Digital

The Cast of Ecommerce, Now and Always

March 13, 2021 by Johnny Russo Leave a Comment

On March 2, 2021, I was asked to sit on a panel for one of the best Retail and Technology events on the planet – DX3. In light of the global COVID pandemic, it was their first virtual edition. The panel’s topic was Ecommerce, Now and Always, which discussed how the pandemic has changed the Ecommerce, Digital, and Retail landscape. Below is a transcribed version of my answers to some of the moderator’s questions.

How has e-commerce changed over the past year?

Well, everyone is talking about it. Those who didn’t believe in it are now leading the charge. Less selling is needed when talking about Digital. Investments are being made. Talent is being brought in. For those leaders and companies who were trying to delay their entrance or launch into Digital, they are now trying to figure out a way to leapfrog their competitors. I’ve been in Retail for almost 12 years. I’ve always been in a Digital capacity. And I remember the discussions about social media’s impact, the importance of reviews, and email as the best Marketing channel. And it was always like “Johnny, we know…. But we’re going to keep investing in TV, flyers, and billboards, all the things that got us here in the past.” And I kept thinking 5% market share today is going to be 15% next year, and 50% in a few years. And that’s exactly what was going to happen. But COVID made us all fast forward at least 3 years in our planning. I truly believe those that are the most nimble and best at adapting to this wave, will be the ones to win. Not necessarily the biggest or ones with the most cash.

What are we expecting in the future?

A built-in excuse many companies had for not embracing Digital sooner, was legacy ERP systems, or just legacy technology in general. Well, those same leaders of those same companies now have to step up to the plate and swing for the fences. They need to build a future proof tech stack as much as possible, or at least ones that are adaptable. I once had a large email provider quote for $30k implementation fee for an abandoned cart program. We obviously changed providers after that insane quote. But today, especially if you are using Shopify, you can turn on cart emails instantly, with a number of providers of your choosing. Technology today is setup to help the users and business leaders drive business, rather than constantly worrying about things breaking, or trouble implementing different technologies together.

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Avenue Code Spotlight Series: How to Prioritize Digital Investments That Yield a High ROI

February 15, 2021 by Johnny Russo Leave a Comment

In January of 2021, Avenue Code asked me to be featured in a Spotlight Series about Digital Transformation. We had a great chat about how to transform businesses digitally, how to prioritize digital investments, and how data plays a key role.

Thanks to Avenue Code for featuring me, and for Retail Insider for publishing it.

Here is the excerpt of that article as it appeared:

By Avenue Code

COVID-19 created a unique opportunity for accelerated executive buy-in on digital investments supporting e-commerce. Avenue Code chatted with Johnny Russo, VP of Marketing and Ecommerce at The Kersheh Group, to get practical tips on how to prioritize digital investments that yield a high ROI.

Avenue Code: Tell us about your career path. How did you get to where you are today?

Johnny Russo: I studied journalism and wanted to be a TV sports broadcaster but ended up channeling my writing expertise into marketing. After only two weeks, I fell in love with marketing, advertising, and branding, and I knew it was where I wanted to be. I immersed myself in research and reading to learn all that I could. Digital was emerging at the time, which made it easy for me to get ahead of the curve in learning about SEO, email marketing, social media, etc.

I should note that I’m still very passionate about writing. I run my own blog, and I’m in the process of writing a book that presents tangible, bite-sized tips for leaders. These tips are a combination of my research and my own learnings as I transitioned from management to executive-level leadership, and they cover both what to do and what not to do.

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Amazon Canada Feature: Supporting Outstanding Canadian Businesses

November 8, 2020 by Johnny Russo Leave a Comment

For Holiday 2020, Amazon Canada asked to interview me about one of the largest growing brands on their platform, Jellifish Kids. It was a feature to support Canadian businesses during the peak 2020 Holiday season. They also prepared a digital lookbook to share with media and customers during the key Holiday season. Below are some images and links to the feature.

Thanks to Amazon Canada for all their support.

Here is the excerpt of that article as it appeared:

Johnny Russo, VP of Marketing and E-commerce, Jellifish Kids, Montreal, QC

How did Jellifish Kids get their start:
Jellifish Kids is part of The Kersheh Group, a manufacturer and marketer of sleepwear established in 1978. The brand was started to fill a void in the kids sleepwear market. Jellifish Kids is all about comfort and focuses on fun, colourful and playful themes in its designs. We also have an established line of licensed sleepwear, including partnerships with Disney, Universal, Warner Bros., the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association and more!

Tell us about your role and why it’s important to Jellifish Kids:
When I joined the business in 2019, the core focus of my role was developing our brands – most crucial of which was Jellifish Kids – and scaling the e-commerce business across Amazon, various other marketplaces and our own e-commerce sites. It’s been amazing to see the support the company has put behind this role and, most importantly, being supportive of the vision we have, which is to become the largest sleepwear destination in North America.

What does it mean for a small business like Jellifish Kids to have a VP of Marketing and E-commerce:
I was asking myself the same question during the hiring and recruiting process before I joined. For me, it meant Jellifish Kids was seriously getting behind developing their brand and launching their e-commerce division. I’ve had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with our executive committee and I can tell you they are all big believers of what we’re building. I’ve got a great team that embraces challenges, supports each other, is adaptive and is positive along the way. After all, we sell pajamas, so we have some fun throughout the journey.

Check out the entire feature article and see all the great Canadian businesses supported by and with Amazon.

Here are some of the images featured in their lookbook highlighting the Jellifish Kids brand and products.

Take a look at the entire Digital Lookbook Amazon put together to support successful Canadian businesses during the peak Holiday 2020 season.

Gateway to Relaxation: Permission to Disconnect and Recharge

March 23, 2019 by Johnny Russo Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever gone on vacation, and told yourself that you could never disconnect fully from work or life, then maybe this post can be helpful, as I used to be like that.

For context, I work in the Digital Marketing and Ecommerce space in the Retail industry. Always-on type of work – after all we have English and French transactional websites we need to run. It’s very rare for me to completely shut off, be it nights, weekends, or on vacation.

So here’s some potentially helpful advice.

Give Yourself Approval To Disconnect

I went on vacation with family in the middle of March. Usually while I’m on vacation, I’ll check my emails every hour, check Google Analytics regularly to see where sales and traffic are at, and I’ll usually even bring my laptop “just in case.”

Maybe being a Dad changes things, or maybe it’s because little Luca, my 19-month old, is a bundle of energy and is always in play mode, but whatever it was, this vacation felt different. I didn’t bring my laptop. Once I got onto the flight to Mexico for a 7-day sojourn and responded to my last email just before the plane took off, I felt a sense of calm and relaxation, one I wanted to maintain for the next 7 days. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, the people I work with, and the industry I work in. But every now and then, the mind, body, and soul need some rest and calmness, along with a few manly strawberry daiquiris (double vodka of course).

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The Cast of Ecommerce, Now and Always

How has e-commerce changed over the past year?

What are we expecting in the future?

Avenue Code Spotlight Series: How to Prioritize Digital Investments That Yield a High ROI

Gateway to Relaxation: Permission to Disconnect and Recharge

Give Yourself Approval To Disconnect

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