The event, which took place on Thursday 8th June, saw more than 800 people from across the ecommerce industry register for a day of networking, thought-provoking talks and all the fun.
The EartH venue in London
After an inspiring day of panel discussions – including one featuring By Association Only’s very own Head of Strategy, George Linton – the magnificent magician John Duffet and live DJ band Brass and Decks entertained the crowd.
Co-Founder of Vervaunt Paul Rogers
A huge thank you to Vervaunt for inviting By Association Only to sponsor the event, and for putting on such a memorable day. And a massive shout out to our fellow sponsors, listed at the bottom of this article.
DJ band Brass and Decks
The talks
We identified the following themes:
The growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Brands favouring leaner tech stacks
A focus on retention and loyalty over acquisition
The introduction and impact of GA4
Greater investment in brand story-telling
More focus on search
Here are standout takeaways from some of the talks and panel discussions:
Founders of Vervaunt Josh Duggan and Paul Rogers
Opening statements: Paul Rogers, Josh Duggan and Bethan Rainford from Vervaunt
Vervaunt has noticed brands increasingly focus on retention by introducing or improving their VIP and loyalty offerings
The move to GA4 has created confusion and concern in the industry, leading to many companies investing in training or rather opting for bespoke reporting stacks
An omnichannel approach is becoming more common to increase the lifetime value of customers
Pop-ups and brand collaborations are on the rise
Brands are reducing expenditure by limiting their tech stacks
As a result of increased competition online, there has been more investment in brand and story-telling to stand out from competitors
Increased and improved use of content creators as well as more spending on high-end photography and videography
There has been high growth in the United States with economists expecting the most growth over the next five years
James Gurd from Digital Juggler, Nick Paulson-Ellis from The Sports Edit, Tim Martin-Harvey from The Bottle Club and Amy Vetter from Mattel
Panel: What Matters in Product Discovery for Multi-Brand Retailers?
“The success of our brand is about the ability to build the right assortment.” Nick Paulson-Ellis, The Sports Edit
Brands are unifying their product discovery rather than utilising separate mediums
Multi-brand retailers must prove they have built their own retail brand and have established themself as an authority before a brand is willing to work with them
Tim Martin-Harvey from The Bottle Club believes having a wide range of products is key to standing out – stocking 11 Jack Daniel’s types rather than four, for example
Offering the opportunity to pre-order products also sets retailers apart
On search versus browse…
Quizzes are a great way of helping customers find the right sort of product for them, says Amy Vetter from Mattel – especially when gifting
Quizzes also offer an opportunity to gather data that can be used for retargeting in the future
Utilise product recommendations and CRM to promote dead stock
Creating bundles is also a great way of moving product
When discussing loyalty programmes and the lifetime value of customers…
As Nick Paulson-Ellis from The Sports Edit says, “Ask yourself what you’re doing for the customer. Are you giving them something that’s really hard to find elsewhere and hard to replicate? If not, do."
A seamless experience is most important when retaining customers. “Do not provide a bad service and if you do, fix it super quickly or you’ll lose that customer forever,” says Paulson-Ellis
A representative from Google and Bethan Rainford from Vervaunt
Panel: AI through the Eyes of Google & Meta
Moderated by Bethan Rainford from Vervaunt, featuring representatives from Google and Meta
AI is nothing new but is becoming more sophisticated and better understood
The industry is increasingly using AI recommendations
Two billion reels are reshared daily based on recommendations from AI
Some believe that AI will lead to more creativity rather than stifle it
Engaging in AI improves its abilities
AI can be a great tool for automating arduous and time-consuming tasks
By 2025 AI is predicted to be one billion times more intelligent than humans
New roles are emerging relating to AI, including AI consultants and AI officers
Kate Walmsley from Tern Eco, Josh Towb from Jigsaw, Sarah Rule from Gymshark and Gavin Williams from Creed
Panel: Omnichannel Growth - The Role of Stores, Online & DTC
Moderated by Kate Walmsley from Tern Eco, featuring Gavin Williams from Creed, Josh Towb from Jigsaw and Sarah Rule from Gymshark
“We overcomplicate retail. What people want in physical stores is stock availability and unbelievable experiences.” Gavin Williams, Creed
Josh Towb from Jigsaw says the fashion company has tried to build from a very loyal in-store base by attempting to understand its online customers and engage with them as much as possible
Allowing customers to hold items as well as click and collect in-store has improved loyalty, as well as utilising customer data
Gymshark only has one store, which is a physical embodiment of the brand, says Sarah Rule. The space is completely flexible, allowing for events, podcasts and live streams to be hosted there
The biggest surprise for Gymshark since opening its physical store is the difference in its demographic, which is much broader than expected and not akin to its online community
Due to the “destination” nature of the Gymshark store, customers are more likely to spend more significant amounts in store
There is also a higher expectation that all sizes and colours are in stock as customers might have travelled from across the globe to purchase a particular product
On how brands are using data to inform their decisions…
Jigsaw has started a repair and re-wear initiative based on the type of content its customers were consuming
The brand also works with Harper Concierge, which gathers feedback on clothes from customers as they try them at home before they buy
As a young brand, Gymshark accesses how engaged its community is by the numbers who attend events, fitness classes and similar activities. The retailer also reads all of its customer reviews
Gavin Williams from Creed says it's vital to gather feedback from those who work in store – they are in the know if a product is regularly returned as faulty or which colour is the least popular, for example
Matt Brindley from Yotpo and Olivier Momma from Ekster
Beyond the Checkout: Ekster's Approach to Customer Retention
Olivier Momma from Ekster and Matt Brindley from Yotpo
Ekster created a separate logo for its loyalty programme to make it feel even more exclusive
The company also offers a lifetime warranty for customers that join its loyalty programme
Customers are included in the product selection process to make them feel special and attached to the product before it’s even launched
Ekster also uses quizzes to gather data on its customers – its conversion rate is doubled when products are discovered through its online quiz
Reward customers who complete surveys or give reviews with a gift – “maximise customer advocacy,” says Olivier Momma
Constantly improve your best-selling products and launch them under a new name
James Gurd from Digital Juggler, George Linton from By Association Only, Laura Brady from NOVOS, Piers Thorogood from We Make Websites and Paul Rogers from Vervaunt
What Are DTC Brands Prioritising in 2023 and Why?
Moderated by Paul Rogers from Vervaunt and James Gurd from Digital Juggler, featuring Piers Thorogood from We Make Websites, George Linton from By Association Only and Laura Brady from NOVOS
When asked if they’re seeing brands slowing down…
George Linton from By Association Only has seen encouraging growth amongst the agency’s clients
NOVOS has seen "a real mix," says Laura Brady – those brands that you might assume are struggling, such as luxury, aren’t, and those you think might strive are struggling
Piers Thorogood from We Make Websites agrees that there is a mix with some brands scaling back and some aggressively spending
On features that are currently being prioritised...
Whilst ChatGPT might be the obvious answer, By Association Only isn’t pushing that too hard yet until there is proven ROI. Read our article on Chat GPT-4 here
Instead, there has been a lot of work on GA4 migrations and looking at new ways of studying useful data
On how the landscape has changed within Shopify…
Hydrogen is reaching maturity as a product and We Make Websites recommends it when working on headless products
The agency doesn’t believe that headless is the right route for everyone though as it can very expensive to maintain
When asked about SEO…
“Don’t be generic,” says Brady from NOVOS. “Don’t try to appeal to too many people. Be specific. If you’re a vegan brand, make sure your website actually says that!”
Keep an eye on social media trends
Look at your search data as it will give you so much information about what your customers actually call your products – don’t assume search terms
Put something you offer that your competitors don’t in your data so you stand out even if you don’t rank more highly than them
How can brands use AI sensibly?
Use it to scale but don’t use it for any expertise pieces, says Brady. “I don’t really trust it, to be honest,” she says
“Show a level of scepticism,” says Linton. It’s a great time for experimentation and there are definite benefits, but don’t commit all to it until we have more results
Luke Hodgson from Commerce Thinking, Lauren Muir from Oh Polly, David Franks from Kick Game and Andrew Showman from CurrentBody
Commerce Tech Roadmapping
Moderated by Luke Hodgson from Commerce Thinking, featuring David Franks from Kick Game, Andrew Showman from CurrentBody and Lauren Muir from Oh Polly
When asked about any “oh shit” moments they’ve experienced…
“We had a really positive ‘oh shit” moment when we started working with By Association Only,” says Lauren Muir from Oh Polly. “The experience truly opened our eyes to how amazing the website could be and got us all excited. We have a digital team of only three... we couldn’t do what we do without BAO. We really lean on them. They’re an extension of our internal team for strategy, growth – almost everything.”
Tim Richardson from Your Basket Is Empty, Diego Fria from Stüssy, Stefan Lewis from Represent, and Laura Marangon from The Frankie Shop
“It’s tough to win a brand-related argument with metrics,” Laura Marangon from The Frankie Shop
Discussing collaborations…
Collaborations aren’t a revenue driver but a way to reach new people, says Stefan Lewis from Represent
The Frankie Shop likes to collaborate with those who aren’t in fashion
On brand versus the bottom line…
“It’s tough to win a brand-related argument with metrics,” says Laura Marangon. “And metrics aren’t always useful – it’s really hard to measure brand success. Brand will always measure over metrics.”
You might want to do more CRM but if it doesn’t suit the tone of voice of the brand then you shouldn’t, for example
“Our job is to translate the company vision into an interaction point,” says Diego Fria. “If we do that well then the bottom line revenue follows.”
When asked about navigating brand innovation versus strong brand identity…
The Frankie Shop is always driven by the brand identity. “We only pick what corresponds to our brand, not what’s trending from an ecommerce perspective," says Marangon. "You can go against the trends and outperform them. We prioritise visuals and don’t have a lot of products on the category pages, for example."
Fria says Stussy’s identity, “is really strong but ever evolving. It’s up to me to translate that into a clear interaction point. We try not to overthink it and let the brand run – it’s more organic that way.”
On protecting the brand when running pop-ups…
“We see the physical space as an extension of the brand you represent,” says Marangon. “When you enter a pop-up it should represent the brand.”
Pop-ups are great for testing new markets
You must manage footfall to ensure it’s a good experience
Josh Duggan from Vervaunt, Oliver O’Neill from Nestlé Nespresso, Alyssa Satterthwaite from GANNI and Stacy Bisschop from Osprey
Digital Marketing in 2023 - Strategy, Channels, Reporting & People
Moderated by Josh Duggan from Vervaunt, featuring Alyssa Satterthwaite from GANNI, Oliver O’Neill from Nestlé Nespresso and Stacy Bisschop from Osprey
“Don’t run campaigns if you don’t know the value you’ll get back from them.” Oliver O’Neill, Nestlé Nespresso
On recommendations around omnichannel…
Personalising ads is really important – based on the customers’ interests and historical purchasing data
Upsell-related products or categories of products
Buy online pick up in-store has been a huge trend since Covid-19, says Alyssa Satterthwaite. It offers customers an easy, convenient way to shop
Getting customers into the store is also a fantastic way of them experiencing the brand and understanding its story
Add shop-in-store or pick-up in-store call to actions on campaigns
For Nestlé Nespresso, online is now very transactional, whereas its boutiques allow customers to be immersed in the brand – telling the story of the coffee from farm to cup
Other bits…
TikTok has allowed Osprey to reach a much younger audience
Oliver O’Neill predicts a change in the way customers search thanks to the introduction of ChatGPT
Stacy Bisschop believes, “AI is here and it’s not going anywhere. We need to try and use it to the best of our intention.”
In the lead-up to Q4 GANNI really pushes the brand and its values – such as sustainability – so that new shoppers, in particular, are educated on what the brand represents
“Don’t be too reliant on Q4,” says O’Neill, “it’s more valuable to get a new customer in January because they will add value throughout the year.”
Fireside Chat - Achieving Growth in 2023
Moderated by Paul Rogers from Vervaunt, featuring Eva Valentova from SKIMS, Kimberley Correia Hunt from Timex and Brendan Gardner-Young from Thrive Causemetics
Correia Hunt from Timex says, “Retailers are proceeding cautiously with stock levels”
SKIMS is focusing on internationalisation this year and beyond, especially in those countries that are culturally aligned with the United States, where it was founded by Kim Kardashian
Brendan Gardner-Young from Thrive Causemetics says the brand uses its customers to create content and influence as “no one loves the products as much as they do”
Guests networking during the lunch break
About Vervaunt
Vervaunt is a London-based ecommerce consultancy and paid media agency, working alongside ambitious ecommerce brands and retailers to improve key areas of their business and drive growth.
About By Association Only
By Association Only is the Shopify Plus agency for the world’s most design-conscious luxury brands. Get in touch to discover how our team of experts can support your brand’s Shopify ambitions.
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