Commerce Insights

Join our Chief Evangelist, Mikko Rekola, for a special episode recorded alongside Tomi Grönfors from Sniffie. In this live recording, the duo shares their initial impressions of Shoptalk in Las Vegas and explores hands-on strategies for enhancing your Q2 campaigning.

Join us for an episode where Atte Alisalo, Principal Consultant at Woolman, discusses Shopify's role in the enterprise market and the migration process to Shopify Plus from legacy platforms. Atte will be interviewed by Woolman's Chief Evangelist Mikko Rekola.

Join us for a seasonal recap episode where Anne Moulet, Customer Success Lead at Woolman, discusses with Woolman's Chief Evangelist, Mikko Rekola, the highlights of Q1, key lessons learned during NRF'24, the Shopify Winter Editions, and other significant developments in digital commerce. They will also preview what to expect at Shoptalk in Las Vegas and the main themes for Q2 to focus on.

Join Tuomo Riekki, co-founder of Focal.inc, as he explores the significance of advanced market asset management for digitally-savvy brands with Woolman's Chief Evangelist, Mikko Rekola.

Join us for a special episode where Anne Moulet, Customer Success Lead at Woolman, interviews Woolman's Chief Evangelist, Mikko Rekola, about the NRF'24 Big Show in New York and their key takeaways.

In this special episode of the Commerce Insights podcast, we welcome Nirav Sheth from Anatta Design. He has collaborated with numerous rockstar D2C brands.
We discussed the following topics with Nirav:

• The current trends in the D2C space
• The role of first-party data
• Shopify's role in the D2C revolution
• The impact of enterprise D2C brands entering the field
• The future of D2C commerce
• What steps challenger brands should take now

With competition getting fiercer than ever in the eCommerce space, how do brands in different sectors cut through the noise and find fruitful ways to connect to their customers?

In this episode, we have Lari Lehtonen from Nosto reveal insights to burning questions such as:

• What is the role of merchandising in eCommerce today?

• How do personalization and merchandising intersect with the Shopify ecosystem?

• What is the symbiotic relationship between the two?

... and more!

Tune in to gain the ultimate insights to implement for your business today. 💡

With the explosion of marketplaces, how can D2C brands find the perfect balance between direct selling and different marketplaces?

In this special episode, we uncover answers to questions such as:

• How does consumer behaviour influence the strategy in different marketplaces?
• What is the impact of major players jumping into the D2C game? 
• What are the biggest shifts in commerce impacting the industry?

... and so much more!

Tune in and learn the best tips and strategies from eCommerce Consultant Vinny O’brien.

Maximizing the potential of your eCommerce store means understanding the user experience and using the right tools to make it easier for customers to buy from you.

In this episode, we uncover the secrets to:

• Top-level merchandising to boost cart orders.
• Mastering the art of seamless user experience and transforming your eCommerce store into a customer magnet.
• Skyrocketing Average Order Value with tactics like product bundling, upselling, and cross-selling.

Tune in as Alex Green from Pickystory helps merchants understand the proven methods for success.

Subscription-based business models are on the brink of transformation as consumer behaviors keep changing.

• What are brands doing to innovate in the subscription economy?
• What are the tools and tactics that are proven effective to meet customer standards?

Tune in as we discuss with the Sales & Partnership Lead of Skio Phil Greenwood about customer experience, retention, data, the Shopify ecosystem, and more! 

Is D2C dead?

Tune in as Woolman's Chief Evangelist Mikko Rekola and VP of Growth at Storetasker Tim Masek have an interesting discussion.

In this episode, they uncover:

• The current challenges and trends in the eCommerce space
• How the Shopify ecosystem supports D2C brands of all sizes
• The role of innovative tools in building successful business models

...and more!

CPG can be a tough industry when it comes to the digital and direct-to-consumer landscape. Feastables, created by popular Youtuber Mr.Beast has successfully created a brand experience in the digital space that customers love. What advice does Head of Customer Experience Jess Cervellon give to aspiring CPG brands looking to branch into the direct-to-consumer space? 

In this episode, we discuss things like data, personalisation, consumer behavior, creating the ultimate brand experience... and more! 

Marketing automation solutions provide an opportunity for brands to take their business to the next level and build loyalty with their end-consumers.

In this episode, we uncover:

• The most common challenges eCommerce businesses are facing in the current digital landscape
• How brands are scaling with marketing automation and customer retention strategies
• Key trends in marketing automation

The subscription model has been the talk of the town for its benefits of customer retention and loyalty, but is it an opportunity worth seizing for CPG brands?

In this episode Mikko Rekola and Ben Fisher dive deep into the topic, covering things such as:

• What are the common pitfalls in the subscription business that cause customers to have a bad experience with brands?

• What are the best strategies that take into account the unique needs of customers?

• How to use data effectively for deeper insights into your customers? 

..and more!

Tune in to learn how to utilize the subscription concept in the right way for your brand!

Kati Kanerva is the founder of Dresscue a "rent-a-rack" store located in Los Angeles, where people sell and buy second-hand clothing. This widely popular counterculture movement to fast fashion has been a huge hit among consumers and we wanted to know how one of the fashion capitals of the world is reacting to this movement.

In this episode, Mikko Rekola and Kati Kanerva discuss the birth of the rent-a-rack concept and the transformation of the fashion industry towards a more sustainable future.

The subscription economy is said to grow $1.5 trillion by 2025. What is behind this massive growth?

In this episode, Chief Evangelist Mikko Rekola shares insights on the best strategies he has witnessed brands utilizing in the subscription economy in the last year.

Want to know what huge industry players like Mountain Dew and H&M Group are doing to redefine customer relationships? Tune in to find out!

Shoptalk 2023 was full of value-packed seminars that provided insights into the future of commerce - with social media and social commerce being hot topics.

Chief Evangelist Mikko Rekola sat down with Jasmine Enberg, Principal Analyst at Insider Intelligence who specializes in this area to learn more about how brands, creators, and consumers are utilising social media platforms.

In this episode, we cover:

• What are the biggest drivers and developments in the creator economy? 

• What to do if Tiktok gets banned?

• Is Twitter going to disappear?

...and more!

As Shopify came out with the 2.0 upgrade, brands have been updating their themes for a better experience for both merchants and customers.

• Should all brands do the upgrade now?
• What are the main benefits of upgrading?
• What is holding brands back from doing it?

Tune in as Chief Evangelist, Mikko Rekola shares his insights.

Woolman can help you with a smooth upgrade!

Woolman's Chief Evangelist Mikko Rekola had a chance to speak to dotdigital Founder and President Tink Taylor about the current landscape in eCommerce post-pandemic.

Tink Taylor shares insights on the following:

• What are the trends taking place post-pandemic?
• What are the most effective strategies to scale as a brand?
• What are the innovative approaches for personalization?
• What is the role of data in 2023?

Dotdigital unites customer data from every touchpoint to create memorable customer experiences.

Shoptalk 2023 final day finished with a bang 🎉

Day 4 covered: 

• When should you rely on a partner?

• What brands should do if Tiktok gets banned? 

• What are the possibilities with new technologies? Composable commerce, AI etc. 

And more…! 

Tune in as Chief Evangelist Mikko Rekola is live on-site at the Shoptalk event in Las Vegas to share value-packed insights. 

Shoptalk 2023 continues on Day 3 🎉

Day 3 covered: 

• How do smaller and enterprise brands survive in the tough climate? 

• How should data be utilised for future-proof success? 

• What opportunities exist in the D2C market for customer experiences? 

And more…! 

Tune in as Chief Evangelist Mikko Rekola is live on-site at the Shoptalk event in Las Vegas to share value-packed insights.

Shoptalk 2023 continues on Day 2. 🎉

More interesting discussions and learnings around topics such as:

• Should you go headless? Pros and cons 
• Why investing in data and AI is a must for brands?

Tune in as Chief Evangelist Mikko Rekola is live on-site at the Shoptalk event in Las Vegas to share the juicy insights from Day 2 of the event.

Shoptalk 2023 is here! 🎉

What are the big players like Target and Pinterest saying about the current commerce trends and predictions for the near future?

Tune in as Chief Evangelist Mikko Rekola is live on-site at the Shoptalk event in Las Vegas to share the juicy insights from Day 1 of the event. Tune back in in for later updates!

Woolman and Svea Payments have been working together to provide Shopify merchants with an easy-to-use and flexible payment solution. Whether you are looking for Buy Now Pay Later or B2B functionalities, it is all possible with the Svea Payments app. 

In this episode, Heli Jääskeläinen (Product Manager, Svea) shares the process of Svea and Woolman working together and the feedback from customers. 

FMCG is a competitive industry that can be hard to cut through as a brand. What elements of D2C can FMCG brands benefit from to connect to their end consumers?

In this episode, we have guest Mike Stevens who tells the do's and dont's from years of experience in the DTC space. Mike is the author of the Amazon bestselling book "Direct to Consumer Playbook" and has worked as a consultant for start-ups and challenger brands. He is also the founder and CEO of Kuroa - a sustainable homeware brand. 

What is the reason a customer keeps coming back to your brand? 

In an uncertain and turbulent economy, building customer loyalty is a strategy top-level brands are implementing. 

In this episode, Victoria Beech (Partner Manager at Yotpo) unravels the secrets behind successful loyalty strategies that foster trust with customers, build communities, and increase customer lifetime value. 

Did you know that the average eCommerce return rate hovers around 20-30%? 

As returns are costly for businesses (and for the environment!), we are looking at the best practices to reduce them. 

In this episode, we shed light on: 

• The current challenges causing the high return rates 
• What strategies brands can take to reduce returns

Tune in as Woolman's Chief Evangelist Mikko Rekola shares his insights. 

Customer service is listed as one of the top eCommerce trends in 2023. What are the elements of efficient and impeccable customer service that top-level D2C brands are using to their benefit today?

Jeremy Horowitz is a Senior Partner Marketing Manager of Gorgias - an integrated helpdesk for e-commerce brands, making it easy to deliver personalized support and automation across multiple channels.

Tune in to learn about the modern tools and strategies that will give your brand the customer-centric approach necessary in the future of commerce. 

Before 2023 we were forecasting what the new year will bring. Now into the first quarter of the year, we are seeing certain challenges and trends taking place that brands need to be aware of. 

Tune in as Chief Evangelist, Mikko Rekola drops 5 key insights to take away for the rest of the year. 💡

What are the benefits of Shopify 2.0? What is available in the theme store currently that brands should take advantage of?

With so many options these days, it can be difficult to know which one is the right choice for your brand.

Tune in as Joonas Toroi, Design Lead of Woolman, explains the benefits of Shopify 2.0, what to look out for when choosing the best theme for you, and how Woolman has developed a Premium theme Taiga precisely for merchant's needs.

Is it a good time to enter the UK market? ⏱  As a D2C brand, what should you consider and prepare for?