Jan 14, 2021
Customer behavior is changing. We’re not running to the store anymore to pick up milk after work, or popping in the gas station for a candy bar. Our office is at home, and our groceries get delivered. So how do businesses handle the ever-evolving customer behaviors of the pandemic? How do you adapt your eCommerce strategies to not only cope with the times, but thrive?
Welcome to Building While Flying!
This weekly podcast is brought to you by Sasha Group. We’re the consultancy meets agency arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding media and marketing.
In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.
Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They’ll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.
Rachel Tipograph has been kicking a** in the industry since her early 20s.
As CEO and founder of the enterprising and marketing eCommerce platform MikMak, Rachel has watched customer trends like a hawk. In fact, she always has. Rachel started her career thinking she’d become a Hollywood agent, and even had a stint as an intern at SNL. But her entrepreneurial streak and flair for commerce led her a different direction. Long story short, Rachel ended up at GAP, increasing their profits by 70% and knocking a decade off their average customer age. She did all this at 22 years old.
This savvy spirit and keen eye led to the creation of MikMak at a pivotal time for eCommerce. She eventually had to do quite the pivot herself, and revamped her entire business model. The big guy, our very own Gary Vaynerchuk, was one of her investors. His confidence in her and her plan helped make that risky pivot possible, and it paid off big time. MikMak is now one of the fastest growing companies in America.
In this episode, recorded near the end of 2020, Rachel breaks down how the pandemic has completely shifted customer attitudes and behaviors. She tells us what people are buying now that they haven’t bought for decades. And she explains how she accumulates and tracks that data and how you use those same trends to adapt your current business model. She also lays ways she’s adjusted to a fully remote workforce while keeping everyone motivated and seen. This leader knows her stuff. No wonder Goldman Sachs named her one of “The 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs.” We were intrigued indeed, and this flight was a fun one.
Other in-flight topics:
- The many lists Rachel’s been featured on
- How Rachel transformed Gap
- Why corporate America isn’t so bad
- 2020 Consumer Demand
- How to know where to spend your media dollars
- Replenish, replenish, replenish
- Nostalgic buying
- Rachel’s hilarious meeting with Gary
- Rachel’s podcast Brave Commerce
- What’s on Rachel’s Pilot Checklist
- Two Words: PIZZA TIME
Links:
Rachel on Instagram - @racheltipograph
Rachel on LinkedIn - racheltipograph
MikMak - https://www.mikmak.com/
Brave Commerce Podcast - https://www.mikmak.com/brave-commerce-podcast
Pizzatime - Arrange a pizza party for your remote team! https://www.pizzatime.xyz/