In this episode Tim talks with Beth Shero, CEO of Shero Commerce about the critical elements of a strong client/agency relationship. Topics discussed in this podcast include:

• Importance of aligning with an agency and providing excellent customer service and value.
• Different paths agencies can take, narrowing or expanding their focus, while maintaining customer service as a core value.
• Discussion on bugs in eCommerce development and the need to have a qualified team, minimize technical debt, and set expectations upfront.
• Building trust, goodwill, and communication in the agency-client relationship as a partnership.
• Advice on transitioning from one development team to another.
• Old-school waterfall projects and Agile development in eCommerce.
• Importance of good code management, security, and documentation to avoid reliance on a single person.
• The significance of trust and mutual partnership in the agency-client relationship, and the need for clear expectations and open communication to foster success.

Kicking off our series on how to get the most out of your Agency, Tim speaks with Jared Shields Head of Projects at eCommerce agency IronPlane. In this segment, they focus on the following topics:
• Why is your agency relationship important?
• Client and agency stakeholders
• Why a strong client team lead is essential
• The basics of good bug reporting
• How to manage things that go wrong (and something will go wrong)
• Why a positive relationship encourages a successful project
• A few words about agency billing
• Waterfall vs Agile projects
• Don’t bottle things up.

In this episode of Shaping eCommerce host Tim Bucciarelli  welcomes back Isaiah Bollinger from Trellis to discuss optimizing the client-agency relationships. 

Key topics discussed in the podcast conversation are:

eCommerce Agency Specialization and Services: The discussion focuses on how some agencies choose to maintain a narrow focus on their area of expertise, while others like Trellis transitioned from niche areas to becoming full-service, addressing strategy and marketing in addition to eCommerce platform design, development and implementation.

What is a Full-Service Agency?: The concept of a "full-service" agency is explored, with Isaiah explaining the services Trellis offers and the areas where they currently have gaps. They discuss the challenges of being truly full-service and the importance of building partnerships with experts in specific areas.

Selecting the Right Agency: The conversation covers the considerations and challenges businesses face when selecting agencies, including the trade-offs between freelancers and agencies, expertise, and alignment with the agency's business model.

Rates and Expertise: The discussion touches on the rates charged by agencies and the distinction between agencies and staff augmentation. The importance of aligning past experience with the client's needs is emphasized, and the challenges of finding full stack developers and relying solely on freelancers are mentioned.

Characteristics of a Good Client and Agency: The qualities of a good client are discussed, including understanding the agency's business model, valuing different roles, and actively participating in the project. The characteristics of a high-quality agency are also highlighted, such as building long-lasting solutions and considering future scalability. The importance of project management and having a balanced team is emphasized. The section concludes with a discussion on openness, honesty, and candor in agency-client relationships.”

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim Bucciarelli had the pleasure of interviewing Matthew Eisnor, Dir of Global Alliances at Algolia. On the podcast, they talk about:

- The history and relevance of search
- The Algolia ICP
- Search for B2B
- The difficulty in managing the tens of thousands of long-tail search queries
- Why chatGPT is likely too expensive to scale and run search

#ecommercesolutions #ecommercesoftware #ecommerceproducts  #ecommercetechnologies #enhancedsearch #seo #seoproducts

Find Algolia at: https://www.algolia.com/

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim Bucciarelli had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Potters, Senior Strategic Partner Manager at Gorgias. On the podcast, they talk about:

- His experience being a Gorgias customer and then transitioning to his current role
- The Gorgias ICP
- The plug and play nature of Gorgias that increases time to value
- How Gorgias differs from Zendesk
- How Gorgias powers communications across the entire customer journey

#ecommercesolutions #ecommercesoftware #ecommerceproducts  #ecommercetechnologies #customerservice #customersupport #gorgias

Find Gorgias at: https://www.gorgias.com/

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim Bucciarelli had the pleasure of interviewing Stefan Schinkel, Chief Revenue Officer at dotCMS. On the podcast, they talk about:

- The origins of dotCMS
- dotCMS's ICP
- An ideal content stack
- What sets dotCMS apart from the competition
- The types of businesses best suited to headless architectures
- What's next for dotCMS

#ecommercesolutions #ecommercesoftware #ecommerceproducts  #ecommercetechnologies #headless #composable

00:00 Shaping eCommerce with Stefan Schinkel, Chief Revenue Officer at dotCMS
3:17 dotCMS: a hybrid headless CMS and API-first platform
6:21 Who it’s best suited to (mobile apps, intranet, customer portals)
10:23 A common content stack
17:27 Why choose dotCMS
23:34 What eCommerce platforms are best suited for dotCMS
29:19 Types of businesses that benefit from headless architectures
35:54 Features on the dotCMS roadmap
43:22 Where to learn more about dotCMS

Find dotCMS at: https://www.dotcms.com/

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim Bucciarelli had the pleasure of interviewing Kyle Capsalis, Strategic Partner Manager for Headless Tools at BigCommerce. On the podcast, they talk about:

- The differences between headless and composable
- Why big companies are gravitating toward headless solutions
- The ROI of a headless architecture
- What an ideal headless/composable tech stack looks like

Read the transcript here: https://www.ironplane.com/blog/partner-interview-with-kyle-capsalis

#ecommercesolutions #ecommercesoftware #ecommerceproducts  #ecommercetechnologies #pwa

00:00 Shaping eCommerce with Kyle Capsalis, Strategic Partner Manager for Headless Tools at BigCommerce
02:06 What is headless? What is composable?
04:41 BigCommerce's role in a headless infrastructure
09:32 How headless takes the headache out of re-platforming or using best-of-breed tools
11:29 Headless is an organizational shift that not every company is ready for
18:58 An ideal headless tech stack

Find BigCommerce at: https://www.bigcommerce.com/

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim Bucciarelli had the pleasure of interviewing Christian Lelaidier, Strategic Partnerships Development Manager at Front-Commerce. On the podcast, they talk about:

- The world of composable commerce
- How Front-Commerce got started and why eCommerce companies should consider using a flexible frontend
- The ROI Front-Commerce customers see
- The benefits of Front-Commerce for developers and marketing teams

Read the transcript here: https://www.ironplane.com/blog/partner-interview-with-christian-lelaidier

#ecommercesolutions #ecommercesoftware #ecommerceproducts  #ecommercetechnologies #pwa

00:00 Shaping eCommerce with Christian Lelaidier, Strategic Partnerships Development Manager at Front-Commerce
04:10 What Front-Commerce is and how it started
11:26 How customers are using Front-Commerce
14:47 How Front-Commerce is far more than just a page builder
20:53 How Front-Commerce saves customers time and helps them improve their customers' experiences
35:18 How Front-Commerce's licensing structure works

Find Front-Commerce at: https://www.front-commerce.com/

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim Bucciarelli had the pleasure of interviewing François Chaix, Head of Partner Evangelism at Akeneo. On the podcast, they talk about:

- How Akeneo's technology works and how the company started
- The rise of omnichannel buying journeys in eCommerce
- Why retailers should explore PIMs like Akeneo
- How Akeneo was built to accommodate a composable architecture

#pim #productinformationmanagement #ecommerceproducts #ecommercesolutions

00:00 Shaping eCommerce with François Chaix, Head of Partner Evangelism at Akeneo
04:41 The future of eCommerce is omnichannel 
18:01 PIMs are ideal for GTM collaboration
23:56 5 reasons you should start using a PIM
32:05 PIMs accelerate time to market, especially for new retailers or those moving to a new strategy (ex. B2C to B2B)
37:40 How Akeneo fits into composable architectures

Find Akeneo at: https://www.akeneo.com/

Find François at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fchaix/

OTHER RELEVANT LINKS:

Reasons why a company should start with PIM
https://www.akeneo.com/blog/building-an-omnichannel-future-5-reasons-to-start-with-pim/

What is Composable Commerce, and Why is it Important?
https://www.akeneo.com/blog/what-is-composable-commerce/

Product Cloud, Product Activation, Product Experience; Oh My!
https://www.akeneo.com/blog/product-cloud-product-activation-product-experience/

PIM is the Keystone for Digital Commerce
https://www.akeneo.com/blog/pim-is-the-keystone-for-digital-commerce/

Building the PIM (and PXM) Dream Team
https://www.akeneo.com/blog/building-the-pim-and-pxm-dream-team/

PIM and DAM: Everything You Need to Know
https://www.akeneo.com/blog/pim-and-dam-everything-you-need-to-know/

The story of Julia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7I3caiy7BU

Bob founded IronPlane in 2012 to provide Magento, Adobe Commerce, and BigCommerce services to B2C and B2B clients. He's also founded multiple eCommerce companies himself.

In his interview with Tim, Bob focuses on how:

- eCommerce will become “unified commerce” or just "Commerce"
- BigCommerce seems to be in the middle between a true SaaS and something more custom or PaaS
- Marketplaces will continue to grow as a revenue strategy
- Magento open source is still best for customizations
- SaaS platforms will improve, but businesses may get better total cost of ownership with on-prem platforms
- AR/3D/VR will eventually be a necessity

You can read the transcription here:

#futureofecommerce #magentodevelopment #adobecommerce #unifiedcommerce

00:00 Future of eCommerce series: Bob Giovannini
04:13 Moving from eCommerce to just "Commerce"
10:27 His take on Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and more
17:34 Why engage with a marketplace
22:54 The risk of SaaS vs. On-prem
25:48 It’s less about the future of eCommerce and more about the future of your business
28:30 Will SaaS win out over On-prem solutions?
35:23 Who is a good candidate for headless?
40:27 Helping clients find the right tool for their needs
46:24 Focus on tools that help you merchandise your products more effectively

Curtis is the Head of Strategy at Shero, an eCommerce growth agency focusing on Magento, Adobe Commerce, Shopify, and BigCommerce.

In his interview with Tim, Curtis explains that:

- In 5 years, there won't be much change; if anything, there will be contraction 
- In 10 years, companies will focus on tactile feel, reproducing the in-store experience with 3D, VR, AR, etc.
- BigCommerce is bigger than people think it is - they give customers a great toolbox
- On-prem isn't going away any time soon - industries like healthcare need more control
- Headless doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be faster
- Marketplaces will struggle to take advantage of platforms like Instagram and TikTok
- Your digital footprint matters - how diverse does your company look? Do you have any offset programs? What is the language of your site? 

Or you can read the transcription here: 

#futureofecommerce #magentodevelopment #adobecommerce #unifiedcommerce

00:00 Future of eCommerce: Curtis Schrum
02:10 Where eComm will be in the next 5 years
05:13 Integrations need to get much more seamless
06:32 Clients Shopify can serve well
08:32 Where Adobe Commerce is going
20:47 The interconnectedness of Magento
29:25 What's going to happen to Magento Open Source?
31:22 A discussion of Mage-OS

Aaron is the Director of Competitive Strategy at BigCommerce and has been in the eCommerce space for the past 8 years on the agency side of the business. He's worked with many clients in various industries and verticals and has a genuine interest in all things eCommerce-related.

In his interview with Tim, he gives his take on:

- Adobe - they see the future of eCommerce as composable for the enterprise only
- Shopify - they are following a salesforce model creating their own version of payments, CDPs, headless architectures
- BigCommerce - a much more open platform, letting partners fill in any gaps
- Composable and headless - they aren't in competition with one another
- Europe as the leader of headless innovation
- The Metaverse - there will be an increasing share of commerce transacted on virtual worlds
- The continued impact of privacy laws and prioritizing site security and accessibility

You read the transcription here: 

#futureofecommerce #bigcommerce #bigcommercedevelopment #composable #headless

00:00 Future of eCommerce with Aaron Sheehan
04:42 eCommerce and the Metaverse
07:50 "We're living in a weird last season of an HBO show"
08:25 Consolidation is looming
15:29 Web Accessibility
22:07 What's happening to Magento Open Source and Adobe?
29:08 Where Shopify's revenue comes from
34:10 Vertical integration
56:56 What is "composable"?

Damien is the owner of a small Magento and Adobe Commerce agency, Graycore. He's been a software engineer for the last 15 years and is the maintainer of Mage-OS, Faker-js (a Javascript library), and a PWA framework called Daffodil.

In his interview with Tim, Damien shares his thoughts on the future:

- We’re going to see consolidation - just like we have Apple, Microsoft, and Linux, we will see the same thing with eComm platforms
- Magento will be the Linux
 - Open source software will continue working best for small businesses - $0 - 30M and for really big companies
- Look out for Shopware - it's much like Magento and started in the German market
- Headless and composable are different things, and knowing how they work is critical
- MageOS will continue filling in Magento gaps, publishing a nightly version, and accepting pull requests from the community
- Look for more drag-and-drop eCommerce platforms
- Microservices will continue to carve apart various feature areas of eCommerce

You read the transcription here: 

#futureofecommerce #bigcommerce #bigcommercedevelopment #composable #headless

00:00 Future of eCommerce with Damien Retzinger
03:56 eCommerce consolidation
05:44 How Magento Open Source is different
13:35 SaaS vs. On-prem
19:45 "Headless" or "Headfull"
21:13 Composable commerce
33:01 Mage-OS

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim Bucciarelli had the pleasure of interviewing Gaia Vernaglione, Director of Business Development (US, CAN, LATAM) at Zakeke.

On the podcast, they talk about:

- How Zakeke technology works and how the company started
- Several unique Zakeke use cases
- How VR/AR/3D are no longer a nice to have
- How industry leaders are using Zakeke today

#3dcommerce #VR #AR #visualcommerce #ecommercetechnologies

00:00 Shaping eCommerce with Gaia Vernaglione, Director of Business Development (US, CAN, LATAM) at Zakeke
03:30 How Zakeke started
06:46 Unique applications of Zakeke
10:37 The difference Zakeke makes in terms of the customer experience
29:15 What merchants need to bring to the table to have a successful Zakeke launch
43:26 Why you need a comprehensive VR/AR/3D strategy

Find Zakeke at: https://www.zakeke.com/

Isaiah is the CEO of Trellis, an eCommerce digital agency that partners with Magento, BigCommerce, and Shopify. Isaiah started Trellis in 2012 and has served dozens of clients ever since.

In his interview with Tim, he predicts that:

- Only more mature companies will move to headless in the short-term - lots of older systems like ERPs aren't ready for the transition
- Generally, platforms are going to have more and more tools OOTB
- #AdobeCommerce will eventually be100% headless and have multiple microservices
- Shopify is going upmarket, and the space in the middle will be served by BigCommerce 
- There will be massive consolidation
- One company won’t solve headless - he's seen some clients choose a headless architecture only to return to their old tech stack

You read the transcription here: 

#futureofecommerce #bigcommerce #bigcommercedevelopment #composable #headless

00:00 Future of eCommerce with Isaiah Bollinger
02:12 Who is headless for?
09:00 Adobe and Salesforce are best for enterprise businesses that can invest heavily in eCommerce
11:07 Where is Adobe Commerce going?
16:46 Headless architecture
19:03 Is your tech stack a mess?
40:41 Headless will have a big impact on eCommerce - but it’s not for everyone
42:20 BigCommerce’s space in the market

Kuba is the CEO of Snowdog, a unified commerce agency that's had a long-standing partnership with IronPlane.

Kuba started his career as a developer and has worked extensively with Magento -- he even served on the board of the @magento association.

In his interview with Tim, he talks about how:

- Eventually, the “e” will be removed from eCommerce
- Companies need to place even more focus on unifying the shopper experience
- AI and ML technologies are great, but some businesses will also want to use no-code solutions 
- After four or five years, tech debt can become a serious problem and blocker to growth
- Marketplaces are an interesting, evolving field
- Composable makes sense for many businesses, but it’s way over-complicated for others

#futureofecommerce #bigcommerce #bigcommercedevelopment #composable #headless

00:00 Future of eCommerce with Kuba Zwolinski
04:15 How eCommerce will just be "Commerce"
06:18 eCommerce platforms today and how to choose the right one
15:09 Marketplaces in eCommerce
25:47 Adobe Commerce vs. Magento Open Source
28:13 You'll still need a trusted partner to implement Adobe Commerce/Adobe Commerce Cloud
30:29 Mage-OS
35:39 The value of the Open Source community
38:10 His take on headless and composable
41:32 The importance of thoughtful platform selection
46:17 Prioritizing your agency selection as much as, if not more than, your platform selection
47:16 How agencies help eCommerce businesses
52:18 New eCommerce technology to watch

As the new year approaches, you may find yourself asking questions like:

❓Where is eCommerce technology going?
❓Will Magento be obsolete?
❓How will Shopify, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, Commerce Tools, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud evolve?
❓What is the impact of marketplaces on eCommerce?
❓What does headless actually mean, and how is it distinct from "composable" or "API-first"?
❓What are some innovative eCommerce companies I don't know about yet?

Lucky for you, we have some answers -- or at least predictions. This month, we're doing a "Future of eCommerce" series, sharing our interviews with 6 prominent figures in the eCommerce space:

Isaiah Bollinger
Damien Retzinger
Kuba Zwolinski
Aaron Sheehan
Curtis Schrum
Bob Giovannini

Here's how our Director of Engagement, Tim, puts the Future of eCommerce series in his own words.

#futureofecommerce #magentodevelopment #adobecommerce #unifiedcommerce #bigcommerce #magentoopensource

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim Bucciarelli had the pleasure of interviewing Marc Uible, VP of Marketing at Threekit.

On the podcast, they talk about:

- How Threekit technology works
- Several unique Threekit use cases
- His vision for the future of eCommerce (with VR/AR/3D as a foundation)
- How industry leaders are using Threekit to gain higher conversion rates and higher LTV customers 

You can read the transcription here: https://www.ironplane.com/blog/how-to-hubspot-series-partner-interview-with-marc-uible

#3dcommerce # VRAR #visualcommerce #ecommercetechnologies

00:00 Shaping eCommerce with Marc Uible, VP of Marketing at Threekit
04:09 Intro to Threekit
12:24 Threekit's typical customer
13:34 We're at the tip of the iceberg with 3D/AR/VR
14:55 How Threekit is leading eCommerce innovation

Find Threekit at: https://www.threekit.com/

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim Bucciarelli had the pleasure of interviewing Guy Marion, GM of Chargebee Retention.

On the podcast, they talk about:

- How Guy started Brightback, which got acquired by Chargebee
- The Chargebee ICP
- How Chargebee’s API-first approach is a differentiator
- The retention benefits of a flexible subscription platform 

You can read the transcription here: https://www.ironplane.com/blog/how-to-hubspot-series-partner-interview-with-guy-marion

#ecommercesubscription #subscriptionplatform #subscriptions #subscribe #recurringrevenue 

00:00 Shaping eCommerce with Guy Marion, GM Chargebee Retention
02:13 Intro to Chargebee and Brightback
04:17 Chargebee's typical customer
09:16 Unique benefits of Chargebee
14:58 Examples of Chargebee customers
16:50 Subscriptions as a gift
17:57 Chargebee differentiators

Relevant links:

https://brightback.com/
https://www.chargebee.com/

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim had the pleasure of interviewing Eddie Hsieh, Head of Alliances at Ordergroove.

On the podcast, they talk about:

• What Ordergroove is and how it works
• Who is Ordergroove’s ideal client
• How AI is enabling personalization in subscription platforms
• How Ordergroove allows merchants to dramatically reduce churn 

Not sure where to start your vendor evaluation? Contact us at IronPlane for help: https://www.ironplane.com/contact-us.

#subscriptions #subscriptionplatform #ecommerceintegrations #ecommerce #checkout

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim had the pleasure of interviewing Rob Holthause, Former Sales Director at Subscribe Pro.

On the podcast, they talk about:

- What SubscribePro is and how it works
- What types of companies can benefit from a subscription platform (hint: it’s almost all!)
- Why churn is so important to minimize, and how SubscribePro helps with retention
- What’s next for SubscribePro

Want to read the transcript? Head to: .

Curious about how subscription platforms could fit into your tech stack? Contact us at IronPlane: https://www.ironplane.com/contact-us.

Other useful links:
https://www.subscribepro.com/
https://www.subscribepro.com/clients/
https://www.subscribepro.com/resources/

00:00 Shaping eCommerce with Rob Holthause, Former Director of Sales at Subscribe Pro
01:48 What are subscriptions?
06:03 Is Subscribe Pro a SaaS solution or Magento extension?
11:19 Subscribe Pro customer highlights
14:00 What is churn?
25:43 What a non-disruptive subscription platform looks like

Choosing the best eCommerce platform for your business is a challenging process for many merchants.

There are hundreds of eCommerce platforms, each with its own pitch for how they can help you achieve your eCommerce dreams. Your decision will have wide-ranging financial impacts, including implementation, customization, maintenance, and optimization costs. Operational impacts can include training users and coordinating existing workflows to consider the new platform operations. But most importantly, your eCommerce platform impacts your customers, ultimately helping or hurting your bottom line.

With distinct tradeoffs between all platforms, how do you make the right choice for you?

That’s where our guest Aaron Sheehan comes in. Currently, Aaron is the Director of Competitive Strategy at BigCommerce. But he previously worked at several agencies, helping merchants of all sizes set up their eCommerce stores. We were lucky enough to tap into his vast experience and deep knowledge to round up some of the biggest differences among BigCommerce, Magento, Shopify, and WooCommerce.

In this interview, he compares each major platform, explaining what it’s known for and who would benefit most from using it.

00:00 Top eCommerce Platforms With Aaron Sheehan
07:43 SaaS vs. On-prem
13:13 Shopify
19:53 Magento
27:41 Total Cost of Ownership
30:05 BigCommerce Value Proposition
34:46 WooCommerce
47:38 Headless

Pete Kelich is currently a Principal Partner Account Manager at HubSpot, where he has managed and helped over 500 companies grow through utilizing the HubSpot software for themselves and clients.

Check out his full Shaping eCommerce interview to find out:

- Who coined the term “inbound marketing”
- If B2C companies can benefit from Hubspot
- What all the Hubspot hubs are
- Where Hubspot is headed in the next 2 - 5 years

Here are some useful Hubspot links:
https://www.hubspot.com/pricing/marketing
https://www.hubspot.com/why-choose-hubspot
https://www.hubspot.com/software-demo

Curious about implementing Hubspot? Contact Ironplane: https://www.ironplane.com/contact-us.

00:00 What is Hubspot? An Interview With Pete Kelich, Principal Partner Account Manager at Hubspot
05:56 Where did "inbound marketing" come from?
08:36 What is Hubspot? 
27:23 What separates Hubspot from other CRMs?
37:24 What makes Hubspot's Academy special?
47:32 What is Hubspot up to next?

On the latest episode of Shaping eCommerce, Tim had the pleasure of interviewing Anna, Senior Front-End Developer and Accessibility Specialist at Snowdog.

On the podcast, they talk about:

- What web accessibility is and why it matters
- What web accessibility regulations eCommerce companies need to be aware of and abide by
- 10 different techniques for improving accessibility on your site

Want to read more about what accessibility is and why eCommerce companies should care, contact us at IronPlane: https://www.ironplane.com/contact-us.

Other useful links:
https://www.crownpeak.com/blog/digital-experience-management/wcag-22-is-coming-whats-new-and-how-to-easily-comply 
https://overlayfactsheet.com/
https://www.deque.com/ada/
https://a11y-nutshel.vercel.app/
https://twitter.com/anqa_ka?lang=en

00:00 Shaping eCommerce with Anna Karoń, Sr Front-End Developer and Accessibility Specialist at Snowdog
05:28 Legal ramifications of accessibility
10:46 Accessibility matters for B2B and B2C sites
17:45 Alt text matters
22:25 How to test your site
24:50 Privacy laws

In Episode 4 of our eCommerce Marketing Series, Project Manager Shawn Cohen gives a general overview of Integrated Digital Marketing. Plus, she outlines the advantages of executing integrated digital marketing campaigns across multiple channels to create more effective and unified campaigns. Shaping eCommerce with IronPlane is a weekly podcast covering innovative topics and cutting-edge technologies across the eCommerce landscape. As a BigCommerce and Magento development company, we feature special edition episodes from our eCommerce Tech Series, eCommerce Marketing Series and Magento and BigCommerce Optimization Series. Subscribe now and stay tuned for upcoming episodes!