Brandon Herrin of ShipEngine: 5 Things You Need To Know To Build A Highly Successful eCommerce Website
An Interview With Francois Marchand, Editor of The Ecomm Manager
Value-Driven Partnerships: Collaborate with technology providers and partners who align with your business goals, driving innovation and growth.
It has been years since eCommerce has changed the face of commerce. The pandemic pushed businesses away from the traditional model even more. The unfortunate reality is that most eCommerce websites will still fail. What are some things to keep in mind to build a highly successful eCommerce website? In this interview series, we are talking to leaders of eCommerce businesses who can share their strategies on creating a very successful eCommerce website. As part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brandon Herrin, Global Head of Product at ShipEngine.
In today’s ever-evolving world of eCommerce, building a successful online business requires more than just a platform and products. It demands strategic thinking, seamless operations, and a deep understanding of how consumers experience products and services.
To shed light on these crucial aspects, we had the privilege of sitting down with Brandon Herrin, Global Head of Product at ShipEngine, a multi-carrier shipping API.
ShipEngine is the backbone of many ecommerce businesses, enabling them to streamline their shipping and fulfillment processes, reduce expenses, and enhance customer experiences. In this interview, Brandon shared invaluable insights into what it takes to create a highly successful ecommerce experience, and how ShipEngine can be your answer to building an ecommerce website that converts.
Thank you for doing this with us! Before we begin, our readers would like to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to this career path?
My journey began as an engineer with a focus on manufacturing and logistics systems. I spent a decade at Dell, transitioning from manufacturing to software products, which eventually led me to a medical supplies company where I gained experience in warehousing and distribution networks. I also worked with an ed-tech company that created data-based predictive models to help university students graduate. Finally, I joined Auctane, a global delivery experience company that operates trusted brands like ShipStation, Stamps.com, Packlink, ShippingEasy, ShipWorks, ShipEngine, Endicia, GlobalPost, and Metapack.
My background equipped me with insights into various industries and technologies, which proved valuable in my current role at ShipEngine.
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you sh are a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
While I’d like to share a specific instance, many of my experiences involve scaling challenges. One lesson I’ve learned is the importance of being prepared to rapidly scale up. During the pandemic, we observed instances where ecommerce businesses suddenly faced an influx of orders but weren’t equipped to handle the increased demand. Being prepared for success, especially in unexpected circumstances, is crucial to capitalize on opportunities without sacrificing customer experience.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I’ve had the privilege of working with many mentors — it’s hard to pick one! I will say, throughout my career, I’ve been lucky to work with insightful leaders who have consistently provided me with valuable perspectives and the ability to navigate complex challenges.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. What does your eCommerce company do? What was the “Aha Moment” that led to the idea for your current eCommerce business? Can you share that story with us?
ShipEngine’s origin stems from Auctane’s underlying platform that supported market-leading products in ecommerce fulfillment. We realized there was an opportunity to help platforms, software developers, and product managers build their fulfillment solutions.
ShipEngine aims to fully optimize the tricky logistics process, allowing organizations to focus their time, energy, and resources on their main business objectives. We’re a multi-carrier shipping platform that provides best-in-class shipping functionality to every part of the ecommerce journey — from ecommerce stores to logistics and warehouse providers, system integrators, ecommerce application integrators, and application developers. We grant these users access to a library of carriers and technology that help them build custom logistics workflows within their own platforms. In short, we streamline organizations’ shipping and fulfillment processes, which helps them reduce their overall shipping expenses and build better online shopping experiences for their customers.
What was the original vision for your company? How does it help people? What pain point(s) does the business solve for your customers?
The founders of ShipEngine saw a gap in the market for a technology solution, of our type, that could scale with ecommerce merchants as they grew. Business growth would often outpace the advancement of our users’ tech stacks, as well as the ever-changing policies of shipping partners. ShipEngine started out as a series of APIs that empowered users to create their own custom shipping workflows and seamlessly integrate those workflows between their shipping partners. Rather than having to use multiple, different solutions for different shipping actions among various partners, users could embed custom ShipEngine APIs into their tech stacks to solve nearly any shipping pain point and communicate with each other seamlessly. Fast forward to today — we’re powering over one billion shipments and counting.
There are more than 12 million eCommerce businesses out there. What do you think makes your company stand out? What are you most proud of? Can you share a story?
ShipEngine stands out as the backbone of ecommerce businesses. We support platforms, individual merchants, and developers, catering to diverse needs within the industry. A notable example is Build-A-Bear Workshop, which needed to quickly pivot its operations during the pandemic. By leveraging ShipEngine’s technology, they virtualized their experience and managed to fulfill orders through ship-from-store methods, adapting seamlessly to an evolving market.
I’m proud of the fact that we are equipped to help all 12 million+ of those ecommerce businesses. Not only are our technology and developer tools modern, easy to use, and incredibly well-documented, they help our users navigate the complex world of shipping and carriers with ease. Over the years, we’ve realized that every single carrier, partner, and external business our users work with has their own set of terms, technology, and requirements for working with them. At ShipEngine, we’ve created one tech language for merchants to easily integrate with each needed service.
Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things you need to know to build a highly successful eCommerce website? Please explain each in detail.
My take on what’s truly important for an ecommerce website to be successful is rooted in providing an exceptional customer experience — from the initial purchase, up to the final delivery. These are some ways I think this can be achieved:
1. Seamless Integration: APIs play a vital role in integrating various components of an ecommerce business, enhancing both front-end and back-end operations.
2. Customer-Centric Experience: Offer customers real-time tracking updates and transparent delivery timelines to foster trust and loyalty.
3. Data-Driven Insights: Utilize analytics to understand customer preferences and behaviors, enabling personalized experiences and optimized offerings.
4. Scalability and Preparedness: Be ready to scale rapidly, ensuring that you can meet increased demand without compromising quality.
5. Value-Driven Partnerships: Collaborate with technology providers and partners who align with your business goals, driving innovation and growth.
If there were one part of the eCommerce website development process you would have spent 50% more time on, what would it be and why?
Businesses should focus on providing accurate delivery information to customers. Implementing dynamic rates and delivery times can significantly enhance the buying experience. This empowers customers to make informed decisions based on real-time information, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and increasing conversions. Essentially, it’s about giving as much relevant information as possible to consumers when they’re choosing to buy from you, creating trust. That will bring them back to your website.
Can you share a few examples of tools or software that you think can dramatically empower emerging eCommerce brands to be more effective and more successful?
In the same vein of customer experiences, online merchants should absolutely leverage APIs more to seamlessly integrate critical components of the ecommerce experience. I think APIs are a game-changer for emerging ecommerce brands.
APIs allow two or more technology sources to communicate with each other and can be used across an ecommerce business’ entire logistics process. For example, API tracking allows an ecommerce website and a carrier partner to share tracking information with customers. An API allows this process to be a branded experience and remain up to date with information throughout the entire buyers’ journey, keeping them loyal and satisfied. On the backend, Address Validation APIs can be used to connect these merchants with their carrier partners to ensure packages arrive at the right destination every time.
These tools can lay the foundation for business growth and enhance customer experiences. They can also help in streamlining operations and reducing costs.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen CEOs & founders make when they start an eCommerce business? What can be done to avoid those errors?
A recurring mistake I’ve observed is not being prepared to scale rapidly. Instances like the pandemic, when we had unexpected market shifts, for example, can lead to increased demand. If you are ready to scale and have not planned for it, you’re going to have fast problems. To avoid these situations, leaders need to make sure their operations can adapt to sudden growth, while also maintaining service quality and customer satisfaction.
In your experience, which aspect of running an eCommerce brand tends to be most underestimated? Can you explain or give an example?
I think one underestimated aspect is the complexity and importance of carrier relationships. It’s crucial to establish efficient partnerships to ensure seamless shipping operations.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I’d love to provide tools that empower every merchant, brand, mailer, and carrier to succeed in their delivery journeys. A movement focused on equipping businesses of all sizes with the resources they need to thrive would undoubtedly make a positive impact.
Finally, I would encourage business leaders and key figures to embrace innovation, be adaptable, and always prioritize the customer. The ecommerce landscape is ever-changing, so staying ahead requires a commitment to constant improvement and the ability to pivot when necessary.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Feel free to follow ShipEngine on our social media platforms, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter). If you would like to get in touch, please contact us at www.shipengine.com/contact.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
About The Interviewer: Francois Marchand is the editor of The Ecomm Manager. Throughout his 20+ years in journalism, communications, and marketing, Francois has created and managed high-value content for Postmedia, Vancouver Film School, and Unbounce. He loves helping business leaders grow their skillsets and knowledge base to stay ahead of the competition. Visit The Ecomm Manager: theecommmanager.com
