At NetElixir’s recent State of eCommerce executive panel, NetElixir CEO Udayan Bose was joined by Michael Rothbard (CEO of Newton Baby) and Achin Kansal (VP Global DTC & Digital Marketing at Baby Brezza) to unpack what’s really happening in the industry. Here are the key takeaways every retail leader should know.

H1 2025: Performance Snapshot from Udayan Bose

The year began on a positive note, with strong early growth,but as tariff and geopolitical uncertainty intensified, executive sentiment grew more cautious.

Retail Performance Trends (YTD):

• Q1 2025:
  • Overall Retail Sales: +5%
  • Non-Store Sales: +5.6%
  • eCommerce: +6.1%
    
• April–May Softening:
  • Overall Retail: +3.4%
  • eCommerce: +5.5%
    
• NetElixir Dataset (Jan–June):
  • eCommerce growth: +4.7% YoY

Regional Highlights:

• Strongest growth: Midwest & South
• Softness: Western U.S.
  Steady: Northeast

Business Size Impact:

Small businesses were hit hardest in Q2 as the tariff concerns mounted. They saw a 2.5% decline in growth.

Larger enterprises on the other hand saw mixed performance. Those with strong brand equity continued to grow, but decision-making slowed across the board.

Key Highlights from our Executive Panel

After his H1 recap, Udayan welcomed Achin and Michael for a candid conversation on what is next for eCommerce businesses. Here’s a look at some of the highlights.

1. Tariffs Are the Biggest Disruptor

Michael Rothbard shared that Newton Baby, despite having 50% of production in the U.S., faced significant challenges due to component sourcing in Asia. Their biggest challenge remains unpredictability surrounding the tariffs.

 “What’s the right move today might be wrong tomorrow.”

Achin Kansal echoed the sentiment, pointing out uncertainty as their biggest obstacle. Strategic decisions around pricing, product continuation, and manufacturing location became increasingly complex.

The overall lesson learned: Long-term resilience depends on adaptable supply chains and smarter risk management.

2. How H2 Growth Strategies are Shifting

Michael mentioned revisiting past strategies that overly prioritized ROAS and margin. Heading into H2, Newton Baby is planning to increase ad spend to drive incremental growth and market share.

Achin Kansal outlined the top 3 questions Baby Brezza is asking to shape their strategy. 

1. What is the value we are delivering?
2. How are we driving that value?
3. Are we delivering the best experience for our customers?

His team is letting campaigns scale dynamically toward target ROAS, instead of restricting spend to rigid monthly caps.

3. How AI is Shaping Strategy

Achin Kansal described AI’s biggest impact so far as:

• 30% of support queries now resolved automatically via Salesforce Agentforce
• Hyper-personalized content for email, SMS, and website
• Evolving search behavior is demanding more conversational and human-like content

Michael Rothbard sees AI excelling in creative efficiency, from generating scalable ad assets to replacing costly photo shoots. Still, he remains skeptical of platforms like Google Performance Max, which often capture bottom-funnel traffic his team would’ve reached anyway.

4. Team Alignment in a Fast-Moving Environment

For Rothbard, hybrid work demands intentional communication:

• Regular touchbases
• Video chats
• Clear project tracking

For Kansal, simplicity is key. His team operates on short-term, 3-month planning cycles to stay agile and focused despite external volatility.

5. What’s Next? Strategic Priorities for H2

Michael Rothbard on what’s next for Newton Baby:

• Act over perfection.
  • Decision-making is now based on “what’s known,” rather than waiting for total clarity.
• Supply chain stability remains the #1 priority.

Achin Kansal on what’s next for Baby Brezza:

• Testing new channels based on shifting consumer behavior including:
  • Podcasts
  • Connected TV (CTV)
  • TikTok Shop and Live Commerce
• Focusing on measured experimentation for incremental growth.

New Muscles for H2

Both leaders shared what “new muscle” their organizations are building:

• Rothbard: A more resilient, diversified, and future-ready supply chain with boots on the ground in Asia.
• Kansal: Stronger brand presence and a proactive approach to social commerce.

Cautious Optimism for the Future

Despite the challenges, there’s a sense of cautious optimism heading into Q3 and Q4. With advertising spend holding steady and online demand stable, the next few months will be a critical test of resilience for the retail industry.

Watch the Full Executive Panel

Get all of the insights from Udayan Bose, Michael Rothbard, and Achin Kansal available now on-demand.

The post A Mid-Year Check In: The State of eCommerce appeared first on NetElixir.

If you missed the live session, you can watch the full discussion on demand. Here’s a breakdown of what was covered.

A New Format in a New Economy

Amazon has officially extended Prime Day to four days beyond its traditional two day period. This shift brings both opportunities and challenges for brands.  On the positive side, this gives brands a lot more time to get in front of audiences and gain visibility. Contrary to that, more time brings more competition and more fatigue. In a climate of soft demand, rising costs, and cautious shoppers, this extension shows the nimbleness needed to survive in the market we are currently in.

Key Trends Shaping Prime Day Strategies

Here’s what NetElixir sees as the top three trends for this year’s Amazon Prime Day.

Consumers are Entering with a Shortlist- Not a Blank Check

With the current economic climate, shoppers are no longer buying impulsively. They’re researching ahead, comparing options, and entering Prime Day with specific products in mind. Our data shows that 62% of buyers are deal-researching before shopping even begins.

Pro Tip: Ask yourself if you have made it to the shoppers shortlist. If you have not,  how can  you profitably make your way into that consideration set before it’s too late? 

Real Value Over Flashy Discounts

Buyers are looking at the total value of deals, not just slashed prices. While customers are still looking for great deals, they are going an extra mile and looking for some sort of value within those deals provided.

Pro Tip:  Highlight things like 4+ star ratings and customer testimonials to showcase higher value.

Brand Discovery is On the Rise

Amazon is no longer a lower funnel platform meant for last minute conversions. It has become a discovery platform. In a cautious environment, customers are open to exploring new brands if your brand has a really strong value proposition.

Pro Tip:  There has never been a bigger opportunity for small and mid sized brands to grab market share from competitors. Be sure to hone in on your brand’s value to stay ahead of the rising competition.

ASIN Prioritization

• Past Proof: High click through rate products, strong review to traffic ratio ASINs
• Present Readiness: High margin items with well stocked inventory
• Future Value: Low return products that are repeat purchase generators

Double down on SKUs with margin, momentum, and credibility

Smart Discounting

• Tiered Discounts: Big discounts for high-margin hero SKUs, No discounts for low-margin ASINs
• ACOS: Pre-plan guardrails for each ASIN, Pivot in real time based on performance
• Profit Analysis: Profit doesn’t equal price cut, Plan discounts that protect brand equity while expanding reach

Advertising That Converts

• Amazon DSP is now essential. Target cart abandoners, competitor audiences, and high-intent shoppers
• Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) lets you merge first party data for better retargeting
• Don’t forget external traffic. TikTok, Meta, and influencers can help lower your on- platform cost while boosting visibility

Fireside Chat with Shivali Patel

Shivali has worked closely with hundreds of marketplace sellers and brought a front-row view into utilizing the data to identify opportunities.

How should brands prepare for the extended Prime Day?
Treat it like a mini Q4. Finalize deals immediately, revisit pricing (a slight increase before Prime Day can protect margins), and audit click/conversion share to refine images or copy as needed. Segment your strategy by day: focus on conversions on days 1–2, and upsell or retarget on days 3–4.

Can brands succeed without relying on deep discounts?
Yes. Shivali recommends:

• Smart bundling with added value (like digital bonuses)
• Leveraging social proof through upgraded images and strong reviews
• Driving external traffic to stand out and boost ranking
• Clearing old inventory (if listings are optimized)
• Automating PPC to focus on bottom-funnel keywords
• Planning flexible budgets using tools like Budget Manager

What role does buyer intent play in Prime Day prep?
A huge one. Use historical data and tools like:

• Cerebro to compare past vs. present keyword performance
• Search Query Analyzer for real search volume, benchmarked conversion data, and insight into underperformers
• Competitor monitoring to spot pricing, ranking, or coupon changes in real time

What if Prime Day is underperforming halfway through?
React quickly:

• Test higher-value coupons temporarily to boost momentum
• Pre-audit listings to avoid mid-campaign surprises
• Control what you can: tweak coupons or ad strategy on the fly

Which categories are performing best?
Top categories include:

• Electronics (33% of global revenue)
• Home & Kitchen
• Toys & Games
• Pet Products
• Premium health/supplements
• Fashion (especially under $50 items)

What if your backend or inventory can’t keep up?
Avoid deep discounts up front. Instead, raise prices beforehand and offer moderate discounts or coupons that still earn the Prime Day badge. Prioritize backend readiness and focus on bundles with clear upsell paths.

Coupons, Bundles, or Lightning Deals—what’s the priority?

1. Start with coupons: Flexible, visible, and easy to deploy
2. Next, use bundles: Increase AOV and stand out with A+ content
3. Finally, add lightning deals: Useful, but more limited in scope

Resources to Prepare

With Prime Day expanding to four days, winning isn’t just about showing up with discounts. It’s about showing up with a smarter strategy. Here are some resources that can help you out.

NetElixir’s Competitive Insights Report

NetElixir’s Competitive Insights Report will provide you with a custom analysis of your brand and up to four key competitors on Amazon. The report will reveal:

• Keyword gaps
• Pricing and couponing trends
• Share of voice
• ASIN level opportunities

Helium 10’s Prime Day Checklist

Helium 10 also provides their own Prime Day checklist. The checklist includes tactics from industry thought leaders to help you succeed this Amazon Prime Day. This free resource includes 28 different strategies that you can implement for your brand’s plan.

Be sure to catch the full webinar on demand and reach out to our team with any questions regarding your Prime Day strategy.

The post Prime Day 2025 Will Be Different: How to Succeed appeared first on NetElixir.

This question was tackled in our recent webinar by three seasoned executives: Udayan Bose (CEO, NetElixir), Chas Fox (CEO, Micromark), and Renee Thomas Jacobs (CEO, TekBrands). This panel discussion offered a look into how leaders are navigating this unprecedented time in the industry.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the conversation.

Lead with Calmness and Clarity

Leadership presence is more important than ever when the business landscape is unpredictable. Teams are panicking looking for some sense of direction. As Renee had mentioned “People have anxiety. They want to blame others. Seeing a calm leader helps ease that anxiety”.

Businesses should start laying out a clear and transparent plan, even if it isn’t exactly perfect. When the future is uncertain, showing that you have a path forward builds confidence across those who are looking to be at ease.

Reevaluate Your Strategy From the Ground Up

One thing that came up constantly in the discussion was going back to the fundamentals. This includes:

• Reassessing the company’s product mix (Is this still the right assortment?)
• Understanding how much of the tariff impact will be passed on to the consumer
• Rethinking supply chains to mitigate fluctuations
• Renegotiating with suppliers where possible
• Prioritizing top-performing SKUs using the 80/20 rule

Right now, it’s not about doing more. It’s about doing what matters most.

Plan With Flexibility and Financial Sensitivity

Costs and demand are all fluctuating. Executives are running multiple financial models to prepare for different scenarios.

Baseline projections are just the beginning. Businesses should consider layering in scenarios based on potential changes in:

• Demand volume
• Input costs and tariffs
• Shifting supplier relationships
• Overhead and margin adjustments

This will allow businesses to pivot when it is necessary without overextending resources.

It’s Time to Be Selective 

During this time, managing cash flow is essential for survival. Chas had warned, “Unplanned cash will be the thing that takes you out.”

Some tips Chas had given:

• Being picky about what inventory to bring in
• Reducing minimum order quantities where possible
• Considering temporary churn increases or trimming product lines
• Cutting all promotions and pushing through necessary price increases

Brands that are smart about cash allocation today will be better positioned to weather the storms ahead.

Innovation Is the Secret to Turnaround

Even with all the uncertainty, innovation remains king. Companies should stay adaptable as consumer behavior becomes more fickle, especially for high ticket items.

Some of the panelists noted that the current climate is a rare opportunity. This is a chance to reset outdated systems and spark a new level of transparency across suppliers.

Now is the time to get creative with your business marketing strategy.

Marketing Still Matters. But It Has to Work Harder

Even though costs are rising, advertising is still an important component. However, every dollar needs to perform.

Key points:

• ROAS must remain a priority, especially as tariffs eat into margins
• Big headlines that are usually bad for sales are actually driving urgency for the consumer
• The product’s price tag now conveys perceived value
• Use media strategically to educate and reinforce urgency (“Get it now, it’ll cost more in 6 months”)

We’re Not Seeing a Dip in Demand, Yet

Despite all of the chaos going on, a clear drop in demand isn’t present yet. While it may not be present now, panelists are preparing now for what could be coming.

The businesses that emerge stronger will be the ones that leaned into the hard decisions early and kept moving forward anyway.

Want to hear the full conversation?

Watch the complete CEO Panel webinar on demand for more actionable insights on navigating this economic moment with confidence and clarity.

The post Navigating Uncertainty: CEO Panel Insights on Strategic Responses to Tariffs appeared first on NetElixir.

Professor Wind founded the Wharton Think Tank. He has authored or co-authored and edited 30 books and has received four major marketing awards. Professor Wind sits on the advisory board of the Lauder Institute. He co-founded the Reichmann University, the first private non-profit university Israel, and he is working closely with Amelia, an enterprise conversational AI company. His most recent book, Transformation in Times of Crisis, has been a big hit, and it was terrific to have him with us to connect the key principles highlighted in the book with the evolution of and opportunities afforded by generative and conversational AI.

What is a Culture of Experimentation?

A culture of experimentation is an environment that encourages people to come up with new ideas and test them out, where failure is not only tolerated but celebrated. When team members take risks in this kind of culture, they are rewarded for these efforts – even when they fail. Professor Wind shared his “great belief” that the “only way to learn and grow and succeed is by continuously experimenting”. Without a culture of experimentation, companies are unable to grow and address new challenges.

Why is Experimentation Important in Innovation?

Experimentation isn’t just important when it comes to innovation – it’s the foundation on which innovation is built. By developing new ideas, testing them, failing, and starting over again, your company can rapidly explore potential new avenues and evaluate which will be most effective. History has shown us that countless inventions have come about through R&D efforts were people were seeking to solve entirely different problems, and your business can benefit in ways you can’t predict from experimentation. Professor Wind noted that a culture of experimentation offers companies a competitive advantage, and isn’t that what a successful digital strategy is all about?

How Can Companies Foster a Culture of Experimentation?

Creating a strong culture of any kind involves buy-in from leadership, consistent reinforcement, and ongoing commitment. There are several actions you can take to help your company foster a culture of experimentation.

• Set the tone. A forward-thinking CEO can set the tone for the entire company by encouraging people to explore new ideas, measure their results, and learn from their failures as much as from their successes.
• Engage your team. Companies innovate best when all employees are empowered to experiment and are made aware of the changing landscape. Companies can draw on the experience and inspiration of their entire team, heightening the likelihood of developing new and exciting solutions.
• Make experimentation easy. Give your team the tools and the time to try new things and test different ideas. If your employees have access to what they need to experiment and the go ahead to do it, they will be empowered to innovate.
• Build a framework. By setting standards for how experiments will be run and how they will be evaluated, and developing ethical guidelines for your employees to follow, you ensure that you’ll recognize success when it happens and be able to capitalize on it.
• Celebrate and reward all efforts. By showcasing all emerging proposals and experiments, not just the successful ones, companies demonstrate to their employees that failure is a part of every innovative endeavor.

What is the Role of AI in Experimentation and Innovation?

Generative AI is based on large language models that analyze and draw from enormous datasets. These algorithms, when fed specific directions or questions, can produce responses and recommendations instantly based on what they’ve learned from those datasets. While the information provided requires validation against other available data and the systems need to be regulated – AI is only as intelligent and accurate as the datasets it pulls from – Professor Wind hailed generative AI as a new and exciting opportunity for innovation and testing. He suggested that companies examine their current experiments and investigate what augmentation is possible through the incorporation of generative AI solutions.

“The number of ideas and the number of experiments you can design exponentially go up,” he said, “because of the help of generative AI and conversational AI. …[Y]ou are able to identify new opportunities for questions, or maybe the new problems, the new questions, or [the] new areas” for explosive growth, all because of generative AI.

How Can AI Support New Marketing Approaches?

Digital marketing is in a time of transition, and companies must shift their focus to be “customer-centered”, Professor Wind shared, with an orientation to stakeholders instead of only to shareholders. He advised that the “company’s responsibility is not only for maximizing shareholder value but also addressing the needs of customers, employees, [and] society in general.” AI can help companies to do both.

Generative and conversational AI offer us, Professor Wind said, the ability to “analyze data [with] that much greater detail and accuracy… [and] to customize [and] personalize the message.” Marketers should  pivot from a focus on customer segments to an approach tailored to the person being targeted. Professor Wind shared that the industry has begun to describe this as a “pilot look”, where the generative AI serves as the user’s co-pilot and “enriches the set of tools that every one of us have”, allowing us to be more efficient and create more effective messages. The future of digital marketing is personal, and AI can get your business that much closer to your customers. 

Want to Learn More? Contact NetElixir.

Are you an AI-first CEO? Download our checklist, Illuminating the Path to Marketing Excellence, for eight recommendations that will jumpstart your company’s AI adoption.

Our NetElixir AI and experimentation experts are ready to help your company explore new avenues for digital marketing, and we can help you develop tools and frameworks that will set your team on the right path to experimentation. 

Leverage our proprietary AI-powered digital marketing platform, LXRInsights. We meticulously engineered our AI-powered digital marketing platform for one reason: to help e-commerce brands significantly boost paid media revenue at the same spend by precisely targeting, engaging, and winning high-value customers. Start today.

Additional Resources:

• How To Optimize SEO For Future AI-Driven Search Engines
• A NetElixir and ChatGPT Conversation: How Generative AI Is Disrupting Search
• Search Marketing Redefined

The post Creating A Culture Of Experimentation appeared first on NetElixir.

The month of November continued to see steady growth, with e-commerce sales increasing 9% YoY compared to November 2021, following the 6% increase from October.

We forecasted stronger e-commerce growth this year, as 2022 marks the first true post-pandemic holiday season and people are striving for a return to normalcy. People are celebrating the season with dinners, gifts, and events, leading to an increase in e-commerce sales to furnish the festivities.

Overall, Cyber 5 2022 was stronger than expected”, says Udayan Bose, our Founder and CEO. “Cyber 5 shifted the e-commerce landscape, as some advertisers pulled back on their spend. This allowed others to gain a greater share of voice and engage new customers for a record-breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday, validating the notion that you shouldn’t cut back on marketing during a slowdown.”

15th Annual Cyber 5 Report

For our 15th annual Cyber 5 report, NetElixir’s Retail Intelligence Lab captured the hourly data across each day from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday and compared sales volume, average order value (AOV), conversions, and more to last year’s data. We captured data separately across 6 retail categories to see how, when, and where customers were searching and shopping. All told, we analyzed over 70 million sessions across this five-day period. (This granular data is made possible through our AI-driven digital marketing platform, LXRInsights, which helps us find and engage high-value customers.)

The central region of America had the highest YoY growth at 15%, as depicted in the map below:

How E-Commerce Sales Grew During Cyber 5 2022

This year, Black Friday had the highest AOV out of the five days. However, Cyber Monday orders contributed slightly more to the overall Cyber 5 orders and revenue. Beauty and Apparel retail categories had the highest YoY revenue growth, at 22% and 16% respectively. 

Overall dayparting was a crucial aspect of this year’s Cyber 5; advertisers were more prudent in where and when they allocated spend to attract and convert customers. Nearly 37% of customers shopped between noon and 6 PM.

Mobile sales accounted for 58% of sitewide orders during Cyber 5. Mobile’s AOV was 25% lower than desktop’s AOV. Most mobile orders came on Thanksgiving Day and the least on Cyber Monday. People were probably trying to place quick, discreet orders while celebrating Thanksgiving dinner, thus relying more on their mobile devices. Mobile also accounted for the majority of clicks across retail categories within our dataset, meaning that people were more likely to research gift ideas and brands’ offers on their phone.

Channel-Specific Cyber 5 Trends

Amazon Trends

Advertisers who offered a holiday-specific deal during Cyber 5 earned a significant boost in performance across all e-commerce metrics, from conversions to sales, compared to brands who did not offer a promotion. AOV increased even with deals, as it prompted shoppers to also buy higher-priced products and order more units per order. The budget-conscious trend we have noticed throughout the year, amid lingering uncertainty and inflation increases, continued throughout the holiday season, as customers aim to secure the best deal available.

Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale event in mid-October kick-started the holiday shopping spree. We expect that over 35% of Prime customers may have completed their holiday shopping prior to Cyber 5.

Google Advertising Trends

Performance Max campaigns accounted for 48% of paid search orders during Cyber 5. This is a phenomenal stat considering that Performance Max campaigns didn’t exist just ten months ago! Next holiday season, Performance Max could account for nearly all of paid search orders. If there is any hesitancy about using Performance Max campaigns, let this year’s Cyber 5 results remove all doubt; this AI-driven campaign module is here to stay as the default campaign type as Google continues to improve its efficiency. 

We also observed less advertising competition this year compared to last year. Amid the uncertainty or considering the pull of in-store shopping, some advertisers pulled back on their digital spend. This created a tremendous opportunity for brands to gain a greater share of voice and engage new customers during this critical period. 

This year showed a great opportunity to seize significant wins in categories like apparel and gifting since there were fewer advertisers. Incremental investment to win impression share surprisingly fell during Cyber 5 for both categories.

How Cyber 5 Impacts The Rest of The Holiday Season

While a 9% YoY increase in November’s online sales is great news for holiday retailers, the growth is likely to be slower in December as retailers relax their discounts and consumer demand drops. Most retailers offered heavy discounts throughout the month of November to ramp up holiday demand. The benefit of discounts cannot be understated during critical holiday periods to attract and convert customers. 

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) sales saw explosive increase during November. BNPL is incentivizing incremental consumer spending (and, often, spending beyond your means), so should be used strategically to engage customers.

From this data, NetElixir is maintaining our original 2022 holiday retail sales growth prediction of 7% YoY growth. 

Brands should use the success of Cyber 5 to leverage continued engagement and consider their post-holiday strategy. This is an important time to collect and use first-party data to better understand your customers and their expectations for the new year.

Watch our full analysis now:

Further Reading

• Could We See Cyber 5 Turn Into Cyber 6?
• The 2023 E-Commerce SEO Strategy: How To Stay On Top Of The Search Engines
• What’s Trending? The Importance of Trend Research In Your Marketing Strategy

The post Cyber 5: Results, Insights, and Trends appeared first on NetElixir.

David sat down virtually with NetElixir to chat about some brands he saw making a difference during the pandemic and what he considers an overlooked driver of innovation. 

Connect the Dots with the person who has been called the “guru of the DTC movement” and the “man who kick-started the direct brand economy,” David Bell, by reading his full interview with NetElixir.

NetElixir: What is a key driver of innovation that companies tend to overlook?

David: Well, to me, it’s the customer journey. So much can be done there. Early DTC companies innovated on price unlock, they innovated on value, and they also innovated on the customer journey. Think about how simple and easy it is to buy a Tesla on your phone and pop into a showroom and take a look at one, so customer journey innovation, for me, is really tops.

NetElixir: Companies are already beginning to prepare for future crises. What is one area they should focus on?

David: Well, what we learned from this current pandemic that is still ongoing is you really need to have the e-commerce operation fully integrated and up and running. So omnichannel in its most pure form: be everywhere, be where customers want you to be.

NetElixir: What is one example of innovation you’ve seen from companies during the pandemic that has impressed you?

David: A great example of a brand that’s really navigated the pandemic, I’ll give a shout out to one of our brands, Caraway, if anyone’s in need of high-quality, non-toxic pots and pans. Jordan the Founder was recently written up in Fortune as one of the brands that really, absolutely exploded during the pandemic. But what I liked was not just because people were cooking at home, but he really doubled into his grand vision which is to fill the home with products that are non-toxic, have a beautiful aesthetic, and a great value. So it really made him think about what he was delivering into people’s lives by way of making a home more interesting and more appealing for the whole family.

Connect the Dots with David Bell

Join NetElixir’s virtual conference, Connecting the Dots: Driving Change Through Innovation, to empower your DTC strategy with David Bell’s five pillars for success for 2021 and beyond.

The Playbook of DTC, live on 6/10 at 12:45 PM EST

The direct-to-consumer movement has simultaneously created unparalleled opportunities for entrepreneurs and unprecedented upheaval for incumbents. This session focuses on the building blocks for a successful DTC business, shares anecdotes and success stories for in-market businesses, and charts what the future of DTC looks like for the entire ecosystem — founders, investors, service providers, and acquirers. Lessons learned are brought together under the five pillars of the “Playbook of DTC.”

Register now to hear more from marketing legend David Bell.

Read More

Meet Natalie Zmuda, the Head of Think With Google

Meet Jerry Wind, Marketing Professor at the Wharton School

Meet Michele Peters, the Senior Manager of Global E-Commerce Marketing at UPS

Meet Aaron Zagha, the Chief Marketing Officer at Newton Baby

Meet Christine Hunt, VP of Brand Marketing at Lulus.com

The post Connect the Dots with David Bell appeared first on NetElixir.

Christine Hunt, the VP of Brand Marketing at Lulus.com, virtually chatted with NetElixir to share the positive influences that drive her team’s innovation strategy, as well as her favorite innovation from the past few months.

Connect the Dots of innovation with Christine Hunt by reading her full interview below.

NetElixir: What is a key driver of innovation that companies tend to overlook?

Christine: When it comes to innovation, we often think of competition and scarcity as the driving forces. However, what’s typically overlooked is the time and space necessary to be creative. Companies should be wary of meeting heavy calendars and should encourage their employees to carve out the time and space necessary to both recharge and tap into those creative juices. 

NetElixir: Companies are already beginning to prepare for future crises. What is one area they should focus on?

Christine: After 2020, companies are looking to future-proof their business. What they can learn is how to operate in a fully digital environment. They should think about what are the points of friction for their business in a digital environment. How do they alleviate that for the consumer? And then how do they augment and even enhance the consumer experience online?

NetElixir: What is one example of innovation you’ve seen from companies during the pandemic that has impressed you?

Christine: Now, one of my favorite examples of innovation that stemmed from the pandemic comes from Johnson & Johnson and I’m not just talking about the vaccine. So, Johnson & Johnson tapped into the power of virtual reality to help surgeons in training maintain and stay on track with their training in a virtual world. Think of it sort of like a virtual reality operation game; however, with much higher stakes. Now that’s what I call innovation!

Connect the Dots with Christine Hunt

Join NetElixir’s virtual conference, Connecting the Dots: Driving Change Through Innovation, to hear more about Christine’s experience inspiring her team and the forces that drive her success.

Innovation Roundtable, live on 6/10 at 2 PM EST

Christine will be one of our panelists at our Innovation Roundtable at Connecting the Dots: Driving Change Through Innovation. Christine will be joined by Michele Peters, the Senior Manager of Global E-Commerce Marketing at UPS, Aaron Zagha, the Chief Marketing Officer at Newton Baby, and Lewis Broadnax, the Vice President of Global E-Commerce at Sazerac. 

NetElixir’s Innovation Roundtable features senior executives who will share their experience from the past year and the ways they have had to innovate for their organizations and customers. Christine and the rest of our innovation panelists will answer questions like:

• What makes Lulus.com a pioneer of innovation?
• How has your brand’s view on innovation changed throughout the last eighteen months?
• What are a few characteristics of your most innovative customers?

Register now for Christine’s live roundtable discussion.

Read More

Meet Natalie Zmuda, the Head of Think With Google

Meet Jerry Wind, Lauder Professor Emeritus and Professor of Marketing at Wharton

Meet Michele Peters, the Senior Manager of Global E-Commerce Marketing at UPS

Meet Aaron Zagha, the Chief Marketing Officer at Newton Baby

The post Connect the Dots with Christine Hunt appeared first on NetElixir.

Through his years of research and consulting expertise, Professor Wind is helping organizations prepare for the post-pandemic reality by providing tools to change our mental models to rethink our organizational and growth strategies. With strong leadership, an environment of open innovation, and the ability to always keep learning, we can create opportunities for success in whatever we do.

Connect the Dots with Professor Jerry Wind.

NetElixir: Tell us a little bit about your experience and latest book.

Professor Wind: Hi, I am Jerry Wind. Following a 50 year career at Wharton, in the last four years, I have been the Lauder Professor Emeritus and Professor of Marketing at Wharton.

My latest book, Transformation in Times of Crisis, coauthored with Nitin Rakesh, the CEO of Mphasis, just won the International Business Book of Year Award. And my current research and consulting focuses on capturing opportunities in times of crisis and preparing us, and especially legacy companies and organizations, for the new post-pandemic reality. That includes addressing the other aspects of our crisis – the call for social justice, economic recovery, addressing the climate crisis, and the inevitable shift from shareholder to stakeholder focus. This includes, of course, the need to rethink and reimagine everything we do including innovation, marketing, the role of the CMO, the talent strategy, and even the vision of the firm and its growth strategy.

I am delighted to be with you and discuss Transformation in Times of Crisis and especially the implications of our eight transformation principles and implementation framework to your individual companies.

NetElixir: What is a key driver of innovation that companies tend to overlook?

Professor Wind: While there is no single key driver that is ignored by all companies, I believe that significantly more attention must be given to the interplay of three drivers – advances in technology, their implications to the behavior and expectations of the increasingly empowered and skeptical consumers, and the impact of these two forces on the need to challenge our mental models and reinvent our vision, objectives, strategy and organizational architecture, and network orchestration.

NetElixir: Companies are already beginning to prepare for future crises. What is one area they should focus on?

Professor Wind: The initial temptation is to select one of the key challenges facing society – the economic divide, the climate crisis, the continued cry for social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, the shift to stakeholder orientation, and my deep concern about the ideological divide of our country and many other countries. Yet, companies should be ready to address any of these or new crises they may face, i.e., how do you prepare an early warning system to identify the coming crisis, and an agile system that allows both the design and implementation of effective prevention, or if that fails, a speedy recovery.

NetElixir: What is one example of innovation you’ve seen from companies during the pandemic that has impressed you?

Professor Wind: There are many examples, from the global collaboration among pharmaceutical firms that led to the development of the vaccine in record times by multiple firms to GM conversion of its manufacturing capabilities to the production of ventilators, the effective shift of most universities and schools to eLearning and almost universal adoption of Zoom and other platforms as the new mode of communication and even selling and negotiating, to the shift to digital medicine, and the shift by so many cultural institutions to digital programming and innovative ways of engaging their current and new customers. Common to all these examples is courageous leadership that recognized the need for a speedy shift in their mode of operations.

I hope you can reflect on these three topics and answer them from your perspective. But remember that while you may have specific industry views, consumers’ expectations do not know industry boundaries.

Connect the Dots with Jerry Wind

Join NetElixir’s virtual conference, Connecting the Dots: Driving Change Through Innovation, to learn more from Professor Wind about his eight transformation principles.

Transformation in Times of Crisis, live on 6/10 at 10:15 AM EST

Experiencing life after the ides of March 2020, we are on the eve of shifting to a new reality of post-pandemic life, combined with the slow reopening of the economy and an increased demand for social justice. Professor Wind, Founder of the Wharton Think Tank, presents how we can lean into opportunities by understanding the implications to cope, prepare, and seize them. He will also share his eight leading principles to creating opportunities during times of crisis and ways you can begin to focus on testing experiments that can lead to significant innovations.  

Register now to hear more from marketing legend Jerry Wind!

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Meet Natalie Zmuda, the Head of Think With Google

Meet Michele Peters, the Senior Manager of Global E-Commerce Marketing at UPS

Meet Aaron Zagha, the Chief Marketing Officer at Newton Baby

Opportunities in Times of Crisis, a recap of Professor Wind’s previous discussion with NetElixir, from June 2020

The post Connect the Dots with Jerry Wind appeared first on NetElixir.

NetElixir asked Aaron to share some of his thoughts on how marketing initiatives have shifted throughout the last eighteen months. As we seek to connect the dots of what we have learned and create a brighter future, we sat down with Aaron for a glimpse of how his marketing innovations helped Newton Baby continue to succeed.

Connect the dots with Aaron Zagha.

NetElixir: What is a key driver of innovation that companies tend to overlook?

Aaron: I think customers are too often overlooked in the innovation process. Ensuring you have an open dialogue with your customers — not just through customer service, but also through polls, surveys, panels — can actually result in more focused innovation, and innovation which is driven by end-user demand.

NetElixir: Companies are already beginning to prepare for future crises. What is one area they should focus on?

Aaron: Supply chain is and continues to be the single most important area of focus, but ensuring you have diversified distribution channels is a close second. If a hack shuts down your site, can you still sell product in stores? And vice versa, in the case of the pandemic.

NetElixir: What is one example of innovation you’ve seen from companies during the pandemic that has impressed you?

Aaron: I think the most remarkable innovation, certainly from a marketing perspective, has been the ability to pivot 180° in a very short time. Some companies were able to completely change their messaging — whether by force or opportunity — in a very tight timeframe when the pandemic broke out. Making sure you (and your marketing calendar) are flexible enough to stop and pivot quickly is vital, as we saw with the Facebook boycotts of last summer.

Connect the Dots with Aaron Zagha

Join NetElixir’s virtual conference, Connecting the Dots: Driving Change Through Innovation, to learn more about Aaron’s experience as he pivoted Newton Baby’s marketing strategy to successfully navigate through the turbulence of last year. 

Innovation Roundtable, live on 6/10 at 2 PM EST

Aaron will be one of our panelists on our Innovation Roundtable at Connecting the Dots: Driving Change Through Innovation. Aaron will be joined by Michele Peters, the Senior Manager of Global E-Commerce Marketing at UPS, Lewis Broadnax, the Vice President of Global E-Commerce at Sazerac, and Christine Hunt, the Vice President of Brand Marketing at Lulus.com. 

NetElixir’s Innovation Roundtable features senior executives who will share their experience from the past year and the ways they have had to innovate for their organizations and customers. Aaron and the rest of our innovation panelists will answer questions like:

• How is Newton Baby promoting innovation to their customers?
• What will make your organization iconic?
• How do you select ideas that will become successful innovations?

Register now for Aaron’s live roundtable discussion.

Read More

Meet Natalie Zmuda, the Head of Think With Google

Meet Michele Peters, the Senior Manager of Global E-Commerce Marketing at UPS

The post Connect the Dots with Aaron Zagha appeared first on NetElixir.

NetElixir asked Michele to speak on how she has been inspired and motivated to continually meet and exceed customer expectations with UPS. She notes that innovation is at the heart of creative ideas that bring goods and services people enjoy every single day to light.

Connect the dots with Michele Peters by reading more of her insights below.

NetElixir: What is a key driver of innovation that companies tend to overlook?

Michele: When inspiring innovation, companies tend to overlook the simple joys of having fun! More creative ideas are birthed from informal, relaxed, playful environments that allow individuals to stretch their imagination to uncover something new.

NetElixir: Companies are already beginning to prepare for future crises. What is one area they should focus on?

Michele: Trying to stay ahead of the game and prepare for the next big crisis is challenging. The best advice that I would offer is to know the voice of the customer, what are their needs and what are their wishes. And then, try to think about what have you learned from this pandemic, anticipate what we think the next pandemic will be, and connect that to the wishes of your customer. The first company that meets that need, that’s the company that wins the business.

NetElixir: What is one example of innovation you’ve seen from companies during the pandemic that has impressed you?

Michele: The biggest area of innovation that I’ve seen from companies as a result of the pandemic is listening to their customers and sharing their stories. Companies that were able to quickly identify their customer needs and adjust operating models accordingly and share their personal stories yielded loyalty in organizational sustainability. Think about the restaurant industry when they needed customers and customers needed toilet paper — well, that was a match made in heaven, but one, we would never have predicted.

Connect the Dots with Michele Peters

Join NetElixir’s virtual conference, Connecting the Dots: Driving Change Through Innovation, to learn more about Michele’s role in delivering engaging and effective marketing campaign to a global audience.

Innovation Roundtable, live on 6/10 at 2 PM EST

Michele will be one of our panels at our Innovation Roundtable at Connecting the Dots: Driving Change Through Innovation. Michele will be joined by Aaron Zagha, the Chief Marketing Officer at Newton Baby, Lewis Broadnax, the Vice President of Global E-Commerce at Sazerac, and Christine Hunt, the Vice President of Brand Marketing at Lulus.com. 

This year’s Innovation Roundtable features senior executives who will share their experience from the past year and the ways they have had to innovate for their organizations and customers. As the pandemic progressed, these executives were challenged to take the information and data they had at hand to connect the dots during uncertain times. Learn how they created innovation, how they promoted it to their customers, what they found to be their key differentiator, and most importantly — how they successfully competed in this growing market. Register now for Michele’s live roundtable discussion.

Read More

Meet Natalie Zmuda, the Head of Think With Google

The post Connect the Dots with Michele Peters appeared first on NetElixir.