Commerce Today

Episode 129: Optimize Your E-commerce Data Flow: From Manual to Real-Time Integrations

June 24th, 2025  |  27 mins 57 secs

api workflows, business process optimization, commerce today, crawl-walk-run approach, csv file transfers, data automation, digital transformation, e-commerce efficiency, e-commerce systems, error reduction, event-driven architecture, joshua warren, manual data entry, operational scalability, real-time integration

In this episode of Commerce Today, host Joshua Warren tackles the hidden costs and inefficiencies of manual data entry in e-commerce. Drawing a clever parallel between switchboard operators and outdated business processes, he highlights the need for modern automation. Joshua introduces a crawl-walk-run strategy to help businesses transition from basic CSV transfers to real-time APIs and event-driven workflows. Packed with actionable insights, this episode is a must-listen for anyone ready to boost accuracy, scalability, and operational efficiency in their e-commerce systems.

Episode 128: Get More From Your E-Commerce Agency - And Know When to Walk Away

June 17th, 2025  |  20 mins 22 secs

agency management, agency partnership, agency transition, business playbooks, commerce today podcast, digital asset ownership, ecommerce, ecommerce growth, ecommerce strategy, govern own exit, joshua warren, kpi management, post-contract best practices, quarterly business reviews, vendor drift

In this episode of Commerce Today, host Joshua Warren explores the critical—but often neglected—steps that come after hiring an e-commerce agency. From avoiding "vendor drift" to maintaining control of your digital assets, Joshua outlines the common mistakes brands make post-contract and how to prevent them. He introduces three powerful frameworks—Govern, Own, and Exit—designed to help e-commerce businesses manage agency relationships with confidence and clarity. Whether you're starting a new partnership or re-evaluating an existing one, this episode provides actionable strategies to ensure long-term success. Plus, get a sneak peek at Joshua's upcoming book on e-commerce growth.

Episode 127: Mastering EOS Scorecards - Boost Your E-Commerce Metrics

June 10th, 2025  |  17 mins 53 secs

business operations, business transformation, case studies, creatuity, data-driven, e-commerce, e-commerce strategy, entrepreneurial operating system, eos, joshua warren, leadership team, performance metrics, scorecard, team meetings, vanity metrics, vitality metrics

In this episode of Commerce Today, Joshua Warren, CEO of Creatuity, explores how e-commerce businesses can leverage the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) scorecard to drive meaningful results. He explains why tracking vitality metrics—not vanity ones—matters most, and how a simple five-metric scorecard can boost performance. Joshua also breaks down EOS fundamentals, shares real-world examples, and provides practical tips for building better scorecards and more effective leadership team meetings. A must-listen for anyone looking to transform their e-commerce operations through data-driven leadership.

Episode 126: Personalization in 2025: The 5-Level Ladder from “Hi" to Predictive Service

June 3rd, 2025  |  26 mins 12 secs

b2b, b2c, case studies, commerce today, creatuity, customer engagement, customer experience, data-driven marketing, digital marketing, e-commerce personalization, joshua warren, kpis, litmus test, netflix, personalization ladder, personalization strategy, quick wins, revenue growth, targeted ads, user experience

In this episode of Commerce Today, host and Creatuity CEO Joshua Warren takes a fresh look at e-commerce personalization. Using real-world examples—from Netflix’s smart recommendations to the pitfalls of over-targeted ads—Joshua explores what makes personalization effective versus intrusive. He introduces the five-step "personalization ladder," sharing actionable tips, quick wins, and KPIs at each stage to help brands level up their personalization strategy. The episode wraps with real-life case studies and a five-question litmus test to ensure your efforts stay customer-friendly. Whether you're in B2B or B2C, this episode will help you drive revenue and deliver better customer experiences through smarter personalization.

Episode 125: Optimizing Your E-Commerce Team: Org Charts & Team Design Strategies

June 2nd, 2025  |  23 mins 39 secs

agency resources, b2b e-commerce, commerce today, creatuity, decision-making, e-commerce strategy, e-commerce team structure, enablement pod, growth pod, in-house team, joshua warren, omnichannel retailers, organizational design, platform pod, product owner, project manager, pure play e-commerce, revenue growth, team optimization, team productivity

In this episode of Commerce Today, Joshua Warren breaks down the best practices for structuring e-commerce teams to boost efficiency and profitability. He outlines three core e-commerce business types—sidecar B2B, omnichannel retailers, and pure play companies—and introduces a flexible team model built around three essential pods: Growth, Platform, and Enablement. Joshua explains how outdated org charts can cost you money and shares how to align your team for modern e-commerce demands. He also clarifies the roles of product owners vs. project managers and offers advice on blending internal and agency talent for maximum impact. Whether you're scaling up or streamlining, this episode is packed with actionable insights to strengthen your team and your bottom line.

Episode 124: The Dangerous Pitfall of Being Too Data-Driven: Simplify Your Analytics Focus

May 20th, 2025  |  21 mins 23 secs

advocacy, analytics, business growth, commerce today, customer journey, data-driven, decision-making, e-commerce, engagement, evaluation, hero metric, impactful decisions, interest, joshua warren, kpis, linkedin, purchase, retention, simplify metrics

In this episode of Commerce Today, Joshua Warren explains how relying on too many metrics can overwhelm e-commerce businesses. He recommends focusing on one key "hero metric" at each stage of the customer journey—from interest to advocacy. With practical KPIs and clear guidance, this episode helps businesses simplify analytics and make smarter, more impactful decisions.

Episode 123: The Dangerous Pitfall of Being Too Data-Driven: Simplify Your Analytics Focus

May 13th, 2025  |  21 mins 23 secs

advocacy, analytics, business growth, customer journey, data-driven, decision-making, e-commerce, engagement, evaluation, hero metric, interest, kpis, metrics, purchase, retention

In this episode of Commerce Today, host Joshua Warren explores the dangers of being overly data-driven in e-commerce. He explains how focusing on too many metrics can create confusion and hinder effective decision-making. Instead, Joshua recommends identifying a "hero metric" for each stage of the customer journey, such as interest, engagement, evaluation, purchase, retention, and advocacy. He shares practical tips and key performance indicators (KPIs) to help businesses streamline their analytics and make more impactful decisions. Tune in for actionable insights that will help you grow your e-commerce business. For detailed instructions and formulas, reach out to Joshua on LinkedIn.

Episode 122: Is Hyvä the Fast Track to a Modern Frontend? 5 Tests for Any Ecommerce Team

May 6th, 2025  |  13 mins 5 secs

actionable steps, adobe commerce, conversions, ecommerce optimization, ecommerce performance, hyvä, leak tests, magento, no fluff, performance, platform migration, revenue loss, slow storefront, speed, theme replacement

A slow storefront hurts conversions and revenue. In just 13 minutes, learn five actionable tests to see if Hyvä should replace your current Magento/Adobe Commerce theme—or if switching platforms altogether is worth it for better performance. No fluff, just practical steps.

Episode 121: Replatforms Fail in the Boardroom - 3 Blindspots to Fix Now

April 29th, 2025  |  13 mins 39 secs

90-day pilot playbook, budget bloat, ecommerce replatforming, kill-switch chaos, launch delays, leadership mistakes, lean projects, linkedin template request, measurable outcomes, p&l owner, project cancellation, project failure, shiny object syndrome, success contract, why-now gap

Many ecommerce replatforming projects fail long before the first sprint begins—right at the leadership table. In this live episode, we dive into key reasons why, including the "Why-Now" Gap, where impulsive decisions turn into expensive mistakes; the lack of a true P&L owner, which allows committees to bloat budgets and delay launches; and "Kill-Switch Chaos," the challenge of knowing when to shut down struggling projects without acting too soon or too late. You'll walk away with a 90-Day Pilot Playbook designed to keep projects lean, measurable, and focused, along with a one-page “success contract” template you can start using immediately. Need the template? DM me "pilot" on LinkedIn and I’ll send it to you.

Episode 120: Overcoming E-commerce Stagnation - Small Steps to Big Wins

April 22nd, 2025  |  14 mins 42 secs

analytics, business growth, commerce today, data-driven decisions, digital transformation, e-commerce, goal setting, incremental progress, practical tips, project management, re-platforming, stagnation, strategy, task management

In this episode of Commerce Today, the focus shifts from tech to strategy as host Joshua Warren shares practical advice for overcoming stagnation in e-commerce projects. Using the relatable example of cleaning a messy garage, he highlights the power of breaking big tasks into manageable steps. Whether you're re-platforming, launching new features, or navigating a complex project, Joshua emphasizes the value of incremental progress, clear analytics, and setting realistic goals to keep momentum going.

Episode 119: From Kickbacks to Collaboration: E-Commerce Partnerships Explored

April 15th, 2025  |  13 mins 56 secs

adobe commerce, commerce today podcast, creatuity, dotdigital, ecommerce partnerships, ecommerce strategy, integration tools, ipaas, joshua warren, marketing automation, merchant-focused, north texas ecommerce, partnership value, shipperhq, shipping solutions

In this episode of Commerce Today, Joshua Warren, CEO of Creatuity, dives into what makes a true e-commerce partnership. He breaks down the difference between partnerships driven by profit and those built to genuinely support merchants. Josh spotlights four standout partners—IPaaS, ShipperHQ, dotDigital, and Adobe—and shares how they help elevate the e-commerce experience. He also invites North Texas pros to a local meetup at Martin House Brewing and offers a free session to solve your biggest e-commerce challenge. Don’t miss it!

Episode 118: Exploring Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service

April 8th, 2025  |  22 mins 43 secs

adobe commerce as a cloud service, adobe ecosystem, adobe firefly, automatic updates, b2b ecommerce, commerce today, composable, dam, digital asset management, ecommerce strategy, generative ai, headless, multi-tenant, performance, platform comparison, saas, shopify alternative

In this episode, I explore Adobe’s new "Commerce as a Cloud Service" — a fully SaaS, multi-tenant, headless solution with built-in DAM, B2B features, and Adobe Firefly AI. I break down how it compares to platforms like Shopify and what ecommerce businesses need to know about its benefits and strategic value.

Episode 117: Solving E-Commerce Challenges: Systems, Processes, and People

April 1st, 2025  |  19 mins 12 secs

adobe commerce, cloud service, commerce today, ecommerce, ecommerce challenges, ecommerce insights, ecommerce meetups, ecommerce strategy, joshua warren, north texas, people problems, platform switch, policy problems, process problems, systems problems

In this episode of Commerce Today, host Joshua Warren breaks down common e-commerce challenges into three core categories: systems, processes/policies, and people. Drawing from years of experience, he shares how to pinpoint and solve these issues—and why it's crucial to address them before considering a platform switch. Joshua also teases future episodes on Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service and invites listeners to upcoming North Texas e-commerce meetups.

Episode 116: Shopify vs. Adobe: The New SaaS Showdown

March 25th, 2025  |  14 mins 41 secs

adobe commerce, adobe commerce benefits, adobe commerce cloud service, adobe commerce features, adobe commerce optimizer, adobe innovations, adobe summit, agencies, cloud-based commerce, digital commerce, e-commerce, e-commerce ecosystem, e-commerce strategy, magento, magento future, merchants, online retail, saas, scalability, site performance, total cost of ownership

In this episode of Commerce Today, we break down the key announcements from Adobe Summit, with a focus on Adobe's new SaaS version of Adobe Commerce. We explore the launch details, features, and impact of Adobe Commerce Cloud Service and Adobe Commerce Optimizer, discussing what they mean for merchants, agencies, and the broader e-commerce ecosystem.

Tune in as we analyze the pros and cons of these innovations, their potential to reduce total cost of ownership, improve site performance, and provide greater flexibility in the evolving e-commerce landscape. Don’t miss this deep dive into the future of Magento and Adobe Commerce!

Episode 115: Revolutionizing Retail: Omnichannel Strategies for Farm & Home Stores

March 18th, 2025  |  17 mins 29 secs

atf compliance, bopis, buy online pickup in store, covid-19 response, curbside pickup, customer experience, ecommerce, erp integration, family farm and home, headless order management system, inventory management, logistics, mobile point of sale, omnichannel retail, order fulfillment, pos, retail innovation, retail technology, rural king, supply chain, vendor ship to store

In this episode of Commerce Today, Joshua Warren shares his firsthand experiences leading omnichannel retail projects for two major farm and home retailers, Rural King and Family Farm and Home. He explores key solutions such as buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS), curbside pickup, and vendor ship to store. Joshua also discusses overcoming challenges like ATF compliance, integrating legacy ERP systems, and rapidly deploying curbside pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, he provides insights into the development of a headless order management system and a mobile point-of-sale system. Tune in for a deep dive into the complexities of omnichannel retail and practical lessons for retailers of all sizes.

Episode 114: Integrating Online and In-Store Retail: A Guide to Omnichannel Success

March 10th, 2025  |  19 mins 9 secs

ai-driven digital twins, bopis, buy online pickup in-store, ecommerce trends, family farm and home, joshua warren, omnichannel retail, online and physical store integration, operational challenges, pandemic impact on retail, real-time integrations, retail best practices, retail fulfillment, retail staff training, rural king, successful bopis implementations, technical challenges

In this episode of Commerce Today, we tackle your questions about Omnichannel Retail with industry expert Joshua Warren. With deep experience in bridging online and in-store operations, Joshua shares insights on the pandemic’s impact on retail, the importance of real-time integrations, and the evolving role of Buy Online, Pickup In-Store (BOPIS). We explore operational and technical challenges, the need for staff training, and the future of AI-driven digital twins in retail fulfillment. Plus, don’t miss a sneak peek at the next episode, where we highlight successful BOPIS implementations with Rural King and Family Farm and Home. Tune in to stay ahead of the latest trends in omnichannel retail!