Future Commerce

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**Future Commerce**

Future Commerce is the culture magazine for Commerce. Hosts Phillip Jackson and Brian Lange help brand and digital marketing leaders see around the next corner by exploring the intersection of Culture and Commerce.

Trusted by the world’s most recognizable brands to deliver the most insightful, entertaining, and informative weekly podcasts, Future Commerce is the leading new media brand for eCommerce merchants and retail operators.

Each week, we explore the cultural implications of what it means to sell or buy products and how commerce and media impact the culture and the world around us, through unique insights and engaging interviews with a dash of futurism.

Weekly essays, full transcripts, and quarterly market research reports are available at https://www.futurecommerce.com/plus

Latest Episodes:

“Metaverse is Just the Internet Now” (Live from ShopTalk 2022) Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

Come At Me PacSun

Everything and everyone is all about the metaverse right now. Brian is starting to think that the “metaverse is just the internet now.” Maybe it is, hence why some think NFTs, crypto, and bitcoin are part of the metaverse as well.
When we think about DTC we have to remember what the entailed vision was: “to disrupt the existing industry or category with a product that is equal to or better than the existing products that are available and make them more affordable and get them to you quicker.” -Ingrid
Everyone is capable of doing everything because there is an audience
“Crypto bros are basically just this generation's example of extreme couponers.” -Phillip
A company-curated around being highly curated and centered around good company culture, and innovation will beat out money every single time.
“The biggest opportunity in this current market is right now, everything that is going to be worth anything is entirely based on curation.” - Ingrid

Associated Links:

Our 2022 Predictions Episode
Tune into Infinite Shelf Season 2!
Subscribe to Insiders and Senses to read more of our hot takes!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

[Step by Step] What are the Common Mistakes to Avoid in Cross-Border Commerce? (Feat. Peter van der Westhuizen) Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

A Lesson in Complex Systems

Peter is the manager of Strategic Partnerships at BigCommerce and works to help solve the pain points of tax and cross-border
“Tax is one of the more complex issues that merchants have to work through when it comes to cross-border commerce.” -Peter
Localization, offering the correct payment gateways, and fraud management are just a few things that will help make a seamless experience for your customers
Shipping can be a big problem when it comes to cross-border. You need to look at having the right partnerships and you also have to consider how you are going to manage returns.
“Returns is often overlooked as a really core component of eCommerce, but it's so important when you consider the cost to acquire a new customer versus retaining a customer and keeping a customer happy and coming back.” -Peter
There’s a risk in that part of your experience as a brand operator is fractured and part is localized.
“If you just do a little bit of research, have your homework done and in place, and have the right partner stack, it's very doable and the opportunity becomes better every day as a lot of these markets continue to grow. So I wouldn't focus on the complexity. I would just get the right strategy in place, get the right partnerships in place to help you take advantage of the opportunity.” -Peter

Associated Links:

Want to learn more about going cross-border? Download our free Step by Step guide!
Get connected with Avalara!
Learn more about Peter van der Westhizen and BigCommerce
Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
Find our other Future Commerce episodes on our website

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.fm, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

[Step by Step] How Does Cross-Border Commerce Impact Supply Chain? (Feat. John Huelskamp, Flexport) Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

Launching the Crawl, Walk, Run

As companies scale their operations into new markets, it's important to have the people, partners, and processes to scale efficiently.
“We need technology to help us manage exceeding our own capacities and limits.” -Phillip
It’s about the relationships on the other side and how we relate to them, in order to make all things come together and bring product to the hands of the person trying to order from us.
“Once you've launched that crawl, walk, run process, if you've done that once in a new market, the next market you enter your tolerance for complexities up dramatically.” -John
When figuring out inefficiencies in your supply chain, go to your front-line workers and ask them about their days and where they feel the most inefficient. They’ll help you uncover the issues in your processes.
“Every person's capacity for change management is wildly different.” -John

Associated Links:

Want to learn more about going cross-border? Download our free Step by Step guide!
Get connected with Avalara!
Learn more about John Heulskamp and Flexport
Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
Find our other Future Commerce episodes on our website

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

[Step by Step] What Changes Will My Business Face in Selling Overseas? (Feat. Craig Reed, GM of Crossborder at Avalara) Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

The Rosetta Stone of eCommerce

Craig Reed is the GM of Cross-Border at Avalara and has watched the industry develop over the last 20 years. He’s truly one of the godfathers of cross-border eCommerce.
An HS code is the code that an individual country expects you to give them to tell them what you're importing. This is important because all the other rules and restrictions flow from HS codes. Craig likes to label HS codes as “The Rosetta Stone of eCommerce.”
The way we think about goods is different for every country and is different in every country.
“A marketing description of a good and a country's description of a good are vastly different things, and they don't work well together. But getting that description is important. Getting to that Rosetta Stone is important, and that's the art behind trying to do cross-border eCommerce well.”- Craig
If you’re doing anything cross-border, it is all about having the right information, and the right data.
“It's about having good data and providing the right data to the right party at the right time, whether that's the consumer, whether it's a government, whether it's your suppliers, etc. You really need to have good data.”- Craig
Customer expectations have changed, which means that the cross-border customer expectations have shifted. It's important to provide a good buying experience because the buying experience is also the shipping experience.
“The way that you deliver your customer supply chain is your customer experience” -Brian

Associated Links:

Want to learn more about going cross-border? Download our free Step by Step guide!
Get connected with Avalara!
Learn more about Craig Reed
Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
Find our other Future Commerce episodes on our website

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

[Step by Step] How do I Begin Selling Internationally? (Feat. Kent Allen, Co-Founder of GELF) Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

Have a More Holistic Global View of the World

Kent Allen is the Co-Founder of GELF, who has been in the ecosystem and helping lead the conversation of cross-border for 25 years
“We've got to realize that the very nature of digital commerce is cross-border.” -Kent
In the last few years we’ve seen a boom in eCommerce, which has inherently led to a boom in cross-border
The monkey paw of cross-border is having to be extremely specific when manifesting things in the eCommerce world
Cross-border eCommerce is a diversification play. It’s an opportunity to be relevant to your consumer and the next-decade consumer.
You don’t have to go strictly direct-to-consumer; marketplaces can be a huge opportunity for selling internationally. If you’re able to adapt your domestic operations, you can quickly and easily fulfill international orders from your domestic operation
“When you're ready to kind of go into new markets and you need to find customers and things like that, marketplaces are usually the best way to do it.” -Kent
If you ignore selling internationally, others aren’t and you will lose markets in the future
“You have to have a more holistic global view of the world” -Kent

Associated Links:

Want to learn more about going cross-border? Download our free Step by Step guide!
Get connected with Avalara!
Learn more about Kent Allen and GELF
Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
Find our other Future Commerce episodes on our website

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

[Step by Step] How Does Cross-Border eCommerce Work? (Feat Jason Nyhus, SVP of Global Sales at Digital River) Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

It Takes an Ecosystem to Grow Internationally

Jason Nyhus is the SVP of Global Sales at Digital River, focusing on helping brands go global
“The honest reality of today is a lot different than it was a decade ago. If you make any product, you are inherently global overnight.”- Jason
Just because you’re able to take people’s money, doesn't mean you will be able to fulfill the brands promise. You have to make sure that you will still be able to deliver an on-par experience. You have to be able to serve the demand
There are two categories to consider:
1. Where is the product coming from? Does it have to cross the border?
2. Where is the payment being taken? Does that also have to cross the border?
The more onshore, the better. Better in terms of products, how long it takes to get there and making sure you have the appropriate payment methods.
A brand can really screw up when they go global if they surprise their customers in a negative way.
“It's not just your flagship. If you're going cross-border, it's your only ship.” -Brian
“A lot of people think that they can execute an international global expansion. The question is, should they do it themselves or should they find help from some of the companies that you have on this podcast? Because I think that's probably the most likely best path for a lot of them.” -Jason

Associated Links:

Want to learn more about going cross-border? Download our free Step by Step guide!
Get connected with Avalara!
Learn more about Jason Nyhus and Digital River
Listen to our other Step by Step seasons
Find our other Future Commerce episodes on our website

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Talking S*** with Tushy (Feat. Miki Agrawal, Founder) Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

The Super Bowel Movement

We admit, we were talking s**t about Tushy on a recent Senses email, only because our team was very intrigued by the Super Bowel campaign, and of course this prompted conversation between our teams and here we are, dropping poop jokes on the show
TUSHY is the modern bidet brand that washes your butt clean after you poop.
“Make something that you would be curious to click on. It changes the way you make art and the way you create and do things. It truly is all about authenticity.”-Miki
Showing authenticity in marketing and in gerneral, in being a brand, is important because it matches people up with a brand
Miki looks at things in a three prongs thesis:
- Best in class product. No matter the product, it has to be cool, intriguing, delicious and elevate your life.
- Artful design across every touchpoint of the brand/product. “It's considered artful design across every touchpoint of our brand, when it makes you open your heart.” -Miki
- Acessible, relatable language. Have the authentic conversation like you're texting your best friend
“The things that we do aren’t just for the sake of them, but to open up a broader conversation.” - Miki
“The antidote to late capitalism is more human connection and more fulfillment of us having deeper conversations.” -Phillip

Associated Links:

Learn more about Miki Agrawal and TUSHY- Use FUTURETUSHY for 10% off your purchase!
Tushy’s Super Bowel Campaign
Subscribe to Insiders and Senses to read more of our hot takes!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce
Infinite Shelf Season 2 OUT NOW!
Stay tuned for our newest season of Step by Step…coming soon!

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"The X-Factor": Live from eTail West Palm Springs (Feat. Tommy Lamb and Mary Grace Tifft, WITHIN) Mar 04, 2022

Show notes

Everything is Better in Person

Everyone is still suffering through the turmoil of work from home life, job transitions, not knowing how to interact with customers, and so much more but Etail West was able to provide a way for everyone to relate and be in person again for the first time in a long time.
“The struggles that any company has to build out culture, whether it's in-person or even more challenging when it's remote, those challenges are no different than when you're trying to build a relationship with your customer.” -Tommy
Culture transparency is important, from company culture all the way down to building relationships with your customers.
Mary Grace has a brilliant way of thinking called X-Factor, where she analyzes everything on three levels, execution, raw nerve or bravery, and the overall X-Factor (or wow factor) to the thing being analyzed.
Etail West provided the opportunity for everyone to connect again, it provided the safety net for life to feel free and for those attending to interact and share successes and helpful strategies of how they pushed through the times of COVID.

Associated Links:

Learn more about Tommy Lamb, Mary Grace Tift and WITHIN
Watch us build in public. Subscribe to our YouTube or Twitch and never miss a Casting Visions Episode!
Subscribe to Insiders and Senses!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce
Infinite Shelf Season 2 coming in March!
Stay tuned for our newest season of Step by Step…coming soon!

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Redefining Arbitrage (What if hard work is the real untapped opportunity?) Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

What Even is Arbitrage?

Phillip’s new definition of arbitrage: an untapped source of potential; a source of growth that's under leveraged or as yet undiscovered.
“The real arbitrage opportunity is hard work. Everybody wants a shortcut, and everybody wants the one weird trick.” - Philllip
We’re stuck in a e-commerce industry diet fad phase. Everyone is searching for the one weird trick, but there is no weird trick, its just an endurance race of hard work.
“Work hard and keep working longer than you ought, because most others will not.” - Phillip
Gentle parenting is a style of parenting that is becoming very popular but there is a common refrain which is to do dangerous things carefully. Doing things carefully can be looked at the same in commerce, we take risks and are not promised a guaranteed outcome, but you test it and learn from it.
Luxury by nature is an exception because it will always be the minority. In eCommerce, we often look at luxury as an exception, and we go and build for that experience, but we’re actually building for the exception.

Associated Links:

Watch us build in public. Subscribe to our YouTube or Twitch and never miss a Casting Visions Episode!
Subscribe to Insiders and Senses!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce
Infinite Shelf Season 2 coming in March!
Stay tuned for our newest season of Step by Step…coming soon!

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Announcing: Casting Visions (Looking Beyond Commerce) Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

The Evolution of Future Commerce

Today we’re talking about the future of Future Commerce, going in depth on all our deep and dreamy stuff we got going on!
“Commerce is relationship, identity, and connection between people. As we see changes in the way that people relate, commerce is affected and vice versa. As commerce changes, the way that people relate is changed.” - Brian
Because everyone has the ability to change, we at Future Commerce want to grow and adapt with the change, commence Casting Visions: building in public. Casting Visions will be the spot of Future Commerce where we will be looking beyond commerce.
“Future Commerce is a company. It's a media company. It performs research and comes up with original ideas, big ideas, on how the world will be changed via commerce and how we're all going to have to adapt or create the new future. And that is powered by people who are futurists, who are risk-takers, and who are creating the new commerce paradigms and experiences for the future.” -Phillip
Not only are we working on Visions, but we have amazing growth going on with our subproperties, Step by Step, Infinite Shelf, Nine by Nine, and Future Commerce Salons. That’s why now is a great time to make Visions more than just a report.
Visions is more than just a report. That’s why we’re building it in public, with our friends and colleagues of Future Commerce
“As you do push boundaries, sometimes you push right over the edge. And I think there's a time and a place to do that. And it is risky to do that. But Future Commerce is for the risk-takers. We want people who are ready to put it all on the line at some point and show things off.” - Brian

Associated Links:

Watch us build in public. Subscribe to our YouTube or Twitch and never miss a Casting Visions Episode!
Brian’s Insiders piece: #080: Rethinking Brand Power Structures
Subscribe to Insiders and Senses!
Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce
Infinite Shelf Season 2 coming in March!
Stay tuned for our newest season of Step by Step…coming soon!

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.