Bathroom stalls are the new boardrooms ??

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You know things are officially off the rails in ecommerce when 17-year-old founders are sneaking off to school bathroom stalls to run product demos. Yep, that’s right – Liam Fuller , co-founder of CartShare, just blessed LinkedIn with a post that belongs in the.

It’s all part of the “building in public movement” where young founders pop up with a fresh problem to solve and zero filter to hold them back.

Liam is a great example. So is Hamish McKay from Order Editing, Jackson Mills at Mateship and Charlie Johnstone over at SuperOrder. And of course, don’t forget Liam Millward from Instant and Jack Bloomfield at Reshop, who at the ages of 20 and 22 might just be the OG’s of the movement - practically godfathers now.

(Come to think of it, there’s definitely an overrepresentation of young guys here. Is my algorithm failing me, or is this just young, male confidence? Also, do you have to be young and have an old white man’s name to qualify? Anyway, that’s a topic for another day.)

They know how to work a LinkedIn algorithm. Forget the old “I’m excited to be…” or “Proud to announce…” posts – these guys are serving up raw, unfiltered, and occasionally self-serving content that’s as entertaining as it is marketing shark bait.

And most of the time, they are 100% truly genuine. This isn’t just a social media spectacle. I’ve had more than a few of these guys reach out to connect and share their journey. I love trading ideas with them.

It’s a whole new way of building, miles away from the old-school product development and sales cycles. There’s no old-school two hour slideshow pony dances followed by expensive steak lunches here. It’s bold, it’s messy, and I am here for it. It’s exciting to see a generation coming through without fear, open minds, and ready to shake things up.

And while it’s fun to see this new wave of founders shake things up, I have huge respect for the brands who stay curious and take a chance on them. We’re talking about early adopters like The Oodie , Kings Of Neon , and DECJUBA . As we heard on the pod, Nakie ’s founders were so into Order Editing that they invested in it. These are the retail brands providing the fuel – and the learning curves – that these young entrepreneurs need to either scale, pivot or even start over.

So yeah, I’m seriously considering swapping my son’s Roblox app for LinkedIn. I’ll tell him to pause before posting from the bathroom though.

Cheers, Bushy

ECOMMERCE NEWS

?? Google’s AI Overview Ads: Coming Soon to a Search Near You?

We recently shared that Google’s AI overview was being tested in Australia. 谷歌 is now offering US advertisers integrated ad spots in their AI-generated overview results. Advertisers using Shopping, Performance Max, or anything powered by AI in search, are automatically eligible to appear in AI search results.

For us here in Australia, this could be a significant opportunity when it opens up. With Google prioritising AI content at the top of search results, you’ll miss a lot of eyeballs if you aren’t amongst it. If you’ve got a VPN and want to experiment with these US-only features, start testing now.

Circonomy Stops Spinning: What hope does the circular economy have?

In sad news this week, Circonomy (formerly World’s Biggest Garage Sale) has gone into voluntary administration with founder Yas Grigaliunas citing “the nation’s retail downturn” as the main reason.

I’m a huge fan of Yas and everything she’s done for the circular economy—she’s a good friend and one of our earliest podcast guests. And while this feels like a gut punch for sustainability advocates, it also raises a bigger question: if we can’t make the circular economy work in a cost-of-living crisis, what’s going to happen when things pick up and there’s more disposable income available for overseas marketplaces?

Part of me worries that we’re hitting a wall with making sustainability profitable in retail. But the other part of me knows people like Yas are built to bounce back. I know we’ll see her tackling retail sustainability in a whole new way soon. She’s ahead of her time.

Nominate Now: The Top 50 People in Ecommerce for 2025

It's back! The Top 50 People in Ecommerce for 2025 is officially open for nominations, and I’m thrilled to be one of the judges this year. I had a chat with Inside Retail Australia ’s Managing Editor, Heather McIlvaine , last week and she is really keen to find all the hidden gems who are making a big impact— it doesn’t have to be the usual suspects.

So, if you know someone in your network who’s doing amazing things in ecommerce, now’s the time to give them the shout-out they deserve. You can get nominating here.

?New Benchmarks for CX Excellence

In my post-holiday link dump last week, I missed a pretty exciting update. Mystery shopping platform, humii , has partnered with Inside Retail Australia (trust me, they are not sponsoring me this week) to make their Online CX Index publicly available.

As of now, Adore Beauty Group , Bed Threads , and LSKD are setting the bar for the best online CX. If you’re curious about how your brand stacks up or are looking for fresh inspiration, this index is one to keep an eye on… or find new podcast guests.

?Ocado's New Category: Buy Women Built

Online UK grocer, Ocado Retail , has mixed up their merchandising with a Buy Women Built category. It’s a curated space that highlights female founders, with brands like Pip & Nut, RENOURISH, and Deliciously Ella leading the charge. I didn’t spot any Australian brands on the list just… yet.

I’m a big fan of this kind of purposeful category creation. Ocado is showing that with a little creativity, you can highlight purposeful product selection and keep things fresh for shoppers - all without spending an extra dollar.

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JOIN US AT THE ECOMMERCE SOCIAL: MELBOURNE EDITION

Less than two weeks to go! Melbournites, join us at the Ecommerce Social next Thursday 17th October at the Corner Bar in Richmond. $20 entry gets you an expert panel, a bar tab and lots of interesting folk in one room.

Buy tickets

NEW EPISODES

How Keira Rumble Transformed Health Challenges into Krumbled Group and Three Thriving Brands | #452

From her Bondi kitchen to Sephora’s bootcamps, Keira Rumble has created an incredible portfolio of brands including Krumbled Foods , Habitual Beauty and mini & me. And she’s got some pretty wild stories from the journey so far!

Danny Chia from Kelly+Partners Accountants | Checkout # 451

Danny Chiha shares why Muscle Republic and Geed Up are amongst his favourite retailers, how the book Working Backwards has impacted him and how he’s trying to bring sexy back to accounting.

THAT’S IT FOR THIS WEEK!

I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to hit me up on LinkedIn.

WORK WITH NATHAN

Nathan Bush is an independent Australian ecommerce transformation consultant, with expertise in marketing, technology, and team leadership. If you're looking for fresh ideas, facing key decisions, or implementing significant investments, I'd love to work with you. Learn more and get in touch.?