Hey, there! 
(Personal Stuff)
My name is Eric Smith from a small farm city in Northern Utah called Hooper (good luck on the pronunciation). I play the guitar (sorta). I like to exercise as if I were still in my 20's. My wife and I lovvve animals, especially cats (we currently have four. No shame!) I used to live in a mortuary - like, legit. And I kinda look like Johnny Bravo, I guess? 

(Professional Stuff)
For over 10 years I have proven the ability to successfully launch, lead, and develop various teams and departments ranging from sales to business development and partnerships. All the while learning how to be led at the same time. 

Reflecting on my professional career is both gratifying and humbling as I recognize how my leadership abilities have led to quantifiable company growth. The ability to develop, organize, and execute new processes allowed me to launch successful sales teams and whole departments helping my company to achieve the honor of being a two-time Inc. 500 company, as well as being recognized as one of Utah’s fastest-growing companies multiple years in a row. 

Although these company growth achievements have been fulfilling, my passion and gratitude for what I do come from supporting and developing individual people. Creating positive employee outcomes and learning how to transform low performers who lack confidence into top producers is a skill of mine. My ability to lead and motivate others is a direct result of my personal drive to become an expert among experts while also learning how to do better the next time. Through criticism and the ability to admit when I’ve made a mistake I am able to make a meaningful change that makes me a better leader.

Lastly, I have endless energy and passion! I also thrive on being able to create meaningful conversations with everyone I meet and bring value to each interaction. 

Words that describe me (in no particular order):
- Fun
- Happy
- Loyal
- Supportive 
- Caring
- Innovative
- Hardworking
- Honest
- Trustworthy
- Curious
- Protein

It’s go time.

Kicking off CES 2026 this week in Vegas with the crew from Pattern® , and it’s shaping up to be a good one.

If you’re around and want to connect, here’s what’s on deck:

1. TikTok + Pattern event the night of the 6th. Invite-only. DM me if you’re interested.

2. Pattern Warehouse Tours. Come see how the largest shipper into Amazon handles prep and fulfillment at scale. These are always a hit.

Outside of that, I’ll be bouncing between meetings, booths, and espresso shots like everyone else.

If you’re here, let’s grab coffee or catch up on the fly. Always down for a quick “hallway chat” if schedules are tight.

Let’s make it a great week. Hope to see you out there.

#CES2026 #ecommerce #dtc #amazon #marketplaces #PatternAccelerate #TikTokShop

Eric Smith

Head of Alliances at Pattern - NASDAQ: PTRN

Super hot take here. And would loooove to know your thoughts! 

Is any one else starting to notice how product images are all starting to look… the same?

Polished. Perfect. A little too perfect.

Thanks to AI, brands can now crank out clean, high-quality images at scale. And don’t get me wrong, I love what AI can do. 

But here’s the thing I’m starting to wonder…

If every brand uses the same tools, and trains on the same data, how long before every image starts to blend together?

Great ecommerce images don’t just look nice. They build trust. They answer objections. They show real use cases in real life.

If we rely too much on AI to generate the “perfect” stack of images, we might actually make everything feel more generic and less human. And that could hurt conversion.

My take: 
AI should enhance creativity, not replace it. The best image strategy still starts with empathy and intent.

What brands can do:
✔️ Don’t go full AI just because it’s easy
✔️ Mix in real lifestyle shots to stay grounded
✔️ Make sure your images still feel like they were made for people

Anyone else noticing this and it’s becoming a little bothersome? 

#ai #imagestacks #creativity #ecommerce

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