20. From Start-Up to the “Prolific Zone” with Quin Amorim, Founder of Prolific Zone

Quin Amorim of Prolific Zone joins this episode of E-Commerce with Coffee?! for a superb interview. Quin actually hosts his own two podcasts, QA Selling Online and Fail Fast Podcast. That alone gives you a view of what Quin is all about:

1. Selling online
2. And building brands with lessons learned

Quin joined E-Commerce with Coffee?! in this episode to talk to Nate Svoboda about start-ups launching in digital commerce. Covering everything from the history of e-commerce to social proof and PPC, the conversation is packed with clear answers to real questions.

What to listen for:

• When it comes to e-commerce, Quin’s been around the block. The interview opens with him reminiscing when Ebay sellers were paid by check. With up to two weeks to receive the check and then up to four weeks for the buyer to receive a product, in e-commerce almost 25 years later we have same-day delivery and dozens of payment options.
• It’s hard for start-ups and brands migrating to e-commerce to know what channels to focus on first, but Quin likes Amazon. He explains why, then talks through the factors a brand needs to consider to decide which channel is right for them.
• Older consumers are showing a growing preference for Walmart.com over Amazon, and Quin explains why. This is just one example of the factors brands should be ready to consider in their own launch to e-commerce.
• The interview then gets into questions about physical versus online retail. “On a shelf, someone will walk by you eventually,” Quin says. Listen to the full interview for all his insights on this “divided retail reality.”
• Quin also talks about how much capital is needed for a start-up brand or manufacturer today. It even comes down to factors like the physical size of your product or the landscape of your niche’s competition, and Quin explains why.
• When it comes to where to spend that capital, every expert today has an opinion on what brands should focus on first. Should it be content or PPC? Quin says product photos are the number-one thing to focus on first, followed very closely by titles. Listen to the full episode to learn why.
• “Some brands think that you launch, then you win that first position, and then you’re done. But you’re never done,” Quin cautions. Changes like new reviews and what the competition is doing will always move the dials of a brand’s listings and relevancy. Look at it like cleaning your house: if you focus on deep-cleaning one room a week, your home will always be spotless. In the same way, brands can focus on one thing after another even after they’ve “arrived” at that first-place position. Listen to the full interview for examples of what brands can focus on.
• Quin also offers some easy-to-implement advice on approaching influencers. Listen to the episode to hear all about it.
• Of all the lessons Quin has learned and seen learned, he says it was a game-changer to realize that PPC is “not just to get sales—it’s also to get conversions for a certain keyword.” The vast majority of brands and PPC providers will immediately turn the gas off on keywords that don’t convert to final sales, but Quin says that’s like shooting yourself in the foot. Clicks—with or without sales—gain you relevancy. They also stop competitors from getting that keyword, because “someone else will show up if you don’t.”