Author: Dailyusastory

Sally Wilson is a lawyer turned craft entrepreneur. She’s also an involved mother who shares her business and passions with two kids. She says being a great mom doesn’t mean sacrificing who you are. Sally launched Caterpillar Cross Stitch a decade ago from her home in England. Fast forward to 2025, and her company has 12 employees, selling cross-stitch supplies, courses, and events to customers worldwide. In our recent conversation, she addressed early struggles, leadership lessons, global selling, and yes, raising kids. Our entire audio is embedded below. The transcript is condensed and edited for clarity. Eric Bandholz: Tell us…

Last week Shopify released “Editions,” its semi-annual platform update, with a slew of AI-fueled tools to ease launching, operating, and scaling a store. For more than a decade, ecommerce platforms have competed on extensibility. The best solutions were often the most customizable and adaptable, with open APIs, app marketplaces, and flexible themes. Extensibility Shopify has thrived because of extensibility, the ability to tailor seemingly endless storefronts — from local boutiques to billion-dollar direct-to-consumer brands. This flexibility has paid off for merchants, too. The combined sales of all U.S.-based Shopify merchants trail only Amazon among all nationwide retailers, ahead of eBay…

As a kid, Brett Curry was fascinated by TV commercials. Now the owner of OMG Commerce, an ecommerce marketing agency, he says YouTube ads are similar. “A good TV ad often makes a good YouTube ad,” he told me. I asked for details. What’s a good YouTube ad strategy for ecommerce? How much should an advertiser spend? Which products work the best? Brett addressed those questions and more in our recent conversation. Our entire audio is embedded below. The transcript is edited for length and clarity. Eric Bandholz: Give us a rundown of what you do. Brett Curry: I’m the…

A superior shopping and post-purchase experience may be the best way to retain ecommerce customers. Here are nine books that offer ideas, inspiration, and tips for achieving customer-service excellence. The AI Revolution in Customer Service and Support AI Revolution in Customer Service by Ross Smith, Emily McKeon, Mayte Cubino The authors, who have worked at Microsoft, aim to help experienced customer experience professionals understand AI (and its human and ethical aspects) and learn how to apply it to improve service and support. The Art of Seducing Your Customers Art of Seducing Your Customers by John Boccuzzi Jr. Boccuzzi, a retail…

A combination of fear and necessity may create a renaissance of sorts for brand marketing. Many retail and direct-to-consumer companies that have essentially ignored branding now worry that generative AI is merging their advertising and marketing copy into a single, industry-wide sameness. Yet these businesses also recognize genAI’s importance. Source of the Fear Consider the decline of regional accents in America. Years ago, such accents were common. Texans had a drawl. Georgians sounded Southern. Bostonians didn’t pronounce the letter “r.” The accents still exist to some degree, but multiple studies attribute their decline to mass media and improved transportation. The…

We publish a rundown each week of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on AI-powered site-search, shopping assistants, product listings, merchant financing, point-of-sale solutions, cross-border transactions, and warehouse automation. Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com. New Tools for Merchants Miva expands ecommerce platform with AI search infrastructure and no-code tools. Miva, an ecommerce software and service provider, has launched Miva 10.12, introducing tools to help ecommerce teams move faster and scale. The update adds platform infrastructure for Vexture, Miva’s AI-powered search engine that uses vector-based technology to interpret shopper intent. Merchants can…

Pope Leo XIV is taking a bold stance on artificial intelligence, calling it “a challenge to human dignity, justice and labour” in his first major address since being elected leader of the Catholic Church. The new pontiff is placing AI at the center of the Church’s moral agenda, warning that we’re entering a new industrial revolution with the same threats to workers and human rights seen over a century ago. “In our own day… developments in the field of artificial intelligence pose new challenges,” Leo said, addressing the College of Cardinals on Saturday in the New Synod Hall. He echoed…

Google instructs its human quality raters to apply “EEAT” when evaluating a page on search results. “Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness” are quality indicators, per Google. Google cites EEAT in its documentation, prompting many search engine marketers to advertise “EEAT optimization” services. Unfortunately, I’ve seen tactics that fabricate EEAT with fake authors, bios, and experience. Moreover, many marketers claim better EEAT can overcome losses from Google’s “helpful content” ranking algorithm. Yet Google has offered no such recovery method. Humans, not Algorithms The rise of “EEAT optimization” services has reached the search giant. In the January 2025 update to its quality guidelines…

Raphael Schneider launched Gentleman’s Gazette in 2010 as a blog for men’s style and apparel. He added his own product line in 2013, selling menswear and accessories. He emphasizes quality in clothing and content. His YouTube channel, launched in 2015, remains essential for traffic and conversions, owing, he says, to the quality of the videos. “Ten years from now, someone can still benefit from a video we produce today,” he told me. Raphael first appeared on the podcast in 2018. In this our latest conversation, he addressed the company’s origins, Google search, and, yes, his focus on YouTube. Our entire…

ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot from OpenAI, is unintentionally leading users into full-blown spiritual delusions, and families are sounding the alarm. On Reddit’s r/ChatGPT forum, a chilling thread titled “ChatGPT induced psychosis” is gaining traction. Users are reporting a disturbing pattern: their loved ones are convinced that ChatGPT is a divine being, a spiritual guru, or even a portal to God. Rolling Stone journalist Miles Klee spoke directly with affected individuals. One woman shared how her partner became obsessed after ChatGPT gave him cosmic nicknames like “spiral starchild” and claimed he was on a divine mission. He ultimately told her…