In this episode of the Ecommerce Braintrust, Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplaces Services at Acadia, is joined by, Gary Hammerschlag, an account management team lead at Acadia, who shares his expert insights on the framework for evaluating potential markets, the process involved, and strategic considerations for brands looking to broaden their e-commerce horizons globally. Their discussion is packed with actionable tips and an in-depth analysis of the various aspects of international expansion on Amazon.

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In this episode, Julie and Gary discuss:

• Gary’s Framework for International Expansion

• • Evaluating when an international market is a suitable fit.

  • The increasing ease of compliance and streamlined processes post-COVID.

  • Importance of considering international expansion as a growth lever beside D2C channels.

• Key Markets for Expansion:

• • Insights into prioritizing markets: Germany, the UK, Canada, and Japan.

  • Specific focus on Japan’s beauty market due to recent Amazon incentives.

• The Testing Process:

• • How to frame and assess the testing period for a market.

  • Operational, logistical, and budget considerations for entering new markets.

• Readiness and Launch:

• • The readiness phase involving VAT application, label review, and finding a responsible person.

  • Detailed timeline expectations from decision to launch.

• Tools and Resources:

• • Utilizing tools like Helium 10 or Analytic Index for market analysis.

  • How agencies specializing in Amazon can aid in smoother launches.

• Advice for Brands Considering International Markets:

• • The importance of patience and setting realistic timelines.

  • Building a strong initial foundation to facilitate growth.

In this episode of the Ecommerce Braintrust, Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplaces Services at Acadia, is joined by Julien Pereira, Account Manager at Acadia and a former Amazon vendor and program manager with extensive experience in direct fulfillment operations. In this episode, they discuss the nuances of direct fulfillment and its fit for brands selling as first-party vendors on Amazon.

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In this episode, Julie and Julien discuss:

• Understanding Direct Fulfillment (DF): Julien breaks down the concept of DF, contrasts it with traditional PO fulfillment methods on Amazon and explains the benefits of having more control over inventory and order management.

• Assessing DF for Your Brand: Criteria for identifying whether DF suits a brand's business model, including logistical capabilities, product categories, and customer-centric operational readiness.

• Hybrid Fulfillment Model: Discussion of the potential to run DF alongside traditional PO-based fulfillment to ensure inventory coverage and mitigate stockout risks.

• Setup Process for DF: Insight into setting up DF in Amazon Vendor Central, including warehouse setup, EDI and API implementations, and configuring lead times and capacity.

• Evaluating DF Performance: Key performance indicators (KPIs) crucial for assessing the health and effectiveness of a DF operation, such as cancellation rate, expected ship date adherence, and delivery estimate accuracy.

• Operational Challenges and Efficacy: An exploration of potential drawbacks and efficacy in adopting direct fulfillment, including Amazon's perspective on product categories and its impacts on DF recommendations.

• Daily and Weekly DF Management: Julien outlines the daily and weekly responsibilities of managing DF, emphasizing the importance of updating inventory, processing orders, and reviewing performance metrics.

• Amazon's Approach: How Amazon assesses and makes suggestions on product suitability for DF based on a variety of factors including category, average selling price, and speed sensitivity.

In this episode of the Ecommerce Brain Trust, Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplaces Services at Acadia, and Damiano Ciarrocchi, the Senior Retail Media Manager at Acadia and Head of the Retail Media Network Innovation team. They discuss the ins and outs of Ulta's retail media platform and what brands need to know to succeed in this unique beauty-focused marketplace.

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In this episode, Julie and Damiano discuss:

• An overview of Ulta as a retail media marketplace dedicated to beauty products with both in-store and e-commerce presences.

• The relative youth of Ulta’s platform compared to other marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart.

• Challenges faced by brands, such as limited tools provided by Ulta for keyword research and competitive landscape analysis.

• How brands can circumvent these limitations using third-party tools like Pacvue and Analytic Index.

• Media Buying Strategies on Ulta

• Options for buying media on Ulta, including self-service and managed services.

• The partnership between Ulta and Criteo, including the campaign types available to advertisers.

• Performance and Competition on Ulta

• The current landscape shows low competition and promising results for brands advertising on Ulta.

• How brands are achieving top-of-search positioning relatively easily compared to more saturated platforms.

• Investment and Attribution in Ulta Advertising

• Discussing meaningful media investment and attribution assessment on the Ulta channel

• How to handle the complexities of advertising for a brand that has both an e-commerce and in-store presence

• Ideal Candidates for Advertising on Ulta

• Characteristics of brands that may benefit the most from advertising on Ulta.

• Advising brands that should hold off on expanding to Ulta and the recommended trial period for testing the platform's effectiveness.

• Damiano shares valuable insights on leveraging Ulta as a retail media network and the intricacies involved, offering a comprehensive look at what role this unique channel could play in a brand’s broader e-commerce strategy.