337: Ecommerce in 2022: What Worked, What’s Dead, and Where We're Going

The Ecommerce Influence Podcast

It’s been a wild wave in ecommerce when we look at where the industry started to where the opportunities are today. My guest today reflects on what's he's learned at 15 years in ecommerce and what's coming in ecommerce in 2022.

Drew Sanocki was the CEO of the eCommerce brand AutoAnything, the founder of the blog nerdmarketing.com and the owner of the Shopify direct marketing app PostPilot.

He has his hands in a lot of key areas in eCommerce and has been in the game for about 15 years.

In this episode, Drew shares his well-rounded journey from buying out, being the CEO, and acquiring a bunch of companies. We talk about what it's like to run a $100 million retailer and what it’s like to run a small brand and scale up to 7-figures.

This episode has a ton of information on what’s been working in eComm, where things have started to shift and we end with where we think this wild ride is going for eCommerce in 2022.

Episode Highlights

• 5:40 Secrets to turning 50 and being in the best shape of life
• 7:10 Taking over as the CEO of AutoAnything
• 8:25 Transitioning after exiting to an eCommerce aggregator
• 9:16 Biggest learnings from taking over a 200+ person organization
• 10:47 Acquisitions: why some work and some don’t
• 12:45 Exiting early due to supply chain issues
• 18:51 Drew’s thoughts on supply chain challenges and issues
• 22:14 Growing as a leader by running both big and small businesses
• 23:45 What daily life looks like when being more strategic in the business
• 25:26 Drew’s role at PostPilot: postcard marketing
• 26:26 Hiring a CEO
• 27:36 Tips on structuring deals
• 30:40 What Drew’s excited about in eCommerce in 2022
• 33:07 The time is right for direct mail marketing
• 37:14 Differences between running a SaaS business and an eCommerce business
• 39:31 Hiring developers
• 41:10 Advice from Drew’s business experience: iterate quickly
• 44:08 The last 15 years of eCommerce and what’s next for eCommerce in 2022

Resources:

• PostPilot
• How to Increase Sales & Delight Customers with Direct Mail Marketing: Drew’s Training Inside the Brand Growth Membership
• Brand Growth Accelerator (apply today: next cohort starts Feb 15, 2022)
• Brand Growth Membership
• @a_brawn on Twitter
• Review or subscribe on iTunes