Pete Ceredig-Evans, Founder and CEO of Try With Mirra, isn’t your average ecommerce tech founder. He’s a product-led problem solver who obsesses over the shopper experience, but he’s also got a back catalogue of hilarious missteps (like accidentally dropping £400 on a book about iPhones, while trying to buy an actual iPhone). In the main ATC episode, Pete broke down how his try-before-you-buy platform is helping fashion, skincare, and lifestyle brands lift average order value and reduce risk for first-time shoppers. But in this Checkout edition, we step away from the product roadmap and take a peek at the human behind it all: what inspires him, what tools he relies on, and where he’s taking TWM next.
A £400 Book That Sparked a Friction-Free Future
Pete once tried to buy an iPhone… and accidentally purchased a £400 book about iPhones instead. Classic early ecommerce mistake. It arrived, the money was gone, and the damage was done.
But that’s a mistake that, in hindsight, feels poetic. Because Try With Mirra is all about giving shoppers more time to decide, after the product is in their hands. Pete’s built a system that flips the ecommerce model: authorise payments, let customers trial items at home, then only charge them for what they keep. The emotional sting of regretful checkout is officially one. As Pete tells it, Mirra doesn’t reduce returns: it reduces hesitation.
The Tassie Label That’s All Heart
When asked which retailer most inspires him, Pete doesn’t name a global heavyweight or a flashy DTC unicorn. Instead, he lights up about Romy The Brand, a small fashion label based in Tasmania. Romy collaborates with local artists to turn hand-drawn prints into limited-edition clothing. Basically turning fashion into a canvas for storytelling.
Romy isn’t optimising for CAC or scale; it’s creating beauty and meaning. And for someone who’s building tech that enables discovery and low-risk experimentation, it’s no surprise Pete gravitates toward brands that lead with experience and intent.
Miro: The Virtual Whiteboard That Keeps It All Together
Running a fully remote team is no small feat, especially when you’re building both a product and a category. So Pete’s secret weapon for keeping the TWM boat afloat these days is Miro, the collaborative whiteboard platform. That’s where everything happens: from product wireframes to marketing flows, sprint planning to onboarding walkthroughs.
It’s quite literally the connective tissue of the company. Every team at Mirra touches Miro, and Pete swears by it for bringing visibility, speed, and creativity to their workflows. Hey, if you’re scaling a lean team with big ambitions, take note.
What He’s Reading (Hint: It’s All About People)
Pete’s bookshelf says a lot about how he leads. His top recommendation right now is The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety, a guide to building teams that can learn, challenge, and grow without fear. It’s shaped how he hires, builds products, and runs the company day-to-day.
He’s also a fan of The Gap and the Gain, a book that helps founders shift their mindset from chasing perfection to recognising progress. For someone navigating ecommerce chaos, global expansion, and constant iteration, it’s a grounding read.
And in case you’re wondering: yes, he did manage to return the £400 iPhone book. Thankfully.
Try With Mirra’s Next Big Leap
Pete is currently focused on one of Try With Mirra’s most ambitious projects to date: launching a native mobile app that consolidates all Mirra-powered brands into a single, customer-facing platform. It’s a move designed to bring the try-before-you-buy experience into a discovery-led environment. Something like Uber Eats, but for fashion and beauty trials.
The app will allow shoppers to browse, build outfits, and trial items from multiple brands in one seamless flow. With alpha testing already underway, Pete is navigating a complex mix of feature prioritisation, user feedback, and investor expectations. If successful, the launch could shift Try With Mirra from a backend checkout solution to a full-fledged marketplace built around customer experience. Exciting, huh?
What Makes Pete Tick
Pete’s Checkout answers reveal a founder who’s deeply curious, unapologetically product-led, and quietly building the infrastructure for a new kind of ecommerce experience, one where shoppers can feel the product before they pay. Even if they once paid £400 for a book about one.
He’s relentless about building with empathy, shipping fast, and solving real problems for both brands and customers. Whether it’s collaborating with indie labels, listening to every merchant request, or obsessing over post-purchase psychology, Pete’s approach to ecommerce is refreshingly human. And as Try With Mirra expands into the US, UK and beyond, that focus on the shopper (the person, not just the persona) is what sets his business and his leadership apart.
🎧 The full Checkout episode with Pete Ceredig-Evans is now live on the Add To Cart podcast. Tune in to hear more about the books, tools, and retailers shaping his approach to building Try With Mirra:
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