In this episode we talk about the advantages and disadvantages of B2B organizations taking a cost-centered approach to investment.

In this episode, we speak with Dan Stepchew, the Digital Marketing Director at Zest Dental Solutions, about how he’s shifting his digital spend and how he’s changed how he tracks the efficacy of his campaigns.

We talk about how much channel conflict fears should impact your distribution strategy (in short, it shouldn’t.) Then we dig into 7 ways to sell direct while managing the conflicts.

We discuss whether Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday season more broadly drive sales in B2B. Andy shares how the season is like the Super Bowl.

We talk about the marketing challenge B2B companies have with attracting younger workers, and some of the strategies that have worked.

Are B2B companies able to offer the opportunities that Gen Z’ers want?  And if so, why don’t members of Gen Z know that?

What skills are necessary for new hires in B2B eCommerce and do people just coming out of college possess those skills?

We look at Amazon’s decision to have everyone return to the office 5 days a week and what impact this has on employees and on the business more broadly.

We dive into the challenges of deciding which data to track, and how to use it to make better business decisions. Then we offer 6 ways to make analytics more actionable.

Why is it so challenging for B2B eCommerce businesses to build a great user experience?

Can your eCommerce site can replace some of the work being done by the inside sales team?

We talk through the pitfalls and best practices when hiring a system integrator. Then we share some of the red flags that SIs say they look out for when working with a client.

Can large, complex, global enterprises centralize their digital operations, and how should they think about that decision?

What are the pros and cons of B2B companies making their pricing available in online channels? Plus, 4 reasons why it may make sense to hide some prices.

Does digital investment necessarily lead to improved profitability? Plus, we offer 3 steps to improving your digital profitability.

Why do frontline employees and executives have such different views on the state of their businesses?

Are internal challenges the primary reason why digital strategies fail? And we offer 5 strategies for fixing those internal challenges.

We talk through the 6 characteristics of a great culture and how to implement them in your company.

We provide a template for getting and sustaining buy-in for digital initiatives.

We look at the future of first-party B2B marketplaces and whether the model can rebound from a difficult period following years of over-investment and low margins.

We share some of what we learned while hosting the Master B2B Summit in Chicago.

We preview Master B2B’s State of eCommerce Report and share some of the key findings about how both B2B buyers and sellers have changed their behaviors over the past year.

We offer ideas for how to accelerate your digital maturity in 2024 and share a new report called, “Accelerating Your Digital Vision” that digs into how organizations can quickly speed up their digital maturity.

Should brands sell on Amazon, even if they don’t get access to customer data?  The resounding answer is, “yes,” but with some caveats.

We dig into what the latest Forrester Wave of Commerce platforms means for the industry. And talk about whether you would rather work with Gen Z or Gen X co-workers?

Why is personalization so much more challenging in B2B than in B2C? And how you define “the customer” in B2B will define what types of personalization you actually need.

A PIM won’t solve your data problem, but it will force discipline on your organization around product data.  So why doesn’t everyone have one?

Do you need to bring in outsiders to help you revisit a digital strategy? And how do you prioritize the changes you want to make to your digital strategy?

What’s the correct balance between sticking to your digital strategy and changing based on factors you can’t control? And can we learn anything from the way Amazon thinks about strategy?

In a slightly terrifying, slightly fascinating window into the future, we hear a conversation Andy has with Hume, a human-voiced chatbot that understands whether you’re sad, happy, annoyed or whatever and responds accordingly.

When we asked executives recently where customer experience should live in the organization, answers were all over the map. In this episode we discuss where we think customer experience SHOULD live in an org and why.

The CEOs of many companies choose to be pretty hands-off when it comes to digital transformation. But what if the CEO is involved at every step of the way? Is that the best way to ensure transformation is a success?

Pricing is always an incredibly delicate topic – both for companies and for consumers. Is there a way to use dynamic pricing that’s beneficial to everyone? Or will consumers always revolt?

Manufacturers who think that they can change customer behavior to get them to buy where the manufacturer would prefer are playing a fool’s game. The key to avoiding channel conflict starts with being where your customer wants you to be.

With all of the changes in the eCommerce market, many practitioners are finding themselves in a career transition. If you find yourself in that situation, what are the best ways that people are actually finding jobs today?

Now that B2B companies have been using generative AI for content creation and marketing, we’re seeing the first moves into using the technology to improve the customer experience. What are the pros and cons of that?

What’s the best way to prove that your online business is not simply cannibalizing your traditional offline business? Instead of “lift” or “shift” it’s “lifting AND shifting” revenue from your competitors.

Will Amazon’s new AI chatbot called Rufus help them grow their B2B business? And will a recent lawsuit against Amazon actually help manufacturers?

Do employees who show up in the office get promoted more and laid off less? And has anyone actually researched whether being in the office makes you more productive?

What if it turns out that investing in change management matters more than investing in technology? And why does Stitch Fix need an office of digital transformation?

What’s the state of the B2B eCommerce conference landscape?

Are B2B companies ready for the turmoil of the coming year? And how should they be preparing to handle the uncertainty?

It’s time for our end of the year wrap up, where we’ll discuss the biggest story, the most surprising fact, and the most disruptive trend of the year.

What’s on the minds of eCommerce execs as we head into 2024? It’s not just AI…

The 5 days from Black Friday through Cyber Monday generate outsized revenue for B2C companies. But does the same hold true in B2B?

B2B eCommerce practitioners have long-relied on the same set of metrics to measure the success of their business. But what if those metrics are wrong?