The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 26 Sourcing Inventory From Near and Far, Part Three May 05, 2016

Show notes

Today's episode is the third and final instalment of our series on domestic and international supplying. We have talked about shipping in both the United States and from overseas. We have also talked about the politics involved in overseas suppliers. Today we finish this series with how to find a supplier you can work with and make money.

There are tons of online suppliers that offer cheap products for newcomers. These sites are helpful, but the ideal situation is to explore the market and find your product through trial and error. On today's episode we share our experience with finding our products and offer practical advice on how to be smart about it.

The main points from today's show are:

Why you should consider the long term when looking at a supplier
Places to find product and the power of word of mouth
How order amount is good indicator of a profitable product
The reasons to consider domestic suppliers
The math equation for smart product ordering
What is bank management

We could try to explore what makes a great product and how to find the best seller, but there is no formula for what works and what doesn't. This will conclude our series on this subject, but we hope we gave some useful information on how to approach building and managing your inventory.

Resources from Today's Episode:

If you have any questions or anything you'd like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

Episode 25: Sourcing Inventory From Near and Far, Part Two Apr 28, 2016

Show notes

This is the second part to our importing and shipping series. Last episode we discussed the benefits of going with domestic manufacturer and all the challenges that comes with that. Today we discuss the process of ordering and shipping from overseas.

When you get your shipment from overseas like from China you have two options you can go FOB (Free on Board) or CWX shipping. Free on Board is delivered to the airport or port and is loaded based on priority. CWX is loaded up by the manufacturer and available for pick up. We tend to go with FOB because it's often included in the overall price.

Deciding which type of shipping is just the beginning. We talk about the whole process and how to approach business overseas.

The topics we cover today are:

How to avoid unexpected charges.
The importance of inspections.
How to haggle for the best price.
Mike and Grant's missteps in the shipping process.

We have decided to make this a 3 part series. So next time we will discuss how to choose the right manufacturer.

Episode 24: Sourcing Inventory From Near and Far Apr 21, 2016

Show notes

We discuss our experience with shipping and importing product for inventory today. Most people make the assumption that importing from overseas like China is the best solution. But we are going to explore all the options of shipping both foreign and domestic.

Everybody normally begins by stocking their inventory with a local vendor. There is nothing wrong with this approach and it does have some advantages, but hopefully we will inform you enough to make the right decision for your business. Just as domestic supplying has its ups and downs, so too does getting your supply from China or some other part of the world.

Some of the points we discussed today are:

When to ask for white labeling or private labeling.
Pallet pricing vs. truck load pricing.
How to handle losing a shipment.
Why you should maximize your order.
Why you should always order in bulk.
The pros and cons of air shipping.
How to be ready for the hidden fees and costs.

This episode is going to be a 2 part series. We have tons more to cover and we will do that in a future video.

Resources Mentioned During Today’s Episode:

If you have any questions or anything you’d like us to discuss on the podcast please go to ecomcrew.com and fill out the contact form. Also we would really appreciate if you would leave us a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

Episode 23: Listener Questions on Promotional Material and Seasonal Products and Inventory Apr 14, 2016

Show notes

We use today’s episode as a chance to thank all the listeners and reviewers who have left their feedback for us. We appreciate the comments and questions you guys leave for us. Speaking of questions we answer a 3 part question from one of our listeners, Colin.

Colin left a 3 part question that we have dedicated today’s episode too. He asked us “what we could recommend for promotional material in a product’s packaging?” “what do we think about seasonable products?” and “how do you plan for holiday inventory?”

We answer all three of these questions and share our thoughts on the subject.

Some of the things we covered today are:

When to pay the fee for non branded Amazon boxes
How to promote your site without violating Amazon’s agreement
The pros and cons of seasonal items
The challenges of inventory during the holiday season

Resources Mentioned Today:

Episode 21: Supercharge Your Email Marketing Part Thre Mar 31, 2016

Show notes

Today we complete the series How to Supercharge Your Email. This is part 3 of 3. If you haven’t heard the first part of this series you can hear parts 1 and 2 here and here.

We have been talking about the success of the Colorit contests. We have talked about the email flows that contestants receive in their inboxes. These flows have really helped us get more sales. Colorit has 7 to 8 flows on Klaviyo that have a sequence of 10 emails each. Today we’re going to talk about the campaigns we do in Klaviyo.

A campaign is just a single email that announces product information. We talk about 3 of these campaigns during the episode. We had a testimonial request, a new book announcement, and an Affiliate program announcement.

Some of the topics we bring up today are:

How you can win a free hour of consulting with us.
When to cull your email list.
Klaviyo compared to Mailchimp.
Colorit’s current high ranking on Amazon.
The Pros and Cons of using Amazon.
Colorit’s acceptance into Google Trusted stores.

As you can see we have some big things happening with Colorit and we can thank email for part of that.

Resources Mentioned on Today’s Episode:

Episode 20: Supercharge Your Email Marketing Part Two Mar 24, 2016

Show notes

Today’s episode is part 2 to our email marketing series. Mike explains the email flow he uses for his Colorit.com contests. This episode will focus on the promotional material that is sent out over the course of the month.

We discuss why we have the flow structured the way we do and Grant does some brainstorming to think outside the box. We toss ideas around and we talk about how successful Mike has been with this campaign.

Our conversation today includes:

The benefits of using Klaviyo.
How facebook is helping us build an email list.
The actual email schedule we use with new sign-ups.
General ideas to draw in new customers.

This is part 2 in a 3 part series. If you missed part 1 you can listen to it here. To take a look at the landing page we designed for the Colorit contest click here. We have had wild success with this marketing approach and are still trying to find the edge of the limits to it.

Join us next time for part 3 of this series How to Supercharge Your Email.

Resources Mentioned During Today’s Episode:

Colorit.com

Klaviyo

Colorit 4 Free Drawings Offer

Typeform

Cuttingboard.com

Episode 19: Supercharge Your Email Marketing Part One Mar 17, 2016

Show notes

Today we want to talk about the benefits of email marketing in your business. In the past we didn’t embrace email marketing, but all that changed with Colorit. We will walk you through our email flow during the Colorit Contest.

The numbers are beyond encouraging and we will definitely be using these techniques on other products like cuttingboard.com. Grant admits that he doesn’t have a lot of experience with this marketing style, but there is something to it. If you didn’t get around to hearing the episode we did on the Colorit contest you can listen to it here.

Here’s what we discussed today:

Our background in email list marketing
How to make a clickable subject line
Why you should subscribe to companies that do great email marketing
The email sequence we send out after a contestant enters the Colorit Contest

This episode is just part one on this subject, so come back next time for part two!

Resources Mentioned During Today’s Episode:

Nerd Marketing -- Drew Sanocki

Episode 18: From Garage to Warehouse and Beyond Mar 10, 2016

Show notes

Today’s episode is about going from running your business out of your home to a warehouse. We have our own growing pains stories on this topic, so we hope we can help those of you ready to move.

The key factor to maintaining a warehouse is efficiency. A lot of things go into making sure your operation is efficient. You need to make sure the items are safely packed for shipping (which is harder than you expect) and that your inventory can keep up with demand. We’re going to share with you some of our fixes for these problems. As well as what has worked for us, and what hasn’t.

Topics we discuss in this episode:

Grant’s trial and error experience with packing his cutting boards.
The importance of keeping shipping damage low
Mike’s decision to move into FBA through Amazon
Working with Amazon
Finding a good fulfillment software

At the end of the day it comes down to what you need to make your business work. Some of our suggestions are pretty pricey for a start-up, but for middle tier outfits it might be a solution. Efficiency is the keyword today and hopeful we have given you some great resources.

Resources Mentioned During Today’s Episode:

The Definitive Ecommerce Inventory Management Comparison

Episode 17: Executing a Website Contest Feb 18, 2016

Show notes

Today Grant’s going to step out of the podcast. I'm Mike Jackness and I’m going to talk about my experience with running a contest for my site colorit.com.

On December 5, 2015 we launched colorit.com. We had tried our product out on Amazon and decided to make the move to our own site to build the brand.

Our first contest was January 1st. We offered a set of colored pencils every day for 30 days. At first I wasn't sure if this approach was going to work, but I have to say I have been very surprised and pleased with the results.

During today’s podcast I’ll share these key points with you.

The number of entries, sales, and overall social media hits this contest has gotten us.
The email campaign we developed to keep our brand in the forefront of people's minds.
The discount deal we offer non-winning contestants.
How we’re providing value to our customers.
How desktop vs. mobile interaction during this contest.

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Glen.io

Klaviyo

Facebook

Episode 16: Life as an Entrepreneur Feb 11, 2016

Show notes

Today we thought we’d talk about life as an entrepreneur. Being your own boss has a lot of glamour to it. At least to those looking in from the outside. The truth is, it’s hard work. We share our own feelings on entrepreneurship and lend some perspective for those wanting to leave their 9 to 5 job for entrepreneurship.

Not everyone is cut out for entrepreneurship and there is nothing wrong with that. But so many people are getting caught in the pitfalls of owning a business. Many people think their business will be a clockwork process that will be ran by others eventually. This is a lie, a properly run business will require most if not all of your attention to get off the ground.

We are going to share some tips today so you can maintain your life and business balance effectively.