The Trust Factor

Nowadays, everything is an ad. Every other search result, tweet, Facebook post, or Instagram reel have become sponsored posts masquerading as user-generated content. We’re so inundated by advertisements in our daily lives that it’s challenging to determine whether you like something because it provides value to you, or because you’ve fallen prey to marketing.

In this episode of the Trust Factor podcast, we are joined by Kristine Locker, the CEO and Founder of Locker, a platform that allows users to browse, save, share and recommend their favorites across thousands of brand websites in one single place. While the initial idea was simple, her platform has since grown to attract investors and reinvent the online shopping experience.

Kristine talks about how she came up with the idea of Locker, and how she is differentiating her platform by prioritizing authenticity. She also shares her thoughts on artificial intelligence, the struggles of being a female tech founder, and the potential of community commerce to change the online shopping experience for the better.

In this episode we discuss:

• Authentic recommendations versus affiliate and influencer marketing
• How artificial intelligence will affect the online shopping experience
• Why community commerce is the future

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

Kristine’s Podcast Recommendations

• https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/podcast/
• https://www.npr.org/series/490248027/how-i-built-this

Check out Maggie Seller on TikTok:

When it comes to branding, a lot of people naturally gravitate towards tangible things: brand colors, logos, names, and more. However, at its core, branding is all about creating a foundation for your business based on one thing: your audience.

Knowing your audience allows you to create a brand that truly resonates with the people who want to work with you and appreciate what you can offer. Keep in mind that you are not for everybody. However, as long as you are sincere in trying to make a connection, you will find your audience.

In this episode of the Trust Factor podcast, we talk to brand designer, business mentor, and entrepreneur, Ari Krzyzek. Ari is the CEO and Head of Strategy for Chykalophia, a woman minority-owned web agency helping Femtech DTC & women-led brands transform their website to unlock business opportunities.

Ari talks about finding your audience, celebrating their voice, and maintaining that connection. She also delivers several tips for creating an effective website, from creating a good brand, effective content, and more granular tips such as crafting compelling call-to-actions. Ari also talks about empowering minority women entrepreneurs, and why creating a movement always starts with individuals who want to step up for others.

In this episode we discuss:

• How to design a website with the shopper in mind
• Empowering female entrepreneurs in the E-commerce, femtech and other spaces
• How to build customer loyalty through website design and effective branding
• How to address and respond to customer feedback

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

As your company grows and plants its roots, it’s easy to forget your core mission. Sometimes, we can get bogged down in the details, the metrics, and the various KPIs and forget the most crucial one of all: customer feedback. Remember that the old adage is true: customers are always right.

It’s crucial to keep up with the latest innovation, and you should definitely know your numbers. But it should be the customer feedback that ties your strategy together.

In this episode of the Trust Factor podcast, we talk to Jared Wexler, the Lead Solutions Consultant at Tapcart. Jared talks about the importance of hearing out what your customers have to say, and using that to drive improvements. He also touches on the idea of simplicity in ecommerce. Before trying to immerse yourself in the bleeding edge of technology and innovation, before trying to change things around, focus on your fundamentals first. Before everything else, just make sure your E-commerce website works.

In this episode we discuss:

• How to use customer feedback to drive product development
• The challenge of building brand loyalty in the ecommerce space
• Why it’s crucial to make your customers feel heard
• Why simplicity is still key in E-commerce

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

The fact that video has taken over the internet is not news. Content streaming has become the number one way we watch our favorite shows and movies, and social media platforms have been pushing video hard for years. And yet somehow this fact has escaped most eCommerce platforms, which for some reason have been slow to adopt live streams in their websites.

This is the gap which eStreamly, a live streaming and video shopping platform solution is solving by providing an easy way for live sellers to integrate payments along with interactions. While users can integrate eStreamly on social media, its primary purpose is to drive customers to the website, where the selling is supposed to happen.

In this episode of the Trust Factor podcast, our host Christina Kay talks to Nicholas Bailliache, co-founder of eStreamly about the recent developments in the     e-commerce space, and why live selling videos are helping sellers drive more sales and build genuine and lasting connections with their customers.

Besides increasing your revenue, Nicholas also believes in live streaming’s power to create communities, which he says is the future of e-commerce. If you can create a community around your e-commerce platform, then you are effectively future-proofing your business.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why live streaming is the next big thing in e-commerce
• How to choose a host for your live shopping video
• What you could be missing out by not using video in your eCommerce efforts
• Why you should start building content and community around your products

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not the future, it’s already here.

We’ve all seen how recent advancements in AI have already disrupted businesses. Many businesses, particularly those in the eCommerce space have already taken advantage of ChatGPT and OpenAI, and AI art has been generating a lot of controversy online.

While most people in the ecommerce industry see AI as a useful tool for streamlining processes and increasing efficiency, there’s no hiding the fact that it can also be used in less than stellar means.

For example, fake reviews online have always been a problem for brands, with some companies even specializing in weaponizing reviews. With AI in the mix, such unscrupulous activities may become even cheaper and easier to do.

That being said, there’s plenty of good things to look forward to, and AI remains as a promising tool for creating better user experiences in the future which may become much more modular and personalized than we could ever imagine.

In this episode of the Trust Factor podcast, our host Christina Kay talks to Mark Rosal,  VP and Executive Creative Director for SMITH about branding in the age of AI, how brands can combat inauthenticity online, what the future of user experience looks like.

Mark is a leader in the eCommerce space, and describes himself as a “business-minded Experience Design executive.”

Mark has worked with several B2B and B2C brands across multiple platforms, including Kylie Beauty (Kylie Cosmetics, Skin, and Baby), Kennametal, David Yurman, AT&T Wireless, Border States Electric, Barnes and Noble Education, and more.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why marketing is exactly like a cheerleading stunt
• What B2B sellers may need to prepare for as AI becomes more prevalent in eCommerce
• How brands can combat inauthenticity online
• The future of user experience with AI in the mix

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

Christina talks with the CEO of Searchspring, Peter Messana. This episode is an authentic conversation on what they both think is to come in 2023 for eCommerce, headless shopping carts, Taylor Swift, and so much more. Peter and Christina actually dont agree on some of these topics... so tune in and see where each of them stand. 

Listen while Christina talks with Scott Baradell about Trust Signals and what they are, why your brand needs to think about, and an in-depth look on how you can create trust signals with your brand. In his book he defines them a TRUST as an acronym and we dive into some of those. As Scott mentioned in his book, "TRUST is an acronym for the five solutions":

• Trust Leadership
• Reputation Management 
• User Experience 
• Search Preference 
• Third-party Validation 

Listen and dive in... and truly grab a pen and paper! 

From search to page experience, people are always thinking "Is this site legit?". We have experts Bradley Poole and Lauren Ladra who talk very transparently about their own experiences and how they have been "tricked" on a site.. which let's be honest.. you probably have had similar experiences. Brad and Lauren also talk to Christina about how to get started today on establishing a better shopper experience. If you are just starting an online business or have had one for years, you need to listen to how to take your shopper's experience to the next level. 

In today’s episode of “The Trust Factor Podcast”, Christina is talking to Alicia Esposito, VP of Content and Retail TouchPoints part of the G3 Communications family. They discuss trust and online shopping habits in the e-commerce sphere and give takeaways to:

• Create a loyal community of shoppers 
• Establish a correlation between online and in-store experiences 
• Ensure channels are helpful, intentional, and kind of ladder up to your broader brand purpose.

Connect with Alicia:

If you are establishing a brand online or want to revamp your e-commerce site and don't know where to start, this episode is for you. You will hear from Scott Sussman and Bradley Poole talking about how to establish a trusted brand. Shoppers have SO many choices and as a brand, you have to think about decisions in your shoppers' shoes. We will chat all about choosing the right e-commerce solution for you all the way to community and baseball. 

To connect: