Ecommerce Conversations
Episodes
Google's TV Advertising Program Effective, Says Vat19.com Owner
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to marketing, many ecommerce merchants think of pay-per-click ads, or search engine optimization or even email newsletters. But there’...
Invodo CEO On Keys For Video Success
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly every ecommerce merchant who uses product videos reports that it increases sales. But there are disagreements as to what to include in a produc...
Credit Card Veterans Focus On IPhone, Mobile Payments
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The rise of mobile devices is affecting ecommerce. More consumers are using these devices to shop online and more merchants are using them to collect ...
Business Broker On Buying, Selling Ecommerce Firms
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ecommerce merchants run businesses that can be bought and sold. There’s a market for these businesses, and our guest today is an expert in the buyin...
Need a Five-Pound Gummy Bear? Try Vat19.com
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
An ecommerce merchant in St. Louis launched his business in 2006 after having written the programming code for his own shopping cart. That business, c...
Cybersource CEO Explains Acquisition By Visa
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There is no bigger name in the credit card business than Visa, and there are no bigger names in the payment gateway business than Cybersource and its ...
Guitar Retailer Creates Facebook Store
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A growing percentage of Internet consumers use Facebook. By some accounts, it is the second most-popular website, and ecommerce merchants are now find...
Miva Merchant President On Platform Upgrades, Cloud Computing
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Rick Wilson is the president of Miva Merchant, the pioneering ecommerce platform. Like many ecommerce platforms, Miva Merchant is evolving and it now ...
Adyen President On Simplifying Payments In North America And Overseas
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The process of collecting and processing online payments is confusing. There are many parties involved, and the fees are oftentimes difficult to decip...
CandlesAndSuch.com Founder Manages Work And Family From Home
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The American Dream, for many aspiring merchants, is to work at home, own a business, watch after their kids and enjoy it all. Our guest today does all...
NetSuite Exec On Mobile Commerce
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Mobile commerce will likely affect most every ecommerce merchant in one way or the other. NetSuite is a leading ecommerce platform with many ecommerce...
SLI - Systems CEO On Money - Making Site Search
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There’s site search, and then there’s money-making site search. The former will match words and phrases, and the latter will help consumers find w...
Twenty-four Ecommerce Sites in Four Years
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Running a successful ecommerce site takes skill and hard work. But what about running 24 of them? That’s what Brad Likens does. He’s the co-owner ...
ArtQuiver.com: Original Works of Art, Online
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Entrepreneurs are using ecommerce sites in innovative ways. One of these entrepreneurs is Matt Schenck, who, out of personal frustration, decided ther...
SoundsTrue.com: Sophisticated Platform; Educational Products
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Sounds True is a Colorado-based provider of products and services to enable spiritual development. It was founded in the 1980s, and its business model...
SEO Expert On Mobile Commerce Strategies
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
An increasing number of consumers access the Internet via mobile devices. This has looming implications for ecommerce merchants who must decide what p...
Restaurant Promotes Menu, Takes Reservations Online
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Service-related businesses are finding new customers and new marketing opportunities online. This includes restaurants, which have increasingly embrac...
Credit Card Fraud Expert: “Know Your Customer, Use Prevention Tools”
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There are dozens of credit-card-fraud prevention services. Some cost money, some are free, and their approach to fraud prevention can vary. So, what a...
PowerReviews CEO on Product-review Strategy
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Product reviews on ecommerce sites improve conversions. But they also help with customer relations and, recently, even physical-store merchants have u...
Cybersource Exec On Credit Card Fraud
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Most every ecommerce merchant has experienced credit card fraud. But some merchants have experienced more fraud than others, and fraud-prevention effo...
Books-By-Bertram Relies On Established Marketplaces
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Used books are big business. Just ask Amazon.com, or Abe Books or Alibris. You can even ask Adam Bertram. He’s been selling used books for two years...
Volusion COO On Platform Upgrade, Tips For Merchants
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Volusion is an early day hosted shopping cart platform that has grown to represent 18,000 online stores. The company has recently upgraded its platfor...
511 Tactical Sells Clothing And Gear To Police, Fire Professionals
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a company that sells specialized clothing and gear to law enforcement and fire-protection professionals. The company is 511 Tactical. Its bu...
Etsy.com Seller Enjoys Marketplace For Handmade, Vintage Goods
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Etsy.com was launched in 2005 as an online marketplace for handmade items and vintage goods. It has since grown to include hundreds of thousands of se...
Mpayy Founder On Simplifying Mobile Payments
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Mobile devices could be the next major platform from which consumers shop for products. But, for ecommerce merchants, there are issues with mobile com...
ProStores Exec On New Year's Growth Ideas
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The start of the New Year brings new energy and vitality for many online merchants. Many of them are looking to jump start sales, trim expenses and ot...
Full Sail University's Ani Gasti On Education Options For Merchants
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There are numerous options for ecommerce merchants who want to learn new skills that can be applied to their business. Full Sail University is one of ...
Quickoffice VP Of Ecommerce David Brennan
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The days of being tied to a desktop computer are long gone. Ecommerce merchants can work wirelessly with laptop computers, personal digital assistants...
Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It’s not every day that we speak with a Stanford PhD in philosophy who has funded the construction of schools around the world. That same person sta...
Internet Attorney On Online Defamation, Copyright Theft
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly every ecommerce merchant has experienced disgruntled customers or angry competitors who post dishonest comments about his or her business. This...
MonsterCommerce Founder "Juggles" New Venture
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Stephanie Leffler started selling sunscreen products online while in college. That was around the year 2000. She became frustrated with her web develo...
Dr. BJ Fogg On The Fogg Behavior Model
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ecommerce merchants want to affect behavior. More specifically, they want consumers to buy from them. Dr. BJ Fogg is a professor at Stanford Universit...
SocialGrub Founder On Optimizing Social Media Marketing
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Social media has become a mainstream tool that businesses are increasingly using to interact with their customers and boost sales. SocialGrub is a new...
Jill Exler of Jexbo.com, a Retailer of Self-published Books
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jill Exler is founder and CEO of Jexbo.com, an online retailer of books that have been self-published by their authors. She founded the business in 20...
Supreme Court Could Restrict Patents, Attorney Says
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Doing business on the Internet requires the use sophisticated software and complicated processes. Many of these innovative products have been patented...
Video Proponent On Selling With Video
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Video provides a compelling way for retailers to sell products. But is it for every ecommerce merchant? And, is it being fully utilized?One man who ha...
Early Impact Co-founder on PCI Compliance
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance is a complex issue that’s difficult for ecommerce merchants to understand. It’s also a complex issue for ve...
Cynthia Snyder Of Yonder Star Christmas Shop
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Cynthia Snyder is the founder of Yonder Star Christmas Shop, a Pennsylvania-based online seller of Christmas Nativity scenes. Snyder launched the busi...
NearbyNow Founder On Adapting To Recession
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Running a business is challenging even when the economy is growing. But during a recession, it can be especially tough. Scott Dunlap, CEO of NearbyNow...
TransFS CEO On The Merchant Account Business
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
TransFS is a comparison shopping website for credit card processing providers. Sean Harper is the company’s CEO and co-founder. He joins Practical E...
Attorney Julie O'Neill On FTC Guidelines For Advertisers And Bloggers
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently announced changes to its “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”. T...
"The Constant Contact Guide To Email Marketing" Author Eric Groves
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It has become conventional wisdom that an email list is a vital weapon in your marketing arsenal. And in the world of email marketing there is no bigg...
Faculte.com Founder On Video For Ecommerce
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Online shoppers are increasingly relying on video to demonstrate a product or explain its use. But for many ecommerce merchants, producing, embedding ...
comScore Exec On Tracking Internet Activity
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In the field of tracking and reporting on Internet traffic, there’s no more prominent name than comScore. It was founded in 1999 to track and report...
eHobbies CEO Ken Kikkawa On Preparing For Holiday Sales
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There’s no more innovative ecommerce company than eHobbies.com. Founded in 1999, it has grown to become a leader, if not the leader, in its field of...
What, Exactly, Is An IP Address
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The technology exists for ecommerce merchants to track where their visitors live. Digital Element is a firm that provides this geo-tracking service, w...
Network Solution Exec On Retooled Shopping Cart
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There was a time, in the 1990s, when the only place to buy a domain name was at Network Solutions. That storied company has since had its up and downs...
Digital Element Co-founder on Geographic Targeting
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The ability to target consumers is important for many ecommerce businesses. In fact, many businesses could benefit greatly from knowing where a consu...
Microsoft Bing Exec On Features Of New Search Engine
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Microsoft’s new search engine is called Bing. It launched on June 3, 2009 and observers have already described it as a dramatic improvement over Mic...
Zappos Exec On The Benefits Of Printed Catalogs
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
For many retail observers, the name Zappos is synonymous with great customer service and ecommerce well executed. The company was launched in 1999 as...
Virgin Islands Exec: “eCommerce in Paradise Saves Taxes”
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. Virgin Islands are located roughly 90 miles east of Puerto Rico, in the Caribbean Sea. The islands are known for their white sand beaches an...
Miva Merchant CEO Russ Caroll
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Miva Merchant is an early day shopping cart. First launched in 1995, it rose, and then fell, with the dot-com boom and bust. Findwhat.com, a publicly...
Comodo CEO On Hiring A Social Media Officer
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There is much talk about social media sites, and there’s talk of how companies can use social media for marketing purposes. One company doing just t...
Amazon Product Director On Selling On Amazon Service
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Online retailers are frequently interested in new channels to sell their products. In addition to a merchant’s own ecommerce site, he or she can co...
Listrak CEO On Email Geo Tracking
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Many ecommerce merchants rely on email marketing and many of them, we suspect, wish they could monitor and target emails based on where a recipient l...
Accessible Web Design CEO Joseph Dolson
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of Internet users are blind, deaf or are otherwise unable to use a website in a traditional manner. Ensuring that a site functions well for ...
UPS Vice President on Shipping-Service Upgrades
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jordan CollettaThe shipping of products is a crucial function for most every ecommerce merchant. And there’s no company more prominent in the shippi...
Prime Visibility Founder On Domain Names For Ecommerce Business
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew HazenThe use of domain names to enhance an ecommerce “footprint” is growing in popularity. We’ve asked Andrew Hazen, the founder and CEO ...
Rackspace Executive On Future Hosting
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
John EngatesRackspace is a preeminent hosting company. It was launched in San Antonio in 1996 and now, in 2009, the company’s stock is publicly trad...
John Dozier, Of Dozier Internet Law, On Ecommerce Legal Risk
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
John DozierJohn W. Dozier, Jr. is an attorney, a former Internet executive and a pioneer in the practice of Internet law. His firm, Dozier Internet La...
Nextopia CEO On Ecommerce Site Search
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Sanjay AurorA robust site search function can increase conversion rates for ecommerce merchants. Correcting color matches (“tan” vs. “sandstone”...
iPhone Developer Derek Del Conte On Mobile Credit Card Processing
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Derek Del ConteDerek Del Conte is co-founder of Innerfence, a developer of iPhone applications. Innerfence’s latest app is “Credit Card Terminal,”...
Pay-per-click Expert On Advertising In A Recession
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
TinaKellyNews reports indicate that revenue growth for Google and other search engines is slowing. Bids on keywords and keyword phrases, some say, are...
Volusion CEO on High-Performing Ecommerce Sites
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin_Sproles What, exactly, makes for a high-performing ecommerce site? We asked this question to Kevin Sproles, the founder and CEO of Volusion, a h...
Ecommerce Owner On Benefits Of Niche Selling
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
JohnMontagueMany ecommerce merchants occupy niches within a broader industry. Spotlight Retail is one of those merchants, but, in Spotlight’s case, ...
Amazon Exec On Outsourcing Fulfillment And Warehousing
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
ALTMost every ecommerce merchant must address the fulfillment of orders and the logistics of storing inventory. Amazon.com does this in a big way, and...
Video for eCommerce: “Increases Conversion, Drives Traffic”
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
ALTThe use of video in ecommerce sites is becoming increasingly popular. Merchants are using video to both increase conversion rates and to drive traf...
Christian Science Monitor Editor On Future Of News Delivery
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
ALT The Christian Science Monitor, a 100 year-old Pulitzer-prize-winning newspaper, recently announced plans to drop its daily printed paper in favor ...
Constant Contact CEO Gail Goodman: Marketing in a Down Economy
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
ALTGail Goodman is CEO of Constant Contact, a leading self-service email marketing company with over 220,000 customers worldwide. She joins Practical ...
mobileStorm CEO On Text-Marketing To Cell Phone Users
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
ALTNinety per cent of cell phone users in the U.S. can receive text messages. Marketing to these cell phone users via text messages could be an opport...
NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson On Hosted Software Solutions
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
ALTNetSuite is a pioneer is providing hosted software solutions to small and mid-sized businesses. NetSuite’s ecommerce platform is used by thousand...
Sellpoint CEO On Video And Its Impact On Conversion Rates
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
ALTThe use of video and rich media can enhance an ecommerce site. SellPoint is a firm that provides video and rich media (for free) to ecommerce merch...
TopTenWholesale.com CEO On Vertical-Search PPC Opportunities
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
ALTMany ecommerce merchants run pay-per-click ad campaigns on the major search engines. But Jason Prescott, CEO of Toptenwholesale.com, argues that me...
RatePoint CEO On Reputation Management
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Neal CreightonWith the existence of social networking and consumer review sites, disgruntled customers can post negative comments about an ecommerce m...
Cleverbridge VP On Selling Digital Products
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
ALTCraig Vodnik is vice president, North America, for Cleverbridge, an ecommerce platform that helps online merchants sell software, music and other d...
Comodo CEO On EV SSLs, Site Seals
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Melih Abdulhayoglu is founder and CEO of Comodo, a firm that provides Internet-security and fraud prevention services to ecommerce and other web-based...
David Heinemeier Hansson, Ruby On Rails Creator
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
David Heinemeier Hansson created the Ruby on Rails software framework and is a partner in 37signals, producers of the popular Basecamp suite of online...
Enquisite's Dan Robbins
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Robbins is Vice President of Marketing at Enquisite, a search analytics company that follows customers from search to conversion. He joins Practic...
Shaun Ryan, CEO Of SLI Systems
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
SLI Systems CEO Shaun Ryan discusses site search and SLI’s hosted site search solution with Practical Ecommerce Publisher Kerry Murdock. This is tak...
Keirsun Scott, Social Media Director For OneUpWeb
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Keirsun Scott is Social Media Director for OneUpWeb, an online marketing consulting company. He joins Practical Ecommerce Publisher Kerry Murdock to d...
Amit Das Discusses Virtual Ecommerce Trade Show
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Amit Das, Managing Director for the U.S. division of Worldwide Business Research, speaks with Practical Ecommerce Publisher Kerry Murdock about the up...
Freelance Journalist, Jim Rue, Discusses The Annual Book Expo
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Rue is a freelance and technology journalists, and recently attended the Annual Book Expo. He speaks with Practical Ecommerce Publisher, Kerry Mur...
Jody Hartwig Of Netconcepts On Microsoft's Live Search Cashback
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jody Hartwig is the Vice President of eBusiness at Netconcepts, a company specializing in natural search marketing and ecommerce. She joins Practical ...
Michael Shatz, Credit Card Processing Expert
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Shatz is the publisher of The Merchant’s Guide, a resource to help ecommerce merchants lower their credit card fees. He joins Practical Ecom...
Damon Schechter, CEO And Founder Of Shipwire
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Damon Schechter is CEO and Founder of Shipwire, a shipping and storage solution for ecommerce merchants. He joins Practical Ecommerce Publisher Kerry ...
Jason Keenan, Media Advisor With ICANN
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jason Keenan is the Media Advisor with ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Name and Numbers, which regulates domain names globally. ICANN was...
Rhett McNulty, Chief Operating Officer Of ShopIt
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Rhett McNulty is Chief Operating Officer for ShopIt, a social networking sales application for ecommerce merchants. He joins Practical Ecommerce'...
Sweta Duseja, PCI Compliance Expert
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Sweta Duseja is Product Marketing Manager for nCircle, a security risk and compliance monitoring firm. She joins Practical Ecommerce’s Kerry Murdock...
Michael Stebbins, CEO and Co-founder of MarketMotive
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
MarketMotive CEO and Co-founder Michael Stebbins joins Practical Ecommerce’s Kerry Murdock to discuss MarketMotive’s subscription-based consulting...
PayPal Director Of Online Dispure Resolution, Colin Rule
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Colin Rule of PayPal and eBay speaks with Practical Ecommerce Publisher, Kerry Murdock, about online dispute resolution between buyers and merchants.T...
Vertus President and CEO James Carr-Jones
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Carr-Jones and Kerry Murdock talk about Bling! It, Vertus’ new photo-editing software designed to improve product photos.This is take 1 from Derek a...
AIG Insurance Vice President, Nancy Callahan
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Join Mitch Bettis as he discusses ecommerce insurance with Nancy Callahan, Vice President of AIG Insurance.This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.
eBay Expert And Ebook Author Danna Crawford
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Crawford and Pat Callahan talk about upcoming social media classes offered by Danna, as well as her eBay experience.This is take 1 from Derek at Voice...
SilverDock CEO And Founder Raj Gajwani
22 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Gajwani and Pat Callahan talk about the benefits of online video for ecommerce.This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.
MarketLive Chairman And Founder Ken Burke
21 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Burke and Pat Callahan discuss social networking as a requirement for doing business in the future.This is take 1 from Derek at Voice Jungle.
Muttmart.com’s President Justin Hertz
15 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Justin Hertz and Pat Callahan explore the elements of a successful website, including how to distinguish yourself from the competition.This is take 1 ...
Red Door Interactive President Reid Carr
15 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Reid Carr and Pat Callahan discuss the intricacies of a case study Carr co-authored — Cricket Communications: Less Is Definitely MoreThis is take 1 ...
ChoiceStream’s Toffer Winslow, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing
15 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Toffer Winslow and Pat Callahan delve into ChoiceStream’s 2007 Personalization Survey, including the potential of personalized recommendations — g...
Sitebrand’s Carolyn Gardner, Director of E-marketing Services
15 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Carolyn Gardner joins Pat Callahan to discuss methods of proactively managing the customer experience via “web personalization.” This is take 1 fr...
Fabric.com’s Director of Marketing Laurie Eady
15 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Callahan and Eady discuss the attributes that led to Fabric.com becoming the largest online retailer of fabric.This is take 1 from Derek at Voice ...