To meet the full executive team at Peter Alexander, pick up Ragtrader's July 2017 edition. Subscribe here.
What is your previous experience in the industry?
I started my career in consumer marketing for the cosmetics industry, which I worked within for six years across a number of internationally recognised brands.
First as a marketing coordinator at Shiseido based in Sydney, then in London where I worked for two cosmetic brands including Clinique, part of the Estee Lauder Group. This is where my interest and passion for digital marketing and eCommerce first began.
After my stint in the UK, I shifted into FMCG working in brand management and consumer insights for Coles Group.
Fast forward five years and I have been combining my passion for eCommerce within the fashion industry in my current role as online manager for Peter Alexander.
What is your day-to-day role?
I oversee two eCommerce sites for Australia and New Zealand in my role as online manager at Peter Alexander.
It’s the best combination of both commercial and creative.
From crunching the sales numbers and analysing insights on which business decisions are based, to creative brainstorm meetings with our passionate team of web designers, through to content marketing for site and eDMs on the next campaign.
What is the biggest challenge in your position?
Many years ago a colleague once said to me ‘retail is detail’, and that couldn’t hold truer when it comes to eCommerce.
Working with technology day in day out for a large-scale fashion business definitely keeps you on your toes.
Due to this, a motto I like to stick to with my team is what may have worked yesterday or today, may not work tomorrow. And with the scale of the online business I manage and the volume of traffic our sites receive, it’s just not worth the risk and the impact to our customers.
What is the most rewarding aspect?
Working in digital is very immediate and measurable, much more so than traditional marketing. It’s very satisfying to see the outcome and success of your actions and be able to affect change with quick results.
Additionally, working for a very successful Australian brand that I truly love, with the fabulous creative mind of Peter himself is truly inspiring and a pleasure to be part of.
What is an initiative you are most proud of?
There have been many proud moments over the course of my career to date. Whether it is launching new websites, rebranding strategies, the development of a consumer panel for internal sensory research to achieving record eCommerce sales results for the major retail brands I’ve worked for in the UK and Australia.
What do you see as the biggest change ahead for the company?
The exceptional quality and unique designs of the Peter Alexander product is second to none, which is one of many pillars to the brand’s success.
The brand is very well recognised locally within Australia and this year reached a 30-year milestone. So the next natural step and biggest change for the company would be to build brand awareness and expand internationally for others to experience the range of sleepwear by Peter.
What about the biggest change ahead for the fashion industry as a whole?
With advancements in technology and consumer confidence in online shopping increasing, the challenge for the fashion industry is to deliver a quality and seamless multichannel experience to a constantly evolving expectation of what consumers will next expect from their retailer interactions.