The eCom Ops Podcast

Your Best Creative Is Killing Your Conversion with Aaron Smedley

YOUR BEST CREATIVE IS KILLING YOUR CONVERSION In this episode, Aaron Smedley, GM of Shopify at Cloudinary, breaks down why the visual layer is one of the most underestimated operational levers in eCommerce. Drawing on his experience at Apple, Arc'teryx, and Cloudinary, he explains how asset chaos creates hidden costs, why slow pages are a management problem not a design problem, and what it actually takes to build a media system that scales. Aaron Smedley is GM of Shopify at Cloudinary and a digital commerce operator with 15 years of experience across brands like Apple and Arc'teryx. He works at the intersection of retail operations, customer experience, and Shopify transformation, helping brands scale without sacrificing speed, consistency, or performance. Cloudinary is a visual media platform that helps eCommerce brands manage, optimize, and deliver images and videos at scale across every channel and device. * You'll learn: * Why visuals are an operational system, not just creative assets * The four failure modes of poor image management * How to start fixing your media layer without boiling the ocean * Where AI helps and where automation matters more * Show Notes: * (00:01:14) Meet Aaron and His Journey * (00:03:35) Why Brands Get Visuals Wrong * (00:06:29) Four Things to Never Do * (00:08:22) Start Small and Systemize * (00:10:39) The Hidden Cost of Chaos * (00:11:48) Tools and ROI for DAM * (00:13:39) AI vs Automation in Media * (00:16:45) Designing for Human Behavior * (00:19:41) Speed Without Sacrificing Beauty * (00:20:51) Rapid Fire and Apple Lessons * (00:23:20) Books and Final Takeaways * This episode is brought to you by B2Bware * B2Bware by SyncSpider [https://b2bware.com/] is a self-service B2B portal designed for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers that rely on complex pricing, ERP data, and large product catalogs, and don’t want to add more scripts. Try B2Bware today. [https://b2bware.com/contact-us/] Let’s keep learning and growing together in the world of eCommerce! If you want to learn more about our podcast or have an exciting story to share with our audience, check SyncSpider’s website [https://info.syncspider.com/podcast] for more info.

The No. 1 Amazon Ad Hack with Kusha Karvandi

THE NO. 1 AMAZON AD HACK Kusha Karvandi is an acclaimed entrepreneur known for his strategic mastery in launching and scaling online businesses on Amazon. With a rich background in e-commerce, he has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to drive sales through sophisticated marketing and branding strategies. Kusha is also the brain behind Kazam, a revolutionary tool that optimizes Amazon advertising, maximizing profitability and organic growth. Kazam is at the forefront of Amazon's advertising innovation, offering an AI-driven SaaS solution that optimizes ad spend as product rankings improve organically. Designed to hit precise marketing targets, from improving ROAS to managing ACOS, Kazam makes advertising efficient and goal-oriented, enabling sellers to focus on business growth and brand development. The No.1 eCom Operations hack Amazon's algorithm takes into account your relevancy of keywords. So for every keyword you convert for, even for sponsored product PPC ads, the algorithm will rank you higher organically for your organic listing for those same keywords. * You Will Learn * Strategies for Launching and Scaling on Amazon * Insights into Advanced Amazon Marketing Techniques. * The Role of AI in Enhancing Amazon Ad Campaigns * Tips for Planning Successful Exits * This episode is brought to you by B2Bware * B2Bware [https://b2bware.com/] is a self-service B2B portal designed for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers that rely on complex pricing, ERP data, and large product catalogs, and don’t want to add more scripts. Try B2Bware today. [https://b2bware.com/contact-us/] Let’s keep learning and growing together in the world of eCommerce! If you want to learn more about our podcast or have an exciting story to share with our audience, check SyncSpider’s website [https://info.syncspider.com/podcast] for more info.

Where do Brands Turn Wrong with Liz Stack

WHERE DO BRANDS TURN WRONG WITH LIZ STACK Liz Stack is the Senior Brand Manager at Yotpo and a dynamic leader in e-commerce. She leads a user community with over 1,700 customers and an industry community of over 4,000 women in eCommerce. Liz manages an accelerator program supporting 20 Black and Indigenous-owned brands annually and creates engaging digital and in-person events. Yotpo is a leading eCommerce retention marketing platform renowned for its data-driven solutions, including reviews, UGC, loyalty programs, referrals, SMS marketing, email campaigns, and subscriptions. Serving notable clients like Steve Madden and Princess Polly, Yotpo empowers brands to enhance their direct-to-consumer business through captivating customer experiences. Recognized as a Forbes Cloud 100 company, Yotpo has offices in New York, London, Sydney, and Tel Aviv. The No.1 eCom Operations hack > Your SMS channel is not for everyone... You must segment and understand who the person that you're texting is. And number two is that the content you put in your emails should not be the same content in your SMS. * You Will Learn: * How diverse backgrounds can lead to unique success in e-commerce. * Innovative strategies to transform and enhance customer loyalty. * The power and impact of community support in e-commerce. * Essential metrics and cutting-edge marketing tactics for growth. * This episode is brought to you by B2Bware * B2Bware by SyncSpider [https://b2bware.com/] is a self-service B2B portal designed for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers that rely on complex pricing, ERP data, and large product catalogs, and don’t want to add more scripts. Try B2Bware today. [https://b2bware.com/contact-us/] Let’s keep learning and growing together in the world of eCommerce! If you want to learn more about our podcast or have an exciting story to share with our audience, check SyncSpider’s website [https://info.syncspider.com/podcast] for more info.

How to Turn Returns Into Profit (Instead of Cost Center) with Disney Petit

HOW TO TURN RETURNS INTO PROFIT (INSTEAD OF COST CENTER) Returns are expensive, operationally messy, and far more wasteful than most brands realize. In this episode, Disney Petit, Founder and CEO of LiquiDonate, explains how retailers can turn unsellable returns and excess inventory into a smarter, more sustainable logistics flow that also cuts costs. Disney Petit is the Founder and CEO of LiquiDonate. Before launching the company, she was employee number 15 at Postmates, where she helped build customer service, launch new markets, and later created Civic Labs, Postmates’ social impact arm. Her work sits at the intersection of logistics, technology, and social impact. LiquiDonate is the first software platform built to connect excess and unsellable inventory from retailers directly to nonprofits and schools. Instead of routing low-value returns back through expensive reverse logistics, the platform helps brands donate them locally, reducing costs and waste while supporting communities. * You Will Learn: * Why returns become a major hidden cost center in eCommerce * How local donations can reduce reverse logistics costs * Why most brands don’t plan for excess inventory early enough * How to connect profitability with sustainability * What it takes to build a supply-and-demand network around returns * Show Notes: * (00:02:01) Origin Story and Mission * (00:04:06) The Hidden Cost of Returns * (00:06:19) How the Donation Returns Flow Works * (00:08:51) Nonprofits and Shopify Setup * (00:10:34) Tech vs Nonprofit Mindsets * (00:12:01) Making Purpose Profitable * (00:14:29) Pricing for Small Sellers * (00:16:13) Rapid Fire and Wrap Up * This episode is brought to you by B2Bware * B2Bware by SyncSpider [https://b2bware.com/] is a self-service B2B portal designed for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers that rely on complex pricing, ERP data, and large product catalogs, and don’t want to add more scripts. Try B2Bware today. [https://b2bware.com/contact-us/] Let’s keep learning and growing together in the world of eCommerce! If you want to learn more about our podcast or have an exciting story to share with our audience, check SyncSpider’s website [https://info.syncspider.com/podcast] for more info.

The Logistics Layer Most eCommerce Brands Get Wrong with Mark Ang

THE LOGISTICS LAYER MOST ECOMMERCE BRANDS GET WRONG When was the last time you thought about your logistics processes? It’s often overlooked. But did you know that logistics is a system that makes growth sustainable? Mark Ang is the CEO and co-founder of GoBolt, a logistics company helping eCommerce brands scale through optimized fulfillment and delivery operations. You Will Learn: * Why logistics should be treated as a growth lever * How scaling exposes hidden operational weaknesses * What most brands misunderstand about free shipping * How packaging impacts profitability * Where AI actually delivers value in logistics Show Notes: * (00:03:11) Forbes Recognition * (00:04:11) Practical Logistics * (00:06:11) Surge Scaling Lessons * (00:08:47) Integrations Data Sync * (00:10:37) When to Use 3PL * (00:13:25) Build vs Buy Software * (00:15:30) AI in Fulfillment Ops * (00:17:16) Top Logistics Mistakes * (00:21:10) Profitable Free Shipping * (00:24:24) Paid Certainty Shipping * (00:27:09) Rapid Fire Wrap Up * This episode is brought to you by B2Bware * B2Bware by SyncSpider [https://b2bware.com/] is a self-service B2B portal designed for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers that rely on complex pricing, ERP data, and large product catalogs, and don’t want to add more scripts. Try B2Bware today. [https://b2bware.com/contact-us/] Let’s keep learning and growing together in the world of eCommerce! If you want to learn more about our podcast or have an exciting story to share with our audience, check SyncSpider’s website [https://info.syncspider.com/podcast] for more info.