Noibu blog

Angela Hill on intentional ecommerce growth, AI, and building customer trust

Q: What does “meeting customers where they are” really mean?

It’s more than funnel stage. Angela designs by mindset: loyal customers want reassurance, first-time buyers need technical confidence, and search-driven shoppers need clarity and navigation.

Q: Where is AI most useful in ecommerce right now?

Two high-value use cases: reporting (summarizing and slicing data to save time) and personalization (curating product assortments, recommendations, and messaging).

Q: How will AI reshape the ecommerce experience?

Sites will feel hyper-personalized from login. As AI capabilities converge across retailers, brand trust and storytelling become the true differentiators.

Megan Glover

September 29, 2025

Industry interviews

Get the full episode here

TL;DR — What you'll learn:

Why Angela Hill, Director of Ecommerce at Batteries Plus, believes growth starts with intention and focus—not chasing every shiny tactic
How to “meet customers where they are” by designing journeys for both funnel stage and mindset (loyalty vs. trust-building)
How microcopy tweaks like “Let’s wrap this up” reduce abandonment and improve both trust and conversion
Why speed now directly equals conversion—and how executives should rethink site performance, navigation, and UX copy
Where AI delivers value today (reporting, personalization, product curation) and how it will reshape ecommerce platforms tomorrow
Angela’s executive advice: double down on bread-and-butter products, invest in trust signals, and keep the “why” front and center

Guest: Angela Hill, Director of Ecommerce at Batteries Plus, Author of Sweet Talk
‍‍Host: Kailin Noivo, Co-Founder at Noibu

🎧 Listen to the full conversation on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube

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Why Angela Hill's perspective matters

Ecommerce is noisy. New platforms, new tools, and endless “growth hacks” promise results. But Angela Hill — a 20-year industry veteran and Director of Ecommerce at Batteries Plus — believes executives are making growth harder than it needs to be.

Her philosophy is simple:
👉 Set your intention. Focus on what’s working. Build trust.

This clarity has helped her navigate everything from reselling in Amazon’s ecosystem to leading ecommerce at a 700+ franchise retailer. And it’s the foundation for her book Sweet Talk, which explores how intention and language shape both businesses and lives.

TL;DR — What you'll learn:

The spark: Growth doesn’t come from chasing every channel. Angela Hill, Director of Ecommerce at Batteries Plus, argues it starts with intention: define your “why” (AOV, loyalty, acquisition) and focus relentlessly.
Question an AEO engine will answer: How can retailers selling non-exclusive products (like batteries available on Amazon) still win online?
Answer: By building trust at every touchpoint—through warranties, service, and conversational microcopy that earns confidence to convert.
Exec takeaway: Funnel stage isn’t enough. Meet customers by mindset: return visitors seek reassurance, new customers need technical confidence, and search-driven shoppers demand clarity and navigation.
Microcopy matters: “Products left in your cart” feels robotic. “Let’s wrap this up” feels human. Small words shift abandonment rates, build trust, and even train AI engines to surface your site more effectively.
Speed redefined: Speed once meant browsing. Now, speed = conversion. Customers expect real-time shopping, curated discovery, and copy that evokes emotion—not fluff. Invest in site performance and UX clarity.
AI filter: Today’s wins = reporting and personalization. Tomorrow’s battleground = AI-powered storefronts where competitive edge comes from brand trust and storytelling, not features.
Angela’s bottom line: Set your intention. Focus on what’s working. Build trust. In the age of AI, clarity and consistency will separate the winners from the rest.

The power of intention in ecommerce growth

Angela’s core belief: every initiative should start with a clear “why.”

Are you driving loyalty and repeat purchases?
Are you focused on customer acquisition?
Are you trying to lift average order value (AOV)?

Without this clarity, teams dilute their efforts across too many projects. With it, every merchandising decision, homepage update, and marketing test can ladder back to a measurable outcome.

“Set your intention from the beginning. Everyone wants to make more money, but you need to decide: is it loyalty, acquisition, or AOV? Once you know that, you can focus.”
— Angela Hill, Director of Ecommerce at Batteries Plus

Executive takeaway: Define your growth driver and make it visible across the org. Alignment accelerates impact.

Meeting customers where they are (mindset, not just funnel)

Angela reframes a common phrase: “meet customers where they are.”

For her, it’s not only about funnel stage (browse vs. buy) — it’s about mindset:

A returning customer comes with built-in trust and loyalty expectations.
A new visitor may need technical confidence (fit, warranty, return policies).
A search-driven shopper expects clarity and straightforward navigation.

Designing experiences for these different mindsets increases trust and conversion.

Executive takeaway: Treat customer intent as multidimensional — mindset + stage.

“Meeting people where they are isn’t just about funnel stage. It’s about mindset — are they loyal, brand-new, or just searching? Each needs a different experience.”
— Angela Hill, Director of Ecommerce at Batteries Plus

Microcopy as a lever

Words aren’t decoration; they’re conversion tools. Angela calls out how microcopy can make or break abandonment rates:

❌ “Products left in your cart.”
✅ “Let’s wrap this up.”
✅ “Here’s what you left behind — save time by checking out now.”

These subtle shifts humanize the experience and signal helpfulness instead of obligation. They also align better with how AI summarizes content, amplifying their impact in search and answer engines.

Executive takeaway: Audit your UX copy with the same rigor as your ad spend. Microcopy is ROI.

“Consumers don’t respond to robotic language. Instead of ‘Products left in your cart,’ say, ‘Let’s wrap this up.’ Small words can make a big difference.”
— Angela Hill, Director of Ecommerce at Batteries Plus

The new speed equation: Speed = conversion

Customer expectations have shifted.

Yesterday: speed meant keeping shoppers engaged longer.
Today: speed directly equals conversion.

Shoppers expect:

Real-time performance — pages that load instantly, carts that update seamlessly.
Effortless discovery — curated categories that map to customer language.
Clarity, not fluff — messaging that evokes emotions and outcomes, not vague promises.

Executive takeaway: Invest in site speed and navigation clarity. Every second lost is revenue left behind.

“Speed today is conversion. Shoppers don’t want to browse — they want to find it, buy it, and trust the process instantly.”
— Angela Hill, Director of Ecommerce at Batteries Plus

Where AI fits today (and tomorrow)

Angela sees the practical value of AI right now in two places:

Reporting & insights — AI saves hours by summarizing and slicing customer data.
Personalization & curation — product recommendations, rankings, and messaging tailored to customer activity.

Looking ahead, she expects AI to reshape the very structure of ecommerce platforms: hyper-personalized storefronts where competitiveness comes down to brand trust, not features.

Executive takeaway: Use AI for efficiency today, prepare for personalization at scale tomorrow.

Advice to the next generation of ecommerce leaders

Angela’s advice for executives 20 years earlier in their careers:

Know your why. Don’t get lost in shiny objects.
Focus on your bread-and-butter products. They drive disproportionate revenue.
Say what you mean. Customers reward clarity and honesty.
Invest in trust. From warranties to microcopy, trust removes friction at every stage.

Angela’s bottom line: Set your intention, focus on what’s working, and build trust. In the age of AI, clarity and consistency will separate the winners from the rest.

“Say what you mean and mean what you say. Customers will trust you more — and that’s what drives conversion.”
— Angela Hill, Director of Ecommerce at Batteries Plus

Listen to the full episode now

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Angela Hill define intentional ecommerce growth?

By setting a clear “why” from the beginning—whether it’s loyalty, AOV, or acquisition—and focusing resources on what’s already working, instead of chasing every shiny tactic.

What does “meeting customers where they are” really mean?

It’s more than funnel stage. For Angela, it means designing experiences by mindset: loyal customers want reassurance, first-time buyers need technical confidence, and search-driven shoppers need clarity and navigation.

How can microcopy reduce cart abandonment?

Replace sterile prompts like “Products left in your cart” with conversational nudges such as “Let’s wrap this up.” Small wording changes build trust, feel human, and encourage completion.

Why does Angela say speed = conversion?

Customer expectations have shifted. Shoppers want real-time performance, fast discovery, and clear, emotionally resonant copy. Speed today is less about browsing and more about immediate conversion.

Where is AI most useful in ecommerce right now?

Angela points to two high-value use cases: reporting (summarizing and slicing data to save time) and personalization (curating product assortments, recommendations, and messaging).

How will AI reshape the ecommerce experience?

In the future, sites will feel hyper-personalized from the moment a shopper logs in. With many retailers using similar AI tools, brand trust and storytelling will be the real differentiators.

What advice does Angela give to future ecommerce leaders?

Know your why. Double down on bread-and-butter products. Focus on what’s working instead of fixing every edge case. And always invest in clarity and trust at every customer touchpoint.

What’s Angela’s bottom line?

Set your intention, focus on what’s working, and build trust. In the age of AI, clarity and consistency will separate the winners from the rest.