Kyler Nixon, Co-Founder of Forward Studios, joins the show to unpack what most distributors and B2B eCommerce teams get wrong about email marketing and how to turn it into a growth channel. Drawing on first-hand lessons as a Chief Revenue Officer, Kyler breaks down how to capture more revenue, why most companies leave money on the table, and what practical steps move the needle in B2B email.

Episode highlights:

00:30 – Intro: Kyler’s path from agency owner to B2B eCommerce

03:00 – What distributors get wrong about email marketing (and how Kyler found the gap)

05:42 – Planning and forecasting in distribution: What signals Kyler actually tracked

09:45 – Why the “endless aisle” is a trap for most distributors

11:40 – First growth levers: growing the sales team, fixing SEO, improving UX

16:33 – The lost revenue of not capturing email

22:40 – Personalization in B2B email: beyond “Hi, Bob”

23:50 – Simple segmentation that works: inside vs. outside the buying window

25:52 – Kyler’s 3-part B2B email marketing framework explained

32:10 – What the B2B Commerce Association adds for practitioners

37:23 – Kyler’s podcast and TV recommendations

Resources Mentioned:

How I Built This (podcast by Guy Raz)

Wisdom from the Top (podcast by Guy Raz)

Survivor (reality TV show)

B2B Commerce Association

The 2025 B2B Buyer Perspectives Report

In this episode, we sit down with Steven Javor, Head of Digital Customer Experience at Schneider Electric, for an inside look at how a global leader navigates the realities of digital transformation, AI, and the fast-changing world of B2B distribution. Steven shares Schneider Electric’s lessons learned from building marketplace strategies, upskilling employees in AI, and what it takes to keep up with the next generation of B2B buyers.

Key Takeaways:

(02:05) An intro into what Schneider Electric does

(05:28) Schneider Electric’s global approach to customer experience and digital strategy

(07:34) How regional differences shape digital transformation in B2B

(09:08) How B2B companies can succeed with digital

(13:22) Steve’s takeaways from recent B2B Online events

(15:21) The risks of not exploring and implementing digital solutions

(20:33) The evolution from D2C to marketplace: supporting distributors instead of competing

(24:25) Building AI competency at scale – Schneider’s internal mandate

(29:10) The link between digitization, sustainability, and Schneider’s core business

(31:06) Steven’s advice for digital leaders on aligning executive buy-in and driving change

Thanks for listening to B2B Commerce UnCut: A Journey Through Change, powered by Oro. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and subscribe for more real-world B2B insights.

In this special episode, we bring you a live session from B2B Online Chicago 2025, featuring Aaron Sheehan, Head of Product Marketing at OroCommerce, and Taylor Simpson, eCommerce & Digital Marketing Strategist at Ciranda, a leading food ingredient distributor. Aaron and Taylor discuss why B2B eCommerce is about more than just portals – and how building a unified, customer-centric digital experience can transform both sales and brand value.

Key Takeaways:

(01:25) Why traditional portals fall short of building B2B brand trust

(03:20) What's a B2B portal, and why it's not enough

(04:05) Why branded websites don't drive growth either

(05:38) What B2B buyers find frustrating with a current B2B commerce experience

(06:50) The proposed solution: Integrating the portal and brand website into one experience

(09:11) Ciranda’s journey from two sites to a single customer-first platform

(12:14) Personalizing experiences for both major and long-tail food brand customers

(13:50) Audience question: How are Ciranda's sales team's operations organized?

(16:08) Ciranda's results one quarter after going live with OroCommerce

Thanks for listening to B2B Commerce UnCut: A Journey Through Change, powered by Oro. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and subscribe for more real-world B2B insights.

#b2becommerce #distribution #digitalcommerce