We kicked off Destination:D2C with our second Amazing Women in eCommerce (AWiE) Live event: a networking breakfast and inspiring panel discussion.
First launched in 2018, AWiE is a community that celebrates women working in the eCommerce space. In March, we announced our 2019 honorees, selected from thousands of nominations. We hosted our first ever live event in June, at IRCE. For 2020, we’re committing to an expanded program of events, workshops, breakfasts, happy hours, and more. Finally — most exciting of all — we’ve opened our 2020 nominations.
We’re thrilled to continue growing our community, both digitally and in-person, supporting the women boldly driving our industry forward.
From left: Polly Rodriguez, Justine Mohr, Torey Clements, and Talia Shani
AWiE @ DSTN
Polly Rodriguez, CEO & Co-founder, Unbound, Justine Mohr, Vice President of eCommerce, Tibi (and a 2019 AWiE honoree), Torey Clements, Sr Product Manager, J.Crew, were the three amazing women on the panel. Yotpo’s own Talia Shani, Marketing Director, UK, led the discussion.
We rounded up some of the most inspiring quotes below.
Getting started in the industry
“As my mom would tell you, it was not [my] plan to start a vibrator business.” – Polly Rodriguez
“What really drove me was brands … for me, it’s an equal balance: love of brands and love of commerce.” – Justine Mohr
“I’ll never forget that my first meeting [at Toys ‘R’ Us]. My boss told me ‘go be the small fish in the big pond, learn and absorb.’” – Torey Clements
Polly Rodriguez
Making online shopping more human
“We’ve moved to an age where everyone puts you in a drip campaign — and [people] won’t respond to that, but they will respond to a human who understands their needs.” – PR
“Retail at its essence is really the experience you provide to someone when they decide to make a purchase, and a much more democratic way to do that is online.” – JM
Justine Mohr
Doing things differently
“I’m best friends with our competitor. That’s something that doesn’t happen at male-led companies.” – PR
“You have to look at the environment around you and ask, ‘Why is this happening? What could I do better?’” – JM
“You have to be ruthless, but professional…if something scares you — and almost everything in my career has scared me — that means you’re growing.” – TC
The best part about their jobs
“The other women and NB (non-binary) people I’m surrounded by everyday.” – PR
“Having a job that allows you to go from small problems to big ones is really intellectually inspiring.” – JM
Number one takeaway
“Be inquisitive.” – TC
The call for 2020 Amazing Women in eCommerce nominations is now open! Nominate a woman in the eCommerce industry who inspires you, and keep up with all things AWiE by following us on Instagram.
