Rick Watson is the CEO and Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting, which provides eCommerce strategy consulting to help businesses accelerate their go-to-market processes. Rick founded the company after spending more than 20 years as a technology entrepreneur and operator in the eCommerce industry with companies including ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, and Pitney Bowes.  During a partnership with WHP Global, he was a critical resource in architecting the WHP+ platform, a turnkey DTC digital eCommerce platform powering AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com. Rick hosts The Watson Weekly podcast, where he shares his unbiased, expert take on the retail sector’s biggest news and executives. As a television and conference speaker, he has been featured on national news programs and many retail-focused industry events. In this episode… Amazon Prime Day results predict how well the company will perform in Q4. If Prime Day sales are strong, it suggests that consumers are spending money and that Amazon is still a popular destination for online shopping. A lucrative Prime Day could lead to substantial sales in Q4, which is typically the most critical quarter for retailers. However, Rick Watson, an eCommerce strategist, explains there are other factors to consider when interpreting Prime Day results. Prime Day is a promotional event that can be a false indicator of how well Amazon will perform regularly. To remain ahead of the competition, the retailer must consider that its competitors will likely offer deep discounts, too. In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes the Founder and CEO of RMW Commerce Consulting, Rick Watson, back to the podcast for a holiday preview of Q4. Rick and Aaron also address growth trajectories for Amazon and brick-and-mortar, how deep discounts affect company profitability, and how re-platforming affects integration and headless eCommerce.