gary covers his love for win-win situations (i.e. success through failure), hacking emerging trends, and trading in excuses for action. To help fellow entrepreneurs and brands up their eCommerce game, he also shares tips to break through the noise with little to no budget. Rounding out the episode, Gary drills into the competitive advantage of Instagram and Snapchat for underpriced attention, and reiterates the power of leveraging influencers, rankings and hashtags to sell, sell, sell.

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, eCommerce is once again poised to be one of biggest (and most effective) ways for brands to cash in during occasions like Thanksgiving and Black Friday. In the first episode of a 6-part mini-series podcast, VaynerMedia’s SVP of eCommerce, Sabir Semerkant, and Partner Manager for Shopify Plus, Mac King, discuss the importance of building a calendar of key dates in November and beyond (e.g. Cyber Monday and Free Shipping Day), as well as having a plan to track and maximize sales. Additional topics include the tools and services that come with a partner like Shopify, the value of email and data management for targeting, plus a look at brands doing eCommerce right. Sabir and Mac wrap up with thoughts on Alibaba’s record-breaking Single’s Day, what that could mean for the U.S. in 2018, as well as two essential hacks to help you stay competitive.

Online shoppers have high expectations when they place an order, especially during Black Friday and the holiday season. In this episode, Nicole Gardner (Chief Operating Officer of Dormify) and JD Woods (CXO/Chief Experience Officer of third-party logistics provider, Dotcom Distribution) share their insights and ways to improve the checkout and delivery experience while avoiding disappointment. Alongside VaynerMedia’s SVP of eCommerce, Sabir Semerkant, and Partner Manager for Shopify Plus, Mac King, Nicole and JD discuss a range of topics about operations, including over-communication with customers and the strategic relationship between brand and 3PL (third-party logistics). While coordinating early is key, they also highlight plans of action for unforeseen events, such as last-minute changes to an order profile, turbulent weather, and shipping delays. Wrapping up, Nicole and JD focus on hacks for their peak sale seasons, from boxing products to putting yourself in the shoes of your audience.

As viral marketing has proven, building your brand around a trending topic can propel you into the spotlight. While the path to success is different for every business, this episode follows Matt Fiano’s journey as co-founder and CDO of the clothing and fashion company, Ivory Ella. Alongside hosts Sabir Semerkant (SVP of eCommerce at VaynerMedia) and Mac King (Partner Manager for Shopify Plus), Matt explains how he was able to monetize a social media meme account after steadily gaining nearly 7 million followers. Before flipping the switch, Matt recounts his many challenges and breakthroughs, from identifying a worthwhile cause to fulfilling orders with little manufacturing, packaging and shipping experience. This episode is rich with insights, including the value of collecting email addresses, launching products with friends and family, and increasing demand with pre-orders. While Matt offers a long list of holiday hacks, you don’t want to miss his take on celebrating and growing with your valuable repeat customers.

It’s no surprise that Amazon has become more than an eCommerce powerhouse, and in this episode, you’ll hear proof points from co-founder of Thursday Boots Company, Nolan Walsh, and Vice President of Digital Media at VaynerMedia, Lee Elliott. Speaking with VaynerMedia’s SVP of eCommerce, Sabir Semerkant, and Partner Manager for Shopify Plus, Mac King, Nolan explains how selling Thursday Boots DTC (direct to consumers) initially helped cut out the middleman, but fell short on building faith in a new brand. This episode dives deep into Amazon’s competitive edge, including Nolan’s strategic decision to place his product beside bigger brand names, which helped to gain credibility. From another perspective, Lee highlights Amazon’s three media channels (A+ Enhanced Content, AMS, and AMG/AAP) with insights from Sabir on the platform as a leading product search engine, not just a shopping experience. As always, the group closes with innovative hacks to help you stand out and sell out, particularly for Black Friday.

To pay, or not to pay. Or both? That’s the “driving” question in this episode about generating traffic in your media ecosystem with Director of Revenue Acceleration at Shopify Plus, Marc Weisinger. Alongside hosts Sabir Semerkant (SVP of eCommerce at VaynerMedia) and Mac King (Partner Manager for Shopify Plus), the group compares an organic versus paid approach. Starting with the value of sweat equity in SEO and email marketing, they go on to describe the benefits of optimizing your mobile experience and leveraging the power of video. On the paid side, the group covers the practice of testing, learning, and optimizing content, and explains how small budgets across a range of platforms (e.g. Google, Amazon) can empower brands and entrepreneurs to make smart changes quickly. Additional topics include tips to cultivate your brand, ways to stand out against the competition, and of course, hacks in analytics that can help you win, for example, Google Shopping and even next year’s Black Friday.