Led by acclaimed retail professional Caroline Baldwin, our popular Lighting 50: E-Commerce Growth-Hacking podcast, brings on remarkable guests from some of the world’s fastest growing online businesses and examines the strategies that got them to their high point of success.
Despite only having two seasons that span 25 episodes, the Lightning 50 podcast has surged in popularity, placing it among the top 50% of podcasts listened to globally.
To get a feel for what this podcast is all about, here are our five best episodes that are jam-packed with essential growth advice. Feel free to follow the links to have a listen, and read on for more information about the upcoming third season.
1. Furniturebox
Started by two 20-something friends who chose their business idea over university, the online furniture brand from South West UK saw an immense 267% growth over the past few years mostly thanks to a tech-first mindset that carried the team through a sudden sales surge. Head of E-Commerce at Furniturebox, James Ewens spoke to Caroline about how the team used Inventory Planner combined with product listing app Pimberly to go from strength to strength; he also offered his perspective on how being intentional with tech investments can pay off.
You can listen to the Furniturebox interview right here.
2. Holland Cooper
British luxury lifestyle brand Holland Cooper saw an impressive growth rate last year that peaked at 243%. Founder and CEO of the brand, Jade Holland Cooper, told Caroline about how the country-inspired, women’s fashion retailer made waves in the premium sector at a turbulent time, with use of the right technology and a personalised approach to customer service.
Get more of Jade’s insights in the full Holland Cooper interview here.
3. Pinter
UK beer brand Pinter is the UK’s fastest growing brand with a phenomenal 626% YoY growth, after launching only two years before.
CEO of Pinter, Ralph Broadbent, spoke to Caroline about the strategies that led to its runaway popularity, including an industry disrupting beer subscription model, big efforts towards community building and the welcome boost of making Time magazine’s Top 100 Inventions of the year.
Get more of Ralph’s perspective with the full podcast interview here.
4. Naturecan
In this episode, CEO and Founder of Naturecan, Andy Duckworth told Caroline about his online, direct-to-consumer wellness brand, which sells premium hemp-derived CBD products, vitamins and supplements on a global scale. Andy had some great insight into how to market and use tech to scale within a niche wellness category.
We’re using a mix of strong WMS and 3PL software, and excellent integrations to pull stock in. That’s where Brightpearl comes in, as we know exactly where we’re at with stock. Working capital helps a lot as moving stock costs a lot more these days – so having capital helps mitigate that.
Listen to the full interview with Andy at Naturecan right here.
5. Au Vodka
Au Vodka is a runaway success story and hugely disruptive force in the premium vodka industry.
Head of E-Commerce for the brand, Jordan Major told Caroline about the tactics that led to an epic rise to success – including scaling with diverse channels such as Amazon, Harvey Nichols and Tesco, and marketing via a roster of cleverly chosen social media influencers.
Listen to the full interview with Au Vodka right here.
Just can’t get enough of the Lightning 50: E-Commerce Growth Hacking podcast? We don’t blame you – and there’s more to come! Stay tuned for Season 3 of the podcast coming soon, where Caroline interviews more incredible high-growth winners of the Lightning 50. To be informed of when the new episodes go live, subscribe here to find out before anyone else.
For now, you can listen to all 25 current episodes of the podcast on the Brightpearl website as well as all major podcast platforms – including Spotify, Apple, Amazon and Google.