This week's episode

Louise Doyle built Needi.co.uk from a struggling DTC gifting site into a £2 million corporate gifting business by refusing to treat gifts like commodities. By understanding the psychology behind why people give gifts and focusing on connection over transactions, she has scaled a concierge service that supports local businesses while projecting £5 million in revenue. Her unconventional journey proves that in competitive e-commerce markets, building trust and relationships is more effective than competing solely on price and efficiency.

Matt Edmundson introduces the FUEL Framework (Foundation, Unlock, Elevate, Leapfrog) as a systematic approach to customer growth that addresses rising acquisition costs—which have surged 222% since 2013. Rather than choosing between acquisition and retention or over-relying on paid advertising, the framework provides a strategic roadmap covering email optimization, referral programs, strategic partnerships, advanced segmentation, and experimental tactics that help eCommerce brands build sustainable, diversified customer acquisition systems capable of weathering platform changes and algorithm shifts whilst maintaining profitability.

After 18 months of searching and evaluating 40 businesses, Michael Simpson purchased an 18-year-old eCommerce store using an SBA loan, rather than building one from scratch. Four years later, he candidly shares that the $30,000 failed migration, the cashflow challenges that forced him to stop paying himself, and why buying an established business trades startup risks for inherited constraints. His daily cash flow forecasting and mastermind support kept the business alive through survival mode—proving that staying in the game matters more than explosive growth.

Less than 30% of customers buy a product or service a second time, and subscription brands lose 50% of their customers within 90 days. Ken Rapp from BluStream reveals how brands can stop this leak through strategic post-purchase engagement across three stages: unboxing, usage, and care. By delivering personalised, timely support through messaging platforms, brands are achieving 30% increases in repeat sales and 30% reductions in churn—transforming the critical "doorstep to delight" phase that most competitors are still ignoring.

Alex Back reveals how his team at Couch influences AI search results within 48 hours by creating expert video content that informs large language models. Through systematic content creation starting with video, strategic publishing across YouTube and blogs, and careful measurement of LLM citations, brands can build authority in AI search without massive budgets—just expertise, consistency, and willingness to adapt to the new rules of digital marketing.

Tim Wilson from Product Wind reveals why marketing to Amazon's algorithm, rather than fighting it, transforms product success. By understanding the seven key signals Amazon values—from external traffic to engagement metrics—and orchestrating coordinated campaigns that show sustained improvement week over week, brands can move from page 87 to page 1 in search results while building foundations that make all other marketing more effective.

Summer 2025 is over, and while most e-commerce businesses are breathing a sigh of relief after "surviving" another slow season, Matt's post-summer analysis reveals something different—while one business experienced the predicted 50% sales drop, another grew 19% year-on-year by challenging default assumptions and focusing on mobile optimisation and new customer acquisition while competitors pulled back. In this episode, Matt introduces Aurion's "undefault" principle for questioning business assumptions, shares research showing 70% of summer purchases happen in March-May, and provides three practical steps to challenge your seasonal defaults for 2026, proving summer can become a competitive advantage rather than a period to survive.

Sean Stone reveals why successful Shopify strategies often fail on Amazon, where 20% conversion rates are expected versus Shopify's 3%. Through his PAIR framework (Promotions, Advertising, Inventory, Rankability) and conversion rate benchmarking tools, sellers can identify "rankable" products and systematically climb organic rankings by treating Amazon as a competitive marketplace rather than another sales channel.

Digital marketing veteran Vlad Zhovtenko reveals why data ownership has become the biggest competitive advantage in e-commerce. As platforms change algorithms and new search behaviours emerge through TikTok and AI, businesses that control their own customer data can adapt quickly while competitors struggle. Learn his practical framework for identifying the 1-2 metrics that actually drive growth, avoiding the AI analysis trap, and building sustainable data advantages that compound over time.

Matt Edmundson reveals nine battle-tested Black Friday strategies that address operational realities rather than wishful thinking. From the "mom test" that prevents customer confusion to understanding that 70% of sales happen on mobile devices, these tips focus on building systems that work when traffic spikes. The key insight: Black Friday is a two-week opportunity, not a single day, requiring preparation for customer service floods, site speed issues, and mobile-first shopping behaviours.

Matt Edmundson reveals why most Black Friday campaigns fail by treating all customers equally. Learn the VIP list strategy that lets your best customers test offers early, reduces customer service pressure, and turns loyal buyers into your biggest competitive advantage. Discover customer segmentation tactics, SMS marketing for Black Friday, and how to build exclusive experiences that maximise lifetime value rather than just weekend revenue.

What if the secret to Black Friday success isn't just about discounts, but about building relationships that last? Matt Edmundson reveals a simple framework that transforms one-time buyers into lifetime customers through strategic knowledge and trust building.