In this episode of “The Third Party Show,” host Josh Silverbauer interviews Valentin Radu, a leading advocate for e-commerce experimentation.

They discuss the current state of e-commerce, the potential impact of AI, and Valentin’s unique journey as a serial entrepreneur. The episode also features several musical segments and a fun game relating business concepts to everyday activities.

Valentin Radu is the creator of Zero Benchmark, the founder of CVO Academy, and the author of “CLV Revolution”.

He is a lifelong experimenter and a leading advocate for experimentation in e-commerce. He shares his personal story, including the 17 jobs he had before becoming a business owner, which he says was fueled by a spirit of experimentation.

Markers with Scenes

00:00:01 – 00:01:57 – Intro and Sponsors Josh discusses ideas for the show, introduces the “Third Party Show,” and thanks the sponsor, ‪@PiwikPro‬ , a privacy-first analytics suite.

00:01:58 – 00:03:06 – The News Josh shares a few news headlines, including Anthropic paying authors for using their books to train AI, Google’s EU fight, and researchers discussing AI welfare.

00:03:07 – 00:03:45 – Guest Introduction Valentin Radu is introduced as the creator of CRO Benchmark, founder of CVO Academy, and author of “CLV Revolution”.

00:03:46 – 00:06:33 – The State of E-commerce Valentin discusses the current challenges and future of e-commerce, including the post-pandemic struggles and the changing behavior of consumers.

00:06:34 – 00:07:33 – The Problem with ROI Valentin explains why he thinks Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is a “stupid metric” and why companies should look beyond a single transaction.

00:07:34 – 00:09:59 – The Future of AI and Humans The conversation shifts to how AI will affect shopping and the potential for a “cyborg era” where humans have chips for instant access to information.

00:10:00 – 00:13:46 – Valentin’s Entrepreneurial Journey Valentin attempts to list his 17 jobs in one minute and talks about how his life of experimentation was born out of hunger and the desire to escape poverty.

00:13:47 – 00:15:59 – Game: Optimize Josh’s Life Valentin gives advice on a personal problem for Josh: getting his four-year-old son to go to bed earlier by stopping his naps at daycare.

00:16:00 – 00:19:55 – The Telenka Flute Valentin plays a Romanian flute called a “Telenka” and plays a bit of a Beatles song, followed by a musical segment featuring the instrument.

00:19:56 – 00:21:46 – Game: B2B Sales Valentin plays a game where he must relate the act of frying an egg to B2B sales.

00:21:47 – 00:24:18 – CRO Benchmark Song Josh plays a song he wrote about Valentin’s new software, CRO Benchmark.

00:24:19 – 00:26:36 – CRO Benchmark Demonstration Valentin demonstrates the CRO Benchmark tool, an AI-powered e-commerce audit platform that helps companies understand how they stack up against competitors.

00:26:37 – 00:27:32 – Omniconvert Valentin briefly explains his company, Omniconvert, which is an experimentation platform for e-commerce and omnichannel businesses.

00:27:33 – 00:29:25 – Jam Session and Outro The episode ends with a jam session between Josh and Valentin, and a final outro message.