Manish Chowdhary is the Founder and CEO of Pulse Commerce, a leading mid-market order and inventory management system for brands and retailers in the omni channel space, and also the Founder and CEO of Cahoot, which specializes in ecommerce optimization with a focus on delivery and logistics.
We discuss Pulse and Cahoot’s origin stories, and how these companies’ services solve problems for ecommerce brands. Along the way, we touch on other important issues relevant to ecommerce, including the rise of 3rd party marketplaces. As Manish observes, “From the consumer standpoint, consumers trust marketplaces, because it’s a competitive environment, which allows and requires brands and retailers to compete in order to win the consumers’ business. And consumers feel that they have an independent third party, who’s going to keep both parties honest. Which means if there’s a problem with the merchant, the marketplace will arbitrate that. So we’re seeing a massive adoption of marketplaces from a consumer standpoint. Consumers love it, consumers want to be there. And also because it’s a competitive environment.”
Manish and I chat about current marketplace trends and the crucial importance of understanding customer acquisition costs and LTV. We trade notes on big movements in the marketplace space, including Overstock.com’s acquisition of Bed, Bath & Beyond. We touch on the continuing relevance of SEO in ecommerce, and pivot to the rising importance of AI in marketplace operations. As Manish notes, “It’s one of those massive changes, you know, from web 1.0, to web 2.0, then to mobile. And now, we’re entering the age of AI. So perhaps I would classify this as the biggest revolution since the launch of the iPhone, which revolutionized mobile.”
