eCommerce MasterPlan

Amy Knight is the Founder at Must Have Ideas, a UK based eCommerce brands that sells problem solving household products. Must Have Ideas is a bootstrapped business, started with just £3,000 in 2018 that are now on track for £80million in 2026 via their custom in-house website. 
 
In this episode, Amy shares how obsessive cash-flow control, customer-first thinking, and owning their tech stack helped Must Have Ideas scale at speed without outside funding. It’s a candid, practical conversation packed with lessons for eCommerce founders looking to grow sustainably, stay in control, and stand out in a crowded market. 
 
Hit PLAY to hear: 
🚀 How Must Have Ideas scaled from £3k to £80m without outside funding 
💸 The cash-flow discipline that made bootstrapping possible at scale 
🧠 Why building an in-house tech stack unlocked faster growth and better decisions 
❤️ How customer experience became a key acquisition and retention lever 
📦 The real reason they keep fulfilment, marketing, and CX in house 
🌍 What finally made Amy decide it was time to expand beyond the UK 
 
Key timestamps to dive straight in: 
[05:53] Building Trust Drives Customer Loyalty 
[08:19] "Customized Software for eCommerce" 
[12:40] Bootstrapping Success: Key Lessons 
[13:30] "Focused Cash Flow Management" 
[17:33] "Struggles with Space and Facilities" 
[20:10] Listen to Amy’s Top Tips! 
 
Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/583

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Gareth Cummings is the CEO at eDesk, the AI powered customer support helpdesk for eCommerce. Used by eCommerce stores around the world, their client CarParts.com has just been named in USA Today’s list of America’s Best Customer Service 2026. 
In this episode, Gareth explains how eCommerce brands can use customer service, AI, and automation to increase conversion rates, improve retention, and turn support teams into profit-driving growth engines. 
Hit PLAY to hear: 
How faster replies can lift conversion rates by 50–60% ⚡ 
Why 30–40% of customer service queries happen before checkout 🛒 
The real reason 9–5 support is killing your evening and weekend sales 🌙 
How AI can handle half your support tickets without hurting CX 🤖 
Where customer service hides revenue leaks, return drivers, and product issues 🔍 
How top eCommerce brands turn support teams into profit creators, not cost centers 💰 
 
Key timestamps to dive straight in: 
[03:25] "From Customer Service to CTO" 
[07:08] Pre-Sales Engagement Trends Expand 
[12:31] "AI, Automation, and Customer Focus" 
[13:11] Customer Loyalty Flywheel Impact 
[16:28] "Prioritizing Customer Experience Transformation" 
[20:41] "Automating and Enhancing Customer Support" 
[22:40] "Customer Service Empathy Practice" 
[24:19] Listen to Gareth’s Top Tips! 
[29:33] Episode sponsored by eDesk. To learn more, visit eDesk.com 
 
Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/582 
 
Episode sponsored by eDesk. To learn more, visit eDesk.com 

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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.

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Melissa Moore is “The Retail Advisor”, and the host of The Retail Tea Break Podcast. She’s an expert in all things retail with over 25 years working with national brands, and she’s been a Rethink Retail Top Retail Expert for the last 3 years AND Named in Retail Technology Innovation Hub's Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List for 2025. 
 
In this What Would You Do episode, Melissa shares practical strategies to grow physical store sales in 2026, combining real-world retail experience with fresh insights from NRF in New York. 
 
Hit PLAY to hear: 
Why physical retail needs to become a destination, not just a transaction 🏬✨ 
The “old-school” personalization tactic most retailers are forgetting (and how to bring it back) 🧠💡 
The biggest in-store sales mistake brands make after opening a beautiful store 🚫🛍️ 
How store teams can double as your most powerful content creators 📱🎥 
Simple ways to remove friction that’s silently killing in-store conversions ⏱️❌ 
What NRF 2026 revealed about AI, community, and the future of retail 🔮🤝 
 
Key timestamps to dive straight in: 
[03:16] "Journey Through Retail Careers" 
[07:53] "Humanizing Retail Through Data" 
[12:10] "Stores as Content Studios" 
[15:53] "Redefining Retail Store Roles" 
[18:25] "Community-Centric Retail Trends" 
[19:46] Listen to Melissa’s Top Tips! 
 
Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/581

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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.

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In this special episode of the eCommerce MasterPlan Podcast, Chloe Thomas shares a panel discussion from a live webinar focused on one big question: what’s really going to move the needle for eCommerce brands in 2026? 
Chloe is joined by three expert voices from very different corners of eCommerce – growth, consumer behaviour, and AI – to unpack what’s working, what’s not, and where brands should be focusing their time, energy, and budgets this year. 
From TikTok growth and AI-powered customer experience to brand trust, tech stacks, and surviving economic pressure, this is a practical, wide-ranging conversation designed to help you grow smarter in 2026. 
 
Hit PLAY to hear: 
Why TikTok is still the fastest growth lever for eCommerce (even without TikTok Shop) 📈 
How brands are using AI to unlock 5–10% more revenue — without replacing their team 🤖 
The #1 mistake brands are making by chasing trends (and how it’s killing long-term growth) 🚫 
Where to start with AI if you want real results, not expensive experiments ⚙️ 
How economic pressure is changing how customers buy — and what that means for your strategy 💸 
What to stop doing in 2026 to free up time, budget, and headspace for growth ✂️ 
 
Key timestamps to dive straight in: 
[04:51] "Future Advice for Brands" 
[06:35] "Buying Decisions: Risk and Behavior" 
[11:55] AI: Essential for Business Efficiency 
[17:44] "Action-Driven Brands Drive Growth" 
[27:32] Amazon's Evolution & AI Branding 
[30:09] Essential eCommerce Tools and Strategy 
[39:12] AI for High-Quality SEO Content 
[42:44] "Target Right Customers, Build Trust" 
[46:29] Maximize ROI with AI Tools 
[47:39] "Focus on Customers, Not Chaos" 
 
Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/580

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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.

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Roman Petrochenkov is the Head of Growth & Media Analytics at Carwow, so yes we’re going to be getting DEEP into tracking, attribution and all that juicy stuff. Carwow has grown from a review site, to be a one-stop shop for changing your car – offering customers the ability to a buy a new or used car, or sell their existing vehicle. Founded in 2013 they now operate in the UK, Germany and Spain. In 2024 they grew 50% with nearly £3 billion worth of cars bought on the site, and £1.8 billion of cars listed for sale through the Sell My Car service. 
 
Roman shares how top analytics teams work behind the scenes — and the smarter, faster ways to use data to fuel eCommerce growth. 
 
Hit PLAY to hear: 
🔎 Why perfect attribution is a myth — and what to do instead 
👥 How analytics teams should work inside an eCommerce business 
🧠 The #1 misunderstanding most marketers have about data 
🧩 When small brands should upgrade from GA4 to more advanced analytics 
🔐 What you must know about cookie consent & compliance in 2025 
🤖 Real-world AI tricks Roman uses to speed up analysis & tracking 
 
Key timestamps to dive straight in: 
[05:15] Tech, Marketing, and Finance Expertise 
[09:08] Understanding Data and User Journeys 
[10:09] Adapting to Business Evolution 
[15:39] "Advanced Attribution for Small eCommerce" 
[18:46] eCommerce Attribution and Management 
[20:25] "Attribution Challenges and Incrementality" 
[23:30] Streamlining Landing Page Feedback 
[26:48] Collaborative Challenges in Team Dynamics 
[28:01] Listen to Roman’s Top Tips! 
 
Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/579

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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