Commerce Minded

Is Craft Commerce the right solution for your ecommerce platform? When a feature, integration, or required outcome doesn’t fit into an existing system, chances are, Craft Commerce is the answer.

Leslie Camacho is the Chief Customer Officer at Pixel & Tonic, and he believes that customer success is a genuine opportunity to help people solve a real problems in an authentic and empathetic way.

Listen to learn about Craft’s strengths and how they provide value to clients in search of unique solutions, plus get a preview of an exciting new element of partnerships and relationships within Craft.

Key takeaways

• As Pixel & Tonic’s Chief Customer Officer, Leslie is the primary connection between all parties who use Craft
• How can self-awareness help you sell more genuinely?
• Pixel & Tonic is ensuring Verified Craft Partners bring value to their clients so the Craft ecosystem remains trustworthy
• Leslie offers insight on how to determine if Craft and Commerce will provide a valuable solution for your ecommerce needs

URLs/resources/social media links

• The Feeling Good Handbook
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• The Drum Recommends

When selling a product that’s a little bit outside the box, you need a flexible solution for building your ecommerce site, especially if you’re the first one on the scene and doing something totally different.

Vijay Sitaram of Wipertech sits down for a chill, yet inspiring conversation on how he got his start selling wiper blades online when no one else was doing it. He also dives into why Klaviyo is essential to his customer retention strategy and what it takes to succeed in ecommerce.

Listen as Vijay gives some excellent advice on taking care of customers in the digital age, and find out why he made the decision to move the Wipertech site from Magento over to Craft Commerce 2.

Key takeaways

• Vijay saw an opportunity to sell wiper blades online to customers in an accessible way
• The two main challenges were the technical aspects of selling online and customer acquisition
• Making the switch to Craft Commerce from Magento is right for Wipertech because of the flexibility it affords
• Customer care in the digital age is shifting, and Wipertech has an effective customer retention strategy

Resources:

Wipertech

Is it possible to stand out in the world of ecommerce with competitors like Amazon? Learn how, for over 15 years, Jeremy Daalder has turned his expert content into conversions by pairing the Craft CMS platform with Craft Commerce to beat the big box stores.

Key takeaways:

• Jeremy started an “accidental business,” and over 15 years later he’s running a successful company.
• His business is built around a unique vision to have a website that functions like an online magazine, with products available to purchase throughout.
• Jeremy created a seamless experience for the customer by pairing Craft CMS with Craft Commerce. This allowed him to integrate expert content with products and services — making it easier and more compelling for customers to buy.
• What will allow your online business to stand out? According to Daalder, you can beat the big box stores by doing what he did — making your business into expertise-based commerce.

Resources:

Image Science

He’s one of the best Craft developers out there, a prolific blogger, and a podcast host, but how did Andrew Welch get to where he is today?

Andrew’s hunger for learning began early when he started his own software company as a teenager, and it’s that same desire to learn that drove him to explore new interests and ultimately dive into the world of web development years later.

Tune in to learn how Andrew’s curiosity and willingness to teach others has helped him become an industry leader.

Key takeaways

• Before he was a web developer, Andrew designed fonts, owned a software company, and went to school for photojournalism.
• Andrew discovered early on the value of teaching--you have to do deep dives and become well-versed in the subject first.
• The world of web development is changing. Don’t be intimidated by Composer for Craft 3, because there’s a big payoff in using it, and the Craft team is there to guide you through any issues.

Resources:

• Humans of New York
• From Alice to Ocean: Alone Across the Outback
• ProFont
• 2012 Walmart study
• Addy Osmani: “The Cost of Javascript”

Craft Commerce expert Jonathan Melville discusses the impact his personal life has on his business goals, his work on the Barefoot Contessa site, and navigating the tricky issue of ecommerce shipping.

Through experience and recent personal hardships Jonathan has developed a set of lifestyle-based goals for his solo business that include prioritizing time with family and scaling in a way that supports these goals.

Listen for an insightful conversation that covers the business side of ecommerce--and why Jonathan thinks the key to successful, profitable projects is finding the right clients.

Key takeaways

• Jonathan has overcome personal hardships that have shaped the way he structures his solo business.
• Choose goals based on a desired lifestyle rather than a number.
• Jonathan chose ShipStation for the Barefoot Contessa site’s shipping fulfillment.
• Dealing with the issues of ecommerce shipping can be tricky, but the key is not surprising your customers.
• Why choosing your clients wisely is essential.

Resources:

Jonathan Melville

Barefoot Contessa Case Study

The story of Wesley and Elizabeth Melville

Pia Silva

Profit First

Web Developer Support & Maintenance Retainers

Apartment One

ShipStation

As a relative newcomer to the custom ecommerce CMS world, Craft Commerce is pushing the envelope with new, powerful authoring and developer capabilities. Brands looking at Shopify Plus, BigCommerce and Magento as options, should add Craft Commerce to their platform review conversations.

With Craft CMS 3 released in April 2018, Craft Commerce 2 just weeks away from its own release, and the excitement around Dot All 2018, I chatted with Pixel & Tonic CEO Brandon Kelly and original primary Commerce developer, Luke Holder.

Listen to learn the back story on Craft Commerce 2 and to see why now is the perfect time to consider Craft Commerce 2 for new store builds of any complexity.

Bonus, Brandon tells about what to expect for Craft CMS 4!

Key takeaways

• The advent of Craft CMS 3 and Craft Commerce 2 will allow the Pixel & Tonic team to focus on rapid iteration of new authoring features, so developers won’t have to worry about breaking changes in a looming Craft CMS update.
• Luke Holder is dedicated fully to the development of Commerce.
• The goal of Commerce Lite is to reach a wider audience that doesn’t require a feature-rich ecommerce store.
• Pixel & Tonic’s marketing efforts will expand to focus on end user businesses, not just developers and agencies, as they release new features that fulfill the needs of whole teams.
• Improved APIs and a plugin store will encourage contributions from the community in the realm of more integrations and data reporting tools.
• This year’s Dot All conference will “turn it up to eleven.”

Resources:

• Craft CMS
• Craft Commerce
• Pixel & Tonic
• Craft CMS on Twitter
• Craft CMS on Facebook
• Dot All 2018
• Dot All on Facebook
• Dot All on Twitter
• Dot All on Instagram
• Foster Commerce

Welcome to Commerce Minded. A new podcast hosted by Foster Commerce CEO Stephen Callender.

Subscribe to hear bi-weekly interviews with ecommerce merchants. Learn what's working and what to avoid from online business owners that are deep in the trenches.

The show premieres September 4. Be sure to subscribe and visit http://fostercommerce.com/ for more details.