Where Marketing Leaders Turn to For Ecommerce Industry Info

Time flies, and our newly launched Cart Insiders podcast can already brag about their first, successfully completed season. The season hosted eight CEOs and marketing executives from across the DTC world who shared their stories and insights on growing their business, engaging marketing tactics, changing customer behavior, and more.

Aside from business topics, podcast host Greg Zakowicz was curious about the resources these leaders turn to for inspiration, entertainment, and to stay on top of the business and ecommerce world. From podcasts to daily news newsletters, here’s a look at what these successful marketing leaders are reading or listening to—maybe you’ll find a new inspirational resource to solve your business puzzles.

1. Kaylin Marcotte, CEO of Jiggy Puzzles:

Lean Luxe, 2PM, Retail Brew – these newsletters talk about DTC brands and help me to plug-in into this world and stay at the top of that.

I also love audiobooks. My most recent one is Shoe dog.

>>>Listen to the full episode “How Jiggy Puzzles is reinventing a classic pastime.”

2. Nate Checketts, co-founder and CEO of Rhone:

I would recommend The Rabbit Hole podcast by the New York Times. The podcast tells us about the internet, and what impact it makes on us as human beings, communities, etc. I also love audiobooks.

After recording, Nate also recommended to Greg the podcast Slow Burn. For those interested in the Watergate scandal, this one is a must-listen.

>>>Listen to the full episode “How Rhone has built a dedicated following with premium, comfortable activewear.”

3. Chris Vallely, Senior Brand Manager at Dixxon Flannel:

It’s a Gary Vaynerchuk podcast. I’m just seeing what he does and how he does things. He’s one of the reasons why I’m where I am today.

If you use Shopify, Shopify Masters podcasts are very helpful – you get tips and tricks on that.

I like podcasts because you can put them on, and they don’t distract you from what you are working on, and you’re getting that knowledge. So it seems to be the way to go for me.

>>>Listen to the full episode “How Dixxon turned flannels shirts into a thriving fashion brand.”

4. Aaron Zagha, CMO at Newton Baby:

Recode Decode podcast by Kara Swisher. This podcast talks about technology in general. There are more marketing podcasts, and I think all of them are pretty useful, but it really depends on who is talking and how much specifics they are willing to discuss.

Other than that, I like Tinuiti and Adlucent materials that they have.

>>>Listen to the full episode “How Newton Baby is changing the newborn marketplace.”

5. Luke Peters, CEO and Founder of NewAir Appliances:

I’m the host of the Page 1 Podcast, focused on the home and hardware, consumer goods space. So we talk with folks that are going to the international houseware or hardware shows. People share experiences from these events, but we also talk a lot about marketing and Amazon, and some agency stuff. We interview business leaders from these fields.

I’m selfishly asking questions that are relative to me, but the feedback has been that they are helping a lot of other business owners too.

>>>Listen to the full episode “NewAir shows how small businesses can grow and thrive.”

6. James Cadbury, founder and CEO of Love Cacoa:

I really like How I built this by Guy Raz. It’s a quite general podcast, big businesses talk about their challenges. A very good one to get motivated and learn from those great entrepreneurs all around the world. So it’s a great resource.

I always keep an eye on Tech Crunch. It’s got a lot of interesting information on the tech industry and ecommerce.

And then, of course, I follow some confectionery sites, like Confectionery News.

>>>Listen to the full episode “Love Cacoa discusses growth, challenges and a move to ecommerce.”

7. Nick Fairbairn, CMO at Gabi Insurance:

My morning routine is checking the Wall Street Journal front page, see what’s happening in the world and then I shift to CNBC financial markets to see what’s happening in the financial world. It helps to understand the nuances of the businesses that we are working within.

Then I subscribe to all the Mediapost and Adweek newletters on TV, marketing, streaming to understand what’s new and what to follow there. And I’m the Business Insider prime user. That’s a lot of news, but I don’t read them all, I just skim through to stay on top of that.

>>>Listen to the full episode “The Consumer Purchasing Journey, From Dollar Shave Club to Gabi Insurance.”

Wrap Up

It looks like two things unite all Cart Insiders podcast S01 guests:
They all are more into audio resources than reading books. They always consume up-to-date information while doing something else at the same time. Multitasking for the win!

They all are following resources that reveal a broader outlook of the ecommerce field to get a wider context and better understand the industry. This understanding helps them to stay sharp-minded and foresee upcoming industry directions that are vital for business leaders.

We hope that Season 1 of the Cart Insiders podcast has presented interesting, actionable ideas while teaching you new techniques you can use in your daily business. The new season of the podcast is dedicated to the holidays, where we’ll discuss how to get your online business ready for the busiest period of the year. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and stay tuned!