05. The Value of Transparency in E-Commerce with Sean Kopen, President and Founder of Cinder Inc.

Today’s consumer expectations include near-instant replies on multiple channels, greater accessibility, and a more immersive shopping experience. A big part of this rising trend seems to be the tech that makes it possible, from chat apps to social media.

Did consumers start to expect instant replies on chat, messengers, and text because of the new apps they have? Or did the apps come to exist as a response to consumers’ rising expectations?

Sean Kopen, the President and Founder of Cinder Inc., joins E-Commerce with Coffee?! to talk about this and more.

Sean also provides a deep look into brand transparency and how it meets today’s consumer expectations in important ways. Transparency can be a game-changer when applied internally from the top down, and Sean explains why.

Finally, Sean digs into new tech integrations into e-commerce processes and how to choose the right solutions for each need. From “opportunity analysis” to getting stakeholders fully on board, it’s all in this episode of E-Commerce with Coffee?!

What to listen for:

• Increasing transparency can seem like a business “risk” in some contexts because brands want to protect themselves; Sean talks about how acting on behalf of the consumer is a good investment
• Getting stakeholders on board with new levels of transparency is hard, but it's the best long-term strategy, especially in the context of e-commerce where consumers easily navigate to the competition
• Sean also talks about what transparency has to do with the brand and product accessibility
• Sean then discusses the equation to decide what tech solutions to integrate into e-commerce management
• Listen to Sean touch on one of the biggest things an organization needs in order to shift to e-commerce: internal champions who can face the inevitable challenges
• Transparency is important internally, too, especially when pitching opportunities for tech solutions that phase out archaic legacy processes
• Sean dives into how to make some of the hard decisions, especially when organizations face analysis paralysis
• The terms of a contract with any new tech solution are one of Sean's talking points, in the context of today's e-commerce agility needs
• In talking about consumer expectations, Sean has some great insights on online chat, too
• Many brands are missing opportunities in the “post-purchase” customer experience, and Sean talks about what those brands can do

A love letter from our sponsor:

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