Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

We work in a complex world full of noise. Happy, returning customers are more important than ever. Loyalty increases sales, retention, CLV, and creates opportunities through reputation and word of mouth. It's hard, and takes time. Here’s how and where to start.

The forest is the trees

If a tree falls in a forest and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound? Our ATTRACT Framework helps you turn your website into training data so artificial intelligence engines can pick you up.

Websites vs Dinosaurs

Stillness is not a strategy. Your Ecommerce is a creature in permanent evolution. In this post we talk about running faster and smarter, the role of agencies and consultants, and how we can find unexpected business lessons in Jurassic Park.

The White Bunny

A stroUX of genius

The Snow White Hallucination

What Digital Transformation Actually Is (Part II)

Digital transformation isn’t about chasing shiny trends, but about asking the right questions, building adaptable systems, and using technology to answer them—fast.

What Digital Transformation Actually Is (Part I)

In our last 2024 issue, I asked you to vote what you wanted to read about this year, and “digital transformation” came on top (quite comfortably above the second favorite, customer experience).

Compound Marketing in the Age of Everything

We don't know enough about AI, but we know it is here and it won't go away. We also know it has, will and will continue to affect marketing. Here’s how to embrace compound marketing and turn AI GEO doom into exponential visibility.

The Marx Twain Syndrome

Robots are not that alive and search engines are not that dead. The days of having “easy-ish” #1 keywords are over. Google is not a reliable channel. SEO will get harder. The rest remains the same. Good content is a must-have. As are sales, relationships, having a voice, and something to say, and communicating effectively.

Rowing harder

Life pushes forward, but we row backward into the future, only seeing where we’ve been. Businesses are no different. We plan, forecast, and strategize, but uncertainty is always in the way. The secret? Row harder, adjust often, and embrace the chaos.

Up for grabs: every pixel a billboard

You can prioritize driving more traffic. Or explore the potential of what you have.Which is a lot.

Back to the Future: Pareto Everything & Leverage Experimentation

The future’s been around for quite some time now and we have a big month ahead. Elections, holidays, Black Friday, planning for 2025, and figuring out what “the next big thing” even means anymore. Today, a few pointers to stay the course.

Personas, Funnels and Barney The Dinosaur

Things change all the time. The fact that the best way to understand and motivate customers is to focus on reality does not. This week’s issue includes common marketing fantasies, an outline to map campaigns (and customers,) and stories about Roman emperors.

Thriving in Tension and Contradiction

Tension holds bridges - and businesses - together. Today we'll chat about contradictions as drivers of creativity, strategic growth, and human connection, with tips on keeping balance and tuning the many strings at play in B2B eCommerce to turn tensions into springboards. Let's roll.

The Agency of Record is Dead

Announcing the death of AORs may be an exaggeration, but the change is really real. The traditional agency model is losing ground to smaller, remote, nimble in-house teams supported by tech specialized partners that can tackle the tactics to execute creative strategy.

The Dark Side of Early Adoption

Early adoption can be a double-edged sword: it may give you a competitive edge, but also bring challenges and risks that are not really worthwhile. Choosing the right tech for your website requires weighing pros and cons, because sometimes boring is best.

Finders Keepers. Fix search, fix sales.

Optimize site search and watch your sales soar. With 72% of site searches failing expectations, improving search is a massive opportunity. Turn user frustration into satisfaction, outshine competitors, and enhance your bottom line. Even if you're not Walmart, you can do this.

Don’t redesign. Ever.

Ecommerce redesigns are risky, subjective, and often end in compromises that exhaust everyone but please no one. Fear not. Instead of setting yourself up for trouble, use these tips to embrace your groundhog day, explore healthier ways to revamp, and eat pizzaburgers.

Three website must-haves you can tackle today

The chaos of recent years continues and the new normal is that everything sucks. Here are three actionable strategies that you can consider and tackle as early as possible to make your future self’s life easier. Stay strong— this, too, shall pass.

The Long and the Short of Email Marketing

Email is alive and kicking, but most of us do it wrong most of the time. Getting the long and short of it right is key. Ask the right questions, make long term plans, and have patience. It works when done right.

Fixated on fixing: The Broken Windows Theory applied to eCommerce

Perhaps you’ve heard of The Broken Windows Theory. The idea is simple: small signs of disorder, like a broken window, can lead to more significant issues if left unaddressed. What are the implications for B2B eCommerce strategy? Read on and find out.

Blurring the lines of B2B & B2C eCommerce

B2B and B2C used to be two completely separate worlds. Not anymore. Instead of wasting time arguing over who should learn what from whom, a better, more interesting question to ask might be what B2B and B2C can learn from each other.

The Hidden Costs of Inaction

Fear drives decisions. There’s FOMO, FOMU (fear of messing up), FOBO (fear of better options), and even FOMOMO (fear of the mystery of missing out). But fear can also paralyze growth. In Ecommerce, knowing when inaction hurts more than action is key.

Seven Immutable Laws of Ecommerce Replatforming

We’d love to say that migrations, like diamonds, are forever. That platforms are future-proof. But eCommerce evolves, and so do your needs, positioning, budget and expectations. Here are some principles to consider the next time you have to face an eCommerce replatforming.