Newsletter No 8
Welcome to our new content hub on Substack, where all our webinars, interviews and newsletters will come together. In this edition, we discuss how to manage complex technology investment decisions.
How to thrive (or survive) in turbulent times
C-suite turnover, layoffs, and shifting focus from growth to profitability: in this turbulent reality, it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell which companies will win and which will fail.
Should we look at the bottom line? Does it tell us whether the company can fulfil its growth ambition? In M&A, investors usually perform legal, financial, and commercial audits to do due diligence. We are adding one more element to the equation: technology.
Is the overall technology expenditure aligned with the company’s size, ambition and industry? Will the software in the technology stack support your growth ambitions? And is there capable technology leadership in place?
In February’s edition, we aim to help you get a grip on technology expenses while simultaneously improving company valuation.
Conway is now on Substack
You are reading a slightly differently-looking newsletter because it has a new home on Substack!
We've made the switch to bring you a more streamlined and interactive experience. From now on, you can easily access our archive of older newsletters and other content like webinars, Brand Radar insights, now with even more room for engagement and community building.
Announcement: a new webinar is coming up
On February 28th (Wednesday, 4 PM), we invite you to our 5th webinar. It’s going to be a masterclass on managing technology budgets while focusing on increasing company value. This webinar is designed for investors, executives and digital leaders, enabling you to make better decisions on technology.
Interview for MENA: “Too many Private Equity companies waste money on wrong technology choices”
The interview for MENA (the Dutch Mergers & Acquisitions professional community), was published recently. It’s about the importance of tech due diligence in e-commerce acquisitions, the role of AI, Chinese commerce trends, and other expectations for 2024. Check it out in Dutch or English.
Highlight → Shopify Editions Winter’24
Last week, Shopify has announced over 100 new features in the quarterly update. Some of the most promising ones are:
Native subscription app and more bundling capabilities.
Combined product listings, also supporting up to unlock up to 2,000 variants per product.
Predictive analytics: the customer cohort analysis report will let Shopify merchants see how the value of their customer cohorts will grow into the future.
AI-powered storefront search features.
Huge performance gains, making it easier to manage scale and hinting at Shopify’s ambition to expand into the enterprise market.
If you’re on Shopify Plus, there’s a lot to be excited about. Or, at least a lot to wait for. How long—we will see. At the end of the day, Shopify really knows how to build anticipation.
Tools & Tactics
We select helpful tools and useful new ways of working. Find a signal in the noise of software.
01 Coolset
Coolset is a sustainability platform for automating emissions measurements and streamlining compliance with Greenhouse Gas Protocol. A
02 GoTolstoy
Tolstoy is returning, but not as a literature figure. This time, it’s integrating video feeds and stories into e-commerce websites.
03 TryNow
TryNow app allows customers to try the product before buying, with pre-built use cases — landing pages, on-site entry points, email marketing, and many more.
Trends & Strategy
Curated content from the information overload we call the Internet.
Insights and inspiration on business, e-commerce and investing.
Q&A: E-commerce Acquisitions Steady in 2023
15 min read
“The pandemic spending started to dwindle, and the aggregator rush started to level off. We saw a pullback from the record levels of 2021. For about the last 18 months, it’s been fairly steady — no big changes — maybe a slight cooling of the market, but nothing too alarming.”
Full article
What CEOs talked about in Q4 2023
10 min read
“Three themes gained noticeable traction in earnings calls in Q4: 1) economic concerns 2) budget and cost optimisation, and 3) geopolitical uncertainty around conflict and a possible US government shutdown.”
Full article
The boardroom drama behind Gymshark, one of the UK's fastest-growing companies
10 min read
“From their founding in 2012, it took Gymshark just 6 years to get to £100m in revenue, and they’ve continued to grow at a tremendous rate since then.”
Full article
Visually appealing
Visually stimulating, fluid, and dramatic: this Marni store in London, designed by Sybarite in 2003 was the epitome of experiential retail. The shop lasted 14 years before it, unfortunately, closed in 2017.
It featured futuristic sculptural elements, creating a visually connected space that encourages exploration and fully immerses the visitor into the brand’s world.
