Disrupting the eCommerce Industry with Jason Nyhus of Shopware - EP008

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Meeting Jason Nyhus from Shopware

In this episode of eCommerce Masters, host Ethan Giffin welcomes Jason Nyhus, GM of Shopware North America, for an engaging conversation about the eCommerce landscape. Jason shares his 25-year journey in the industry, highlighting the lessons he’s learned and the unique value Shopware brings to merchants.

Learn about Shopware's positioning as a flexible alternative for mid-market merchants with complex needs—offering a customizable platform without the vendor lock-ins and rev-share structures of competitors. Jason emphasizes how Shopware's open-source approach allows merchants to "bring their own cloud" and reduce operational costs while gaining full control over their eCommerce ecosystem.

The conversation explores trends like the pendulum shift in hosting models, the growing resistance to rev-share models, and the nuanced needs of regulated industries. Jason also highlights the innovative "digital sales room," a tool designed to empower sales reps by merging relationship-building with eCommerce efficiency.

The episode concludes with practical growth advice: embrace global markets through merchant-of-record providers and focus on creating curated, personalized shopping experiences. Jason predicts the future of commerce will blend entertainment and curation, fostering deeper connections with customers.

Chapters:

Introduction and Jason's Path to eCommerce - 01:13
What is Shopware? - 03:25
Ideal Merchant Profile - 06:19
The Pendulum of Hosting Models - 08:53
Vendor Lock-in and Costs - 13:22
Outsourcing Innovation - 27:15
The Digital Sales Room - 30:22
Future of eCommerce - 38:21

Resources:

Shopware - https://www.shopware.com
Digital River - https://www.digitalriver.com
Shopify - https://www.shopify.com
Commerce Tools - https://commercetools.com
Basecamp - https://basecamp.com
Disney Plus - https://www.disneyplus.com
Netflix - https://www.netflix.com
Trunk Club - https://www.trunkclub.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com
Azure (Microsoft Azure) - https://azure.microsoft.com
AWS (Amazon Web Services) - https://aws.amazon.com
ShopPay Wallet - https://shop.app/pay
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) - https://www.hubspot.com (example)
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) - https://www.sap.com/products/erp.html (example)
CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) - https://www.salesforce.com/products/cpq/overview/ (example)
PIM (Product Information Management) - https://www.akeneo.com (example)
OpenAI - https://www.openai.com

About our Guest, Jason Nyhus

A local of the twin cities, serves as President of Shopware, a market leading open source commerce platform with over 50,000 clients, and enables retail brands to quickly scale their businesses and easily sell across every channel. He was previously SVP of sales, marketing and partnerships at Digital River. He is a highly accomplished sales, marketing and partnership leader with over 20 years of experience in industry.  His global expertise spans various product/service types, including SaaS, eCommerce, Cloud, and B2B, as well as several customer verticals, such as enterprise software, publishing, and consumer electronics.

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

About Our Host, Ethan Giffin

Ethan Giffin is the founder and CEO of Baltimore-based Groove Commerce, a premier eCommerce agency that helps mid-market brands design, build and grow their eCommerce sites.

Ethan is an industry expert in eCommerce, e-marketing, and the dynamic technologies behind them. For years, Ethan has lived and breathed conversion rates, search engine visibility, and web analytics.

When Ethan isn’t obsessing over SEO, conversion rates and eCommerce architecture at Groove Commerce, he can be found speaking as an industry authority, both nationally and internationally. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, traveling, DJing, and the pursuit of rare pocket squares.

Connect With Ethan on LinkedIn