eCommerce MasterPlan

Steve Willicott is the founder at Uncle Matt's Hats, selling baseball caps and supporting men’s mental health. Founded in 2024, they sell via their Shopify store, and are about to launch their second range. 
 
In this episode, Steve explains how Uncle Matt's Hats has built every part of the business around its mission — from product design to packaging to customer acquisition. It’s a smart look at how purpose-led brands can create stronger differentiation, generate organic content, and grow without relying on big ad budgets. 
 
Hit PLAY to hear: 
🎯 How Steve Willicott built Uncle Matt's Hats around purpose — and why that makes customer acquisition easier 
📦 The clever packaging idea that turns every order into organic UGC 
💸 How a startup with a tiny ad budget gets more from every customer touchpoint 
🧠 Why the inside of the product matters more than most brands realize 
🚀 The simple customer insight that led to launching beanies and T-shirts next 
🔥 How storytelling can help your brand stand out in a crowded, competitive category 
 
Key timestamps to dive straight in: 
[06:38] Focusing on mission over product 
[09:27] Designing meaningful, ethical hats 
[11:34] Expanding beyond baseball caps 
[15:13] Organic UGC and giftable packaging 
[20:01] Sharing mental health stories and support 
[22:42] Reducing customer acquisition costs 
[23:54] Listen to Steve’s Top Tips! 
 
Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/596

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Get all the links and resources we mention and join our email list at https://ecmp.info

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Hayley Jones is the Artist and Founder at Moon Phase Studios. The studio exists to empower its customers to become more attuned to the moon through art, books, and rituals. It was founded in November 2020 when they went from zero to £200k in 8 just weeks! Now they sell via their Shopify store & Etsy store doing over £1million a year. 
 
In this episode, Hayley shares how the business has evolved from a fast-growing startup into a mature, highly seasonal brand with a loyal customer base. She breaks down the strategies behind their success today—from email-first marketing and pre-orders to finding a breakout product and building a business that thrives despite its “peaky” nature. 
 
Hit PLAY to hear: 
How Moon Phase Studios grew from £0 to £1M+ (and what they’d do differently) 🚀 
Why email marketing now beats Facebook ads for their revenue 📧 
The 13 Moon Journal that changed everything (and why it sells so well) 🌙 
How pre-orders bring in cash months early (and reduce peak stress) 💸 
The truth about running a “peaky” seasonal business—and making it work 📈 
Why they brought fulfilment back in-house (and boosted profits) 📦 
 
Key timestamps to dive straight in: 
[05:14] Launching the 13 Moon Journal 
[09:36] Pre-order strategy and benefits 
[11:52] Building the Initial Team 
[14:59] Challenges with US fulfillment centers 
[18:31] Exciting 2026 customer-driven projects 
[22:34] Listen to Hayley’s Top Tips! 
 
Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/595

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Download our ebook... https://ecmp.info/ebook 500 Tips to Increase Your Profits

Get all the links and resources we mention and join our email list at https://ecmp.info

Love the show? Chloe would love your feedback - leave a review here: https://ecmp.info/review or reply to the episode QandA on Spotify.

Interested in being a Sponsor? go here: https://ecmp.info/sponsor

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Roel Schatorjé is the Founder of MOYU, sellers of erasable stone paper notebooks, designed to reduce single-use paper and reforest the planet. Founded in 2019 they now sell via wholesale, and their Shopify store, in total sales are €1.5million a year. 
 
In this returning guest episode, Roel shares how the business has evolved over the last three years – shifting from DTC to B2B, streamlining the team, and expanding internationally in a far more sustainable way. It’s an honest look at what it really takes to scale an eCommerce brand without burning cash or adding complexity. 
 
Hit PLAY to hear: 
How Moyu turned everyday customers into high-value B2B clients 💼  
The exact shift that helped them scale to €1.5M revenue 🚀  
Why cutting their team from 10 to 4 actually made them MORE efficient ⚙️  
The smart (and cheaper) way they’re expanding internationally 🌍  
How sampling and real-world experiences are driving sales 🤝  
The simple process fixes saving them hours of wasted time every week ⏳ 
 
Key timestamps to dive straight in: 
[04:42] Balancing current projects and development 
[07:30] Streamlining quoting and retail growth 
[11:53] Promoting the notebook via sampling 
[13:35] Corrugated stone paper packaging 
[17:31] Challenges of international expansion 
[21:24] Flexible work arrangements for agents 
[23:28] Listen to Roel’s Top Tips! 
 
Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/594

---
Download our ebook... https://ecmp.info/ebook 500 Tips to Increase Your Profits

Get all the links and resources we mention and join our email list at https://ecmp.info

Love the show? Chloe would love your feedback - leave a review here: https://ecmp.info/review or reply to the episode QandA on Spotify.

Interested in being a Sponsor? go here: https://ecmp.info/sponsor

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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In this special episode of the eCommerce MasterPlan Podcast, Chloe Thomas shares a panel discussion from a recent webinar focused on one big question: How can eCommerce brands grow both sales and profits in 2026? 
 
Chloe is joined by three expert voices from very different areas of eCommerce – promotions, CRO and experimentation, and growth strategy – to explore what’s really driving performance right now. 
 
From intelligent offers and smarter discounting to experimentation, retention, and measuring what truly matters, this is a practical, insight-packed conversation designed to help you grow more efficiently in 2026. 
 
Hit PLAY to hear: 
Why most brands are losing money with discounts (and how to fix it) 💸  
The simple shift that separates demand creation vs demand capture 🎯  
How to stop pouring budget into a “leaky bucket” of customers 🪣  
The truth about conversion rate – dead metric or still king? 📊  
How to grow sales AND profit at the same time (yes, really) 📈  
The #1 mindset top brands use to consistently improve performance 🧠  
 
Key timestamps to dive straight in: 
[07:55] Intelligent Offers 
[19:15] The advice I've been giving most often to brands to help them improve their profits is... 
[27:00] How to measure success? KPIS, Metrics, Benchmarks and more 
[35:00] CRO improvements are the only way to improve ALL your marketing performance 
[44:26] You CAN grow profits and sales at the same time 
[52:30] Final takeaways 
 
Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/593

---
Download our ebook... https://ecmp.info/ebook 500 Tips to Increase Your Profits

Get all the links and resources we mention and join our email list at https://ecmp.info

Love the show? Chloe would love your feedback - leave a review here: https://ecmp.info/review or reply to the episode QandA on Spotify.

Interested in being a Sponsor? go here: https://ecmp.info/sponsor

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Faye Whitley is the co-founder and managing director of Beevive creators of The Original Bee Revival Kit, and recent Dragon’s Den stars. Founded in 2018 they’ve sold over £2million of product via their Shopify store and over 350 wholesale customers selling their products in the UK. 
 
In this episode, Faye shares how a simple idea turned into a fast-growing, purpose-led eCommerce brand. We explore how Beevive scaled through community, crowdfunding, and smart channel strategy – while staying true to its mission of helping bees and educating customers. 
 
Hit PLAY to hear: 
🐝 How a single moment saving a bee turned into a £2M eCommerce brand 
🚀 The exact steps Beevive used to grow from idea to multi-channel success 
💡 Why community-led marketing (not ads) drove real traction 
🎯 The smart way they use Kickstarter to fund and launch new products 
🛍️ How wholesale + DTC unlocked faster, more stable growth 
🌱 The simple brand mission that made customers care—and keep buying 
 
Key timestamps to dive straight in: 
[03:53] Saving a struggling bumblebee 
[06:41] Creating eco-friendly bee solutions 
[11:40] Viral video boosted early growth 
[14:02] Giving back through education 
[16:55] Launching through Kickstarter 
[22:45] Preparing for a product launch 
[25:11] Listen to Faye’s Top Tips! 
 
Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/592

---
Download our ebook... https://ecmp.info/ebook 500 Tips to Increase Your Profits

Get all the links and resources we mention and join our email list at https://ecmp.info

Love the show? Chloe would love your feedback - leave a review here: https://ecmp.info/review or reply to the episode QandA on Spotify.

Interested in being a Sponsor? go here: https://ecmp.info/sponsor

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy