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TikTok Shops: The Warm Front in the eCommerce Winter | Jordan West

Guest: Jordan West

Jordan West leaped into the marketing world at 22, transforming a Taco Del Mar restaurant into a sales triumph through sheer ingenuity. He and his wife then nurtured Little & Lively from a quaint home venture to a juggernaut among Canada's top baby brands, showcasing his flair for scaling e-commerce businesses. Off the clock, Jordan swapped business strategies for life-saving techniques as a paramedic, and loved helping people on their "worst day."

TikTok Shops: The Warm Front in the eCommerce Winter

As we navigate through what has Jordan West has termed the 'eCommerce winter', a period marked by chilling challenges and frosty fortunes, it is sometimes difficult to keep the hope of finding improved economic returns. And it seems that we might just find the answer in Tik Tok shops.

Misaligned Incentives: The Crux of the Cold

Jordan talks about the the fundamental misalignment of incentives between agencies and eCommerce businesses. This misalignment isn't a mere inconvenience; it's a barricade to genuine growth and success. Agencies, driven by their bottom line, often propose solutions that serve their interests first. They set a price, a mininimum retainer, and then come up with works to justify it. Ever worked with one?

The eCommerce Winter: A Season of Discontent

And this missalignment is made even more promenant when you think about the eCommerce Winter that we are in. eCommerce companies simply don't have the money they need to pay high retainer fees and ad costs. Sales are harder to come by, customer loyalty is as slippery as ice, and the once-clear path to profitability is now obscured by a blizzard of competition and inflated advertising costs.

The Thawing Promise of TikTok Shops

Enter TikTok Shops, the warm front breaking through our winter of discontent. This platform isn't just an alternative to the established order; it's a radical realignment of incentives, aligning them to benefit both the brand and the influencer. Influencers are rewarded based on the actual success of their promotions, TikTok Shops ensures that only those strategies that genuinely resonate with the audience are rewarded. Sounds like great news, right?!

The Next Era of eCommerce

This evolution towards performance-based marketing is more than just a trend; Jordan reckons that it's the dawn of the next era of eCommerce. Frist TikTok, then Instagram and Facebook. It will change how we buy and it will change influence marketing.

Conclusion: Spring is Coming

As we stand at the cusp of this new season in eCommerce, it's evident that TikTok Shops represents more than just a platform; it's a paradigm shift. This warm front in the eCommerce winter brings with it the promise of a landscape where alignment, authenticity, and performance drive success. For businesses ready to embrace this change, the future is not just bright; it's warm with the potential for unprecedented growth. As Jordan tells us, the eCommerce winter may be upon us, but with TikTok Shops, spring is undeniably on the horizon.

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Just like this eCommerce Podcast episode, each Sprint is themed-based. So using this topic of Everything You Need To Know About Subscription eCommerce as an example - here's how it would work:

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Why Cohort

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Matt has been involved in eCommerce since 2002. His websites have generated over $50m in worldwide sales, and his coaching clients have a combined turnover of over $100m.