Agency X

John discusses the commoditization of Shopify theme development, competition in the agency space, and pricing strategies.

More brands are making the leap from custom platforms to Shopify Plus. Avex shares what’s driving this shift, from reducing the total cost of ownership to the appeal of a flexible, scalable platform. Listen in for insights on adapting teams, overcoming resistance to change, and the powerful short- and long-term returns brands are seeing on Shopify.

In this episode of the Agency X Podcast, John Surdakowski is joined by Yotpo’s VP of Product Marketing, Kim Winter , to unpack the genius behind Yotpo's groundbreaking "Loyalists: Unmask Your Brand Heroes" campaign. With insights from over 3 million shoppers, Yotpo uncovers the key behaviors of your most loyal customers—your brand heroes. Tune in to find out how this campaign can reshape your appr...

Has the headless commerce hype run its course? In this episode of the Agency X Podcast, we dive into the debate surrounding headless architecture. Join us as we look into why some brands are shifting away from headless solutions, highlight situations where it’s still the right approach, and look at how Shopify’s native features can meet the needs of most eCommerce brands. Visit our website to lear...

Thinking about migrating your retention platform or already in the thick of it? This podcast is for you! Join John as he answers the most common questions merchants have about retention platform migration. We’ll discuss important considerations, share best practices, and help you set clear expectations for the process. Tune in to catch all the insights, and stay for a special offer at the end! Vis...

In this episode, Tommy Harris takes center stage to ask John Surdakowski, the founder of Avex, the questions everyone wants answers to. From client relationships to agency growth, John offers his perspective on the highs, lows, and everything in between when running a successful agency. Tune in for a real, no-holds-barred conversation about agency life.

The agency X Podcast is back. We have some new programming, topics and guests. Stay tuned for more.

In this episode, John Surdakowski touches on some of the core things he focused on in the early days to grow Avex Designs, an eCommerce agency, as well as provides a little background about how he got started.

We've been seeing more and more luxury brands migrate to Shopify Plus. In this episode, John Surdakowski takes an in-depth look into the rationale that drives those brands to re-platform and examines what lies ahead for the world of e-commerce.

5 years ago it was easy to grow a DTC brand with social media ads…. Today, it’s 100X more difficult.  Here are 3 things successful eCommerce brands are doing today, that you’re probably not.  Social media ads still need to be part of your advertising plans, but if you're not focusing on these three things, you’re leaving money (and customers) on the table. Everyone wants an easy solution, but...

In this episode of the Agency X podcast, John Surdakowski unveils 10 game-changing tips to skyrocket your Shopify e-commerce store's conversion rates. Whether you're a new or experienced Shopify store merchant, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you achieve your conversion goals. From enhancing product presentation and AB testing UX changes to understanding your customer...

As a Head of Marketing at Wonderment and ex-Head of Partner Community at Attentive, Blake Imperl has extensive expertise in building and scaling retention marketing programs for D2C brands. On this Agency X episode, Blake, along with John, talks about the importance of leveraging retention marketing channels to create exceptional customer experiences:  Return on Investment for transactional e...

It's that time again: Shopify just announced its 2023 Winter Editions with 100+ products and updates for merchants, developers and partners to build long-lasting relationships with their consumers. John, Founder and CEO at Avex, shares his initial take on the released updates including:  One-page Checkout Shop Promise Badge Signed-in Shopping with Shop AI-generated store content with Shop Mag...

In this episode, John Surdakowski is joined by Dhanesh Shelat , global digital marketing director at one of L’Oreal’s leading skincare brands and a real estate entrepreneur. Dhanesh brings years of experience in SEO and digital marketing along with a lot of interest in AI and branding to an engaging conversation that taps into: How SEO has dramatically changed over the past 10 years.  SEO Bac...

Shopify just announced Commerce Components, the modern composable stack for enterprise retail. In this episode, I discuss my thoughts on why it's important, who it is for, and some of the benefits. 

DTC brand news, Shopify Trend Report, Direct Mail, CRO tips and featured Shopify Plus case study.

Allyn Hane, President & Founder at Yard Mastery (https://yardmastery.com/), brings niche brands direct to consumers on Shopify. Allyn, also known as The Lawn Care Nut, grew what started as a hobby to a +500,000 Subscribers Channel on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@Thelawncarenut) In this episode, John and Allyn touched base intensively on exciting topics related to digital marketing, lawn c...

Sean McGinnis is President & Integrator at KURU Footwear (https://www.kurufootwear.com). Sean has been a digital marketing leader since 2006 and has led customer acquisition and lead gen for Fortune 50 and Startup companies across a breadth of products and services. Sean is currently focused on meeting the growth targets of KURU Footwear, a  rapidly scaling D2C eCommerce company focused o...

Tim is the founder of Fern Studios - a consultancy focused on reframing the way agency leaders think. Before that, he was a founding member of We Make Websites, a Shopify Plus agency acquired by the Born Group in 2021. In his spare time, he hosts the Your Basket Is Empty podcast and does a little angel investing. In this episode, Tim and John break down: - What agencies need to reframe, and the wa...

Jon Bausman is the former Director of Marketing at Vitality, a booming athleisure brand headquartered in Denver, CO.  His 15+ year marketing career and portfolio of several outdoor brands such as Cabela’s, Columbia Sportswear, Airhead, as well as Eli Lilly & Company, DowAgro Sciences, and Super Bowl 46.  In a past life, Jon served as an Entertainment TV Host, starred in Walmart comme...

John and Lucas do a quick post-op of Unite this year. Some faces were missing, and it was smaller than in years past, but it was still a great reunion overall.

Alex O'Byrne is the co-founder and managing director of We Make Websites, the Shopify Plus Agency for International Brands. He joins John Surdakowski on Agency X, part of the DTCX Podcast Universe.

In this episode, John and Robin talk about planning your integrations on Shopify. - We'd like to thank Gorgias for sponsoring this podcast. They combine all your different communication channels and messages (email, SMS, social media, live chat, phone, etc.) into one platform. Learn how to level up your customer support and get a month free by speaking to their team here: https://gorgias.grsm.io/a...

In this episode, John and E.M. talk about how ReturnLogic can help merchants use returns as a way to grow, rather than seeing returns as something they always want to avoid.  - We'd like to thank Gorgias for sponsoring this podcast. They combine all your different communication channels and messages (email, SMS, social media, livechat, phone, etc.) into one platform. Learn how to level up you...

In this episode, John, Chris, and Mark have a conversation about Enjoy Life's rebrand, how they made it into big-box stores, and the future of marketing for CPG brands. Check out the highlights and episode transcription here. - We'd like to thank Gorgias for sponsoring this podcast. They combine all your different communication channels and messages (email, SMS, social media, livechat, phone,...