58 episodes

Agency X is a podcast where we talk about our own experiences running a digital agency, Avex. We'll cover a variety of digital topics including brands, marketing technology, eCommerce and more.

Agency X agency-x

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 12 Ratings

Agency X is a podcast where we talk about our own experiences running a digital agency, Avex. We'll cover a variety of digital topics including brands, marketing technology, eCommerce and more.

    Growing A Digital Agency: My Story and Key Things to Focus on for Success

    Growing A Digital Agency: My Story and Key Things to Focus on for Success

    In this episode, John Surdakowski touches on some of the core things he focused on in the early days to grow Avex Designs, an eCommerce agency, as well as provides a little background about how he got started.

    • 31 min
    Why Luxury Brands are Migrating to Shopify Plus?

    Why Luxury Brands are Migrating to Shopify Plus?

    We've been seeing more and more luxury brands migrate to Shopify Plus. In this episode, John Surdakowski takes an in-depth look into the rationale that drives those brands to re-platform and examines what lies ahead for the world of e-commerce.

    • 13 min
    Building Brand Awareness

    Building Brand Awareness

    5 years ago it was easy to grow a DTC brand with social media ads….

    Today, it’s 100X more difficult. 

    Here are 3 things successful eCommerce brands are doing today, that you’re probably not. 

    Social media ads still need to be part of your advertising plans, but if you're not focusing on these three things, you’re leaving money (and customers) on the table.

    Everyone wants an easy solution, but growing a successful brand is never easy.

    The brands winning right now do these 3 things very well, and it's not a one-size-fits-all approach.


    Brand awareness is how familiar customers are with your brand and what it stands for. Focusing here helps you to attract new customers and build relationships with existing ones. Beyond just running branded ads, you need to focus on organic social, storytelling, and…our next point. Community.


    Building a community around your brand means creating a group of people who are passionate (or obsessed) about your brand and its products. A strong community will help you to build brand awareness, generate word-of-mouth, and get feedback from your customers.


    Brand collaborations and partnerships between two or more brands are great for reaching new audiences, cross-promoting your products, and increasing both brand awareness and community. When done well, brand collaborations can be a win-win for both brands involved.



    If you’re struggling with performance marketing right now, you’ll thank yourself 5 years from now, because you started to focus on your brand.

    • 9 min
    Maximizing Conversions: 10 Expert Tips to Optimize Your Shopify E-commerce Store

    Maximizing Conversions: 10 Expert Tips to Optimize Your Shopify E-commerce Store

    In this episode of the Agency X podcast, John Surdakowski unveils 10 game-changing tips to skyrocket your Shopify e-commerce store's conversion rates. Whether you're a new or experienced Shopify store merchant, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you achieve your conversion goals. From enhancing product presentation and AB testing UX changes to understanding your customers and effectively conveying your brand story, the strategies shared in this episode are simple yet powerful, making a significant impact on your bottom line.



    Additionally, we highlight some of our favorite e-commerce tools and their features that can further enhance your store's performance



    Tune in and transform your Shopify store into a conversion powerhouse.



    More E-commerce and agency tips shared weekly on John's Commerce & Bull$hit LinkedIn Newsletter.

    • 9 min
    Post-purchase Customer Experiences & Transactional Communication with Head of Marketing at Wonderment, Blake Imperl

    Post-purchase Customer Experiences & Transactional Communication with Head of Marketing at Wonderment, Blake Imperl

    As a Head of Marketing at Wonderment and ex-Head of Partner Community at Attentive, Blake Imperl has extensive expertise in building and scaling retention marketing programs for D2C brands.

    On this Agency X episode, Blake, along with John, talks about the importance of leveraging retention marketing channels to create exceptional customer experiences: 


    Return on Investment for transactional emails and SMS. 
    The importance of segmentation, personalization and timing for achieving success with SMS.
    Post-purchase touchpoints being a low-hanging fruit to build consumer loyalty and drive retention. 
    Real-life examples of what DTC brands are doing to meet their customers' rising expectations.

     

    • 33 min
    Shopify Winter '23 Editions - "Built to Last"

    Shopify Winter '23 Editions - "Built to Last"

    It's that time again: Shopify just announced its 2023 Winter Editions with 100+ products and updates for merchants, developers and partners to build long-lasting relationships with their consumers.

    John, Founder and CEO at Avex, shares his initial take on the released updates including:


     One-page Checkout
    Shop Promise Badge
    Signed-in Shopping with Shop
    AI-generated store content with Shop Magic
    Integration with content management system; Sanity
    Drag and Drop customizations with metaobjects
    &many more ..


    From building and scaling eCommerce businesses to commerce components for Enterprise brands and developer tooling to customize any commerce experience, the Shopify Winter '23 Edition is all about performance, flexibility and customization.

    • 17 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
12 Ratings

12 Ratings

ayjnkim ,

Honest and interesting!

Love the Gen Z episode! Super interesting to hear them delve deep into this generation’s buying habits. Can’t wait to hear more honest, deep-dive talks about e-commerce and it’s trends.

AshleySalz ,

I like it, I like it!

These guys definitely know what they’re talking about when it comes to e-commerce! Would love to hear more about their design process and where they pull inspiration from.

Anja6453 ,

Interesting New Listen

This show has potential to be a weekly listen for me. I’m hoping they make more about agencies tho. They haven’t gotten their stride quite yet, but they really care about what they’re talking about. Do one about how to find clients please!

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