Decoding Commerce

In this live episode, recorded at our collab event with Fashion Fever, our usual host John sits down with Kimia (CurveCatch) and get interviewed by Lien from Fashion Fever. Together, they explore what it really takes to scale a service-driven e-commerce brand. They dive into Curve Catch’s unique model: smart fit questionnaires, curated selections, data-driven sizing, and lingerie 'guides&apos...

In this episode, Sam, Michiel, and creative technologist Voidwalker, aka Vince Buyssens explore what comes after chatbots: truly generative UIs.  They unpack how AI shifts us from commanding tools to navigating intelligence: moving through vectors, embeddings, and latent space to “sculpt” copy, design, and product experiences. The trio digs into the rare intersection of design and engineering, why...

In this episode, Sam and Chris, both Solution Architects at Dear Digital, tackle a question many growing businesses face: 'Should I choose Shopify, Odoo, or maybe both?'  They compare the two platforms’ core philosophies. Shopify as a best-of-breed selling engine focused on speed, checkout, and multi-channel commerce, and Odoo as an all-in-one ERP powering inventory, purchasing, manufact...

In this episode, Sam sits down with Chris, Solution Architect at dear digital, to unravel one of the most common questions Odoo users face: “ Why is my system running so slow?” Together, they explore the technical structure behind Odoo, breaking down how the Python server and PostgreSQL database work together, and why the database might not be the real culprit. Chris explains how poor custom logic...

In this episode, our own Sam and Michiel recap their experience at the Shopify Edition Dev conference in Toronto. They highlight Shopify's significant investment in platform flexibility, introducing Horizon themes with enhanced design and customisation options designed to reduce the need for extensive custom development.  The biggest change? The integration of AI, noticeably impacting the sto...

In this episode of Decoding Commerce, we sit down with Pascale Staelens from Clio, a fashion veteran with almost 30 years in the industry. Pascale offers insights into the evolution of fashion retail, drawing on her experience with Belgian brands like American Outfitters, Scapa, and Belhose, before joining Clio, the affordable luxury bag brand founded in 2011. Clio (formerly Clio Goldbrenner) rece...

In this episode featuring Gaspard Poelman from AO76 American Outfitters, Lien & John delve into the history and evolution of a family-founded Belgian fashion brand. Discover how Gaspard, the third-generation CEO, transitioned from a childhood involvement to leading the company with a focus on empathetic leadership and a strong team culture.  We explore the brand's journey since its incept...

In this podcast episode, we interview Dimitri Devroe, who is specialized in helping direct-to-consumer commerce brands scale with paid advertising and retention strategies. Together, they explore the challenges of rising acquisition costs and strategies to tackle them. Dimitri shares his insights on leveraging various marketing channels, the importance of creative content, and the necessity of a w...

In this episode, we take a deep dive with Bob Jansen, co-founder of Firmhouse, a long-standing and valued partner of ours. Firmhouse helps businesses launch and grow subscription-based models with ease. Their platform simplifies testing ideas, launching quickly, and building steady recurring revenue. We explored the different types of subscription models and their benefits, the crucial role of cus...

This episode is the recording of the final European Commerce Summit 2024 session: A conversation between Dimitri O, founder of Loop Earplugs and John-Morgan Galeyn, founder of dear digital. Together they uncover the journey of Loop Earplugs. From tackling tinnitus to creating stylish, functional earplugs, Dimitri shares the journey of building a brand that redefined hearing protection. We dive int...

In our latest podcast episode with Benjamin Lang, we dove deep into the world of Shopify and the impact of AI on commerce. We explored the importance of balancing technological complexity with human involvement, creating personalised experiences, and the evolution of commerce in the digital age. With insights on headless solutions, b2b market opportunities, and the power of customer data, you&apos...

In our episode with Micha Medendorp, we discover the mission-driven journey of Marie-Stella-Maris, a company committed to providing clean drinking water and sustainability. From innovative product strategies to social impact, we explored the company's expansion into body care and home fragrances, and how it's making a remarkable difference in deprived communities. We also uncovered the C...

Join us in this enlightening episode as we dive into the world of sustainable fashion with Bert van Son, the visionary founder of Mud Jeans. From discussing the challenges of sustainability to the journey of creating a 100% post-consumer waste pair of jeans, this conversation covers it all. Bert's insights into the fashion industry, the commitment to sustainability and transparency, and the s...

In today's episode we're shedding light on the journey of Dopper—the revolutionary bottle company on a mission to promote tap water and combat single-use plastic. We discover the tenacious spirit of Merijn, Dopper's founder, whose personal crusade against plastic waste birthed an iconic product that's as functional as it is a conversation starter. He revealed the challenges of...

In this Deep Dive Sam sits down with Roderik Derksen, CMO / Founder of RUMvision.  Rumvision lets you stay on top of your Core Web Vitals and continually optimize for your real users with their RUM benefits. Improve page speed with real UX data and look beyond your Lighthouse score. In this podcast they talk about the importance of real user monitoring, the problem with only looking at the lightho...

Today we have an incredibly insightful episode for you. We're diving into the fascinating intersection of fashion, gaming, and cutting-edge technology. Joining us are two exciting, colourful people. Shayli Harrison is the founder and creative director of MUTANI, a brand that fuses digital fashion with the aesthetics of gaming. Nick Vinckier is the innovative director of corporate innovation a...

In this episode John sits down with Lukas Grosfeld, co-founder of Wakuli coffee. They talk about the links between existentialist philosophy, how responsible entrepreneurship can positively transform a community, how to mix e-commerce and physical locations and much, much more… Enjoy! Visit us on: ➡️ Our website: deardigital.com ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dear-digital-agency/ ➡️...

In this episode John sits down with Joost Hultink. Joost is the proud owner of Wildride and a passionate entrepreneur. He's known for introducing the fashionable Toddler Swing carrier, revolutionising the way parents enjoy outdoor activities with their little ones. They talk about how you should move forward when you know you have a great product, how to expand abroad, why you might not want...

In this episode Sam sits down with Mohammad (Mo) Hashemi CEO and Co-Founder of Gadget. Gadget is a full-stack, serverless JavaScript platform for web app developers who want to build faster and maintain less.  Mo talks about the origins of Shopify payments, how to hire great talent, the future of Shopify accounts, what AI can do for programming, and much, much more… Enjoy! Visit us on: ➡️ Our webs...

In this episode John sits down with Jonathan Gillyns, currently Director Merchants, PMO & Partnerships at Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services. Previously launched bol.com in Belgium. In this second round of their conversation they talk about what it takes to go from good to great, how customer expectations are culturally influenced, how to expand your business to Flanders, and much, much more...

In this episode John sits down with Thomas Kindermans, founder of Ray Care. They talk about the importance of customer feedback through online and fysical stores, stock management, consistency in branding, why you should bootstrap your company and much more… Enjoy! Visit us on: ➡️ Our website: deardigital.com ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dear-digital-agency/ ➡️ Instagram: https://...

Sam calls in with Jons Janssens, founder and partner at Conway & Co. Jons helps executives and investors to get their companies fit for digital growth.  At Conway & Co, they provide independent advice for modern consumer brands on technology, strategy and people. In this episode they talk about what to do to reach digital maturity, look at your business through a systems lens, what to cons...

In this Deep Dive Sam sits down with Michal and Michiel to talk about: What is headless, why you should consider it and how to choose your headless components. They also talk server side rendering, Mux’s impact on video for the web and much, much more… Enjoy! Visit us on: ➡️ Our website: deardigital.com ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dear-digital-agency/ ➡️ Instagram: https://www.in...

In this episode John sits down with Amandine de Paepe, founder and CEO of Insentials. Amandine talks about big pharma vs boutique brands, the right combination of online and offline strategies, orthomolecular medicine and more… Enjoy! Visit us on: ➡️ Our website: deardigital.com ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dear-digital-agency/ ➡️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deardigital.a...

In this Deep Dive John sits down with his co-founder Dimitri Devroe. In this episode they talk about how to expand abraod, relevant acquisition channels in 2023, the role of AI in all of this and much, much more… Enjoy! Visit us on: ➡️ Our website: deardigital.com ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dear-digital-agency/ ➡️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deardigital.agency/