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ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
“Make sure customer touch points are cohesive and the data is clean. The average brand has 20+ apps and there’s a lot of noise in that data. Removing that noise avoids wasted ad spend and drives more revenue.”
This episode explores the hidden challenges brands face turning high-pressure moments into commercial opportunity, while also building the operational discipline needed to scale. Our guest is Chris Sheard, Director or Ecommerce at sports brand Fanatics.
Chris has an interesting background, having previously been Ecommerce Director for Castore and Head of Ecommerce at CurrentBody during its rapid growth from £5 million online revenue to £50 million plus.
We cover three key growth topics:
- Key learnings from managing hype cycles around major sporting events like World Cups.
- From £5m to £100m: what breaks when ecommerce scales & how do you handle this effectively?
- The ecommerce team nobody sees: how to build an operating rhythm that actually drives revenue.
And of course, AI is mentioned 🙂
Fanatics operates a vertical commerce model. By controlling everything from exclusive manufacturing to direct sales, they have transformed from a traditional sports retailer into a multifaceted digital sports empire. They use real-time supply chains to turn sudden sports moments, like championship wins, into merchandise within hours. This “hot market” strategy captures sales at peak emotional engagement and reduces excess inventory risk.
We get into the reality of managing hype cycles around big fixtures, finals and player moments; they create huge spikes in demand but not all brands are ready to act fast. Chris explains that when the emotion disappears, the opportunity can vanish in seconds, so success depends on having the right stock, content, approvals and trading actions lined up in advance.
Chris was previously Head of Ecommerce at CurrentBody when they went through rapid growth. We discuss the hidden complexity of fast growth, including what breaks as businesses move from £5m to £50m and beyond. A major theme is the shift from hero-led growth to repeatable execution: at smaller stages, a few strong individuals can carry the business, but at scale the organisation needs robust processes, strong accountability and a clear operating rhythm.
We also delve into managing and maintaining teams through that change by setting transparent KPIs, running focused trading meetings, keeping communication candid and creating a culture where people understand both the numbers and the wider commercial context. The episode also reflects on recruitment and cultural fit, stressing that the right people need to be adaptable, commercially minded and able to thrive in a fast-changing environment.
In the obligatory nod to AI, we focus on AI as an enabler of better operations rather than a replacement for people, using it to remove repetitive tasks, improve analysis and help teams focus on higher-value work.
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