AuthorSamuel Hurley
LinkedIn
With so many podcasts and written interviews featuring agency leaders and founders, we wanted to take a different approach and interview our audience directly, offering a behind the scenes look at how retailers are navigating new challenges. Through these conversations, we aim to provide authentic insights into the real world obstacles brands are facing and how they’re tackling them head on.
With that in mind, we’re excited to introduce Organic eCom with our first guest, Jake Newbould, Growth Marketing Director at Sarah Raven, an online garden and living retailer.
Personal & Professional Background
What was your most recent eCom purchase, and what’s the most lavish thing you’ve ever bought via eCom? (If you’ve gone to the store to view the product, it doesn’t count. It is pure eCom purchase only, please)
“My most recent purchase was my Sarah Raven Tulip bulbs - only the best quality! The most lavish was probably my SIMBA mattress, in terms of price at least without ever trying it, the best investment I've made!”
Which brands do you personally love, and which do you admire professionally? What makes them stand out?
“I’m a big fan of TOAST clothing, they’re simple and high-quality garments that should last for a long time (got to think cost per wear!) They have a good slow-living vibe which I admire whilst being functional and looking good!
I also love the Japanese brand, MUJI. It’s no nonsense or frills. P.s their 0.5mm gel pen is god tier.”
How did you first get started in eCommerce, and what drew you to the industry? Looking back, what’s one decision you made early in your career that you’re incredibly proud of?
“I skipped university and got straight hands-on in an apprenticeship at a local marketing agency. I liked the fact I could see my efforts helping something else grow. I put myself forward and applied to the ‘millennial board’ that was set up at Nursery brand Mamas & Papas - it got me direct access to chairman and CEO really early in my career, which really helped fast-track exposure.”
What is your typical workday, and how do you stay organised?
“I try to front-load and batch meetings at the beginning of the week and aim to gradually taper off with focus on ‘doing’ mid to end. It can be a real mix bag of; trading, channel optimisation, longer-term strategy or board meeting preparation… I remain the biggest fan of pen and paper for to-do lists and have recently adopted a ‘waiting for’ list, e.g. waiting for reply to important email, follow up etc, it’s easy to forget when so much is going on!”
Who in the eCommerce world do you look up to or follow for inspiration?
“I really rate Tom Godwin! He shares a thought provoking and sometimes quite contrarian view on ecommerce, AI and advertising.”
If money wasn’t needed, what job would you have?
“Head Gardener somewhere with nice weather.”
Marketing & Strategy
What is your favourite marketing channel to work with, and which do you find the most challenging or frustrating? Why?
“Paid social is my first love. The most challenging is likely SEO as it causes lots of nuance and is ever changing, but probably comes with the biggest reward!”
In your role, what do you find is the hardest part of the job? And what comes easiest?
“The hardest is keeping abreast of emerging opportunities and knowing where to spend your time / money on the next ‘best’ opportunity cost to everything. The easiest is probably following my gut and hardly ever questioning it - feels defensible enough 9 times out of 10.”
How has your approach to eCommerce marketing evolved over the years, and which trends do you think are overhyped versus underrated?
“The most overhyped trend is still AI right now for me as I write this in 2024, it’s not doing anything super creative for me personally. The most underrated trend is probably just having a good foundation i.e. a solid functioning site that is intuitive, quick and joyous to use (got to balance utility with a bit of pizzazz’.”
What’s one eCommerce or marketing myth you believe should be debunked?
“No one or tool/tech has the silver bullet for advertising attribution, too many variables in the chaos that is life to know, it’s directional at best. If you think you’ve figured it out, stop drinking the kool-aid!”
How do you secure buy-in for long-term, organic marketing efforts when the results take time?
“Got to map out hypotheses even if it's a best guess and not take the line of ‘we’ll see what happens’ - that will not instil confidence in getting sign off from the finance team! If you’ve never done it then anchoring on other peoples experiences who have done it/case studies can help make things more defensible when carrying out for the brand you work for!”
How do you approach building customer loyalty in such a competitive landscape?
“Focus on creating a remarkable product experience, spend more time here than you think is necessary.”
Career & Leadership
What’s the best skill you’ve learned that’s contributed the most to your career?
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions, usually everyone else wants to ask the same one - also what's the worst that can happen?”
What advice would you give someone just starting their career in eCommerce marketing?
“Try to be as stoic as possible when you feel the going gets tough, consciously parse out what is out of your control, you are not the only person responsible for growth, it’s an entire machine from product, marketing and operations - it’s a shared responsibility not just 1 person or team.”
Performance Mindset
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in 2024? And what’s the biggest challenge you anticipate next year (2025)?
“It’s challenging growing brands in a stagnant economy! Next year we will be about continued profitable growth, being relentless with anchoring back to P&L and budget.”
How do you maintain resilience in the face of failures or setbacks?
“Doing some reading on stoic principles generally helps with this.”
How do you prioritise projects when everything seems urgent?
“Write it all down, stack-rank between easy and hard and then biggest headroom for growth and try triangulate it that way - play it back to my boss to gain 2nd opinion then go for it.”
What are the best and worst parts of your current role?
“The worst part = being a referee between teams, best part = creativity in advertising is what I love most, thinking about messaging and visuals that will prompt action…”
Future & Trends
What ‘keeps you up at night’ in marketing and or eCommerce?
“Am I focusing on the right things and am I spending our advertising budget in the best way, e.g. channel mix.”
What are the biggest threats or challenges that you foresee?
“Rising ad costs and monopoly big tech has on DTC growth.”
If you could make one prediction about the future of marketing in eCommerce, what would it be?
“I think AI will accelerate hyper personalisation at scale, so things like dynamic pricing and content based on browsing behaviour and other signals will become more and more prevalent.”
How do you stay on top of trends within your space?
“Speaking to others in my industry is usually the best way. Make a conscious effort to reach out to contacts to stimulate discussion on what they are doing!”
Interested in being our next guest? Each month, we feature a new guest from the eCommerce world on our podcast, where they share their insights on the retail industry, discuss their biggest challenges and explain how they’re navigating the ever-changing landscape. Email sam@thisisnovos.com for more information!
