EP100 - Get to Know Our Listeners

EP100 - Get to Know Our Listeners

To celebrate our 100th episode, we decided to put the focus on the most important element, the listeners.  So we invited three of our most active listeners to be on the show.

Radz Mpofu @RadzMpofu

Kevin Harmon @imadness Facebook 

Ted Fifelski  @ted_gives

Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes.

Episode 100 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Thursday, September 7th 2017.

http://jasonandscot.com

Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, SVP Commerce & Content at SapientRazorfish, and Scot Wingo, Founder and Executive Chairman of Channel Advisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing.

 

New beta feature - Google Automated Transcription of the show:

Transcript

Jason: 
[0:25] Welcome to the Jason and Scott show this is episode 100 being recorded on Thursday September 7th 2017 I'm your host Jason retailgeek Goldberg and as usual I'm here with your co-host Scot Wingo.

Scot & Guests: 
[0:40] Hey Jason and welcome back Jason and Scott show listeners Jason how are you doing.

Jason: 
[0:47] I am doing awesome it's super exciting to be at episode 100.

Scot & Guests: 
[0:52] It really isn't before we jump into it too deep I wanted to announce that we will be podcasting again at the shop. Org digital Summit,
this year the Summit is being held in Sunny Los Angeles on September 25th to 27th.
Jason Scott show listeners receive a 10% discount when they register using the code js-10 that's js-10 and we will put a link to the registration in the show notes where you can enter that code,
we hope to see everyone there Jason as we mentioned that we've had a pretty big milestone here with 100 episodes.

Jason: 
[1:31] I know I know I have to be honest when we started this 100 episodes we're not on my radar screen I had to read a podcast primer and it mentioned that like.
If you get past episode 7 you've sort of survived the mortality rate so I think my big goal was,
was 7 and I've since then read that the average podcast on iTunes only ever gets 24 episodes.

Scot & Guests: 
[1:56] Yeah yeah and we officially have more episodes in listeners now just kidding we actually we actually.

Jason: 
[2:01] Yeah that's that's because I have a small family if I had a bigger family we'd have more listeners.

Scot & Guests: 
[2:05] That's actually it's kind of fun to break down some numbers so we started this I don't know about you but I really didn't have any expectations I just thought we would do it for,
the fun aspect of it and looking back it's kind of,
ballon my expectations I would share admittedly low so we've had over 200,000 downloads since we started the show,
the record months had over 18,000 that was over the summer in June cuz we had so much Amazon news going on,
the most popular episode is the June 17th hot take we did which is episode 89 where we talked about the Amazon and Whole Foods acquisition and then as reminder for every one we actually started this whole Adventure on November 13th 2015 with episode 1,
do you have a quiz for you Jason how many how many episodes have we recorded.

Jason: 
[2:57] This will be our 101 including the one I screwed up and we didn't get to publish.

Scot & Guests: 
[3:04] Boomkin answer inside info but yeah 100 episode soon so pretty exciting.

Jason: 
[3:09] I share your Your Enthusiasm seems like we should be doing something special for the hundred show.

Scot & Guests: 
[3:17] Yeah yeah and couple months ago we were pretty good at math so we kind of saw this coming on the calendar and we started thinking about what we should do to celebrate a hundred episodes.

Jason: 
[3:28] Yep and obviously one of the first things that come up is is with many listeners know,
chupitos is constantly hounding us to be on the show and so for while we're thinking hey that's a perfect opportunity to finally Jeff on the show but then you know we thought about it and the reality is this show is for the listeners it's not really about the fancy guest so we turned him down.

Scot & Guests: 
[3:51] Yeah you know we,
Basils cuz of stuff to talk about both at listeners who who would care so what we did is we decided to really kind of turn the microphone around,
so we we went to Twitter and and looked at the social engagement that we get and we really active Community here for the show that we really enjoy and,
what causes a lot of back and forth and it went challenges us and recommends things and ask questions so we we thought what we would do is have a listener appreciation event in celebration of episode 100,
so we somewhat randomly picked three listeners from different geographies all over the world if you will these folks work at all kinds of different size companies and have different kinds of rolls and we invite them tonight to be on the show,
to hear about their e-commerce experience and where they think e-commerce is going and just kind of turn it over to the listeners for,
for a bit and give everyone a little bit of break from hearing from us for the last hundred episodes.

Jason: 
[4:50] Yeah yeah I'm super excited about this idea and you know frankly pleasantly shocked that it when we invited accepted our invitation so Scott who's the first guest.

Scot & Guests: 
[5:02] Well Jason let's kick it off excited to have our first guest here for the listener appreciation show we know him best by his Twitter handle which is RADS radz and that's at radz mpofu on Twitter,
what's up rats not much just wrapping up the day here how about you.
We're super excited we hit 100 episodes Jason didn't think we'd make it past 5 and I had the long money on going the long haul in the sinks the red 100 we're pretty excited.
Yeah I have to say that I would have to agree with you because when I first remember seeing the Jason and Scott Show come out I was just like oh my gosh I have needed this for so long that was like I'm starting my retail career.
Yeah I told you guys 100 I don't know why Jason would say that,
check two boxes for us here for the first time you're you're the first kind of super listener we've had on the show and then also you're the first International correspondent so you're you're not in the United States of America.
Nope I'm in the Toronto or the six as Drake would say okay and is it snowing there.
No not yet but it is raining a lot okay interesting summer where it's just been.
I bet Seattle and BC weather where this raining a lot.

Jason: 
[6:26] And in the long run does that mean it's good or bad for the ice wine this year.

Scot & Guests: 
[6:31] No idea.

Jason: 
[6:34] Those are mine I mainly focus on the food of every venue so for me Toronto is ice wine and poutine even though I know pooting is really Montreal but you can get it in in Toronto.

Scot & Guests: 
[6:47] Yeah that's true but you forgot you got to check out Uncle tetsu's cheesecake as well as smoke smoke signals barbecue those are two really good spots those in the true true true Toronto Staples.

Jason: 
[7:01] Nice I am adding those to the list that the show has already paid off for me.
So Reds you mentioned that you you were start listen to show you were starting a retail career you want to tell us a little bit more about what that was and what you're doing now.

Scot & Guests: 
[7:20] Yeah for sure so even though like rewind a little bit vacuum before that I actually started my.
E-commerce sales career in at a company called Ashley Bridget, so I was there when we were still like in a basement making maybe if you know a few hundred thousand dollars and a scale to over a million so that.
Being part of that company like they double grabbing use like every year since after that but that experience I think really.
Help me get to become a part of tulip which is where I started started my retail.
Retail career that don't know a tulip was founded by the founder of well. CA.
Oh yeah yeah yeah he was involved in doing that as well so yeah I started my career at tulip that was in.
March 2015 and I think a few months after that you guys started the Jason and Scott show and then where is your career taking you now.
So now shifted to a company called pagerduty and a lot of people especially in the it the it and devops were all day they definitely know about picture to be it's almost like a household name.
We were actually mentioned on Silicon Valley recently some I think it was Guilfoyle he told the Nash that he was on pager to the until we got back at the house he was leaving to go somewhere.
But yeah basically Patriot Duty Autumn eats the incident resolution process from end-to-end so a lot of that stuff is being done manually right now so you know I have like an Excel spreadsheet.

[9:01] I'm the psychos down you call somebody on it for there's too many modern tools to.
Really get the key incidents that you need to resolve resolved so page Diddy animates all of that.
Google every e-commerce site wants to be up 24/7 so I think you know you say you're out of the retail business but I think you just kind of dawn to a broader addressable market and I'm sure our vehicle it's probably interesting to your folks.
Oh yeah I know definitely we actually just it's funny that you mention that we just started.
Retail all of my coworkers are all pinion me for people's contacts so yeah definitely I am still very much plugged into the retail game only doing it through all my coworker.
Get in touch with me get in touch with retail Executives Through Me podcast you can recommend they want to learn more.
It's how I've already been said I've been telling them don't worry I would cover.

Jason: 
[9:56] We we have a vested interest in pagerduty tracking the retail Market because you know it's it's going to be sad to go to the industry shows like shop.org and not see you.

Scot & Guests: 
[10:07] Exactly I think you needed to tell our CEO and her had some marketing that Jennifer Tejada if you ever end up listen to this please we should go to shop talk next year.

Jason: 
[10:16] Exactly.

Scot & Guests: 
[10:17] Shop.org.

Jason: 
[10:20] That both good shows both good shows.

Scot & Guests: 
[10:22] Oh yeah both really good shows.

Jason: 
[10:24] The actually have a photo of you and it I think act technically it's from neither I think it was probably from NRF and you you had your then employers Logo shaved into the side of your head.

Scot & Guests: 
[10:36] Oh yeah okay okay I thought you were going to go in a different direction with that there's another photo of someone who's on stage didn't Maeve look like me I don't know maybe but that was.
That was that was in January and I think Dominique actually mentioned that from bonobos on on the previous show I think I got to shut up because of that.
Although we never saw you put Jason and Scott show logo in your in your head.

Jason: 
[11:09] That's going to take a more talented Barber than the to it.

Scot & Guests: 
[11:13] I fixed I was always thinking maybe just a j plus s but I don't do it at all.

Jason: 
[11:21] Yeah I know you need portraits of two portly dudes.

Scot & Guests: 
[11:24] Two rats two quick ones Have you listened to every episode.
I wish I could say that I have but.
The last one that I listen to since I've been ramping up at pagerduty was are the one with the Accel partners and then one that was either just before that or just after that was with.
The CEO of the CEO of Kohl's and ModCloth I remember listening to those when so I think I'm about 20 episodes behind at this point.
Cool you'll have to just drive to Florida and you could pick them all up.
Yeah exactly exactly or I'll do it on my next plane trip to San Francisco.

[12:10] What were what were a couple of your favorite shows so I think my favorite show obviously I can't,
I can't not do it but Danza episode on bonobos that was my favorite one but also the ones with Rob Schmaltz from Talbots as well as Faisal masud,
I'm from Staples,
those were like really those are I think those are probably with my top three favorite ones all the a lot of the retail executive.
Interviews were like I'm on my favorite ones those ones you know I got to learn so much about you know what's going on in retail and all the changes that if you know what happened this year and I'm sure that will continue so I think those are all my favorite ones.

Jason: 
[12:56] Very cool that being said any as one of our super listeners were we're always looking to make the show better anything you feel like we could be doing better or any tips for things we should think about trying.

Scot & Guests: 
[13:10] So I thought about this and.
I think what you guys have done is really cool you know you have the Deep Dives as well as.
The the retail executive interviews so I'd love to see maybe a little bit of a panel you know between and I'll maybe not people that are like opposing and Views but would love to find out.
Maybe get like the behind-the-scenes story from what happened at Sears maybe not like.
Anything like bad that happened but like to know where did. They live like missile I'm so like maybe a previous executive from there and then you know maybe get somebody from.
Walmart or one of the opening or tomorrow off and coming retail brands.
Could have done better or there now fallen by the wayside in the ones that are doing really well and see if they can.
Meet in the middle and what can be done.

[14:13] Where do you where do you see the future of retail and e-commerce.
I think right now it's still very much in a state of upheaval.
Get out like I'm actually keeping tabs of all the retailers that either went belly-up or like we're struggling really.
Really tough out there was like it's the year started off with like BCBG and then the Limited,
then actually remember seeing HMV Yonge and Dundas Square here in Toronto that's kind of like the Union Square Toronto onto the San Francisco people out there so I remember seeing that one shut down as well and then all American Apparel.
I think all of these a lot of these retail Brands I'm hoping it doesn't continue but it looks like it well I think there's still going to be a lot more.
A lot more unfortunate seems like that I put on top of that too kind of.
You know balance that I would say that there might even be more consolidation that's going to happen at a lot of people are saying that it might not happen but from.
What we've seen from Walmart this year with the acquisition of Moosejaw and the novo's band also more recently with some of the shoe retailers I think.
Michael Kors just acquired Jimmy Choo and then on top of that Vince Camuto was acquired by although or vice versa so yeah I think there's definite going to be a lot more retailers that are.
Going under if they don't figure out how to go digital and no kind of modernize their with their in-store experience and then on top of that.

Jason: 
[15:50] That's very cool I don't want to get one question in that we've actually ask every guest but Scott keeps making me edit the answer out so so hopefully for the 100th episode I'll finally get to get it in there.
Would you say that you like Jason a little better than Scott or way better than Scott.

Scot & Guests: 
[16:10] I would say that the two of you I hold you both very near and dear my heart and there's no way I could pick them from the two of you.

Jason: 
[16:17] So you lied you're willing to be honest about everything else and then you I on that one alright.

Scot & Guests: 
[16:22] Good answer he's he's texting me right now saying that I'm his favorite.
You weren't supposed to say that I have a kind of sales question which is you're there in Canada in Toronto and your imagine.
You have territories that are boom across the continent is it hard to be in the sales rep in candidates Ellington us or doesn't feel different at all than if you were in New York or something.
No I don't think it's that big it's that different at all I think it actually might even play to your advantage we're kind of seen as the we had this running joke on my previous company and to love that,
everybody always sauce in the in the states as the friendly Canadians we are always just really do a comedy versus you know kind of like that.
I don't want to generalize but you know the ones that play hard ball in New York or something like that so I definitely plays to word Vantage I would say that it's probably tougher to sell,
in Canada versus outside of Canada Canadians sometimes don't like buying from Canadians I will say that much.

Jason: 
[17:29] Interesting I feel like we do have the perception that that Canadians are super friendly I mean it it's like I'm sorry a sort of a catch phrase for Canadians.

Scot & Guests: 
[17:39] Yeah I know right I actually had was made fun of in an Uber I took Uber pool for one of the first times,
on a recent business trip and the gentleman the back just what he found out that it was from Canada he was just like,
or you going to say I'm sorry a lot and even put on the Canadian accents it's definitely known across America.

Jason: 
[18:03] I totally get it this may offend you but I am frequently mistaken as a Canadian that people feel like I have a Canadian accent.

[18:13] Which I have never lived in Canada but.

Scot & Guests: 
[18:17] Can you say a boat.

Jason: 
[18:18] I definitely can go a boat but that's because you know did a lot of work in Minneapolis which is little known fact but it's actually north of Canada is a lot of Minneapolis.

Scot & Guests: 
[18:28] Yeah yeah I've heard that.

Jason: 
[18:30] Culturally I used to make that joke and then I married a woman from Detroit and I warned that Detroit actually is.

Scot & Guests: 
[18:37] Canada.

Jason: 
[18:39] You you drive south to go to Windsor to drink when you're 18 that's the whole that's all gig when you grow up in Detroit apparently.

Scot & Guests: 
[18:46] Yeah yeah I've heard a lot of people say that and even on the opposite end,
back in I'd say what the seventies and eighties a lot of people would drive down from Toronto and Windsor to the states to go check out Hip Hop shows because there was nothing in Canada.

Jason: 
[19:03] Wow certainly not true anymore Toronto is like that got a lot of great Hip Hop.

Scot & Guests: 
[19:08] Yeah yeah Drake in the weekend and all those guys.

Jason: 
[19:14] Very cool what was red we greatly appreciate your.
Royal falling and the suggestions you sent all along and we look forward to getting you back in the industry and getting you all caught up on the show so thanks very much for being part of the episode 100.

Scot & Guests: 
[19:33] Yeah thanks a lot for having me guys and hopefully I'll sing me up a lot more retail shows I'm going to use this as leverage internally at pagerduty.
Awesome thanks for as we really appreciate it.
Okay Jason are next listener on listener and 100 is Kevin Harmon I've known Kevin 415 of the longest term.
Ebayers I've met I think if we met at one of the early eBay live shows and he has been a huge fan of the show welcome to the show Kevin.
Text Jason how are you guys.

Jason: 
[20:14] We are terrific 100 episode what could be better.

Scot & Guests: 
[20:19] Boom that's right yeah so yeah we really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to join us so I'll let Jason Kick It Off.

Jason: 
[20:29] Yeah so Kevin Scott mention you been a long time eBay so do you want to give us the the background about how you got into the account Biz and what you're doing today.

Scot & Guests: 
[20:40] Sure I've been an e-commerce for a long time I think 2001 is when we started and for about 10 years I stayed in the media side we sold DVDs and CDs and video games and books.
On eBay and Amazon other places did that for a long time and for some weird reason books and CDs and DVDs of again stop selling so well so.
We moved on to another couple things are doing then and then now what we do is I have another company that sells clothing and books now.

Jason: 
[21:16] Very cool and predominately as a Marketplace seller.

Scot & Guests: 
[21:20] Yes 100% so we're sort of you know eBay phds Amazon phds we know a lot about both and we do the best we can.

Jason: 
[21:31] Nice and are you mostly focus on North America so those are the two two big platforms for you.

[21:38] Gotcha and we do often talk about the Walmart marketplace as well if you looked at that at all or.

Scot & Guests: 
[21:46] Yeah we are looking into that Walmart in and Jed as well so we think that that might be a pretty viable saying coming down the road here.
Cool so I know you listen to a lot of episodes you can listen to every episode I listen to.
Show me episodes of the Jason I'm going to call you out on this I think you said that welcome to the Jason's not show about 6 times now.
I didn't even catch that.

Jason: 
[22:24] That's a special service to the fans that I give to that the loyalist.

Scot & Guests: 
[22:28] Yep.

Jason: 
[22:31] That's all I mean to Beyonce it's a it's a Freudian slip my other podcast is called the Jason and snot show.

Scot & Guests: 
[22:38] Oh that's so strange it's for its for ents.

Jason: 
[22:40] Deaf deaf.

Scot & Guests: 
[22:42] What are several times I know it's hard to pick but what are a couple of your favorite shows.
I think my favorite one was the one with Melissa Burdick from the Mars agency just because you know my Amazon experience and that she seemed,
super knowledgeable about Amazon and it was a really good conversation you guys had with her I really enjoyed the the whole thing about you know crap which is hilarious.
It was good crap joke the most I have to have like 6 I can't listen that fast normally get pumped up.
Yes you super knowledgeable.

Jason: 
[23:25] And since we're talking about her I should give her a plug she's actually no longer with the Mars agency Melissa and another of our guests.
Have started their own business which is now called the laying verdict which is of an Amazon consultancy so that's Andrea way right Scott am I remembering correctly.

Scot & Guests: 
[23:47] Yeah I think they should call it like Mel B and Andrea or something help her but I didn't ask me I was debating with Scott.
Just trying to find an end and acronym for a crap for that.
Amazon Canada and I can't for the great ones got didn't like it but I might tell you guys anyway which is it's it's not crap its poop which is probably only offline profit.

Jason: 
[24:13] Okay I'll.

Scot & Guests: 
[24:15] PG-13 know you're gone now.

Jason: 
[24:22] Well you know.
One of the things we're always trying to do is improve the show and so as a one of our best listeners that is heard the majority of our shows any feedback you have anything we should be doing different or the drugs you nuts.

Scot & Guests: 
[24:40] Know the address to the Scott unbridled enthusiasm for Amazon domination.
Minutes I wish I was more Counterpoint to that every once in awhile it's.
It's cool to watch a hurricane make landfall not sure unless you want to people on the land as falling on butt.
I think it'd be great to have like a I don't know what chat room or I'll take take live Twitter questions except her a little more often just just just involve your audience.

Jason: 
[25:13] Yeah I know that's great feedback we definitely are looking for ways it's actually one of the the deficiencies of the podcast format is you know.
We don't have a way for example to email all of our listeners and get questions or those sorts of things do you have to use a parallel to like Facebook or Twitter and you know it.
A very loyal but small subset of our podcast listeners are following us on those other platform so.
Love to find more ways to engage more customers and get more feedback but that is only a great suggestion I do feel the need to slightly defend us though.
Totally hear you on the Amazon world domination and I would love to be the the Counterpoint more loudly.
But I continue to be shocked I work with all these.
Our big Fortune 100 retailers and it's still more often than not that I walk into a retailer that dramatically underestimates Amazon as the competition and so like.
They absolutely have flaws in their absolutely ways to thrive in in the market against them in all those sorts of things but it still turns out that like more of the people in our industry then I would expect.
Underestimate them rather than overestimate them so so you know maybe we err on the side of hitting that a little hard but I,
I often feel like I have to be in evangelist for a half serious at threat they are so much so that one of my biggest clients that they think they have a funny nickname for me they call me Paul Revere.

Scot & Guests: 
[26:48] Know he was right I mean the that is actually very amazing.
When you see me look at what I've done I mean they're an amazing amazing company that has effort on their own set of rules they know that.
I start unique in the world and yeah they're gone disrupt everything sooner or later probably sooner.
That's a good transition you you've been common the marketplace Biz 4.
Pussy 2001 you 15 20 years what are some of the big trends that you've seen in and where do you where do you think the marketplace part of the world goes.
I think the marketplace continues but it seems to me like it's a lot easier to start a business than it used to be for sure you know 15 years ago when we started that was quite an effort.
And now with all the tools available now it's a lot easier to get into a business but I also think that there's a lot of consolidation going on so I think it's harder to grow a business and you know grow into a large business in particular.
I think because these large sights Amazon Facebook.
Google the beginning on more and more of the entire end and process and so the more pieces they don't have that the lesson Advantage you have.
I even if you saw on those platforms it can still sometimes be a disadvantage so.
I think e-commerce continues and grows like crazy I don't I have concern for the really small business owners though going forward.
Yeah and it's Russian cuz I have that same concern and you know you and I have known.

[28:20] Know more people that have gotten out of the business owner still in it and then put then what kind of countercyclical e happens there,
is baffalo like some of these small business platforms like Magento Bigcommerce and Shopify there exploding so there's these it seems like there's these Merchants out there that have,
yeah that are doing well like Shopify just hit I think the 500,000 small store owner,
what's a kind of Wonder like who are those people and you know that that seems to be where things have shifted the marketplaces if that so competitive that the a lot of folks have gone to just creating there a little, but then I don't quite understand how there,
going to differentiate themselves and get their name out there wifey that's exactly right so 15 years ago the easiest way to start with on eBay.
So every small company in the world start on eBay and then they sorta grew or didn't grow a coordinate the eBay's growth are Amazon's girls and now the Shopify and the other.
Consolidated sites we can do a lot of different things on one place now everything is Shifting to calm and that's a that's a big change I don't know.
I can't I can't judges level success over anything else yet I being too soon but it's definitely a big change in the marketplace in the last 2 or 3 years.

Jason: 
[29:42] Yeah it's it is fascinating I mean,
play I would argue the eat of your really successful Amazon Seller that like or or any plat Marketplace seller like that that shouldn't be your only platform that you should you should have a presence on a platform you own into the.
The extent that you do earn your own traffic and aren't you know and earn your own customers.
Like you don't want to be actively driving them to the marketplace you you do want to be driving them to that that platform you own so I totally get why.
The the shopify's of the world would be successful alongside the the big marketplaces but is you guys are both aware like.
You know painfully difficult and expensive to grow a meaningful audience on that on that digital property that you own versus.
Nina taking advantage of the the incredible traffic that that Amazon in particular has belt.

Scot & Guests: 
[30:40] Is there a true and you know I've always go to Amazon and eBay Caesars.
As a market expenses an advertising expense and you're paying those fees they bring you the customers.
And so you know on your own. It's you're on your own until you bring customers to you it's a much different situation and much more difficult situation but if you can if you can achieve it I think you have a lot better chance of surviving long-term.

Jason: 
[31:05] Yeah for sure we will use the I used to have this kind of derogatory term for people that.
Brands that tried to use Facebook as their only digital platform in Fitchburg Facebook's a wonderful tool.
But I used to call them digital sharecroppers because they're you know you're you're planting your crop shirt you're putting all your equity in this land that you don't own and you know in the early days.
Facebook change the terms and conditions of how you could use that land.
Very frequently in that you know was a huge disruption to to all those Brands and you know it does feel like.
The marketplaces today are are very similar to that like there's huge opportunities there but you are a digital sharecropper like you know if the day that Marketplace decides that they've hit some critical mass and don't need you anymore.
You know that your your your business is definitely in Jeopardy so it's.
Scary to have all those eggs in that in that one basket is good to own some land of your own.

Scot & Guests: 
[32:04] Yep and that's been a major change the last couple years as well so so back in the day.
EBay wooden Scott can attest to this I think even said one time that it seems like people just kind of flavors over there sometimes wear any 6 months. They can make it a complete change the marketplace that really disrupted louder seller base.
Can I get used to that and then or later something else will come along and just kept going like that what you could never really establish eBay presents Amazon.
Another hand they watch the products the truck didn't change at all the solid for a long long time.
Until the last time say couple years and now Amazon surround to the point with her information.
A new Rose new changes that you know can hurt some sellers I can help other sellers but but it's almost like Amazon let you grow your business bigger before they decided I didn't need you and I don't know witches.
What the worst scenario is there you know you can get shaken off by eBay or you can get kind of gets trampled on by Amazon at some point.
Either either have those risks which again why I'm sure every consultant tells people to sell in multiple marketplaces and make sure the doc is a priority.

Jason: 
[33:13] Yep.
So keeping the fan show light let's turn to a much more important topic I heard a rumor that you rival Scott as a Star Wars fan.

Scot & Guests: 
[33:29] Boy that depends on what metric you're talking about but I'm a huge Star Wars fan absolutely.
I have a big question what's your favorite movie.
Thesaurus really starting to warm to that one.
Tricky question is what's the best one of the three new ones that's the tough one.
Yes another one another tricky 1ru if you could only watch one more movie this year,
would you do Blade Runner or pussy we've got is there another Marvel and coming up and then then you have Last Jedi.
Is it Last Jedi Bar None or would you consider some the others.
Man that's a tough one I mean it's definitely Last Jedi but I am really looking forward to Blade Runner.
I think Ridley Scott if you got the right guy I've got the right directors you got the right characters again.
I'm really really hopeful that they could do something spectacular with that.

Jason: 
[34:48] So the question I always like to ask and this may be the the wrong audience for this but so I have A2 year old son what order should I be showing him the movies.

Scot & Guests: 
[35:00] Machete Star Wars movies I would say 4 5 6 7 8.

Jason: 
[35:08] Okay I get 456 first a lot but that that's.
The skip the prequels is a good one there is like there's some fan edits of the prequels that are much better like I wonder could we replace the could we make one of those the official Canon instead of the the George Lucas versions.

Scot & Guests: 
[35:28] What you can probably edit those three movies together to make one pretty good movie I mean that's definitely cool things happened but how to pick one that's hard to even recommend them.

Jason: 
[35:40] I think none of the fan edits that I've seen that are you know some of these have had millions of hits on on YouTube none of them have Jar Jar Binks in the middle.

Scot & Guests: 
[35:48] But that's alright uh I think the woman Darth Maul I'm sure you guys have seen that at your fan is amazing really good really good fanfiction there.

Jason: 
[36:00] And I apologize for digressing but like perhaps my the funniest Star Wars thing I ever saw on television as you guys remember when Stephen Colbert did the.
The contest for the the lightsaber green screen fight.

Scot & Guests: 
[36:17] Yeah that's good I did I was good.

Jason: 
[36:22] So super super quickly for listeners they may not be as big a Geeks as as Scott and Kevin the.
Tons of people on the internet where do I.
Making your own videos of lightsaber fights and so Stephen Colbert decided hey he would do this funny contest he would pretend to be fighting with a lightsaber in front of a green screen and make the video available this fans.
And he would have a contest with prizes for the free the three fans that made the best scene using his.
His greensaver is green screen lightsaber fight and so they they show the the two finalists on on this Colbert show and the first one is this you know woman Lisa from.
From the you know I like Minneapolis or whatever and she's she's got this great video that she made featuring Stephen Colbert fighting the video and then.
The the other finalist is George from.
Marin County California and as as they're talking like it becomes obvious that it's George Lucas.

Scot & Guests: 
[37:31] Yes it was hysterical.

Jason: 
[37:32] And he's he's like in his own thing and they've like you know they've like.
Cut new scenes for the movie this thing but the best question was you know Stephen is asking them both like do you own all the movies and George George's like I own all of them except the first one there's some dispute about the first.

[37:53] Which I thought was a funny line.

Scot & Guests: 
[37:55] Yeah that that in like that the SNL auditions for Star Wars 7 was great too that's so cool. Star Wars is the entire ecosystem around it is also awesome.

Jason: 
[38:08] Would you say that something that Star Wars has in common with a Jason and Scott show that it's a sort of that kind of cultural phenomenon.

Scot & Guests: 
[38:15] Yeah I think you guys just need to add a conference right you need to have a Jason Scott convention and.
Bring a bunch of your gas there and everything else in a certain place and I don't know is there I know Scott's wearing a red jumpsuit right now probably I don't know what you're wearing Jason but you know some sort of attire for the show we could all wear it would be cool.
Yeah we get wicked mix in a Star Wars convention at the same time how awesome would that be.

Jason: 
[38:39] I'm thinking it's going to be at your that that at Scott's new residents which is that that the new hotel.

Scot & Guests: 
[38:46] Absolutely I can't wait for that.

Jason: 
[38:51] So I do before we get out I just want to wrap up like we had a good conversation about where the future of marketplaces are going I'd be curious if you had a maybe.
SAE more General POV about you know how what what retail looks like in the future like does this digital.
Disruption like you don't continue to play out how it's playing out now to see any big changes coming that the other listeners be thinking about.

Scot & Guests: 
[39:20] Personally I think that we're honestly really only beginning to see the beginnings of the acceleration.
Honestly I don't know that's not good news for people but I think these large companies that are getting much larger much faster are described in.
On a scale that that we've never seen before and will probably accelerate so I worry about things for example like even Brands themselves you know I worry.
I worry that when you get when when is going to come in like Amazon starts doing a ton of private-label stuff I just a time and way more than we even even know about.
And then answer to something with that like a voice product like Alexa.
The combinations to it is really deadly and when you fit when he think about how deadly it is it's a little scary you know if you ask Alexa to buy something Alexis probably not suggest you it's on Amazon brand suggestions.
And when you can when you take those you know brand spend billions of dollars on.
On marketing and their packaging and they're looking their feel and when you remove all of that I'm invoice removes all of that so.
I get this weird thing that Amazon is attempting to.
Accelerates the death of Brands but but taking a lot of that margin that Brands used to enjoy and sort of shipping over to itself.
So I definitely that Trend coming and maybe accelerating Scott yeah it's it's their stuff only you know when you ask.
Her can't say it cuz she's right here.

[40:52] For Alexa when you ask her for her batteries you know that's going to be an Amazon basic battery I think there's definitely rust there I think,
brands are not really putting all that together I don't think you know Jason's earlier point they take Amazon seriously it off and then I don't think they get the voice thing and how it really,
is a different way to shop where all the packaging and all that looking field doesn't really matter.

[41:24] The decisions you have to make tonight bet exciting if you want to space not have toothpaste.
I think Amazon is realize that and I think they're going to do their best to sell you Amazon toothpaste instead of your own and by the way they'll give it to an in an hour right so.
Amazon has been spending all this time building this gigantic ecosystem in the background and I think you're just now beginning to see if that's it.
Yeah yeah and then you know the Counterpoint,
to that which I feel is ironic but I'll I'll do this is that you know when we first started Channel advisor it when was kind of like you had to be able to answer the Google question you know,
how is Google now you have to answer the Amazon question so these things tend to go and 10:15 year cycle so,
we'll see you know I think they'll be there's some company we probably don't know the name of yet you have some some dudes in the garage somewhere and there will be another competitor to Amazon that,
the tides so it probably won't be as game over it feels like when you're in the in the heart of it but it is a little scary.

[42:30] Yeah I mean if you think about brand searches right so they used to be all Google now it's it's got to be pretty split between Google Amazon and eBay.
And in Facebook I should say Facebook in particular so even that even the even way to find products is draft dramatically changing.

[42:49] Absolutely well we really appreciate you sharing your thoughts Kevin and and of course being such a long-term listener we really appreciate it and you give us a lot of great feedback,
we will try to integrate your feedback here tonight and do more kind of live questions and those kinds of things and we hope you listen to the next hundred episodes.
I love the show I love it and thanks for let me find next we be on.

Jason: 
[43:14] Thanks so much for being on.

Scot & Guests: 
[43:16] Discontinuing with episode 100 listener preciation we are excited to welcome on to the show Ted for felski Ted is on Twitter as Ted,
TD underscored gives gives and he's always one of the first people to start a conversation after we put a show out there so not only is he an avid listener but he's also very,
timely on on his downloads mustn'ts,
Ted lives in Austin Texas and is part of the e-commerce startup Community there he is the father of 3 boys and co-founder of simplytapp welcome to the show 10.
Hey guys will thanks for having me I always enjoy your show so I'm glad to be here on your podcast as well.

Jason: 
[43:58] We are thrilled to have you Ted Scott mentioned that you're currently the co-founder simply tap and we're going to get to that in just a minute,
do you know when we have guests on the show we always like to get a little bit of the color about their career matriculation and how they got where they are so can you.
Can you give us the Reader's Digest of a of how you got here.

Scot & Guests: 
[44:20] Yeah definitely so my career kind of started.
You're out of college with a degree in finance going straight into International Business Development for the World Trade Center so I did that for about a year-and-a-half and then found my way.
Down to Texas on a Consulting gig which.
Ultimately led me to my actual degree in finance over the boutique firm here in Austin Texas called Arthur Financial Services.
Doing technology evaluation for the energy and oil and gas Industries.
And so I always knew I wanted to start my own company and you know.
God willing and gave me a opportunity when my co-founder of simplytapp move down here from Knoxville in about 6 years ago and so we.
Yeah we kind of met.
Online it away before tender was big or before meet up with big I just threw some some blogs and we hit it off and he had a great idea I had a great idea we mashed them together and started a company in off at once.
Cool what would really appreciate you listening to the show when when did you hear about the show and when did when did we kind of pick you up as a listener.
Well I've been I think I've listened to every episode for the last say.
Maybe April 2016 so coming up on a year and a half or so and.

[45:50] What I was looking for when I found your your show was some smart guys with some opinions around the.
E-commerce and commerce space so when I found yours not only did I find it interesting but I also enjoyed listening to.
Take the given take you both hat and so obviously you guys spend a lot of time covering the world of Amazon because it's such a big part of the current ecosystem right now.
At least how it affects everyone both from an employment standpoint to an idea standpoint to it infrastructure standpoint and so.
I thought that was something that I had necessarily heard the level of detail and so that's really gravitated me towards Georgia podcasting.
You would come out with with good episodes one after another and so I can listen to them.
At normal speed where is most of them they you know you stood him up a little bit you get to about 1.7 maybe 2 x.
And you get some faster but I've set through a regular speed with you guys since the beginning so and then obviously I started following guys on Twitter.
And your website reached out to try to.
Find out as much about you guys as possible to make sure the stuff I'm hearing your podcast is legitimate and I think it is,
devious plan is working with pulled you into the the evil web that we have one.

[47:32] And it your your diction to.
Starbucks though Jason is a little bit over-the-top I hear that mentioned every so often and I just wonder how much Starbucks this guy drink if he takes it with him on trips and mouth isn't it everywhere already sell.

Jason: 
[47:46] Yeah it's it's a little bit of a problem I actually had a moment this morning I huge line at the Starbucks so I thought I'd be really Advanced user and do Mobile Pay to skip the line.
So I do Mobile Pay and I'm sitting there waiting and I never comes and never comes and then I go to the phone and realize I sent the mobile pain to a different store.

Scot & Guests: 
[48:05] Oh yeah I actually saw your Tweet there but they were nice enough I thought that was a real.

Jason: 
[48:09] Oh my God they were rock stars they when they realize what I did they made my drink for me anyway didn't charge me in save my day.

Scot & Guests: 
[48:17] Bullets I think the price they probably was in your show so they're like.
India favorite guess that we've had on the show that that's kind of come to mine favorite guests.
You know you guys have had so many good ones over the years while since I posted over the year and a half.
Not really you know everyone seems to be pretty good and I'm not a big names guy so.
I really don't remember anyone that jumps jumps out that's like why I'm glad you guys had that on there because I was to a couple of them and I always match him up so.
So no sorry.

Jason: 
[49:00] Know where they're all so good that you can't pick up it's like picking when your favorite.

Scot & Guests: 
[49:04] It's a Neverfull a while honey I can pick that but I'm kidding.
You know what one of the episodes I really enjoyed was when you guys decided to put a token name on the new checkout process or shopping experience from Amazon.
Seems like every time that they come out with a new way to deliver a product or service.
You know you guys come up with another acronym for it that is really hard to explain or or remember or say it but you guys use it as if it's a thing so.

Jason: 
[49:36] #j

Scot & Guests: 
[49:37] Appreciate that yes that's the one.
Yeah... Was I think here in Texas I think of JJ Watt which is the football.
Little bit bigger deal than Jay water itself or maybe someday lumpy you know he'll retire Hill go into the announcer booth and JWoww still be around.

Jason: 
[50:00] I feel like it's always going to be safer to say to Jeff Bezos the Jay Watts not a big deal than it's ever going to be to say to JJ Watt that he's not a big deal.

Scot & Guests: 
[50:08] Well you know I mean there for people who follow just Beason Amazon me he has been bulking up there has been a lot of memes lately with him you know looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger so I mean.

Jason: 
[50:20] Know know know he looks totally fit but he still looks like maybe JJ's right arm.

Scot & Guests: 
[50:24] Yeah fair enough fair enough so it's working obviously as you guys cover Amazon.
An undercut of all the to do and how they affect the rest of the industry is obviously here in Austin Texas Whole Foods has been a staple of one of the corporation's at kind of the Hallmark for what it means to be Austin right it's this.
Upstart started neon 25 30 years ago from hey I just want to produce and Supply Wholesome foods that are well.
You can't find in general Grocers and so obviously with the news of them acquiring them I was really excited because my office is about a block-and-a-half from their headquarters and I go there quite frequently for lunch so I know the prices of everything another people.
Know when the announcement was made that Amazon was essentially going to a choir Whole Foods.
I walked in there and the place was some pins and needles but to be fair you know the day that the acquisition actually went through.
And I'm sailing back I was expecting maybe a sign or you know everything to be saying free on it because it's.
Our delivery for something you know I didn't see any of that but the people.
We're in good spirits and so I thought that was at least initially a good sign.
The communication between Amazon and Whole Foods is going to be.

[51:58] Good enough or you know smooth enough to wear.
What makes Whole Foods Whole Foods and experience hopefully won't get washed away by technology day one it's going to maybe gradually going to go in that direction so nice.
Turn off people are scared at least here in Austin for the for that acquisition Bill actually go through.

Jason: 
[52:24] No I think that is true and I only have to say.
The day one experience was remarkable I think we've all been super impressed with how much they got done in terms of integration on that on you. That that first day of the.
Under Amazon control this Monday.

Scot & Guests: 
[52:44] I don't know what you guys experience but headquarters never moves you know they put a new payment systems they put in terminal they put in new ideas that app never works like,
this'll last post ever touch so it's weird because it is headquarters it should be you know of a flagship you think they would get that one right,
straight away but there was nothing integrated in nothing to headquarters was just nothing at all,
so except for some commentary about why why the employees couldn't use Alexa for something so.

Jason: 
[53:19] That's funny it that's a common thing so that the headquarters Store the store that's closest to the headquarters for almost all retailers like.
Always has this unique character and like one of the things is it's almost always run by a totally cynical manager who's not impressed by anything right because.
Can you think about it every vendor that ever called on Whole Foods has gone to that store and they explore that store and they probably like stopped and talked to the manager about how important they were to Whole Foods and all that sort of stuff.
And you know of course all the Senior Management from the company shop there and all those things in like if you were going to be Star Struck by by the executives coming into your store.
You wouldn't do very well in that that.
Headquarter store so that the surviving manager there 10 tends to usually be a guy that walks to the beat of his own drummer.

Scot & Guests: 
[54:12] Yeah I think that's definitely true you know I've met quite a few of their their Executives being so close and you calling on them from time to time whether it be something that I would working on that I want to show them we're just in general curiosity they,
they've all been pretty open even though they do get solicited constantly but even pretty open I've been able to.
Have some pretty good conversations and coffee and what not have lunch with them so I haven't in a while obviously they've had other things on their mind.
But they've been really great Bunch for as large as I've become so I'm excited to see what happens to them not to make this an episode about.
About Amazon and Whole Foods but.
I think it's going to be exciting and I think there's going to be some Growing Pains But ultimately it's going to really Drive.
The industry as a whole towards better things from a consumer perspective.

Jason: 
[55:11] No I totally agree I do want to change topics to we mention you're the co-founder of Simply tap and tell us a little bit more about that.

Scot & Guests: 
[55:21] Absolutely so simply tap is a cloud-based payments company the idea was born from.
My desire to want to do something in a meaningful industry.
I'm being in finance specifically in the energy world I thought it was just phenomenal how you can take this material and it just runs everything right and I still looking at the world around me I said you know what there's there's something very similar to,
two oil and gas and that is currency that's a meal money basically its Financial systems and so.
With a degree in finance I said well that's pretty perfect than I do about three years of research and finally went Doug came down.
On to Austin he had been working on us a specific.
Not to get too confident but a specific architecture software architecture for doing cryptographic based payments.
And today that that system is the one we've created and it's used on over 500 million devices worldwide mainly Android it's called host card emulation or agency in so when we came together.
I saw that and I said this is this is what you've made hear your idea here is in phenomenal so I you know put my business development had onto my marketing hat.
You know we started the company and since then you know we've had a large Bank clients and small Bank clients around the world.

[56:53] But ultimately you know over the last year we've said well there's a whole lot of Green Space here in the United States and so we are going to create a new.
A new mobile payment in a new shopping experience called game g a n e and so that's really what we as a company have been working on this past year and so we're looking forward to to launching yet.
Star over the next month or so and see where it goes.
Know it's it's been fun ride we were venture-backed we have great gravy C's and fries and Ventures and Lightspeed Ventures and blue sky from Canada.
It's been fun and it's exciting and I know Scott you have gone down this path in your previous life and honestly now with spiffy and you've been around the block.
But it's this is my first time accepting someone else's money and then requiring to return that back to them.
100 fold if you will so it's something that I'm very.
Thankful of had the chance to experience and grow team build a product in Market that Prada.
It's all been is open very exciting and it's all been very kind of.
Nice to do it here in a place like Austin or there so many resources to to learn and to grow and to kind of pull from.
That's awesome congrats on the funding the we just had I don't know if you heard it or not but we had Shane from Zola on and I believe Lightspeed was an investor in those guys they're they're very active in the e-commerce space as I'm sure you know.

[58:32] We were a core Payments Technology and and the patents we have around it RR.
Are very very strong however has a small company it becomes.
Delicate to put the least and how you how you handle yourself.
So unlike many of the things a light speed run Commerce invests in which is more on on platforms that are to enable Commerce or speed up Commerce or grow Commerce from.
Cat facilitating position this one was was more of a linchpin to make Mobile payment actually happen.
I'm so it's a very technical technology that we use now Visa NASCAR DMX and everyone around the world leverages.
But yeah Lightspeed is a is a wonderful Venture Capital firm how to see the not Basin Austin we are fortunate for them to seek us out at the time.
That doesn't usually happen but we were in a space that they really liked I want individual there and.
Notice women introduce themselves if we want to give you a bunch of money we said I don't know if we can trust you you know and the dance began you know over 6 months and then finally they convince us that they work or not,
we're going to steal everything from us and you Story Goes On so.

Jason: 
[1:00:09] That that's a great story and just just to make sure I have it right so simply tap.
Which is almost a B2B play that would have license technology to other folks that would use it for for mobile cloud-based payments and then game which is Gano is a.
Consumer-facing app that you guys have lunch that fits art of the echo system that leverages that technology do I do I have that right.

Scot & Guests: 
[1:00:35] Yeah you got that right so it's it's Gane . But that's that's fine I mean you got softener so it's just me going to be listening as my own.

Jason: 
[1:00:49] Now Jeff Bezos isn't going to find your app.

Scot & Guests: 
[1:00:51] All good I don't need him find anything that you can worry.

Jason: 
[1:00:55] And when you guys say host card emulation.
I'm taking a wild guess but so you're using NFC chip in the Android to sort of spoof the NFC antenna that would be in a nfc-enabled piece of plastic is that.

[1:01:12] Kind of true or no am I totally wrong.

Scot & Guests: 
[1:01:15] Know your you're quite right with a couple technical differences so an NFC radio is simply just a radio it can it can pass just been any protocol NFC.
Is a particular protocol that everyone leverages.
Or I should say what people know as of NFC and so what we essentially do is we take that cryptographic element which is typically considered a secure element.
And we host that in a remote server so at the time you want to make a payment what we've done is we've we've incremented the cryptographic element a number of times.
And then sent those essentially loaded transactions ready to be used down to the device for storage,
a time of payment over NFC or really any means we deliver that,
that cryptographic element that send merged with the transaction itself so it can then be validated on the back and buy a large processor.
Stop a process that would process that particular issued product so it works with just about any.
Every it's a universal standard now.
But yeah it's it's on Android devices it was on Windows devices and blackberry but obviously those aren't around anymore so it's now Android.

Jason: 
[1:02:44] So one burning question so obviously the newer Apple devices have an NFC radio in them but likes.
Heretofore they haven't opened up that radio 2.
What are useful things we'd like to do it almost sounds like they're starting to an I thought I had read that they were going to start opening that up in some some Limited Format are you up to speed on that at all is there any any hope in the future of.
I'm getting NFC functionality out of the the Apple.

Scot & Guests: 
[1:03:13] Well I'd like to preface this common by no one knows what Apple do until Apple does it but we do know Apple quite well.
And what I would I'd like to say is it was great to see them it help the entire ecosystem when they chose to adopt.
NFC technology as for payment.
There's great advantages to opening it up and leveraging a architecture that we've you know.
What created the industry called height post-credit Malaysian it would offer all the things that you might like to do with that particular type of radio or frequency.
Making the experience that you have with the device in the world around you much more interactive and much more powerful potentially now they have recently opened up what they would say the readability for their NFC chip.
Which allows you to Simply hit a tag and RFID tag.
And then if there's a URL based there it will then pull the oral up just like you were to go to a website or provide you with information.
Based off the products so one of the examples of this is RFID lock tags on very expensive bottles of wine typically this is seen in China or areas where.
You can simply refill a bottle with bad wine charge the good one prices and so what this.
Opening up in the way of Apple allows them to do is now you can just a simply walk up to the the bottle of wine in the store.

[1:04:52] Wherever they'll go is to stop hearing about a product and it will then either provide you information about that particular part.
Or it can potentially allow your mobile device to download a coupon or a code.
Or take you to a website where you can learn more about that particular product where it came from maybe it could be pulled directly into a health app where,
hey if scans it says no this is no good for you because it has XYZ and we know you're allergic to XYZ so it's a great step forward.
It's going to be used pacifically for marketing and it's not necessarily.
Fully opening their NFC stack as as people in the industry.
Cool all this fancy payments talk is over my head but,
makes me ask how you feel about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency cuz I'm assume you have a lot of time thinking about that when we were giving to last session say.
Bitcoin was all the rage on in Silicon Valley and you couldn't get through one meeting without them asking what your Bitcoin play.
And I'd scratch my head and say look you know if the government doesn't take it as this is my general stance if the government doesn't take.
You can't pay your taxes with it and the government can't regulate it then it will never exist here in the United States as a main form currency not to mention that.

[1:06:22] There are very large incumbents like visa and MasterCard on the banking system as a whole that will not allow a cryptocurrency as a de-facto currency to exist because they already have the compute power they already have the infrastructure.
So for Bitcoin as a currency to become mainstream and many of my friends with hate me for this because their Bitcoin.
I'll put that way it just won't be supporting the ecosystem and the incumbents can simply squash it through regulation what screw do just.
Bearing it throughout marketing dollars so.
You have the currency know what chain is more interesting there's other Alternatives but you look at and you have to compare the Computing cost of walk chain with the existing cost of computing a cryptographic keys.
It's kind of you know it's not Cheaper by any means the decentralized.
Essential system is not cheaper here just spreading off the cost across the notes.
And if those nodes one day decide that it's too expensive for them will guess what your your network of nodes gets you no crappier.
Because now you're losing computer power so I know it's going to be a big fight it's better suited for countries with currencies that are have wild.
Deflation or inflation.

[1:07:53] So I won't most likely won't hear work here in the United States for ever until these except sit as their defacto.

Jason: 
[1:08:02] It's interesting in general with wood agreed with you and share your skepticism but the one thing I didn't see coming that seems like it's help