Add To Cart

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Basil Karam, CEO and co-founder of online homewares store, Life Interiors. As with many in the homewares category, Life Interiors had a massive 2020 and are on track for an even bigger 2021 off the back of a replatforming over to Shopify Plus, a smart omnichannel set up and investment in technologies including augmented reality and artificial intelligence.  In this chat, we hear the Life Interiors story, including how they started on eBay and as a replica furniture company - a far cry from today where they are now...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Matt Barnett from Bonjoro, the 1-1 personalised video messaging platform that started as a sales hack for an agency Matt was running.  Bonjoro went from hack to side hustle to global business in 18 months, and now has teams across five continents.

Links from the episode:

Threadless

Traction by Justin Mares & Gabriel Weinberg

Facing up to Customers: How to do Video Personalisation | #048

Questions answered in the podcast:

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Michael Beveridge, currently content director at Bailey Nelson and the creative brain behind advertising for brands such as Koala and Good Pair Days.  Michael started his career as a copywriter before becoming a contestant on Big Brother and then a breakfast radio host before joining then start-up Koala.  In this chat, Michael talks about the benefits of an internal creative team vs an agency approach, how to use data to free up creativity and how to stay on top of culture and trends to avoid middle...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Jeremy Meltzer from  i=Change.  Jeremy and his team have raised over $2m to help women and girls escape out of poverty, abuse and slavery, partnering with brands such as PE Nation, PillowTalk and National Tiles.

Links from the episode:

Patagonia

Starting Greatness by Mike Maples Jnr

Giving is the New Selling: The i=Change Story  | #044  

Questions answered in the podcast:

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Dean Taylor who has a long history in the online business world. He has founded and sold wine businesses such as CrackaWines, My Wine Guy and The Wine Collective. In this chat, Dean discusses his latest venture, Wine Depot, which aims to simplify and streamline the warehouse and fulfilment process for wine manufacturers who want to go direct to customers. Launching in 2018, it has gained incredible traction so far with some of Australia’s l;aeding wine manufacturers signing on, an expansion into a new marketplace model and a...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout James Bartle, Founding CEO of Outland Denim.  The former motocross rider was inspired to build a company that drives social change and saw denim jeans as the ultimate product to achieve this.  Six years in, the brand has its own Cambodia-based production services employing local seamstresses, appears in stores across Australia, the US and Canada and has been worn by Meghan Markle.

Links from the episode:

Nikkou Store

James and West

Nordstrom

Selfridges

Holt Renfrew<...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Alex Tanya and Aaron Weller from online rug retailer, Miss Amara.  A million miles away from the shouty men who traditionally seemed to be the only option in rug sales, Miss Amara use beautiful content, styling services and amazing customer service to modernise the business. Today they are on track to surpass $20m in revenue and are shipping to Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and soon, the US.  In this chat, Alex and Aaron share the process of how they engage with customers to the point...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Mike Angell, Co-founder of Vop, an app that allows brands to create a shoppable TikTok feed.  From small beginnings as a self taught programmer, Mike has managed to work with some of the biggest names including, Black Milk , Shopify and Culture Kings. 

Links from the episode:

Vop

Culture Kings

Koala

Manscaped

Shopify Blog

The Insiders Guide To TikTok: How short form video boosts eCommerce conversion | #019

Questions answered in the podcast:<...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Steve Blick.  In a past life, Steve was a school teacher, but now he educates grown ups about beer as the head of Direct to Drinker at Stone & Wood.  In today’s chat Steve dives into the complexities of running a website off the back of two different platforms, how a subscription offering has changed how they interact with drinkers and how the majority of the Stone & Wood team own part of the brewery.  

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...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Oliver & Ruby Hagen, who run Hagen’s Organics, a second-generation butchery based in Melbourne. 

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Questions answered in the podcast:

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Matt Holme, the CEO and Founder of YouPay. YouPay allows users to share their filled out checkouts with others to pay on their behalf - think gifting for partners, buying office equipment or authorising kids payments.  Matt talks us through how he came up with the idea while trying  to buy a gift for his wife and the range of use cases the technology has.  He also reveals his fascinating background as a FIFA video game nerd turned EA Sports employee.

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In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Kate Collinson from Kate Collison Digital Consulting.

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In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Justin Hillberg, Managing Director of SurfStitch. From being the innovative leaders and market darlings of the ASX, to going through voluntary administration and now back to profitability, Justin has led his team at SurfStitch through it all. In this chat he shares his views on everything from how discounting is not ideal but there are ways to do it effectively to how they are helping other retailers get off the ground with their own marketplace and why they are moving into homewares and beauty under the SurfStitch umbrella...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Jess and Stef Dadon,, the duo behind the How Two Live blog and podcast and Founders of the TWOOBS footwear brand. 

Links from the episode:

Glossier

All BIrds

How Two Live

Smartless 

The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer

Followers, Footwear & Fashion Week: The Twoobs Story | #046 

Retail Global (sponsored)

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In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by MIchael Tutek, Founder and CEO of Preezie. Michael actually had the idea for his business when he was a fifteen year old salesperson at The Good Guys. He held onto the concept and built it into what’s now known as Preezie - a guided conversion and discovery platform for online retailers.  In today’s chat, he tells us the story of how his idea as a fifteen year old turned into a solution used by established retailers such as Baby Bunting, Lorna Jane, Luxury Escapes, Bevilles and...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Hannah Spilva and Verity Tuck, Co-founders of gifting business, LVLY.  From backgrounds in advertising, Hannah and Verity are now turning over in excess of $3m with LVLY delivering amazing posies in beautiful jars with heart warming and slightly cheeky messages on them.

Links from the episode:

Mecca 

Adore Beauty

Lady Brains

You LVLY F*cker: Appealing to the Millennial Customer | #024

Questions answered in the podcast:

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Mike Halligan, Co-founder of Australia’s self proclaimed “best dog food” brand, Scratch.  Mike has a long history helping grow Australian eCommerce brands and took the leap into his own venture when his dog got sick. Determined to reinvent the world of dog food, Scratch was born.  In this chat, Mike discusses their subscription-only business model, why they’re not trying to be the biggest dog food company in Australia and how Mick Fanning and his best friend are big fans.

Links fr...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Kellie Hush,  former editor in Chief of Harper's Bazaar with more than 20 years’ experience in the Australian and international fashion industry.  

Links from the episode:

Net a Porter

Mecca

Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas

The Future of Australian Fashion featuring Kellie Hush | #013  

Questions answered in the podcast:

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Stu French, Co-Founder of Ethicool, a children’s book publisher and online retailer. Stu has an eCommerce background, having worked in digital roles for Telstra and AGL, but he’s also a children’s author.  Combining his two career areas, Stu, with his wife Teigan, launched Ethicool in February 2020, selling kids books with great stories and ethical messages.  In this chat, Stu discusses the link between his corporate life and his career as a kids author and publisher, tells us about the fulfillment model he set up to...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Rhys Furner, Head of Partnerships and Sales Development for Shopify Plus in the APAC region.  Rhys was one of the first handful of Shopify employees when the company first landed on Australian shores.

Links from the episode:

Culture Kings

Supreme 

RFPs 

High Output Management by Andy Grove

The End of the World by Josh Clark

Arming the Rebels: Inside the world of Shopify Plus with Rhys Furner | #039

Retail Global...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Simon Griffiths, Co-founder and CEO of Who Gives A Crap, a direct to consumer toilet paper brand who have revolutionised the product, offering subscription, funky packaging and a certain cool factor.  What’s more, they donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets in developing nations with a goal to make sure everyone in the world has access to proper sanitisation. During the chat, Simon covers how he came up with the idea for Who Gives A Crap in his bathroom in less than a minute, the ch...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Danielle Lewis from the influencer marketing platform and agency, Scrunch.  Whether you’re a TikTok regular or a social media novice, understanding how to best utilise influencers within your business can be daunting.  Danielle helps to take away the guesswork.

Links from the episode:

Mecca 

The Answer

Atomic Habits by James Clear

The Do’s and Don'ts of Influencer Marketing | #021 

Questions answered in the podcast:

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Anthony Nappa, Founder and CEO of Oz Hair & Beauty.  Anthony started out buying a business from his dad for $12,000 and worked hard selling products on Ebay to get him through university.  Now that business does over $50m a year in turnover and is one of the leading beauty and skincare brands.  In this chat he gives shout outs to the people who have helped him,  shares his biggest ‘aha’ moments and lifts the curtain on some of his most successful strategies. If you are...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Tom & Natalie Hintze from Mr Pool Man.  These two siblings have taken their dad’s pool store and transformed it into an eCommerce powerhouse, which has disrupted the very slow moving world of pool parts and accessories.

Links from the episode:

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight 

Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

On Purpose with Ja...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Matt Barnett from Bonjoro, a SaaS based video platform that allows you, your customer service or warehouse teams to send short, personalised videos to your customers via email. Started in Sydney in 2017, Bonjoro is now used across the world and is integrated with platforms such as Shopify, Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign. In this conversation, you’ll hear how Matt had the idea for Bonjoro on his morning commute, how personalised video can increase conversion rates at certain points in the funnel and his tips for people struggling in front of...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Chris Meade, co-founder and CRO of CROSSNET.  Chris, his brother and a friend came up with the idea for this new game, a mix of volleyball and foursquare (or handball, as Aussie kids know it),  after a late night of brainstorming.  They built a rough prototype,  figured out the rules and played.  Almost three years later, the game is in over 300 retail stores, generates over a million dollars a month in revenue and could become an Olympic sport.

Links from the episode:<...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Jess and Stef Dadon,, the duo behind the How Two Live blog and podcast and Founders of the TWOOBS footwear brand.  You’ll hear how the sister’s lives exploded after they achieved the ultimate paparazzi-pulling stunt at Paris Fashion Week, why they cancelled their entire new range of shoes post Covid and why they see a commitment to sustainability like eating a giant pizza.

Links from the episode 

TWOOBS

Paris Fashion Week

Susie Bubble

Wind...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Alison Covington from Good360, a matchmaker helping to repurpose items of value by directing them to Australians most in need. 

Links from the episode:

Luca Luna

Founder to Founder (Phil Hayes-Sinclair)

How Big W Did Good with Excess Goods | #016  

Questions answered in the podcast:

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Jeremy Meltzer from  i=Change. Jeremy and his team have raised over $2m to help women and girls escape out of poverty, abuse and slavery, partnering with brands such as PE Nation, PillowTalk and National Tiles. Jeremy discusses the impact that i=Change is making, how retailers can start giving (and converting) almost immediately and why he thinks the secret to retail in the future will be product as well as purpose.

Links from the episode:

i=Change

Grill’d<...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Ata Gokyildirim, a senior director at fraud prevention technology company, Forter.

Links from the episode:

James Perse

Who Moved My Cheese by Dr Spencer Johnson

eCommerce Fraud - How to Maximise Sales without Compromising Security | #009

Acast (sponsored)

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In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Carolyn Breeze, General Manager of GoCardless in Australia.  GoCardless makes it simple to collect recurring and one-off payments from customers in Australia and worldwide.

Links from the episode:

The Iconic

The Year Without Pants by Scott Berkun

Subscriptions & Micropayments: Turbo-charging the future of eCommerce | #012

Acast (sponsored)

Questions answered in the podcast:

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Sharon Anderson, Head of Digital Lotteries at The Lott, known for their brands including Powerball, Oz Lotto and Instant Scratch Its.  

Links from the episode:

Donald Trump toilet brush

Country Road

QR Codes

Digital Adaptation by Paul Boag

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Billion Dollar Dream Seller: The Tatts digital lotteries machine | #037

Acast (sponsored)

Questions answered in the podcast:

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Ed Ross, Co-founder of TradeMutt.  After working on cattle stations and doing a Ag diploma, Ed found himself in Brisbane working as a Carpenter.  He and another tradie mate got delivered some devastating news, which inspired them to change what workwear looks like and make a real impact on mental health in the construction industry and beyond. 

Links from the episode:

Koala

NeverSeam

Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson

Barefoot Investor

Salesforce

...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Rhys Furner, Head of Partnerships and Sales Development for Shopify Plus in the APAC region.  Rhys was one of the first handful of Shopify employees when they first landed on Australian shores.  He shares his Australian retail observations over the Black Friday sale period, takes us behind the scenes on the Shopify recruitment process and shares how his mum is the inspiration behind his passion for helping other entrepreneurs. 

Links from the episode:

Shopify

Shopify Plus

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Domm Holland from Fast, a one click online login and checkout experience. An entrepreneur and self-taught engineer, Domm has founded and scaled companies in the logistics, transportation and technology sectors. 

Links from the episode:

Hollister

Black Wolf Nation

asos 

Amazon

Business Wars podcast

Fast

Solving the Internet's Checkout Problem: The Fast Story | #031 

Acast (sponsored)

Questions answered in the podcast:

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Sharon Anderson, Head of Digital Lotteries at The Lott.  You would know The Lott for their brands including Powerball, Oz Lotto and Instant Scratch Its. This is a unique retailer as there are no physical goods to shift and this episode provides a fascinating insight into how you can still sell something that is totally intangible. Sharon takes us behind the scenes with some of the challenges they face in transitioning older customers to online, the tactics they use to navigate app stores that have different rules...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Pip Brett, owner of JUMBLED, an award-winning homewares and fashion retailer.  Based out of Orange in regional NSW, Pip and her team have created a product range which would be better described as a gallery and a customer base that would be better described as a community. 

Links from the episode:

JUMBLED

Merci

Stop, Collaborate & Listen 

JUMBLED Loves a Chat

Colour & Confidence: The Jumbled Story | #030

Acast (sponsored)

...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Ed Ross, Co-founder of TradeMutt, the home of funky workwear with an important message.  After working on cattle stations and doing a Ag diploma, Ed found himself in Brisbane working as a Carpenter.  He and another tradie mate got delivered some devastating news, which inspired them to change what workwear looks like and make a real impact on mental health in the construction industry and beyond.  So TradeMutt was born.  In this conversation, we dive into how they set up their eCommerce business from...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we checkout Carl Hartmann, a serial entrepreneur, co founder of Temando, Compono and Lyre’s Spirit Co.  Carl took the shipping and fulfillment solution, Temando from an idea to one of the largest Australian technology companies, having raised over $55m in funding.  Compono, an end to end talent solution company, was born from Carl’s own hiring frustrations and his latest venture is award-winning, non alcoholic spirit retailer, Lyres, launched in 2019.

Links from the episode:

Lyre’s Spirit Company

Shortlyster

Stern anchor...

In this episode of Add To Cart, we are joined by Chris Titley, a stockbroker at Morgans.  Chris has a special interest in fin techs, digital banks and payment methods. He even hosts his own podcast on the matter, Bank to the Future, where he interviews founders and leaders from fintech businesses who are doing things a little differently. During the chat, Chris covers everything from the buy now pay later emergence, how open banking has opened up disruption opportunities and which metrics investors look for in emerging businesses.

Links from the...