Forwrd Thinking - Strategies For Ecommerce Leaders

Christian Hoppe
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Direct advice & discussions on growing ecommerce businesses. Practical tactics by ecommerce owners & operators to help you grow your ecommerce & direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands faster and more profitably.

Episodes

  1. International Expansion — Top Tips for D2C & Game Plan | Ep. 06

    06/18/2024

    International Expansion — Top Tips for D2C & Game Plan | Ep. 06

    Expanding your ecommerce to new markets is not all glitter & shine. It takes resources, planning and great execution. In this week’s Thought, I will share my learnings so you don’t have to repeat my mistakes: 👉 When is the right time to open a new market. 👉 Creating a separate P&L and forecast for each market. 👉 Lean testing vs. “all in”: why localization matters & why market research is overvalued. 👉 Channels & strategy: Examples how each market is different. And sharing different GTM strategies: Big bang vs soft launch. 👉 Who to hire, when & how new markets impact your teams, company culture, language and processes. 👉 How to evaluate market performance & iterate. Timestamps: (0:00) - Introduction (0:18) - When is The Right Time to Expand into More Markets? (1:27) - P&L and Forecast for Each Market (3:10) - Lean Testing vs. “All In” (5:37) - Channels & Strategy (8:35) - Hiring & Team (Language, Culture & Processes) (13:11) - Evaluation and Iteration (15:04) - Final Thoughts Check out the full transcript on forwrdthinking.com Resources: Discover waterdrop: http://waterdrop.com About the Host: Christian Hoppe Chris started his journey in marketing and ecommerce 15 years ago and quickly made a name for himself by scaling the D2C operations for waterdrop from $5 million to $100 million in just three years. His expertise has also led him to work as a fractional CMO with multiple 7- to 9-figure brands. Today, he drives growth for winning ecommerce brands through Forwrd Agency, while also investing in and operating his own portfolio of businesses. Connect with Chris: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianmhoppe X/Twitter - https://twitter.com/christianmhoppe 🎙About Forwrd Thinking Forwrd Thinking delivers straightforward advice and discussions on growing ecommerce businesses through its podcast and newsletter. It focuses on practical strategies and real-world insights for direct-to-consumer success. Get every update—follow and subscribe now 👇 Blog & Newsletter - https://www.forwrdthinking.com YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ForwrdThinking Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/forwrd-thinking/id1743974330 X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/Forwrd_Thinking LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forwrd-thinking Want to be a guest or sponsor an episode? Contact us at: chris@forwrdthinking.com

    16 min
  2. From Finance Guy to Ecommerce Co-Founder & How to Turn Competition Into Opportunity – Andrew Dulgar, of BEVVO | Ep. 05

    06/10/2024

    From Finance Guy to Ecommerce Co-Founder & How to Turn Competition Into Opportunity – Andrew Dulgar, of BEVVO | Ep. 05

    "When the pie grows, everyone enjoys a bigger piece.” Andrew left behind his finance career to start his D2C business BEVVO. We discuss his journey from finance guy to co-founder, his views on the importance of product, and how ecommerce businesses can benefit from competition in their category. We spoke about: 👉 Product is key—why to prioritize quality & never stop iterating • How to adopt a long-term vision to build a sustainable business • How to embrace competition as market validation. And for creating new opportunities • Creating a new category vs. challenging an existing one • “Haste makes waste”—Don’t rush things. Pay attention to your customer feedback & take your time to perfect your product Timestamps: (0:00) - Introduction (0:52) - From Finance Guy to D2C Co-Founder (03:13) - The Launch of BEVVO (12:20) - Product Iteration: Yes or No? (16:31) - Creating a New Category vs. Challenging an Existing One (19:07) - When the Pie Grows, Everyone Enjoys a Bigger Piece (23:25) - Selling Non-Consumable Products in D2C (29:40) - Develop a Long-Term Vision (33:20) - Advice To New Founders From a Finance Guy Check out the full transcript on https://www.forwrdthinking.com Resources: Connect with Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewdulgar Discover BEVVO: mybevvo.com About the Guest: Andrew Dulgar Andrew Dulgar is the co-founder of BEVVO, an ecommerce brand specializing in portable blenders, and a former Certified Public Accountant from Montreal, Canada, with extensive experience in financial analysis and planning for retail and fashion brands. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to drop his CPA certification and focus on growing BEVVO, with his wife. Andrew's passion for healthy living and unique vision have driven BEVVO to success, despite challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, he continues to balance his financial expertise with his entrepreneurial spirit, leading BEVVO towards the launch of their third-generation product made from scratch, BEVVO 3. About the Host: Christian Hoppe Chris started his journey in marketing and ecommerce 15 years ago and quickly made a name for himself by scaling the D2C operations for waterdrop from $5 million to $100 million in just three years. His expertise has also led him to work as a fractional CMO with multiple 7- to 9-figure brands. Today, he drives growth for winning ecommerce brands through Forwrd Agency, while also investing in and operating his own portfolio of businesses. Connect with Chris: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianmhoppe X/Twitter - https://twitter.com/christianmhoppe 🎙About Forwrd Thinking Forwrd Thinking delivers straightforward advice and discussions on growing ecommerce businesses through its podcast and newsletter. It focuses on practical strategies and real-world insights for direct-to-consumer success. Get every update—follow and subscribe now 👇 Blog & Newsletter - https://www.forwrdthinking.com Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@ForwrdThinking YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ForwrdThinking Spotify - podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/forwrdthinking Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/forwrd-thinking/id1743974330 X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/Forwrd_Thinking LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forwrd-thinking Want to be a guest or sponsor an episode? Contact us at: chris@forwrdthinking.com

    40 min

  3. 06/03/2024

    How to Build and Lead High-Performance Teams - Bermet Markut | Ep. 04

    Is leadership age restricted? Already leading an 8-people team with 22 years, Bermet shares about her experience & what makes a good leader. We discussed: • How to find great talent, and how Assessment Centers provide a great experience for candidates • Learn how to hire so you don’t have to fire. And how to let people go, the right way (if you really have to) • How to help low-performers grow and become outperformers (within months). • How to combine the best of both: in-house teams & agencies. • How to set measurable goals with OKRs & set the right incentives. Timestamps: (0:00) - Introduction (2:00) - Leading an 8-People Team at only 22 Years Old (5:17 - Is Leadership Age Restricted? (6:38) - How to Lead Teams Based on Trust and Open Communication (9:28) - In-House Teams vs Agencies—What’s Better? (13:31) - How to Hire So You Don’t Have to Fire (18:11) - What to Do When a Hire Isn’t Working Out (24:18) - Help Low-Performers Become Outperformers (Within Months) (27:11) - How to Measure Success with OKRs (32:24) - Advice for New Leaders Check out the full transcript on fowrdthinking.com Resources: Connect with Bermet: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bermetmarkut About the Guest: Bermet Markut With only 22 years, Bermet already led an 8-people team at waterdrop, where she helped grow D2C to $100 million revenue and led the international expansion across Europe and the US. She also led the ecommerce strategy for BRUNA The Label, one of the most successful D2C jewelry brands in Europe, and is currently heading online and D2C at Löwenanteil. Bermet is a highly respected leader in the ecommerce industry, with vast experience around building high-performance teams, and has advised many brands around ecommerce & D2C, goal settings and OKRs and more. About the Host: Christian Hoppe Chris started his journey in marketing and ecommerce 15 years ago and quickly made a name for himself by scaling the D2C operations for waterdrop from $5 million to $100 million in just three years. His expertise has also led him to work as a fractional CMO with multiple 7- to 9-figure brands. Today, he drives growth for winning ecommerce brands through Forwrd Agency, while also investing in and operating his own portfolio of businesses. Connect with Chris: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianmhoppe X/Twitter - https://twitter.com/christianmhoppe 🎙About Forwrd Thinking Forwrd Thinking delivers straightforward advice and discussions on growing ecommerce businesses through its podcast and newsletter. It focuses on practical strategies and real-world insights for direct-to-consumer success. Get every update—follow and subscribe now 👇 Blog & Newsletter - https://www.forwrdthinking.com Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@ForwrdThinking YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ForwrdThinking Spotify - podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/forwrdthinking Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/forwrd-thinking/id1743974330 X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/Forwrd_Thinking LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forwrd-thinking Want to be a guest or sponsor an episode? Contact us at: chris@forwrdthinking.com

    34 min
  4. How to Increase Sales from Returning Customers - Thomas Grabner (Founder of Mailody) | Ep. 03

    05/01/2024

    How to Increase Sales from Returning Customers - Thomas Grabner (Founder of Mailody) | Ep. 03

    Thomas Grabner shares effective strategies that successful brands use to consistently generate more sales from returning customers. He talks about why product-market fit matters more than most metrics in ecommerce. Thomas also explains how to use educational content to engage first-time buyers and keep customers coming back. And how to effectively use CRM channels like WhatsApp or print to improve engagement and customer lifetime value. Key Takeaways: • Product-market fit is essential for ecommerce success; you cannot scale without it. • Encourage customer feedback to continuously improve your products and better understand their needs. • Engage customers from their first purchase with content that adds value and drives product use. • Don't be fooled by any tools’ metrics; focus on driving incremental sales & profit. • Build and leverage communities—let your loyal customers sell for you. Timestamps: (0:00) - Introduction (1:06) - Starting a 7-fig business with 18 years (4:46) - What has changed in Ecommerce since COVID? (7:21) - What Successful Brands Do Differently To Grow (9:00) - How to Engage Customers by Educating Them (13:13) - The 3 Most Common Email Marketing Misconceptions (19:13) - Segmenting Campaigns: The Dos and Don'ts (21:15) - The Challenges of Implementing Subscriptions (24:58) - What to Consider Before Launching a Loyalty Program (28:44) - How To Build a Community That Will Sell Your Product (35:16) - How To Leverage WhatsApp and Print to Increase Your CLV (42:33) - How to Gain Value From Customer Support (49:09) - The #1 Retention Metric to Look At Check out ⁠the full transcript on Forwrd Thinking⁠. Resources: Mailody: ⁠www.mailody.de⁠ Connect with Thomas: thomas@mailody.de & ⁠LinkedIn⁠ About the Guest: Thomas Grabner Thomas is the founder & CEO of Mailody, the leading email marketing & CRM agency in the German-speaking market with hundreds of successful references and working with leading D2C brands such as Glow25, Giesswein, Junglück, Everdrop and many more. At just 18 years, Thomas started his now 7-fig agency business, which has allowed him to gain insights from hundreds of D2C ecommerce brands and also share valuable lessons as an entrepreneur and business owner. About the Host: Christian Hoppe Chris started his journey in marketing and ecommerce 15 years ago and quickly made a name for himself by scaling the D2C operations for waterdrop from $5 million to $100 million in just three years. His expertise has also led him to work as a fractional CMO with multiple 7- to 9-figure brands. Today, he drives growth for winning ecommerce brands through Forwrd Agency, while also investing in and operating his own portfolio of businesses. Connect with Chris: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ & X/Twitter⁠⁠ Get every update—follow and subscribe now 👇 ⁠⁠Blog & Newsletter⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠X / Twitter⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ Want to be a guest or sponsor an episode? Contact us at: ⁠⁠chris@forwrdthinking.com

    55 min
  5. How To Sell On WhatsApp - Johannes Mansbart (Founder of Chatarmin) | Ep. 02

    05/01/2024

    How To Sell On WhatsApp - Johannes Mansbart (Founder of Chatarmin) | Ep. 02

    Johannes Mansbart shares how WhatsApp transforms customer service into a revenue generator in ecommerce, how to nurture clients and increase CLV—from personalized marketing to operational efficiency—and why it’s fundamental for ecommerce brands. Key Takeaways: • Treat customer support as opportunity; learn from & be close to customers. • Analyze who are your best customers & create more of those. • Make support tickets your best sales channel & boost CLV. Timestamps: (0:00) - Introduction (1:37) - Johannes’ Entrepreneurial Journey (4:11) - Why should Ecommerce Businesses Use WhatsApp? (6:40) - Customer Support Is a Gift, Not a Burden (9:28) - The ROI of a positive customer support ticket (12:08) - How to Stay Lean: Validate Before Launching (15:20) - How to Nurture Ecommerce Leads with Educational Content (15:53) - For Which Businesses Does WhatsApp Work Best? (18:23) - WhatsApp as Lead Generation Channel (20:30) - Focus Beats Diversification—Stick to One Thing & Don’t Stop Too Early (23:56) - Advice for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs Check out ⁠the full transcript on Forwrd Thinking⁠. Resources: Chatarmin: ⁠www.chatarmin.com⁠ Connect with Johannes: johannes@chatarmin.com & ⁠LinkedIn⁠ About the Guest: Johannes Mansbart Johannes is the founder of Chatarmin.com, a company providing WhatsApp marketing tools for ecommerce platforms. As a serial entrepreneur with a background in online marketing and his “no bullsh*t” approach, he brings in a unique expertise and interesting views to WhatsApp for ecommerce businesses. About the Host: Christian Hoppe Chris started his journey in marketing and ecommerce 15 years ago and quickly made a name for himself by scaling the D2C operations for waterdrop from $5 million to $100 million in just three years. His expertise has also led him to work as a fractional CMO with multiple 7- to 9-figure brands. Today, he drives growth for winning ecommerce brands through Forwrd Agency, while also investing in and operating his own portfolio of businesses. Connect with Chris: ⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠ Get every update—follow and subscribe now 👇 ⁠⁠Blog & Newsletter⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠X / Twitter⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ Want to be a guest or sponsor an episode? Contact us at: ⁠⁠chris@forwrdthinking.com

    26 min
  6. Master Your Subscription Offers - Matthew Holman (The Subscription Doc) | Ep. 01

    04/30/2024

    Master Your Subscription Offers - Matthew Holman (The Subscription Doc) | Ep. 01

    Matthew Holman shares from 5 years of experience helping ecommerce businesses master subscriptions, increase profitability & maximizing lifetime value. He explains why subscriptions are not just a revenue model but also a way to generate more of your most valuable customers, how to create compelling offers that go beyond discounts by using post-purchase survey data to understand customer behaviour & desires. Key Takeaways: • Target customers who will gain the most value, rather than aiming for everyone. • Analyze customer data to tailor subscriptions that meet specific desires. • Always sell the outcome, not the product. • Leverage customer insights to refine offers, improve retention & boost CLV. Timestamps: (0:00) - Introduction (0:23) - About Matthew Holman, the Subscription Doc (2:10) - Why Should Ecommerce Businesses Look Into Subscriptions? (3:41) - For Which Brands Does Subscription Work? (5:20) - The Two Types of Subscriptions (7:37) - Post-Purchase Surveys: Using Customer Feedback To Create Compelling Offers (12:25) - How To Best Onboard New Subscribers (16:05) - How To Measure Success in Subscriptions (18:48) - How to Incentivize Subscriptions Without Discount Codes (22:14) - Subscriptions vs. Memberships vs. Loyalty Programs (24:48) - Selling the Outcome, Not the Product (27:52) - How to Increase Subscriber Engagement Check out the full transcript on ⁠Forwrd Thinking⁠. Resources: ⁠The Subscription Doc Blog & Newsletter⁠ Connect with Matthew: ⁠Twitter/X⁠ & ⁠LinkedIn⁠ About the Guest: Matthew Holman Matthew is the founder of Subscription Prescription, a weekly podcast and newsletter for ecommerce business owners to stay on top of subscriptions. With his deep passion for helping others, he is also part of different ecommerce movements including Marketers Unite, Sharehouse, and Commerce Catalyst, aiming to bring people together and help them grow. About the Host: Christian Hoppe Chris started his journey in marketing and ecommerce 15 years ago and quickly made a name for himself by scaling the D2C operations for waterdrop from $5 million to $100 million in just three years. His expertise has also led him to work as a fractional CMO with multiple 7- to 9-figure brands. Today, he drives growth for winning ecommerce brands through Forwrd Agency, while also investing in and operating his own portfolio of businesses. Connect with Chris: LinkedIn⁠⁠ & X/Twitter⁠ Get every update—follow and subscribe now 👇 ⁠Blog & Newsletter⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠X / Twitter⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Apple Podcasts Want to be a guest or sponsor an episode? Contact us at: ⁠chris@forwrdthinking.com CWFii4gPUgCQ2mt4X9kL⁠

    29 min
  • 6 Episodes

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Direct advice & discussions on growing ecommerce businesses. Practical tactics by ecommerce owners & operators to help you grow your ecommerce & direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands faster and more profitably.

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