EPISODE · Jun 4, 2025 · 51 MIN
Mark Stern: Transforming Customer Journeys with Physical-Digital Experience Design for Growth
from Scouting for Growth · host Sabine VdL
On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Mark Stern, founder and CEO of Custom Box Agency, an award-winning boutique specializing in bringing digital offers to life through innovative offline ‘box experiences.’ Today, he’ll share how he made the leap from corporate to startup life, offer practical tips for integrating physical touchpoints into a digital world, and discuss the secret sauce behind building high-impact customer journeys. I can’t wait to dive into his wealth of knowledge. KEY TAKEAWAYS When I mixed physical and digital together with my publication called ‘Entrepreneur Elements’ I people started posting unboxing videos, which a digital-only product can do. Everyone who received the product became an ambassador and lots of organic traffic was being created as a result. During Covid the virtual event game became bloody red, in terms of competition, because everyone became a virtual event expert overnight. But the boxes, and how we were approaching this to get results faster, was an unknown, exciting realm which I went 100% in on and the business skyrocketed from zero to a million in the first year just by pivoting and focussing on this opportunity. What we include inside our boxes is a welcome note, a getting started guide – which, for me is the most powerful sales pieces to orient people on the journey that they’re about to start and see your universe, a journey map – a visual depiction of the recipe that’s going to get you the result, then all the tools and resources. This isn’t SWAG (Stuff Without A Goal), think of it a product development and who we can truly get into your programme and give people the incentive structure to want to take one step at a time. I love data, so I can engineer feedback loops to say, once you’ve hit a certain milestone, how can I get you to provide me with the information I need so 1, I can celebrate you, but 2, it also gives me good intel to make the product you’re making better. BEST MOMENTS ‘In the online space done beats perfect. I approach the standards of the online realm in a corporate way; the client’s either ready or not ready at all.’ ‘If you have a digital product, you have to compliment it with something physical because physical can tap into other modalities and senses that digital can’t.’ ‘It’s not about you, it’s truly about your customers and their needs.’ ‘Boxes can be a tool to take what you’re already talking about/teaching, or the service you’re providing, making it easier for people to have the breakthrough in a tangible way that a digital-only product just can’t.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Mark Stern is an accomplished serial entrepreneur and the visionary behind Custom Box Agency, an award-winning experience design firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. Leveraging his background as a top-ranked strategy consultant at Deloitte, Mark has guided major retail and lifestyle brands through transformative growth initiatives. He holds an MBA from Duke University and has been recognized as a Forbes Next 1,000 Entrepreneur, as well as featured in Joey Coleman’s bestselling book Never Lose an Employee Again. Mark’s passion for merging the physical with the digital underpins his signature approach of crafting “offline-meets-online” experiences. By moving beyond standard swag and focusing on strategic box campaigns, Mark’s team has successfully launched 100+ direct mail initiatives—boosting conversions, slashing churn, and extending customer lifetime value. As a mentor at SXSW, sought-after keynote speaker, and champion for innovative entrepreneurship, Mark remains dedicated to helping businesses of all sizes adopt experience design as a powerful lever for growth. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at [email protected]
What this episode covers
On this episode of Scouting For Growth, Sabine VdL speaks with Mark Stern, Founder & CEO of Custom Box Agency, an award-winning boutique that helps digital businesses create unforgettable customer journeys through high-impact offline box experiences. If you’ve ever launched a digital offer and thought, “Why does this feel so… forgettable?” — Mark has the answer: Digital gets attention. Physical creates emotion. And emotion drives action. The unboxing effect: turning customers into ambassadors Mark shares how his early project, Entrepreneur Elements, proved a powerful insight: when you blend physical with digital, people don’t just consume the product… they share it. Recipients started posting unboxing videos, creating organic traffic and turning customers into ambassadors — something a digital-only offer struggles to achieve. In a noisy market, the box becomes a stage. The pivot that changed everything During COVID, virtual events became brutally competitive overnight. Everyone suddenly became a “virtual event expert,” and differentiation disappeared fast. But Mark spotted an opportunity hiding in plain sight: the box was still a frontier. He went all-in — and the business scaled from zero to $1M in its first year, simply by focusing on a physical experience that delivered faster, more tangible results than screens alone. This isn’t swag. It’s product design. Mark is adamant: these boxes are not “SWAG” (Stuff Without A Goal). They’re engineered experiences designed to drive outcomes. Inside a great box isn’t random merch — it’s structure: a welcome note a “getting started” guide (his most powerful sales asset) a journey map showing the path to results tools and resources to reduce friction The goal is simple: help customers take the next step with clarity and momentum. Done beats perfect — but the customer always comes first Mark brings a blend of startup speed and corporate standards. His philosophy is sharp: in online business, done beats perfect — but only if the customer experience is intentional. His north star is customer-centricity: it’s not about you, it’s about what your customer needs to succeed. Feedback loops that improve the product (and retention) Mark also explains how he uses boxes to engineer smart feedback loops: when customers hit milestones, the experience prompts them to share insights. That enables two wins: customers feel celebrated the business gets real data to improve the offer It’s retention design disguised as delight. Why this episode matters For founders, growth leaders, and enterprise teams building digital products, this episode is a reminder that the next conversion lift might not come from another funnel tweak. It might come from adding the one thing digital can’t deliver: a tangible experience that makes progress feel real. Because when customers can touch the journey… they’re far more likely to stay on it.
NOW PLAYING
Mark Stern: Transforming Customer Journeys with Physical-Digital Experience Design for Growth
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Jan 2, 2026 ·47m
Dec 21, 2025 ·46m