Essays

Long-form pieces to help me make sense of and shape the world.

Redefining the Digital Value Chain for Multi-Brand Retail

Published on December 4, 2024 · 11 mins

Price wars won't save multi-brand retail—but becoming a tastemaker will.

Digital Product Passports and Retail’s New Growth Opportunity

Published on July 24, 2024 · 6 mins

Digital fingerprints for products are reshaping retail—not just for compliance, but as gateways to richer customer experiences and untapped market opportunities.

Span of control

Published on June 10, 2024 · 5 mins

Pain shot through his hand as the box burned, but in that agony Paul glimpsed a truth: sometimes survival means surrendering control to forces we don't fully understand.

Holding the space

Published on April 18, 2024 · 6 mins

Dave bought everyone Calm subscriptions before stressful launches. That was just his style - making space for greatness in the most unexpected ways.

The Ultimate Guide to E-Commerce Loyalty Programs

Published on March 20, 2024 · 15 mins

Every click, every purchase, every interaction shapes customer loyalty - but most brands get it wrong from day one.

The collapse of commerce

Published on March 20, 2024 · 5 mins

Commerce dissolves into a shapeless blur, where brands become moments instead of monoliths.

The Web3 rightshifting

Published on February 21, 2024 · 8 mins

KIKI World turns beauty customers into product creators, building a bridge between traditional retail and Web3's collaborative future.

Maslow and brands

Published on January 24, 2024 · 6 mins

Here's how Maslow's hierarchy applies to brands: product forms the foundation, distribution builds reach, relevance captures zeitgeist, and purpose creates legacy. But lean too heavily on any single element, and the whole structure crumbles.

Agency, deconstruct thyself

Published on January 10, 2024 · 6 mins

Billable hours, project specs, feature lists - the old agency blueprint crumbles. Soon, brands won't need us for tech. They'll want us for something rarer: the art of co-creation, where client and agency blur into one fluid team.

Apology of the regulator

Published on December 13, 2023 · 6 mins

Sun glints off frozen lakes, puppet ducks quack, and e-commerce laws reshape our digital reality.

The curation opportunity

Published on November 29, 2023 · 6 mins

"The whole experience feels like I've asked Deep Thought to be my personal shopping assistant." She taps through curated recommendations, each one a perfect match—as if millions of shoppers had whispered their secrets.

Outage outrage

Published on November 15, 2023 · 5 mins

Software breaks. Always has, always will. But the real story isn't in the crashes—it's in how we survive them.

All hail the superapp

Published on November 2, 2023 · 5 mins

Rise of the cultural brand

Published on October 18, 2023 · 3 mins

Commerce defines us through our choices, turning every purchase into a brushstroke on the canvas of identity. Each transaction weaves us deeper into a shared cultural tapestry, making art out of the everyday.

Beauty and the Beast

Published on October 4, 2023 · 3 mins

Perfect doesn't mean profitable. Just ask the brands making millions by breaking all the rules.

The eCommerce rat race

Published on September 6, 2023 · 2 mins

The digital commerce titans clash in a high-stakes game of territory grab, leaving their old identities behind as they hunt for fresh revenue streams.

The Shopify play

Published on August 23, 2023 · 4 mins

Between rebels and giants, Shopify plays a dangerous game of two strategies.

Members only

Published on August 9, 2023 · 2 mins

Money can't buy loyalty - but genuine connection can shape your brand's destiny.

Why Memberships Are The Future of Customer Loyalty

Published on August 2, 2023 · 12 mins

Petco's recipe: turning pet owners into $120M of loyal members

Media x commerce

Published on July 10, 2023 · 3 mins

Turning hate comments into chart-worthy tunes, Liquid Death proves that modern brands don't just sell products—they create culture.

Building Content Infrastructures for eCommerce Brands

Published on June 26, 2023 · 12 mins

Digital brands wrestle to find the sweet spot between content flexibility and brand control.

The playbook delusion

Published on June 26, 2023 · 3 mins

Sparkling custom code might be the difference between forgettable and unforgettable.

Supercharge Your DTC Growth with Product Management

Published on May 24, 2023 · 10 mins

Data drowns most DTC brands. Product management throws you a lifeline.

Scaling DTC Brands Through Product-Led Growth

Published on April 27, 2023 · 9 mins

Rising advertising costs are forcing DTC brands to rethink growth - but there's a powerful alternative that's transforming digital commerce.

How to Make Your E-Commerce A/B Tests Useless

Published on March 29, 2023 · 13 mins

Mistakes to avoid when running your e-commerce A/B testing program.

eCommerce A/B Testing: Strategies for Success

Published on March 7, 2023 · 13 mins

Data whispers truths through the noise of digital commerce - but only if you know how to listen.

The GTDT Model for Intentional eCommerce Personalization

Published on January 3, 2023 · 10 mins

Data powers intimacy. Turn your store into a personal shopper.

The Feedback-Centric Organization

Published on November 16, 2020 · 9 mins

Even the most proactive engineer stops innovating when there's no room to build—when every idea needs permission to exist.

The Transformative Nature of Ownership in Engineering Orgs

Published on April 30, 2020 · 12 mins

Perfect machines crumble, superstars fail, yet something more vital than skill drives success in engineering teams: the power to truly own your work.

Using RFCs to Drive Organizational Change

Published on January 9, 2020 · 9 mins

A 50-year-old solution to modern workplace chaos.

Coach Them Until It Hurts

Published on September 29, 2019 · 4 mins

Pride swelled in my chest, right next to something darker - was that resentment I felt?

Evolution Techniques for RESTful APIs

Published on February 27, 2019 · 6 mins

Like a living organism, APIs must adapt or fade into obsolescence.

6 Design Principles for Your HTTP APIs

Published on February 13, 2019 · 8 mins

Good APIs are like well-designed tools - they simply work, delighting users while staying out of their way.

Fail Better: Turning Software Errors into Documentation

Published on January 21, 2019 · 7 mins

Software errors aren't just bugs - they're teachable moments waiting to be transformed.

My 2018 Annual Review

Published on January 7, 2019 · 7 mins

Raw emotion and coding collided as I pulled the plug on my startup, only to find a new beginning in an unexpected email.

March Reflection

Published on August 20, 2018 · 7 mins

Lying on the wooden floor, I tried to find something worth fighting for.

The Three Tenets of API Design (3/3): Respect REST

Published on January 22, 2018 · 10 mins

REST doesn't just shape APIs—it fundamentally changes how machines talk to each other, turning chaos into elegant conversation.

The Three Tenets of API Design (2/3): Embrace HTTP

Published on January 15, 2018 · 11 mins

HTTP: ancient yet ageless, powering the web since '80. Time-tested and teeming with untapped power.

The Three Tenets of API Design (1/3): Be Boring

Published on January 8, 2018 · 4 mins

APIs should never surprise. Like a well-worn path, they guide without confusion.

People vs Process

Published on December 25, 2017 · 8 mins

Startups fear structure, yet without it, they're doomed to fade away.

The One Skill You Need in Order to Thrive in Life, at Work and Everywhere

Published on December 18, 2017 · 11 mins

Talent fades. Genius burns out. But consistency? That's the quiet force that transforms ordinary people into unstoppable achievers.

The Changelog-Versioning Revolution

Published on December 11, 2017 · 8 mins

Breaking APIs used to mean breaking hearts—until we revolutionized how we track change.

In Defense of Human Testing

Published on December 4, 2017 · 8 mins

Developers who trust test suites blindly are building castles in quicksand.

The Hype Cycle: What It Is and How to Game It

Published on November 27, 2017 · 8 mins

I failed repeatedly at PHP until one day, I didn't. That's when I learned it wasn't about skill - it was about timing.

Everything Is an Investment

Published on November 20, 2017 · 6 mins

Money vanished. All of it. That's when I learned there had to be a better way.

I Want to Quit

Published on November 13, 2017 · 3 mins

Every morning, my brain screams "quit" - a primal urge to retreat into comfort. But deep down, I know why I don't: someone, somewhere, needs what only I can build.

The No-Bullshit Guide to Hiring

Published on October 11, 2017 · 21 mins

Ruthless screening was my wake-up call - fifty applications each morning, coffee in hand, learning to spot brilliance between generic cover letters.

Leadership: Five Lessons in Five Months

Published on September 5, 2017 · 8 mins

When I realized what a capable leader can do with a capable team, I was stoked. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to keep doing it, but I wanted to give it a shot and make sure I wasn't missing out.

The CTO Manifesto

Published on May 5, 2017 · 2 mins

Tech wisdom forged in code, shaped by leadership, built on values.

The Superhero

Published on May 1, 2017 · 5 mins

The ATM swallowed my card with a metallic crunch, and suddenly my perfect digital banking fantasy crumbled into fluorescent-lit reality.

BSBS: Building Solid Billing Systems

Published on November 29, 2016 · 9 mins

Building billing systems: where a typo can cost thousands, and every decimal point matters.

Composizione

Published on February 2, 2016 · 2 mins

Mare. Non più tu. Non più io. Una dea che emerge dalle onde, e il nulla diventa tutto.

25 Things I Learned on Software Development

Published on September 20, 2014 · 15 mins

Software craftsmanship isn't about avoiding mistakes - it's about making new ones each time.

Executing Sidekiq Jobs Immediately

Published on September 13, 2014 · 2 mins

Save $34.50/month by running Sidekiq jobs instantly on your free Heroku dyno

Testing Active Record Concerns with RSpec and Temping

Published on August 23, 2014 · 3 mins

Testing Rails concerns doesn't have to be messy. Here's a clean way using temporary models

:extend’s Gotchas

Published on July 5, 2014 · 5 mins

Are you getting what you want from LESS?

Do Reinvent the Wheel

Published on April 17, 2014 · 3 mins

Knowledge isn't enough - you need to get your hands dirty and build something, even if it exists.

Meditate with Purpose

Published on April 6, 2014 · 3 mins

Be Childish

Published on April 3, 2014 · 2 mins

The Imperative Manifesto

Published on March 19, 2014 · 2 mins

Between understanding and ignorance lies an endless dance of complexity - and in this maze of possibilities, I choose to learn, persist, and create.

The Evolution of an Introvert

Published on March 16, 2014 · 6 mins

Code flows through my veins, but lately I've discovered a glitch in my system: maybe machines aren't the endgame after all.

UI Components in Rails

Published on December 24, 2013 · 5 mins

Building UI components with plain Ruby: from messy helpers to elegant DSLs that bring order to your Rails views.

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© 2025 Alessandro Desantis