Liam Yeates, Exactly.com
Liam Yeates, Payments Leader, Exactly.com
Liam Yeates discusses the disadvantages small and medium-sized businesses face within the payments industry, arguing that many providers have increasingly prioritised larger mid-market and enterprise merchants. He explains how SMEs can face higher transaction fees, slower settlements, rolling reserves and limited access to the support they need to scale. At Exactly.com, the focus is on helping businesses of all sizes accept online payments with fair fees, a fair attitude and real human support, while improving cash flow through better rates, shorter settlement terms and security requirements that don’t unnecessarily tie up capital.
The conversation also explores the importance of getting the checkout experience right. Liam highlights how businesses can overlook local payment preferences and miss opportunities by failing to understand how customers in different markets want to pay. He also discusses the growing influence of AI, while stressing that smaller businesses should not automatically follow every new technology trend. Instead, he encourages businesses to speak to payment, logistics and inventory providers, build strong relationships with their partners and focus on solutions that genuinely support growth.
Natia Bichiashvili, FEME
Natia Bichiashvili, Marketing and Digital Manager, FEME
Natia Bichiashvili explains how technology has transformed FEME’s operations, particularly across logistics, order processing, data and marketing. However, she highlights the continuing importance of the human touch when presenting products online, particularly in the hair and beauty sector. Customers want to see authentic images and videos that demonstrate how products look and move in real life, helping them understand what they are buying and building confidence in the product before completing a purchase.
The discussion also explores how AI is changing e-commerce search behaviour. Natia explains that customers are increasingly using AI to describe their individual requirements and receive product recommendations, rather than simply searching through traditional search engines. She discusses the growing importance of generative engine optimisation and the need for marketing teams to understand how AI discovers and evaluates product information. She also highlights the challenge of providing customers with a wide choice of payment methods while managing the operational complexity and costs that come with supporting multiple payment systems.
Olivier Geraghty, Sleekr
Olivier Geraghty, Co-Founder and CEO, Sleekr
Olivier Geraghty discusses how Sleekr is building infrastructure for luxury aftercare across footwear, bags, watches and accessories, with a focus on everything that happens after the initial purchase. He explains that brands have traditionally concentrated heavily on acquisition and selling more products, while there is a significant opportunity to create longer-term value through accessible repair, restoration and maintenance services. Building trust is central to this process, particularly when customers are entrusting high-value and emotionally significant possessions to a service provider.
The conversation also explores how aftercare data can provide valuable product intelligence for luxury brands and manufacturers. By analysing how products fail, how long they last and which components require repair or replacement, Sleekr can provide insights that could influence future product development and material choices. Olivier also discusses the potential to integrate aftercare into resale marketplaces, allowing products to be repaired before being sold or giving buyers the option to arrange repairs as part of the purchasing journey. He emphasises that, despite the growing use of technology and AI, human interaction remains particularly important when dealing with high-value products and discerning customers.
Ben Cons, Owner, French Bedroom
Ben Cons, Owner, Director and Head of Special Projects, French Bedroom
Ben Cons discusses how French Bedroom has continued to evolve its e-commerce and payments strategy while maintaining a close focus on customer needs. The business has introduced additional payment options including Klarna and Clearpay, alongside different consumer finance products, with the aim of making purchases more convenient and supporting conversion. Ben also highlights the importance of working with forward-looking fintech partners that can help retailers identify and adopt emerging payment technologies, while recognising the regulatory and operational considerations involved.
The conversation also examines how AI is changing product discovery and search. Ben explains that retailers increasingly need to provide detailed, structured product information that allows AI platforms to understand the context behind what customers are looking for and recommend relevant products. However, he stresses that the fundamentals of e-commerce remain critical. Clear product descriptions, accurate dimensions, strong imagery, transparent returns policies and comprehensive product data continue to build customer confidence, while also providing the information AI platforms need to understand and recommend products. He also highlights the importance of human customer service at French Bedroom, where customers can speak directly to knowledgeable staff rather than relying solely on automated systems.
Alex Burton, Garden Furniture Centre
Alex Burton, E-commerce and Marketing Executive, Garden Furniture Centre
Alex Burton discusses his journey from photography into e-commerce and marketing at the Garden Furniture Centre, where he has been involved in a wide-ranging transformation of the company’s digital operation. This includes platform migrations, changes to email marketing and an overhaul of payments, with e-commerce now playing a central role in the business. He explains that AI is increasingly becoming a focus, particularly as customers begin using platforms such as ChatGPT and other AI tools to discover products.
The conversation also highlights the importance of trust throughout the customer journey, particularly when selling higher-value products. Alex explains that customers want familiar payment options such as PayPal, Klarna and Clearpay, while payment preferences can vary according to factors including age and device. With customers often researching products on mobile but completing purchases on desktop, he highlights the importance of understanding how different audiences behave at each stage of the journey. Looking ahead, Alex is focused on improving the Garden Furniture Centre’s visibility across AI-powered search and recommendation platforms.
David Chapman, Thumb Soldiers
David Chapman, Founder, Thumb Soldiers
David Chapman explains how Thumb Soldiers is developing customisable gaming controller attachments designed to provide greater precision, comfort and control, alongside an accessibility range for gamers with different physical needs. He discusses the challenges of scaling a distinctive product in a competitive market and highlights the importance of staying positive, building relationships and remaining open to the possibility of new opportunities. David also describes the role of advisors, marketing professionals and creators in helping the business develop its network and communicate its proposition to a wider audience.
The conversation focuses heavily on simplicity and human connection. David explains that customers respond best when the route from product need to solution is straightforward, particularly when a business offers a wide range of products that require carefully segmented messaging. He also discusses how Thumb Soldiers uses AI within its marketing while maintaining human oversight, arguing that AI-generated content can feel generic without a clear human brief and strategy behind it. Customer service remains particularly important because the company’s products are unfamiliar to many customers, making one-to-one communication an important part of explaining the products, building trust and ultimately supporting conversion.
Closing Summary
Across the episode, a common theme emerges around the balance between technology and human connection in modern e-commerce. AI is transforming how customers discover products, how businesses market themselves and how retailers think about search, while payment providers and merchants continue to introduce new ways to make transactions faster and more convenient.
