Retention Chronicles Mariah Parsons

Mariah Parsons and Matt Froehlich discussed the importance of networking and connection-building in the e-commerce industry, sharing their experiences from attending conferences like Shop Talk and The Whalies. They emphasized the value of meeting people outside of their normal networks and highlighted differences between events in terms of size, scope, engagement, and connection-making opportunities. They also discussed the latest trends and challenges in digital marketing, including adapting to new technologies, reevaluating a brand's tech stack, navigating brand-agency relationships, and understanding the evolving nature of social media platforms like TikTok. Finally, they discussed optimizing ad performance and financials in the industry, emphasizing the importance of planning ahead, analyzing past data, and employing efficient advertising strategies to ensure maximum ROI.

Episode Timestamps:


4:18 Using physical business cards vs virtual ones at conferences


10:05 Career path from radio to marketing agency


13:53 Improving marketing efficiency through tech stack optimization and financial transparency


18:36 Planning and optimization for peak season, focusing on efficiency and list growth


22:56 Evaluating and optimizing marketing technology stacks


 26:13 New updates and trends in Shopify marketing, including Meta and Clayvo


31:23 Social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, and their evolving features and pressures


36:52 Marketing strategies for e-commerce brands on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram

Mariah Parsons and Yaw Aning discussed the importance of creating a seamless post-purchase experience for e-commerce merchants. They emphasized the need to align the experience with the brand's strategy and goals, educate customers about the brand, and set goals based on the strategy. Both speakers highlighted the importance of keeping customers updated and mapping out the customer journey to build trust and transparency.



Episode Timestamps:


0:05⁠ Post-purchase experience optimization for e-commerce businesses


Expert CEO shares 10 post-purchase lessons from 5000 Shopify brands.


Yaw Aning advises merchants to understand their post-purchase default settings.




3:55 Post-purchase experiences, brand strategy, and metrics for success


Understand your brand strategy to choose the right post-purchase platform.


Consumers prefer post-purchase experiences that educate and build the brand.


Develop goals based on strategy to create a cohesive experience.




10:13 Post-purchase experience optimization for e-commerce merchants


Yaw Aning suggests partnering with an agency to optimize post-purchase experience.


Yaw Aning: Key moments in customer journey build trust, transparency.


Mongoose's proactive communication best practices defuse frustration, build trust.


Yaw Aning highlights Soylent's post-purchase strategy, segmenting customers based on their journey stage and providing tailored content and CTAs.


Mobile-first design is crucial for tracking experiences, as 83% of views occur on mobile devices, and customers are often interrupted during on-the-go activities.

Mariah Parsons and Rachel Nilsson, Founder of RAGS, discussed Rachel’s experience in building her e-commerce business, emphasizing the importance of perseverance, creativity, and customer satisfaction. 

Rachel shared her journey, including managing demand, partnering with large companies like Nordstrom and Disney, and navigating the unpredictable journey of entrepreneurship. 

They also discussed the pros and cons of implementing limited edition models to increase FOMO marketing and getting creative with inventory sales.

After Rachel’s premiere on Shark Tank, she navigated through having to deal with copycats but ultimately refocusing on doing their own thing and doing it well.

This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands. 



To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we’ll send your free design right to your inbox!



Episode Timestamps


4:37 Starting a clothing line from scratch, growing through social media and Shark Tank appearance


9:56 Limited edition drops, FOMO marketing, and serving customers


17:32 Limited edition products, inventory management, and consumer behavior


24:45 Challenges and successes of limited edition clothing model, with a focus on founder's personal experience and lessons learned


29:38 Entrepreneurship, success, and surrounding oneself with a supportive community

33:04 Entrepreneurship, innovation, and dealing with copycats

Mariah Parsons and Jonathan Penna, Co-Founder of ORBYT Skin & Azio Beauty, discussed their experiences navigating the challenges of e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan shared his journey of transitioning from a bakery to an e-commerce business, highlighting the challenges of scaling an operation during a global health crisis. 

Mariah provided context and asked questions to delve deeper into the topic, exploring the impact of COVID-19 on the e-commerce industry and the strategies for adapting to the new normal. Later, Mariah and Jonathan discussed various strategies for building successful subscription-based businesses, including personalization, direct-to-consumer marketing, and optimizing subscription retention and growth. 

Jonathan shared their experience with onboarding AI-powered customer support tools like Sienna AI, emphasizing the importance of careful onboarding and optimizing automations.

This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands. 



To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we’ll send your free design right to your inbox!



Episode Timestamps:


3:49 Skincare brand development and marketing strategies


9:10 Pre-orders and subscription model for a brand, with focus on education and UGC to drive sales


13:37 Marketing strategies for a skincare product with pre-orders and subscriptions


18:36 Implementing dynamic pricing for subscriptions, with focus on customer frustration and retention


23:02 Increasing subscription conversions through easy customization and control transfer to customers


28:44 Subscription services and customer preferences


34:12 AI-powered customer support tool and retail expansion


38:50 Strategies for expanding a subscription-based e-commerce business

Liz Krupka, Owner of Nomadd Marketing, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss email marketing and optimizing email templates

Great email marketing has to parallel a brand’s tone and great customer experience. This is what Liz and her team focus on. 

Liz and Mariah talk about how some ecommerce merchants have lost creative aspects of their marketing due to the shift towards performance marketing. The key is that these brands aren’t following what originally brought their customers to know and love their brand. So, some emails become too sales heavy, which end up turning customers away. 

Liz proposes that instead, brands focus on what drove their audience and hone in on that. Find out which emails are the most successful that appeal to their audience and optimize those rather than fully redoing their emails.

Liz also talks about email templates for ecommerce brands and how to compare templates accurately. Brands must take into account the email copy, email creative, email offerings, the seasonality, historical data, the economy, and more. 

There are also considerations brands should make when considering becoming a promotion-heavy brand vs one that does not run promotions. 

This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands. 



To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we’ll send your free design right to your inbox!

Episode Timeline:


2:07 Celebrity endorsements and product placements in social media


6:42 Marketing strategies and post-purchase experiences


12:26 Email marketing challenges and strategies for brands in Utah


17:51 Email marketing strategies and audience analysis


23:04 Email marketing templates and their importance in improving email performance


28:27 Email marketing strategies and industry benchmarks for e-commerce brands


32:38 Marketing strategies, tactics, and best practices for email and SMS campaigns


38:54 Reducing promotions to focus on loyalty programs


43:05 Sustainable marketing strategies for fashion brands

Joel Reichert, four-time ecommerce owner and co-founder of Copper Pearl, Maven Thread, and Woven Nook, joins Retention Chronicles to discuss selling on Amazon vs. Shopify and running ads on Amazon vs Meta



Joel started his career in ecommerce holding a financial role at a tech company and founded his first brand, Copper Pearl, in 2015. In 2.5 years, they grew the business to a 7 figure brand and sold the company in 2018.



In 2017, he founded his two current brands, Maven Thread and Woven Nook. He’s also grown these brands to be a 7 figure company.



Joel tells Mariah about how he started these ecommerce businesses with an investment of $10k and started selling on Amazon storefront. Joel explains that starting out on Amazon helped launch their product to help make their product make sense and then they transitioned into selling through their own website on Shopify. 



There are a lot of differences between Amazon ads and Meta ads, such as the barrier to entry for ecommerce beginners and the rate of tweaking needed for each platform. From Joel’s perspective, starting on Amazon is the way to go.



Joel and Mariah also discuss how customizable DTC products can be for specific cohorts of customers. Ecommerce also allows for there to be flexibility in logistics.



This podcast is sponsored by Malomo, a leading shipment and order tracking platform for Shopify and Shopify Plus ecommerce brands. 



To see what your personalized mockup of branded order tracking and transactional email/SMS would look like, fill out this form & we’ll send your free design right to your inbox!



Episode Timestamps


6:10 Starting and growing an e-commerce business on Amazon and Shopify, with a focus on marketing strategies and scaling through wholesale


12:55 Amazon advertising, starting an Amazon business, and failed ecommerce startups.


18:18 Starting a business, preferences for customizable products.


22:44 Product design, customization, and data-driven decision-making in e-commerce.


27:50 Textile selection, manufacturing, and industry resources for eCommerce brands.


32:59 Shipping rates and challenges faced by e-commerce founders.



36:43 Amazon and Shopify e-commerce, brand growth, and customer support.