Callum: Today, I have two guests here—Pete Gardner and Adam Pearce, the founders of Blend Commerce and Flame, their new conferencing solution that’s taking the app ecosystem by storm. Thank you both for coming on today! It’s great to see you in the office instead of at events. Let’s jump in—what’s been going on at Blend and Flame?

Adam: Thanks, Callum. Well, at Blend, we've been recruiting a lot, mainly in development and design, because demand from our existing clients has really picked up. We’re focusing on doing more with our current clients instead of just bringing in new ones.

Callum: Yeah, that's definitely a trend I’ve seen too—brands are focusing on getting more from their existing customers. And what’s going on with Flame?

Adam: Flame really kicked off in January. We started with the eCom Collab Club, which is a networking space for agencies and partners to connect. We have fireside chats, and we’ve recently introduced something fun called the 'Agency Air Fryer,' which is like the awkward, humorous style of 'Between Two Ferns.'

Callum: I love that! It’s a really unique format. You’ve been holding these events at a cinema in Leicester Square, right? That’s awesome.

Adam: Yeah, it's been a bit weird doing them at 8 AM in a cinema, but it’s been a lot of fun. The whole point is to get away from the typical sales-pitch-heavy events and have more genuine conversations between agencies and tech partners.

Callum: It’s amazing how you’re building that community, especially in 2022, when 'community' seems to be the buzzword. How’s the event series going?

Adam: We run them on the last Wednesday of every month, and we’ve got events lined up in London for the rest of the year. Plus, we’re going international with one in New York in June and Berlin in August.

Callum: That’s brilliant. Are the events free?

Peter: Yes, they’re totally free. We have a lead sponsor for each event, but we’re very strict about not turning it into a sales pitch. It's all about helping the community.

Callum: What trends are you seeing in eCommerce lately?

Adam: On the marketing side, I think brands are realizing acquisition is getting more expensive and less effective, so they’re focusing on retention and customer lifetime value. They're putting more effort into zero-party data and optimizing customer value.

Peter: Yeah, customer value optimization is key now. Brands are shifting from conversion rate optimization to focusing on how to keep customers coming back. The supply chain issues and higher costs are pushing brands toward maximizing the value of every customer they acquire.

Callum: Absolutely. And what tools are brands using to boost retention?

Peter: Email marketing and SMS are still big, but there’s some exciting innovation happening. One tool we like is Penny Black, which allows brands to personalize packaging inserts with data, referencing previous purchases or product recommendations. It's a great way to create a memorable unboxing experience.

Callum: That sounds incredible! And what about tech trends—how do you see the current tech downturn affecting SaaS companies?

Peter: It's interesting because we’ve been competing with SaaS companies for talent, especially developers and account managers, who were getting huge salary offers backed by venture capital. But now that funding is drying up, we’re seeing layoffs at some of these companies, and the job market is stabilizing.

Callum: Any brands you’ve seen recently that you think are killing it with their marketing?

Peter: I’m really into a brand called Surreal. They’re a healthy cereal company with a really fun, tongue-in-cheek marketing style.

Adam: For me, it’s Midday Squares. They're a healthy chocolate brand in the US, and their marketing is super raw and authentic. It reminds me of early BrewDog, where they just didn’t care and were brutally honest in their messaging.

Callum: I love that authenticity! Let’s switch gears—what’s one app you’re recommending to all your clients right now?

Peter: If I had to pick just one, I’d say VideoWise. It brings shoppable videos to your product pages, and I think video is going to be huge for eCommerce.

Adam: I’d go with Blueprint, which is an SMS and WhatsApp solution that integrates with Recharge for subscription management. It really streamlines the process for customers to update their subscriptions.

Callum: Great recommendations—VideoWise and Blueprint both sound like game-changers. Thanks so much for coming on today, guys. This has been a fantastic conversation!

Peter: Thanks for having us, Callum!

Callum: Thank you for listening today. In Reviews We Trust is a bi-weekly podcast where I bring you advice and insights from brands that are taking the eCommerce world by storm