eCommerce Masters

Meeting Dave Santiago of Cutter & Buck
In this episode of the eCommerce Masters Podcast, host Ethan Giffin engages with Dave Santiago, VP of Omni Channel and Corporate Sales at Cutter & Buck. Santiago, with a rich background in consumer goods and digital sectors, dives into Cutter & Buck's transition from a golf-centric brand to a premium lifestyle label with long-lasting, consumer-favorite products. Their discussion centers around the brand's pivot towards Omni Channel sales, ensuring their offerings resonate across diverse consumer bases, from corporate to retail.Santiago shares insights into the innovative direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategies that propelled Cutter & Buck's growth, particularly through licensed and on-demand decorated products. A standout moment comes as Santiago reflects on the evolution of Cutter & Buck's D2C focus, highlighting the significant shift from an experimental phase to a core component of their sales strategy, aiming for D2C to comprise 15% of total sales within five years. 
The conversation delves into the challenges and triumphs of integrating technology and sustainability, which are just pieces of Cutter & Buck's commitment to environmental responsibility. The episode not only showcases Cutter & Buck's innovative approaches to eCommerce and Omni Channel sales but also offers listeners valuable lessons in resilience, adaptation, and strategic growth in eCommerce.
Quotes From The Show
"We develop products that we believe will appeal and apply to all channel end users and consumers."- Dave Santiago, 00:05:04"Our go-to-market strategy is, everything we do is about creating great products and solutions for the end user and consumer."- Dave Santiago, 00:04:47"We have a very consumer-centric view and end-user view, which is interchangeable to us."- Dave Santiago, 00:04:18"The overall revenue US for Cutter & Buck is about 150 million this year... approaching 200 to 250 million in 2024."- Dave Santiago, 00:03:40"It's a really cool role to play because it's never dull. And it's all about engaging consumers."- Dave Santiago, 00:05:38"We found great efficiency, enhanced profitability, better user experience by making that digital commitment."- Dave Santiago, 00:21:07
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction to eCommerce Mastery04:08 - The Journey Begins: Trailblazers' Stories08:17 - Strategies for Success in eCommerce12:26 - Overcoming Challenges in the Digital Marketplace16:35 - Innovation and Evolution in eCommerce20:44 - Building a Brand: Insights from the Masters24:53 - Future Trends in eCommerce: What's Next?
Resources
Cutter & Buck Website: https://cutterbuck.com/Cutter & Buck Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutterandbuck/ Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandravonparis/BigCommerce: https://www.bigcommerce.com/Klaviyo: https://www.klaviyo.com/
About our Guest, Dave Santiago
Dave is a VP of Sales at Cutter & Buck, a premium apparel brand that offers products for golf, sports, and lifestyle consumers. He has over 20 years of experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods, Softlines, and Digital Online sectors, where he has consistently delivered revenue growth, profitability, and customer satisfaction.He leads the Omni Channel Sales Division, which aims to make the brand's products universally available to consumers at every imaginable point of engagement, from retail stores and online marketplaces to corporate and promotional distributors. He is responsible for developing and executing the overarching strategies and OKRs that ensure scalable and sustainable long-term growth, leveraging his expertise in digital marketing, e-commerce operations, product launch, and cross-channel sales team management. He is also a skilled negotiator and communicator who has closed multi-million dollar deals with Fortune companies and built high-performance teams. Dave is driven by creativity, leadership, and challenge, and thrives on expanding the company's reach and impact.
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesantiago/
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 on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethangiffin/

Ethan Giffin talks with Ali von Paris of Route 1 Apparel about transforming a viral college project into a thriving Maryland pride brand. Launching with a single t-shirt tribute to a closed bar, Route 1 Apparel has grown into a diverse product line embodying state pride, from university gear to Maryland flag designs and innovative items like the Old Bay Travel Tin.
They touch on the pivotal COVID-19 response, where Ali's quick pivot to producing face masks resulted in a tenfold business growth and significant community support, marking a memorable moment when the governor publicly endorsed their masks. Ali shares insights into the eCommerce tech stack critical to her success, highlighting the synergy between Shopify, Klaviyo, and ShipStation in streamlining operations and enhancing customer engagement.
This conversation sheds light on the challenges of entrepreneurship, the importance of community, and the strategic decisions that drive eCommerce growth. ​
Quotes From The Show
"I started the business when I was 19 by accident... I was paying my way through school and working at the Thirsty Turtle... it was forced to shut down and I was pretty devastated." -Ali von Paris, 00:01:37"I launched [the design] on my Facebook page and it went viral... initially it was just a t-shirt design, but I very quickly realized I was making a business out of it." -Ali von Paris, 00:02:10"A few weeks before it was mandated federally to wear face masks, I started seeing an influx and people buying bandanas, surgical caps. Fanny packs... And I was stuck thinking I didn't want to sell water during a fire." -Ali von Paris, 00:07:03"The governor wore a mask on a national press conference and name-dropped us... It was the first time in history our Shopify website actually crashed." -Ali von Paris, 00:08:13"My first licensing deal... was with my alma mater University of Maryland... I was making off-brand collegiate clothing... and Joe [the licensing director] reached out to me very kindly and said, 'Hey, I love the designs you're doing, let's get you a license legally.'" -Ali von Paris, 00:17:48
Chapters
00:05 - Introductions01:35 - Ali's start as an "accidental entrepreneur" 05:35 - Route One's COVID-19 challenges09:35 - The famed Maryland flag Sequined Jacket17:14 - Getting her first licensing agreement24:47 - What's next for Ali?
Resources
eCommerce Masters: https://www.groovecommerce.com/ecommerce-blog/how-ali-von-paris-of-route-one-apparel-rode-maryland-pride-to-ecommerce-success-ep-001/Groove Commerce: https://www.groovecommerce.com/Route One Website: https://www.routeoneapparel.com/Route One On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/routeoneapparel/ Ali on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alivonparisAli on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandravonparis/Ship Station: https://www.shipstation.com/Klaviyo: https://www.klaviyo.com/Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/
Connect With Ali von Paris:
Ali von Paris is the owner and founder of Route One Apparel, originally created in 2010 from within her dorm room while still an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland. Beyond her business, she serves on many boards, volunteers her time at speaking events, and in her spare time, loves to travel & spend time with her family and fur babies.
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandravonparis/
Connect With 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 on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethangiffin/