Episode Number:

89

September 14, 2026

In this episode of The eCom Growth Show, Danan Coleman talks with Tom Cochrane, Founder & CEO of Eleviam, about what changes when the people managing an Amazon account have put their own capital, inventory, and profit on the line.

Before building an agency, Tom built an Amazon operation. After deploying more than $5 million of his own capital into inventory, he learned firsthand that profitable growth is not just about ads or attractive listings. It is about cash flow, inventory planning, conversion, customer education, and hundreds of small operating decisions that compound over time.

Tom explains why Eleviam is an Amazon operation that built an agency, not a marketing company that learned Amazon, and how brands can use that operator mindset to build a stronger foundation across Amazon, TikTok Shop, and beyond.

Meet Tom: The Operator Behind Eleviam

Tom Cochrane is the Founder & CEO of Eleviam, an Amazon-first growth accelerator that helps CPG brands manage Amazon, TikTok Shop, and other marketplace opportunities as one connected operation.

Before Eleviam, Tom was a sales director in CPG and medical devices. He later moved into Amazon wholesale, investing his own capital to buy inventory, earn exclusive relationships with brands, and improve the listings, review experience, advertising, and operations that drove their growth.

That work led to referrals from brands asking Tom and his team to bring the same hands-on approach to their accounts. Eleviam grew from there, built around the belief that every strategy should be tested against a real profit-and-loss statement before it is recommended to a client.

An Agency Built From the Operator Side

Many agencies begin with marketing services and add Amazon expertise later. Tom’s path went in the opposite direction.

  • He first worked directly with brands as an Amazon wholesale partner, often buying inventory and operating the business with real capital at risk.
  • His team earned exclusivity by improving product pages, understanding the customer journey, investing in advertising, and helping brands grow.
  • Over time, brands referred other brands looking for the same level of execution, turning the operation into a full-service agency.

That background changes the questions Eleviam asks. Instead of focusing only on impressions, click-through rate, or ad efficiency, the team looks at the full operating picture: contribution margin, cash flow, lead times, inventory velocity, returns, and what it takes to keep products in stock.

Big Idea: Growth only matters when the economics behind it work. A higher sales number is not automatically a healthier business.

What $5 Million in Inventory Teaches You

Putting money into inventory creates a very different kind of discipline. Tom points out that brands need to understand not only how much product to send to Amazon, but how every inventory choice affects cash flow and profitability.

  • Protect in-stock performance. Running out of stock is one of the most damaging mistakes a growing Amazon brand can make. Plan inventory around historical sales, Prime events, Q4 demand, and every growth lever you intend to pull.
  • Know the full replenishment cycle. Lead times from manufacturers, packaging decisions, inbound shipping, Amazon receiving, and sales velocity all affect how quickly cash returns to the business.
  • Optimize the logistics details. A change in case pack or inbound method may cost more upfront but improve regional availability, delivery speed, and the customer experience.
  • Negotiate supplier terms. Net 30, net 60, or net 90 terms can give a brand time to sell inventory before the full payment is due. Strong terms can become a real source of working capital.
  • Look for incremental gains. A few points saved in financing, shipping, conversion, or ad efficiency can be meaningful when they are applied across the business.
Takeaway: Treat inventory as a financial system, not simply a purchasing task. The brands that scale safely know what they can sell, when they can replenish, and how long their capital will be tied up.

Better Listings Start With Customer Evidence

Tom’s approach to Amazon listing optimization is not based on making a page look prettier. It is based on identifying what shoppers need to understand before they feel comfortable buying.

  • Review data can reveal the product’s biggest conversion drivers, customer objections, return reasons, and education gaps.
  • AI can help summarize thousands of reviews quickly, but the opportunity lies in turning those insights into better imagery, copy, and sequencing.
  • If shoppers misunderstand sizing, ingredients, or how to use a product, address that concern before it turns into a return or negative review.
  • Build the product-detail-page journey intentionally. The order of images can affect what shoppers see, what they question, and whether they continue toward conversion.

Tom recommends testing one change at a time. Replacing an entire image stack may feel productive, but it makes it harder to identify what actually improved performance. A controlled A/B test, such as changing one image, moving a key benefit, or adding clearer usage guidance, creates learning that can be used again.

Smart Play: Do not rebuild a listing because it looks old. Start with the metrics and customer feedback, then test the specific change most likely to remove friction.

Amazon Is the Trust Layer of Omnichannel Commerce

As customer acquisition gets more expensive, brands cannot depend on one channel alone. Tom sees TikTok Shop, creator content, and other channels as powerful ways to create awareness, but Amazon remains a central place where many shoppers validate the purchase.

  • TikTok can create discovery, emotion, and curiosity around a product.
  • Amazon often captures the high-intent shopper who wants to compare price, check reviews, and confirm that the product is legitimate.
  • The message, product positioning, and creative used on social channels should be reflected on Amazon so shoppers recognize the same product when they search.
  • The effect may not be immediate. A shopper may see several creator videos before going to Amazon later to make the purchase.

This is the TikTok Shop halo effect in action: content creates demand at the top of the funnel, while Amazon can convert that demand when the brand’s presence is clear and credible.

Insight: Multi-channel does not mean treating every channel as a separate strategy. It means making each channel reinforce the same customer journey.

Do Not Let Competitors Steal Your Demand

Creating demand is expensive. Once a shopper searches for your brand on Amazon, the last thing you want is for a competitor to intercept them.

Tom calls the solution “self-defense” advertising: protecting branded search and product-detail-page real estate so that the customer you worked to attract still sees your products first.

  • Run advertising on your branded keywords so competitors do not dominate the search results for your own name.
  • Use product targeting to cross-promote relevant products from your own catalog on your listings.
  • Make sure the brand name is visible and recognizable in the places that matter, including the title when it supports the broader brand-building strategy.
  • Carry the same messaging from TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, or other top-of-funnel content through to your Amazon listing.
Key Move: Think of Amazon as the final stretch of the funnel. Protect it with the same care you put into creating awareness in the first place.

The Most Common Multi-Channel Mistake

Brands often expand before their foundation is ready. They add TikTok Shop, invest in creators, or push more traffic to Amazon while their listings still leave key customer questions unanswered.

Tom’s advice is to make Amazon and DTC the foundation, then amplify what is already working.

  • Review conversion rate, click-through rate, unit session percentage, TACoS, ACOS, ROAS, contribution margin, and profit at the ASIN level.
  • Use review and return feedback to find the objections your listing is not answering.
  • Confirm that your images, copy, A+ Content, and advertising are all reinforcing the same product story.
  • Fix the leaks before increasing the flow of traffic. More ad spend will only amplify a weak customer experience.

The strongest multi-channel strategy is not about being everywhere. It is about ensuring that every touchpoint gives a customer the confidence to take the next step.

Pro Tip: Do not pour more traffic into a leaky bucket. First make sure your Amazon presence can convert the attention your other channels create.

AI Makes the Data More Usable, Not the Strategy Automatic

The data needed to improve an Amazon business has existed for years. What has changed is the speed at which teams can access it, organize it, and turn it into action.

Tom shares how AI and connected tools can help teams:

  • Analyze large volumes of review data for sentiment, conversion drivers, and blockers.
  • Forecast inventory needs based on sales velocity and fee data.
  • Flag suppressed listings, Buy Box loss, declining click-through rate, and shipment discrepancies.
  • Produce clearer creative briefs and test ideas faster than traditional manual workflows.

But faster tools do not replace judgment. Brands still need people who understand the product, the customer, the economics, and the outcome they are trying to create.

Actionable Insight: Use AI to shorten the time from signal to decision. Use experienced operators to decide which signals actually matter.

Connect With Tom Cochrane

Final Thoughts

The best Amazon growth strategies are rarely built around one tactic. They are built around a disciplined operating system: protect cash flow, keep inventory in stock, listen to customer feedback, improve the listing one meaningful test at a time, and make every channel work toward the same brand promise.

Tom’s story is a reminder that the most useful marketplace strategy is one that can survive a real P&L. When you understand the operational cost behind every decision, you can build growth that is not only faster, but more durable.

Stay tuned for more episodes of The eCom Growth Show, where Amazon operators and ecommerce leaders share the systems behind profitable, multi-channel growth.