The Hidden Cost of Cobbling Together E-commerce Solutions

Why Your Brand's Authentic Story Beats AI Content Every Time

Author

Brent Peterson
September 25, 2025

In partnership with

The Talk Commerce Podcast Newsletter

Who have we been talking to lately? Focusing on conversations about eCommerce, AI, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing.

The Hidden Cost of Cobbling Together E-commerce Solutions

by Brent W Peterson
At Shoptalk, I discovered Virid, a company that's challenging how we think about enterprise e-commerce operations. Their key insight? We've normalized something that shouldn't be normal: managing a dozen different vendors just to run an online business.

Most enterprises follow the same pattern: choose a platform, then cobble together multiple solutions from various vendors. The result? Managing different billing cycles, support contacts, update schedules, and integration points that can fail. When something breaks, the finger-pointing begins.

Virid takes a different approach with their marketAgility platform. Instead of selling you tools and leaving you to figure out integration, they provide both the platform and the team. Think of it as buying solutions from people who've already solved similar problems, rather than becoming a systems integrator yourself.

Their 26-year track record speaks volumes - clients like Journeys have stayed with them for over 20 years. This loyalty doesn't happen when platforms create operational headaches.

The lesson? Platform evaluation should focus less on feature checklists and more on operational reality. Sometimes the best solution isn't the most flexible one - it's the one that eliminates problems you didn't know you'd have.

The question becomes: Do you want to manage vendor relationships, or focus on growing your business?

Don't miss the next Content in Commerce livestream Sept 25!

Our Latest Episode:

Why ChatGPT Can't Tell Your Brand's Real Story (Keep Humans in the Loop!)

Jimi Gibson from Thrive Agency reveals why ChatGPT is a "really bad mind reader" for brand storytelling. While AI tools process information efficiently, they miss the emotional elements that create customer loyalty - the struggles, family stories, and authentic experiences behind your business. Gibson emphasizes that successful e-commerce requires a holistic approach combining human creativity with strategic AI implementation. He warns against poorly designed chatbots that frustrate customers and shares real examples of AI failures. The key takeaway: use AI to enhance your marketing, but never let it replace your authentic brand voice and human connections.

Running E-Commerce on WordPress?

For many store owners, WordPress offers flexibility and affordability…but it also comes with its own set of challenges. Slow load times, clunky checkout flows, SEO hurdles, and constant plugin conflicts can all stand in the way of growth.

That’s why we’ve teamed up with our resident WordPress expert, David Arago, to help e-commerce brands turn those pain points into opportunities. From WooCommerce fixes to site speed optimization, SEO improvements, and advanced integrations—we’ve got you covered.

Want a free assessment?
Just hit reply to this email and share a brief description of the challenges you’re facing. David will review your site and send back a tailored roadmap with recommendations; no strings attached!

Was this email forwarded to you?

Subscribe to the podcast.

You’re invited to the world’s largest email marketing conference.

Become an email marketing guru at the GURU conference. It’s two days full of all things email marketing. Learn more about newsletters, deliverability, design trends, AI, and what NOT to do with email.

What you can expect:

  • Keynote Speakers: Nicole Kidman, Amy Porterfield & more!

  • The latest digital trends in email marketing & how to increase performance.

  • Networking opportunities - each day!

  • Dj’s, dance contests (judged by Lance Bass, yes for real), breaking world records & MORE!

Spots are limited. It’s VIRTUAL. It’s FREE. It’s time to become an email marketing GURU. Join 25,000+ marketers on November 6th & 7th. Don’t miss out!