Universal checkout… Heather Marie (Founder/CEO of Shoppable, an ecommerce platform and digital marketplace) joins Rob Sanchez (Ralph and Remington [Episode 22]), Marc Raco (The Hope Is Project and Monkey Radio) and guest-host Stephanie Benedetto (Queen of Raw [Episode 53]) in studio. Marie shares the story behind her company, and a FashInvest Investment News story about the Twitter Buy Now button [paywall] leads to discussion on better user experiences and the need to be able to engage as customers, conversations about ad blocking, the future of banners, new revenue streams for social media, and why they aren’t charging up front. Marie infers some new directions Shoppable is heading, the origins of the original company name, the complexity of protecting the trademarking of the current one, and the debate on the use of the term Universal Shopping Cart. The Feed the Animals segment offers real food, discussion of an unusual breakfast, and meal prep. Marie shares when she knew wanted to be an entrepreneur, forming a Radio Frequency ID hardware company in college, trying to get rid of wallets in 2005, frictionless commerce, mobile, fashion tech, today’s demanding, smart consumers, who search for value, losing customers at the cash register and drop off. Why the number of clicks is important are can there be too few clicks? The way wish lists are changing, and seeing them as commodities, and the technology challenge Marie’s for which she wishes a solution. Is it better to be first or best, talking launch times vs. level of development, how to get a team of advisors and the kind of advisor an entrepreneur should want, and the story of when her team turned extreme adversity into opportunity. Why avoiding bad energy and focusing on positive energy is so important, and a behind the scenes pre-show issue paints a different picture. The challenge of price-fixing with multiple people feeding into a channel and retailers using the system to keep prices high, setting the tone of the marketplace, the culture of Shoppable from the inside, and the importance of team contribution and environment in business technology. Plus, Off the Grid Questions reveals wanting it all at eleven years old, the greatest cool club candy scheme ever, and the college professor who made the biggest impact. Shopify Magento Shakeology Alexandra Wilkis Wilson [Episode 16] Bradford Shellhammer [Episode 46 and Episode 47 ] Affinity Labs