Should Amazon really be the enemy of DTC?

Most e-commerce leaders will tell you to prioritize your own site, own the customer, and push for loyalty. But Tom Funk — E-Commerce Director at Ann Clark Ltd. and veteran of Vermont Teddy Bear, Keurig Green Mountain, and Gardener’s Supply — has a very different take.

In this episode of Check In to Check Out, Tom shares why Amazon actually delivers a better customer experience than most merchant sites ever could, why his Shopify product pages send shoppers directly to Amazon, and what happened when he failed to convince a leadership team that Amazon was essential to their growth.

We get into:

• The real ratio of Amazon vs. DTC revenue (and why most brands get it wrong)

• The operational realities that make Amazon unbeatable for certain products

• How to position DTC so it complements, not competes with, marketplaces

• Tom’s hard-learned lessons about culture, data storytelling, and failed persuasion

If you’ve ever debated whether to push harder into Amazon or double down on your own site, this episode will challenge your assumptions.

• (00:00:00) - E-Commerce Growth Podcast
• (00:01:16) - How to become a e-commerce director
• (00:02:25) - Merchant Website: Between Amazon and Shopify
• (00:06:24) - What Does Your Day-to-Day Look Like at Amazon?
• (00:08:39) - How Product Development Is Done at Amazon
• (00:12:18) - Getting Started in E-Commerce
• (00:15:00) - Top Executives on Amazon's Impact
• (00:16:49) - Philip Morris on Amazon and the Company's Future
• (00:23:31) - Mentors in the Workplace
• (00:27:18) - Cookbook Cutters: What's Special About Selling Cookies?
• (00:31:21) - Baking and decorating products in The New York Times Catalog
• (00:34:39) - Where Entrepreneurs See the Future of ECommerce
• (00:36:52) - Tom Aronstein on The Righteous Mind