Episode 586 Order Entry and Customer Experience in E-commerce With Hamish McKay

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Show Summary

The SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns, focuses on business, life, and digital marketing, with a particular emphasis on WordPress. This episode features an interview with Hamish McKay, co-founder of Ordered Editing.com, a software solution for Shopify e-commerce brands. McKay discusses how his experience in a chaotic internship led him to identify a critical customer service gap: the inability for customers to easily edit orders post-purchase. His company’s product addresses this by allowing self-service modifications, significantly reducing support tickets and enhancing customer satisfaction. The conversation also explores the product’s features, pricing, development, and marketing strategies, highlighting the value of empowering customers and streamlining operations in the e-commerce landscape.

Show Notes

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Guest: Hamish McKay, Co-Founder of Order Editing

Host: Rob Cairns

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Key Takeaways & Discussion Points

• From Internship Chaos to a Solution: Hamish McKay shares his journey from a chaotic internship at a merchandising house for YouTubers to co-founding Order Editing. Initially tasked with customer service, he discovered a major pain point: the overwhelming number of support tickets for simple order changes.
• The Genesis of Order Editing: After becoming a customer service manager at 21, Hamish realized his team spent most of their time on mundane tasks like changing addresses, sizes, or canceling orders. This led to a “light bulb” moment: why not empower the customer to do it themselves? Order Editing was born as an internal tool to solve this problem before evolving into a full-fledged business.
• The Incompetence Problem: The conversation highlights a fundamental flaw in many e-commerce operations, particularly on platforms like Shopify. While major retailers like Amazon and Temu offer seamless self-service options, many Shopify stores tell customers, “Sorry, we can’t make changes to your order.” This not only creates a poor customer experience but also makes the brand appear incompetent and lazy.
• Transforming Customer Support: By automating these simple requests, Order Editing doesn’t just save money on support costs; it dramatically improves employee morale. Instead of handling low-value, unappreciated tasks, support agents can focus on complex issues where they can genuinely help customers and be appreciated for their efforts.
• A Gold-Standard Business Model: Hamish discusses the pricing model for Order Editing, which is based on a store’s order volume, ensuring the cost scales with the value the product delivers. The best form of marketing for the company has been word of mouth and having customers discover the product on other sites. The “K-factor” is at play, where a customer of one store sees the seamless order editing feature and immediately wants it for their own brand.
• Future Roadmap: Hamish shares a sneak peek into upcoming features, including world-class address validation and interactive email software. The goal is to allow customers to update their orders directly from an email, further streamlining the post-purchase experience and creating more opportunities for upselling and cross-selling.
• The Human Touch of a CEO: Hamish emphasizes the importance of staying connected to customers. Despite the company’s growth, he spends significant time on calls with brands, gathering direct feedback to inform product development. This hands-on approach ensures the product continues to solve real-world problems for its users.

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Connect with the Guest & Company

• Hamish McKay’s LinkedIn: Hamish McKay
• Order Editing Website: orderediting.com