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THE MILK BOTTLE ECOMMERCE SHOW · 22 EPISODES
Ireland's ecommerce market has changed faster than most. The pandemic pushed Irish consumers online at a pace that caught many physical-first retailers off guard, and the businesses that had invested in their online infrastructure before that moment were the ones who captured the wave. Since then, the conversation has shifted: the question is no longer whether to sell online, but how to build an online channel that genuinely grows the business rather than just mirroring the shop floor.
Irish ecommerce has its own character. The domestic market is small but fiercely loyal — Irish consumers actively seek out Irish brands when they find quality and trust. The export opportunity is real, especially to the UK (post-Brexit complexity aside) and the US where Irish heritage and craft carry genuine premium appeal. Shopify's multi-currency and multi-language tools through Shopify Markets make that cross-border reach more accessible than it's ever been.
The challenges are also specific: VAT and IOSS compliance for EU and UK sales, smaller average order volumes than US-focused benchmarks assume, and a retail landscape where physical presence still drives online discovery. The most successful Irish Shopify merchants we've spoken with have treated online and in-store as one business, not two.
This podcast has featured Irish founders across categories — pharmacy, fashion, food, wellness, automotive, jewellery and sports — who have built real digital businesses on Shopify. Their stories aren't hypotheticals; they're operational realities from people running Irish companies on Irish roads, with Irish staff and Irish customers. If you're building or growing an Irish ecommerce business, these conversations are the most direct evidence of what's actually working.
EPISODES
Episode #111
In a supplement market bursting at the seams, science beats hype every time. Dr. Daniel Jones, formulation expert and co-founder of AtOne, shares what it really takes to build a supplement brand that stands out: rigorous science, a genuine understanding of what consumers need, and a refusal to cut corners.
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Episode #109
Vicki O'Callaghan of Babyboo.ie joins the Shopify with Milk Bottle podcast to share how she replatformed her Irish baby and kids store from WordPress to Shopify — the migration process, cleaning and importing store data, customising the theme, and protecting SEO and sales through the switch.
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Episode #104
In August 2023, we were honoured to welcome Ciaran Crean, co-founder of MicksGarage.com, as our guest. MicksGarage.com is an Irish-based eCommerce business that has made a significant impact in the eCommerce sector worldwide and its founders are regarded as eCommerce pioneers. Ciaran hails from the
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Episode #95
MicksGarage.com, an Irish-based eCommerce business, has made a significant impact in the eCommerce sector worldwide and its founders are regarded as eCommerce pioneers. Co-founder Ciaran Crean joins us today to discuss his newest endeavour, Wave OMS, which is rapidly growing in the warehouse manag
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Episode #90
Let's listen to the career journeys of three women who have made an impact in the Shopify ecosystem. Anne Thomas, co-founder of the Design Packs app, helps merchants extend their theme's functionality by adding new sections and page templates. Lisa Popovici, a former med student, founded Cartloop, a
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Episode #88
Let's listen back to how these 3 successful entrepreneurs got started. Louise Stokes, a talented jewellery designer and businesswoman, shares her journey from New York intern to top of the jewellery scene in Ireland. The owner of Meaghers Pharmacy Group, Oonagh O'Hagan, who established the brand as
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Episode #87
In early 2021, Keith interviewed Shane Byrne, who was then serving as Head of Marketing at Fresh the Good Food Market. Shane shared an inspiring story about how Fresh transitioned to Shopify rapidly. This particular episode turned out to be one of the most popular downloads in 2021 continues to be
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Episode #84
Klara O’Leary is the founder of Shopify online-based business Care Box Collection. Care Box Collection is an Irish gift company that provides meaningful and affordable online, retail and corporate clients across Ireland, the UK and the EU - and it is built on Shopify.
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Episode #81
Niamh Tallon is the founder of HerSport.ie, a concept developed after seeing the disparity between the media coverage of female and male athletes.
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Episode #79
Louise Stokes is the founder of Loulerie, a boutique jewellery store situated in Dublin's city centre, which is run 100% on Shopify & Shopify POS. Keith welcomes Louise back for a second time to discuss her business and the challenges over the past two years since they last spoke.
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Episode #72
Keith chats with Laura Dowling who has just launched fabÜwellness.com on Shopify. fabÜ is the result of Laura’s fascination with the wonderful powers of plants, herbs and mushrooms from across the world and took 5 years to bring to market.
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Episode #71
Kevin Traynor is a senior B2B marketer and founder of eComm Live & the Irish eComm Awards which will take place on September 23rd at The Mansion House in Dublin. Keith chats to Kevin about his past, eComm Live & this year's awards.
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Episode #62
Inventor, designer, entrepreneur and now Shopify merchant, meet Susan Furniss Radley Founder of Dust + Rock, creator of the original wrist pocket. We catch up with Susan to learn how she is finding selling online with Shopify and the opportunities she's creating to sell more.
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Episode #59
A merchant special with Stephen Jiang, Founder and MD of Fervor + Hue, an interior homeware brand based in Cork. As the pandemic unravelled Fervor + Hue concentrated on making their ecommerce offering a sustainable business and they haven't looked back since.
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Episode #56
As a former barrister and senator, Lorraine Higgins channelled her experience into setting up Digital Business Ireland. A representative body that is made up of 4,000 digital businesses across a range of sectors in Ireland. Learn about how DBI can benefit and support your online business.
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Episode #55
Paul Healion is Co-founder & President of 1Rockwell, a full service digital agency in New York City. Paul chats to Keith about his career path that took him to NYC and running a successful agency in one of the busiest and vibrant cities in the world.
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Episode #51
Part 2 of a merchant special with Oonagh O'Hagan from Meagher's Pharmacy Group. Oonagh chats keeping customers at the core of what Meagher's Pharmacy do and how that helped the digital side of the business grow.
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Episode #49
A 2 part merchant special with Oonagh O'Hagan, Owner and Managing Director of Meagher's Pharmacy Group. A business that grew from one store to 8 branches with an invaluable online store.
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Episode #41
Shane Byrne from Fresh The Good Food Market chats to us about setting up an online store. When the pandemic hit there was uncertainty whether the business would be opened or closed. The big question asked was how quick could they go online?
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Episode #40
Kerrigans is a long established family-run craft butchers in Ireland. An early innovator of fresh online delivery, Barry Kerrigan chats about the opportunities presented by having an online store that compliments their walk-in shops.
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Episode #21
Louise Stokes is the founder of Loulerie, a boutique jewellery store situated in Dublin. This episode is a great listen for any business owner who wants to know more about having an online store that compliments your bricks and mortar shop.
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We chat with Donagh Quigley, founder of The Handmade Soap Company. Donagh shares some great start up tales. A small business that grew from the kitchen table to selling globally on the Shopify platform.
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Milk Bottle Labs is a Shopify agency based in Dublin. We work with Irish and international merchants on irish ecommerce — from strategy through to implementation.
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