Checkin to Checkout

Justin Aronstein
  • 5.0 (1)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

We tell the stories of e-commerce leaders and let them explain how they got where they are, and where they think e-commerce is going in the next 12 months. In every episode, we uncover something that only this e-commerce leader can explain

  1. The Future of E-commerce | Andrew Mosko

    3D AGO · VIDEO

    The Future of E-commerce | Andrew Mosko

    In this conversation, Andrew Mosko, Director of D2C and Digital at Throne Sport Coffee, shares insights into his role overseeing digital commerce and marketing strategies. He discusses the evolution of e-commerce, the importance of agency support, and the lessons learned from failures in the industry. The conversation also delves into the impact of AI on consumer behavior, the significance of effective communication within teams, and innovative marketing strategies that leverage consumer psychology. Andrew emphasizes the need for storytelling in e-commerce and shares his current focus on understanding human decision-making processes. Want any help improving Revenue Per Visitor? Check out https://Mobile1st.com. Interested in talking to Justin or getting on the show, find him on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinaronstein/ Takeaways: Agency support is crucial for managing digital marketing efforts. Failures in e-commerce are common and provide valuable learning experiences. Effective communication is essential for team dynamics and project success. AI is changing the landscape of consumer behavior and marketing strategies. E-commerce strategies must adapt to shifts in consumer engagement. Understanding human psychology can enhance marketing effectiveness. Storytelling is vital for connecting with consumers on product pages. Testing emerging channels can lead to innovative marketing opportunities. Continuous learning and adaptation are key to success in e-commerce.

    34 min
  2. Driving E-Commerce Growth Through Technology | Dmitriy Anderson

    JAN 28 · VIDEO

    Driving E-Commerce Growth Through Technology | Dmitriy Anderson

    In this conversation, Dimitri Anderson, CIO and Head of E-Commerce and Marketplace Strategy at Leroy Merlin, shares insights into his hybrid role that combines technology and business to drive growth. He emphasizes the importance of user feedback, innovative features, and A/B testing in e-commerce. Dimitri discusses the challenges of advertising overspending and the role of AI in enhancing customer experience. He also highlights the efficiency of small teams and the future trends in e-commerce, particularly in the South African market. Takeaways Dimitri's role involves weaving technology and business priorities for growth. User feedback is critical for improving customer experience. Innovative features can significantly impact market response. A/B testing is a key strategy for optimizing e-commerce performance. Overspending on advertising can lead to significant challenges. AI can enhance customer interaction and drive sales. Small teams can be highly productive in e-commerce. The South African market is receptive to new e-commerce features. Learning from failures is essential for growth. Future trends in e-commerce will focus on interactive experiences. Want any help improving Revenue Per Visitor? Check out https://Mobile1st.com Interested in talking to Justin or getting on the show, find him on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinaronstein/

    28 min
  3. Navigating Team Dynamics in E-commerce | Kasey Wiese

    JAN 21 · VIDEO

    Navigating Team Dynamics in E-commerce | Kasey Wiese

    In this conversation, Kasey Wiese, the Director of E-commerce at Liberty Safe, shares insights into her role and the challenges of leading an e-commerce team. She discusses the importance of prioritization, delegation, and emotional resilience in leadership. Kasey emphasizes the need for a culture of experimentation and the complexities of personalization in e-commerce. She also reflects on the stress of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the significance of trust and communication in leadership, and the value of implementing best practices from the Baymard Institute. Kasey's experiences highlight the evolving landscape of e-commerce and the continuous learning required to succeed in this field. Want any help improving Revenue Per Visitor? Check out https://Mobile1st.com Interested in talking to Justin or getting on the show, find him on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinaronstein/ Takeaways Kasey Wiese is focused on growing e-commerce at Liberty Safe. Prioritization is key in leadership roles, focusing on controllable factors. Delegation depends on the touch required for each role. In-house development can be more efficient during critical times. Emotional resilience is crucial in handling failures and mistakes. Creating a culture of experimentation is essential for growth. Personalization in e-commerce can be tricky and often misapplied. Black Friday and Cyber Monday present unique challenges for e-commerce leaders. Trust and communication are vital for effective leadership. Implementing best practices from Baymard can significantly improve user experience.

    37 min
  4. How to Strategically Scale Your E-commerce Business | Garrett Peters

    JAN 13 · VIDEO

    How to Strategically Scale Your E-commerce Business | Garrett Peters

    This is the first episode of Season 2. Episodes in season 2 will be released weekly and will be 30 minutes long. In this episode, Garrett Peters, CEO and co-founder of Duncan and Stone Paper Company, shares insights into his daily responsibilities, the challenges of running an e-commerce business, and the lessons learned from failures. He discusses the importance of breaking down new tasks into manageable steps, the significance of building a strong team, and the strategies for future growth, including influencer marketing and optimizing Amazon sales. Want help hitting your 2026 goals by increasing revenue per visitor? Checkout Mobile1st.com. Takeaways The role of a CEO involves wearing many hats and handling various tasks. Finding joy in unexpected aspects of the job can lead to personal growth. Breaking down new challenges into smaller steps is crucial for success. Learning from failures is an essential part of the entrepreneurial journey. E-commerce requires more time and energy than initially anticipated. Building a team that works on their passions can enhance productivity. Outsourcing tasks can free up time for more critical responsibilities. I Influencer marketing is becoming increasingly important for brand growth. Intentionality in marketing strategies can lead to better results. - Understanding the business's financial health is vital for future planning. Chapters (00:00:00) - Ecommerce Growth Podcast(00:00:47) - How to Be a CEO of a Startup e-Commerce Company(00:01:53) - Is there any part of your job you feel like you maybe would(00:03:17) - President and CEO: Newness(00:03:37) - How To Start a New Business?(00:07:28) - Duncan and Stone: Becoming an Amazon Company(00:08:33) - How To Start a Business in E-Commerce(00:10:45) - Sen. Rand Paul on Momentum(00:11:44) - Duncan & Stone: On Paid Media, SEO & Influencer(00:14:58) - The Importance of Controlling the Business(00:18:48) - A Few Thoughts On Starting a Business(00:22:44) - TikTok, Amazon: Where Are You Going?(00:23:52) - Marketing Executive on Facebook Paid Media(00:24:56) - TikTok Shop: Best Influencer Marketing Strategy(00:27:35) - How to Manage a Small Business

    31 min
  5. Building a Golf Community through E-commerce - Jonah Redel-Traub

    JAN 7 · VIDEO

    Building a Golf Community through E-commerce - Jonah Redel-Traub

    In this conversation, Jonah, the director of commerce and growth at ProShop, discusses his role in building a golf community through e-commerce and content marketing. He shares insights on team structure, customer acquisition, and the challenges of navigating social media platforms like TikTok. Jonah emphasizes the importance of storytelling in brand building, the complexities of attribution reporting, and the impact of AI on the future of e-commerce. He also reflects on personal experiences with failures, setting boundaries, and the significance of clear communication within an organization. Want help growing RPV, checkout Mobile1st.com. Takeaways Jonah is the director of commerce and growth for ProShop, focusing on e-commerce in the golf industry. ProShop aims to build a large golf audience through content and commerce. The e-commerce team operates like an internal agency to incubate brands. TikTok is a growing channel, but the price point for golf products is high. Attribution reporting can be misleading; focus on customer acquisition instead. Customer insights are gathered through direct feedback from a dedicated community. Storytelling is crucial for building a strong brand connection. Failures in e-commerce are common, but personal growth is more significant. Clear communication of e-commerce metrics is essential for stakeholder buy-in. AI is transforming the e-commerce landscape, allowing for rapid implementation of ideas. Chapters (00:00:00) - ECommerce Growth Podcast(00:02:18) - Golf Brand Ambassador on Content First(00:03:38) - Golf Star on His Love of the Game(00:04:29) - What's Your ECommerce Team Look Like?(00:06:55) - Is TikTok the Right Channel for E-Commerce?(00:11:35) - Finding New Insights About Sugarloaf Social Club(00:15:58) - Have You Had Any Failures While At Shopify?(00:18:28) - How to Deal with Ridiculous Ideas(00:20:20) - Have You Had To Fight A Facebook Ad Fire?(00:25:16) - How do you communicate the intricacies of ECommerce to the Channel(00:28:14) - How to Train an E-Commerce Native Employee(00:31:23) - What Would You Do If You Didn't Work in E-Commerce(00:36:00) - How Shopify Is Advancing AI in E-Commerce(00:38:43) - GEO vs SEO: How Will GEO Differ(00:40:41) - How to Get Smarter on Twitter

    43 min
  6. How to Say No To Stakeholders (Without Getting Fired) | Grace Edinger

    12/10/2025 · VIDEO

    How to Say No To Stakeholders (Without Getting Fired) | Grace Edinger

    "But our brand is different." It is the most dangerous phrase in enterprise e-commerce. It leads to tech debt, bloated roadmaps, and a digital ecosystem that represents a graveyard of "nice-to-have" features that never scale. In this episode (our first-ever LIVE recording!), we sit down with Grace Edinger, Director of Ecommerce Product Management at Stanley Black & Decker. Grace is responsible for the digital backbone powering some of the world’s most iconic brands—DeWalt, Craftsman, Black+Decker, and Cub Cadet. She joins the show to break down how she manages hundreds of stakeholders, navigates complex corporate politics, and enforces her strict "No Special Snowflakes" rule to keep the roadmap clean. We cover: The "Special Snowflake" Syndrome: Why saying "yes" to every custom brand request is actually destroying your ability to scale. Project vs. Product Mindset: How to stop operating as an "Order Taker" for Marketing and start operating as a strategic partner who demands data before building. The Invisible Work: Why the unsexy work of consolidating ERPs and building a unified foundation matters more than the latest AI hype. Stakeholder Politics: The exact scripts and strategies Grace uses to say "no" to bad ideas without burning bridges. If you are an E-Commerce Director drowning in feature requests or trying to drive digital transformation in a legacy organization, this episode is your playbook for taking back control. Links: Connect with Grace on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graceedinger/ Follow Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinaronstein/ Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://mobile1st.com/news Chapters (00:00:00) - E-Commerce Growth Podcast(00:00:27) - Stanley Black and Decker's Direct-to-Consumer eCommerce(00:03:41) - What's the biggest struggle in your job?(00:05:51) - What's The Part of Your Job That You Dread Most?(00:07:42) - Stanley Black & Decker CEO on Digital Frontend(00:12:06) - How to Build the Future of E-commerce?(00:18:28) - Walmart CEO on Digital Consumerism(00:21:31) - Have You Got To Fight the Fire?(00:25:00) - Drupal 8.1(00:26:16) - How to Test Your Content in the Future(00:27:40) - Black and Decker's CEO on His Failure(00:28:25) - What have you learned working with directors of E Commerce?(00:29:33) - What do you admire about the Director of E Commerce? Think that(00:30:56) - What is something that you wish like your executive team knew about your(00:33:14) - CupCade on Experimentation(00:35:26) - Black & Decker CEO on the Company's Future(00:37:17) - E-Commerce Directors at Ralph Lauren(00:40:20) - Product Manager: The Future of AI(00:42:57) - How Is Microsoft Building AI Into Its Ecosystem?(00:43:55) - Bill ChatGPT: Could Bots Shop For You?

    47 min
  7. How to Create a High Converting Store - Brian Purkiss

    10/15/2025 · VIDEO

    How to Create a High Converting Store - Brian Purkiss

    Brian “Purk” Purkiss leads D2C acquisition and the ecommerce site for Honest Paws at OnePet. In this episode, Brian gets honest about what actually moves conversion and what just burns time. We dig into the puzzle of ecommerce decision making, how to turn tiny wins into big results, and why the bravest thing you can do is sometimes remove the shiny thing you just added. You’ll hear: Why small, measured iterations beat year-long redesigns The counterintuitive truth that removing elements often lifts revenue How to set goals, form a hypothesis, and measure impact without ego A practical workflow for roadmapping, testing, and sharing lessons with your team Preventing burnout with “fallback” tasks and Fun Feature Friday Building a culture of ownership and trust on a fully remote team Brian’s hardest leadership lesson and how he fixed it If you care about conversion rate, new customer acquisition, and making your site 0.1% better week after week, this one’s for you. Hosted by Justin Aronstein with Connor. Chapters (00:00:00) - Check In: E-Commerce Growth Podcast(00:00:24) - Check in(00:01:49) - What's the Part of Your Job that You Enjoy Most?(00:05:10) - What Does Your Day-to-Day Look Like as a Product(00:08:38) - How to Manage a Team Without Burnout(00:12:51) - Pdp vs. Competitors(00:14:42) - Product Manager: Strengths and Weaknesses(00:18:25) - Product Manager vs E-Commerce Manager(00:24:28) - How to Lead in E-Commerce(00:28:45) - In the Elevator With a Complainer(00:30:30) - The Work That Made Me a Better Leader(00:36:35) - The Process for Building High-Converting Websites(00:44:06) - Reveal: Ignoring Failure to Grow(00:45:18) - Brian Purkis

    46 min
  8. The Importance of Data Driven Storytelling - Tom Funk

    10/01/2025 · VIDEO

    The Importance of Data Driven Storytelling - Tom Funk

    Should Amazon really be the enemy of DTC? Most e-commerce leaders will tell you to prioritize your own site, own the customer, and push for loyalty. But Tom Funk — E-Commerce Director at Ann Clark Ltd. and veteran of Vermont Teddy Bear, Keurig Green Mountain, and Gardener’s Supply — has a very different take. In this episode of Check In to Check Out, Tom shares why Amazon actually delivers a better customer experience than most merchant sites ever could, why his Shopify product pages send shoppers directly to Amazon, and what happened when he failed to convince a leadership team that Amazon was essential to their growth. We get into: The real ratio of Amazon vs. DTC revenue (and why most brands get it wrong) The operational realities that make Amazon unbeatable for certain products How to position DTC so it complements, not competes with, marketplaces Tom’s hard-learned lessons about culture, data storytelling, and failed persuasion If you’ve ever debated whether to push harder into Amazon or double down on your own site, this episode will challenge your assumptions. Chapters (00:00:00) - E-Commerce Growth Podcast(00:01:16) - How to become a e-commerce director(00:02:25) - Merchant Website: Between Amazon and Shopify(00:06:24) - What Does Your Day-to-Day Look Like at Amazon?(00:08:39) - How Product Development Is Done at Amazon(00:12:18) - Getting Started in E-Commerce(00:15:00) - Top Executives on Amazon's Impact(00:16:49) - Philip Morris on Amazon and the Company's Future(00:23:31) - Mentors in the Workplace(00:27:18) - Cookbook Cutters: What's Special About Selling Cookies?(00:31:21) - Baking and decorating products in The New York Times Catalog(00:34:39) - Where Entrepreneurs See the Future of ECommerce(00:36:52) - Tom Aronstein on The Righteous Mind

    40 min
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About

We tell the stories of e-commerce leaders and let them explain how they got where they are, and where they think e-commerce is going in the next 12 months. In every episode, we uncover something that only this e-commerce leader can explain

Information

  • Creator
    Justin Aronstein
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Checkin to Checkout