Alex Back

Congratulations to StandUp Ventures portfolio company Max Retail on their $15M USD Series A led by Nosara Capital after an exceptional year of growth! Oh how I love optimization problems, and especially ones that support entrepreneurs 😭 Independent retail shops sit on an average of 22% excess inventory at any given time, representing ~$50K-$200K of financial losses each year. For small businesses that are often the pillars of their communities (& frequently women-owned!), these losses are HUGELY impactful. Before Max Retail, options to recuperate them were extremely limited (discounting items far below cost, sending to consignment, or donating for a tax write-off). Alone, a single store in a small town with one or two sizes of a SKU isn't meaningful enough to engage with for zero inventory marketplaces or online retailers, but in aggregate, Max Retail's network of 2,000+ retailers and real-time data acts seamlessly as a single source of new and often hard-to-find supply. Bringing these items online exponentially increases the pool of potential buyers, resulting in immediate cash relief and payouts 4-8x higher than the status quo of liquidation. And the proof is in the pudding. 89% of active sellers are selling inventory every single month, with some sellers making upwards of $250k per year. GMV has exploded 4x YoY, with an incredible 40% of new retailer leads coming from existing customers. The macro omnichannel opportunity for real-time, SKU-level, inventory, pricing, and sales data across the normally siloed brick-and-mortar independent retail market is limitless. Alongside AI-powered pricing and item allocation engines, Max Retail is able to pay sellers the maximum value possible for excess inventory, and help retailers understand live inventory performance and market value of every item they list. This ultimately underpins a foundation for a more efficient and productive market, getting the right products to the right buyers at the right time, place and price. We're so excited to continue supporting the INCREDIBLE Melodie van der Baan alongside the wonderful M13, The Artemis Fund , and Rethink Impact, LP. Onwards and upwards! 🚀 #fundingnews #seriesa #retaildata

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Cart abandonment remains one of the most significant challenges retailers face. While many factors contribute to this $18 billion problem, one often-overlooked solution lies in a simple addition to your product pages: estimated delivery dates. Let's dive deep into why this matters and how Fenix Commerce is helping retailers tackle this challenge head-on.

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Key EMARKETER stat: US ecommerce resale volume will hit $80.60 billion this year, a growth of 3.4% YoY, per our December 2023 forecast. Beyond the chart: Ecommerce resale volume is returning to growth after a 6.9% dip YoY in 2022 and a 2.5% one in 2023, per eMarketer forecast. But it still hasn’t returned to its pandemic high of $85.87 billion in 2021. Growth in the number of online fashion buyers has slowed, leading platforms to search for strategies to boost order values by offering luxury goods and courting wealthy shoppers. #ecommerce #resale #retailsales

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Why do some brands that are BIG on Amazon end up FAILING at brick & mortar retail... while others end up SUCCEEDING? I'll tell you what I believe is the best way to tell whether a brand is likely to work on shelf or not... BRANDED SEARCH. First of all... what is branded search? Branded search is how many people are searching for a brand on a platform by name—e.g., searching on Amazon/Google/etc. for "Cheers pills" as opposed to "DHM pills". "Cheers pills", "Cheers restore", etc. = branded search "DHM pills", "hangover cure", etc. = non-branded search Non-branded search represents people who already know a brand they want to buy and are specifically searching for that brand so they can make a purchase. I was just at an Amazon seller conference and one of the presenters showed a chart of how "Magic Moo" (a colostrum supplement going viral on TikTok) is getting more branded searches than the entirety of "colostrum"-related keyword searches on Amazon. In other words, more people want to buy the brand than the entire category combined! Who do you think is driving all the awareness for the category? Clearly Magic Moo! They are almost single-handedly building the colostrum supplement market. They are the rising tide lifting all boats. You see this in history with people calling all bandages, "bandaids"... or internet searches, "googling"... or all sodas, "coke". Eventually other brands get into the category—but it's clear to who made the category in the first place. Branded search is the most representative proxy metric for understanding the awareness/demand of a brand that exists in the consumer consciousness prior to walking into a store. So you may see demand for a category growing... but then as a merchant/investor/etc. you need to pick which brands in that category to partner with. I would argue that the MOST IMPORTANT metric to look at is branded search. Packaging, price, etc. all matters too... but in context of demand. Many merchants have seen brands with TONS of Amazon sales fail on retail shelves. Why is this? Well, it's because some brands have become EXCELLENT leaches on Amazon. They exist to steal share of a growing category pie... but do not do anything to grow the pie themselves. So they may have half the sales of another brand on Amazon, but drive 1/10the the branded search. Or... if it's a big category. They could be the BIGGEST brand on Amazon, but they could actually have LESS branded search on Amazon than smaller competitors. In other words, they so effectively steal demand generated by others that they have become the biggest brand without even having to drive demand themselves. Branded search represents OFF-AMAZON demand. It's the key to understanding why some brands that do on Amazon fail at brick & mortar and vice versa. If you're looking to build a category on your shelves. Or if you're looking for traffic drivers. Then you need to look at branded search of the brands in the categories that you're considering!

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What retail price have you been selling each item in your collection for until now? If those numbers don't make sense for your bottom line, future-proof your business by calculating your base, wholesale & retail costs in advance of your next launch. Questions?! Reach out. #LBDPodcast Ep.10 Catch the full convo via 🔗link in bio or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube! #independentdesigner #fashionpreneur  #designpreneur  #startaclothingbrand  #labellaunchblueprint

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🚀 How Casey's Boosted Sales Using a Customer Data Platform (CDP) Casey’s, the popular gas station and convenience store chain, harnessed the power of a Customer Data Platform (CDP) to drive precision marketing, transforming customer interactions and achieving impressive sales growth. Here’s how they did it: 🔹 Real-Time Offers at the Pump When customers stop to fuel up and swipe their loyalty or credit card, Casey’s knows exactly what they like. For example, if you’re a frequent buyer of their fountain drinks, a personalized offer for a discount pops up right there at the pump! This real-time targeting, made possible by their CDP, allows Casey's to engage with the right customer at the perfect moment, turning a routine fuel stop into an opportunity to boost sales. 🔹 Boosting Breakfast Sales with Smart Campaigns Casey’s also identified a group of loyal coffee buyers who weren’t purchasing breakfast sandwiches. Instead of sending out a generic promotion, they used their CDP to target this specific segment. A tailored email campaign offering a $1 discount on breakfast sandwiches was sent only to these coffee lovers who hadn’t tried them yet. The result? Increased breakfast sales without offering unnecessary discounts to those already buying. By using CDP to drive real-time, personalized marketing, Casey’s has been able to enhance the customer experience and maximize their sales opportunities. 👏 You can understand better if you see the video below. 🎥👇

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Key Amazon Updates 📢 - Holiday peak fulfillment fees go into effect Oct 15 - Compliance requirements updated for certain products - Watch Amazon Accelerate on demand - Analyze return trends with Product Opportunity Explorer - Inactive secondary users removed after 12 months Stay ahead of the curve—DM me to learn more about how my coaching program can help!

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They would already have had the immersive kitchen visualization experience for other mediums - VR, web/touchscreen - as we’ve had these tools for years. Is #AppleVisionPro finally the form factor we’ve needed to get these tools to stick? The experiences are normally great, it’s the hump of putting an HMD on that’s always been the issue. What is different this time? 🕚 is it the right time? There are millions more headsets out there, we’re more comfortable putting something on our head. 📸 it looks prettier. More slick, less clunky gameboy on head. It’s also shiny and new and people want to try it. Why else might this be the time? We’re planning our kitchen remodel right now and I’m thinking about how we’d like to visualize it: 👀 If I could see the 3d models we’ve been given overlaid in the current kitchen it would be great. I’d prefer that in AR so we could see it together, see natural lighting, get a sense of the physical space. 🧊 Failing that, seeing it in true scale 3d/6dof VR would be good, especially if I could change finishes and fixtures in realtime. ✍️ it may also be fun to scan my current kitchen and play around with configurations from scratch, but I trust the pros to come up with the initial base configs more than me! I’d forget the sink or something. I’m curious how MR in an HMD would actually be a better experience. What tools and experiences would help you most with a kitchen remodel?

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Do you ever feel like your seller account doesn’t have any influence in your category? You need to maximize your Catalog influence! At last year’s AMZ United Vanessa Hung gave her 5 step proven strategy. 1 Spot low-cost products to re-sell high on Amazon. Tools like Agent Scope can unlock backend data for you giving you the in. 2 Fill info gaps with the Category Listing Report to optimize listings. 3 Expand your catalog using the Variation Wizard for bundles. 4 Boost influence by engaging with customer reviews and Q&A. 5 Keep optimizing to maintain your edge. Why scour the internet looking for the best tips for Wholesale, when you can Sign up for this year's AMZ United? You will learn more in one day than years of searching on your own...

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KURU Footwear generated $2m in 10 months with #directmail. Their full-funnel tactics: 　 Acquisition: Retargeting customers who haven't purchased 　 Retention: Driving second purchases 🎣 On acquisition: ➝ Retargeting never-buyers ➝ After going through email abandoned cart sequence, automatically send mail ➝ Automatically plugging the funnel since July '23. 🥅 On retention: ➝ Extending post-purchase drip flows ➝ Automatically send a card 35 days post-purchase ➝ Automatically send second card 120 days post-purchase Megan Kolbe told us "I’ve been pleased with every single campaign we’ve put out." The numbers don't lie: --> Acq/retargeting: $509k revenue @ 7.5x+ ROAS --> Retention: $600k revenue @ 11.5x ROAS --> Plus, another $900K in reactivations/holiday campaigns. Full story in the comments. 👇 #apparel #footwear

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In my experience as a buyer, I viewed brand-buyer relationships as collaborative, but it's crucial to recognize that not all collaborations are equal. When you seek a retail partner for growth - look for a retailer that is collaborative Understand that the retailer still operates as a for-profit business But, know that you play a role in helping them achieve their goals Here are some areas to consider when looking at collaboration with retailers Door Count Bigger does not necessarily mean better. If your original doors aren’t “ALL” that’s ok. Discuss a tiered plan for growth and expansion. Placement Every brand wants to be seen. Your shelf placement, or location in the store can determine how many consumer eyes see your product. Ask where you’re being placed. Marketing Yes, ask for support from the retailer in their advertising vehicles. But know this is the place where the brand does the heavy lifting. Be ready to shout to the rooftops where you are. Forecasts Work closely with buyers, planners, and your ops team to understand projections. Have a reserve stock to plan for overperformance. Sales Expectations Ask upfront about the retailer’s benchmarks. Consider how the category performs too. Check-Ins As a new brand, having regular check-ins with your buying teams is great. This could be quarterly, or monthly depending on the projected sales volume. A lot to cover, and I know you might not be there, yet. So save this for that future retail meeting - cheers! – 👋🏾 Hi, I’m Monique, your bridge from niche market to major retail. I’m a former retail buyer turned beauty industry advisor who helps emerging brands ready to scale. Ready to expand your reach? Book a discovery call and let’s explore how we can elevate your brand together.

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Podcast: Powering Resale for Conscious Retailers with Continue 🎙️

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Mortimer Singer Traub Please have listen to Morty’s 30 second clip because he very clearly states the challenge and opportunity all retailers face and must take advantage of. And, when you see the performance results/thoughts that Neil Saunders consistently shares I think generally the retailers who are doing well execute on Morty’s commentary. #1 #branding and #design are critical to success. #2 This includes the #brandname itself and #elevatedpackaging. Pointing out that the products he was speaking about/showing were below $5. I believe all stores should present themselves and their products in an affordable luxury fashion - the good & better of the good/better/best thought process which seems to have gone out the window. #3 #value is not only driven by price. The stores that get branding, product, design and packaging right don’t need to be on sale 24/7. The stores that are on sale all the time are really just selling “stuff/things” whereas a retailer has the opportunity to drive regular price business thru theater that the legendary Mr. Traub of Bloomingdale’s and founder of Traub was brilliant at. I will add that I always had a litmus test for myself and my team and it was very simple. Show me the “wow” factor or it’s not being bought. If you need to protect LY “blah items” - find a “wow” solution. Morty thanks for your video and Neil thanks for your extensive and detailed assessment of our retail business and landscape on daily basis. Lastly, if you need help executing on this please contact me. Together we can find a solution.

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Why does omni-channel (hybrid) retail still the current and future of retail? The data from the US Census Bureau shows that, in February 2024, the e-commerce share of monthly retail sales dollars declined 10.8% from its peak in November 2023; the in-store share increased 2.26%. As the retail industry continues to evolve, it's clear that businesses that adopt an omni-channel approach will be the most successful. The latest data from the US Census Bureau shows that while e-commerce has seen a decline in sales, in-store sales have increased. This indicates that shoppers still value the in-store experience and want the flexibility of being able to purchase in-store or online. By offering a hybrid retail approach, businesses can cater to the needs and preferences of all types of shoppers. It allows customers to browse and purchase products online, while also providing the option to visit a physical store for a more hands-on experience. This approach not only improves the customer experience but also increases sales and revenue for businesses. The future of retail lies in adopting an omni-channel approach. Businesses that embrace both online and in-store sales will be best positioned to succeed in the ever-changing retail landscape.

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We’ve driven a 17% avg increase in AOV for our 7- and 8-figure ecomm apparel clients this year. That’s an additional 3.5MM in revenue with zero additional ad spend. Here are 3 strategies we’ve used: 1. Create outfit “bundles” Your customers love your styling - make it easy for them to buy an outfit! Example: Carbon38 Bundles (link below) 2. Share “Frequently Bought With” products in cart Share products that go together that hit lower price points than what’s already in the cart. Example: Bandier.com 3. Add BOLD “Free Shipping” messaging A progress meter towards a Free Ship threshold is even better. Easy lift example on ShopDOEN.com What are you doing to increase AOV – let me know in the comments!

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🚨 Amazon’s Bold Move into Luxury Fashion: What It Means for the Industry 🚀 The retail landscape is buzzing with the news of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus Group merging, creating a luxury retail powerhouse backed by Amazon. This $2.65 billion deal, forming Saks Global, is set to revolutionize the luxury fashion industry in ways we’ve never seen before. Why This Matters: Amazon, a titan in e-commerce, logistics and technology, is now officially stepping into the luxury fashion arena. This move could drastically reshape their business model and the luxury market. Here’s why: 1️⃣ Logistics and Efficiency: Amazon’s logistical expertise is unparalleled. By integrating its advanced logistics with Saks Global’s operations, we can expect significant improvements in supply chain efficiency. Faster delivery times and better inventory management will enhance customer satisfaction and reduce costs. This synergy could mean that customers will soon be able to purchase luxury items like a Chanel bag with the same ease as everyday essentials. 2️⃣ The Power of AI and Data: Amazon and Salesforce bring cutting-edge AI and data analytics to the table. AI can personalize the shopping experience, predicting customer preferences and tailoring recommendations. This level of personalization is crucial in luxury retail, where customer experience is paramount. With Amazon’s data prowess, Saks Global can better understand their customers, optimize pricing strategies, and manage inventory more effectively, ensuring high-end pieces don’t end up in discount bins. 3️⃣ Technology Integration: Amazon’s involvement means more than just financial backing; it’s about leveraging technology to future-proof the luxury brands. As Marc Metrick, CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue’s online operations, mentioned, the aim is to gather high-quality customer data and offer more personalized options. Enhanced tech capabilities will streamline operations from the warehouse to the customer’s doorstep, making luxury shopping seamless. 4️⃣ Market Reach and Customer Base: Amazon’s vast customer base is a goldmine for Saks Global. This deal allows Amazon to penetrate the high-end market, catering to a demographic that values exclusivity and quality. For luxury brands, having access to Amazon’s broad customer reach means new growth opportunities and expanded market presence. Conclusion: This merger isn’t just about consolidating two luxury giants; it’s about transforming how luxury retail operates in the digital age. While some may fear that this could dilute the exclusivity of luxury brands, it’s an opportunity to innovate and adapt. The luxury sector has been cautious about embracing e-commerce fully, but this merger signals a shift towards a more tech-driven future. As consumers, we stand to benefit from improved services, personalized experiences, and greater accessibility to luxury products. #LuxuryFashion #Ecommerce #BusinessStrategy #Amazon #SaksGlobal #RetailInnovation

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The wholesale market is massive and ripe for innovation, in multiple categories. For example only the apparel wholesale market was over $351 billion in revenue in 2023 and expected to grow 3-5% YOY. Shopify partnering with Faire is one example. Shopify also has their own b2b wholesale product while also forming partnerships, remains to be seen how the relationships evolve over the years. Look forward to see more innovation and competition in this space. https://lnkd.in/gEupWNS7

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