RETHINK Retail

2024 Top Retail Expert

RMW Commerce

Media Producer at RMW Commerce

Vinny & Co Consulting Limited

Our Vision
To make ecommerce and digital technologies accessible to all businesses.
 
Our Mission
As a group our mission is to share knowledge, experience and skills with businesses who want to grow in a digital era.

eCommerce Consultant 

Thermo Tents Ltd.

I work closely with the team to ensure the strategic plans are clear, consistent and scalable for the international growth of the business. I provide training, mentoring and am helping monitor the execution of all elements of the ecommerce strategy to the team.

eCommerce Mentor

Non Executive Director

Enterprise Ireland - where innovation means business

An ecommerce strategist with over 10 years industry experience. Helping the high potential start up and mature businesses find their route to market and to define and shape their ecommerce strategy. Exceptional networker and an ability to form concepts into deliverable projects. Adept in ambiguity and a strong change manager. Public speaker, presenter and coach in start up programmes, bootcamps and training development on behalf of agencies including the Irish Internet association, the Irish Times training centre, AIB, Realex, Enterprise Ireland and the Digitial Marketing institute.

Business Mentor - eCommerce, Digital Sector

Tranquillity

CTO . Designing and overseeing the technical architecture  and marketing technology stack development.

Chief Technology Officer

TRC Solutions_

Creation, design and Implementation of the TRC Growth Strategy. Specifically targeting geographies and a partner ecosystem.

Group Strategy Director

BDO Eaton Square 

Development of client strategies to deliver urgent Digital Transformation. Internally I helpped to develop processes, teams and a revenue stream to set up in BDO Eaton Square.

Ecommerce Consultant

SENSORPRO

Creating partnership opportunities and development of a broad network to prvoide growth opportunities. UX advice.

Strategic Advisor

Premium Golf Brands Ltd

I am working across all functions in PGB to create a singular strategy for delivering ecommerce capability right throughout the organisation. 

http://www.missdesignergolf.com/
http://www.dwyersandco.com
http://www.greenlamb.com

Strategic eCommerce Consultant

eCommerce Strategist & Consultant | RETHINK Retail 2024 Top Expert | Producer for RWM Commerce Watson Weekend Podcast | Head of SponsorShip RMW Commerce | CSM Agency Director

With over 15 years of experience in online retail, digital marketing, and ecommerce consulting, I help companies design and execute their global ecommerce omnichannel strategies. As the Group Strategy Director at TRC Solutions, a leading provider of enterprise software solutions, and the Chief Technology Officer at Tranquillity, a startup that offers personalized wellness products, I oversee the technical architecture and marketing technology stack development for both businesses, ensuring scalability, sustainability, and customer satisfaction.

I also leverage my extensive network and industry knowledge to provide strategic advice and guidance to various ecommerce and digital businesses, ranging from automotive, fashion, hard goods, and home verticals. As a mentor, trainer, and board director, I empower and enable entrepreneurs, startups, and established brands to optimize their online presence, performance, and profitability. I am passionate about ecommerce, retail, marketplace, and omnichannel trends and best practices, and I enjoy sharing my insights and learnings through speaking engagements and online platforms.

#ecommerce Shein made $2bn in profits last year. 
Shein is now offering Manufacturing as a service. 
Shein is set to IPO this year. 
Shein uses real time retail - 3 days from design to production. 
Sheins average customer is a 34 year old woman and spends $100 per month on the site. 

Sheins customers say they are more environmentally conscious than the average shopper. (Today is April 2nd, not 1st). 67% of them say they will happily pay more for environemntally sustainable goods. 

Dilemmas arising from Shein

Moral questions
They are not going away
Their model of near real time production is, in theory, better for the planet. (less over production etc).

They are legistimising the business at govt level and will leverage their capabilities to provide better procurement for the struggling SMB market, catering to lower income earners. 

Say what you like, Shein is a story that will not be going away soon. 

#strategy #retail

Vinny O'Brien

Are you an Irish-based ecommerce merchant or retailer looking to see how you might *transform* your ecom business in the next year? Would you like to join a conference on this very topic next week in Dublin on Wed April 17th? 

StudioForty9 has been holding an annual invite-only conference for about 8 years now. This year we decided to double the size of the conference! Now we have a little more space to play with 😀 

Places are still limited, but it's free to attend and open to merchants and retailers. 

So if you'd like to see behind the curtains at what StudioForty9 is planning for the next 12 months, hear from other leading retailers and select tech partners such as Shopify, Klaviyo, Dataships, Gorgias and WaveOMS, and do a little networking... register your interest here: 

https://lnkd.in/eDqkSghi 

#ecommerce #retail #ecommerceconference #networking


#ecommerce Over the last few weeks, I have mentioned Shein infiltrating modern commerce with a new model - Manufacturing as a Service. This has generated alot of negative commentary. We need to get used to it. TEMU are not be be outdone in this space. TEMU has started 2 major initiatives that will be impactful over the months and years ahead opening the door to US sellers for their marketplace and the setting up of US warehouses. 

An interesting article from Marketplace Pulse detailing the new step. TEMU are going to go head to head with Walmart and Amazon as part of a 3PL rollout. The difference here is they bought (partnered) and did not build to get this footprint. But they are now gearing up to take on the US market in 2 key ways using consigment model and the marketplace model. 

It is the former that I am most interested in. Shein and TEMU are not alone in this quest to serve anywhere in the world from their China DCs. Not just that but, in pandemic times, I am aware of at least 2 such manufacturers that could deliver from factory line, globally in 5 days and some positively tested (no pun intended) the concept in 3. 

Today we buy mostly using consignment. Our real test will be when TEMU offer us all that billionaire goodness but with next day delivery. There are 3 strategic points in the US that guarantee 2 day delivery anywhere in the country, so 100s or 1000s of locations may not be necessary. This positioning is also a response to any potential closure of De Minimis loopholes in the US. 

Other things they are learning to do well is design to demand - rather than hold long tail inventory (they will have some) they model is predicated on readin the market and creating to that need. This is where fashion will be really challenged. 

Both Shein and TEMU are providing very open innovations that mean we need to sit and observe. Their strengths are historically where Amazon competitors have fallen down. 

And for Amazon, their continued push on death by a 1000 fees will grate on sellers leaving them having to look to other places to get a leg up. Survival being the mother of invention. 

#strategy #usretail #amazoin #shein #temu

#ecommerce Are the barriers to ecommerce too low? Yes. Presenting an argument, again, for why this needs to change. How we do it is buried down at the bottom of this long read on the state of retail and what our response to Shein earning $2BN profit tells us about our own bias.

Some questions at this point, before you fall asleep with boredom. 
Are the barriers to retail ecommerce too low at this point? 

Do we understand the overall economics before we consider unit economics? 

Do we know how to link the two? 

We have an absurd relationship between marketing and finance? Marketing (for the masses) does not return on investment in a linear accounting time period. It rarely does.

Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon.

We are morphing so fast that our ability to invent new things outpaces the rate we can civilize them.

Red Pill or Blue Pill—Which Is Better?

I blame Mike Ryan again, sorry Mike and I include Sam Panzer too for letting us know the following: 

The average discount rate in fashion retail is 23%, and trending up YoY. We run promotions for a reason.

They get customers to change behavior.

But too often we forget that. We don’t have a specific behavior change in mind, do it in a way that’s incredibly inefficient, or just don’t drive enough demand uplift to justify the margin damage.

2 of the most compelling posts I read all year. I hope I did justice to them in my ode to Mike, Sam, the Wachowskis, Adam Smith,  Kevin Kelly and Thomas Friedman 

#strategy #marketplaces #shein #shopify #retail 

Vinny O'Brien on LinkedIn • 9 min read

Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon.

#ecommerce Over the next 4 weeks, I am attending events of different types and I am exhausted by the thought of it. My role in them even is minimal, presenter, speaker, drinker, social philanderer. During the pandemic, I got comfortable at the home office. I missed events due to passports not being renewed & more. I started this year differently. A quarter in & I am resorting back to my alter ego as Brooks from Shawshank. It got me thinking. 

NRF amazing spectacle. But enormous. c 40k people in the mix. Vendors and brands/retailers flirting like 30 year olds that have been burned before. The occasional swipe right, but alot more doomscrolling. 

Since then smaller events, better outcomes. I missed Shoptalk due to an operation but aiming to be there in June, amongst new friends and peers, largely from RETHINK Retail 

In Ireland this week I will be part of CEO dinner/breakfast sessions, hosted quietly by eComm Live & eComm Awards | eCommerce Events 8 handpicked CEOs with topics on their minds. Chatham house rules. Safe space being key. 

Then, I will be at the StudioForty9  conference in Dublin. An invite only audience of over 100 brands/retailers from around the country. Tightly run and delivery is over 1 day > C level friendly. 

The week after the Retail Technology Show #RTS24 - already feels too big for me, but I go, open minded. 

Topping it off in Belfast a week later for eComm Live & eComm Awards | eCommerce Events where I will be running a day long masterclass (their words, not mine) for C level execs and their teams attending the conference. I will be hosting a fireside chat with the most exciting brand in Ireland too.  A priviliege to take such a seat. 

These events all lend themselves to my personal goals. The way I go about them is very unorthodox, but it works for me. My rest of year will be spent hosting private, small, curated events. Built on being trusted in a network. 

Are we at peak big conference? I am tired now, Imagine I was exhibiting? I see alot of people do this every week, every week, without fail. 

Vendors socialising with vendors in many cases. Do we really need them all? I wonder is there an element of self preservation or morale boosting etc. But with budgets tight, we need to be vigilant I saw Sharon Gee post, that we need to be creative too. 

We learned the tools of the trade in the pandemic and as with most things we learned then have done a 180. I am not saying we don't need in person events, but the size and frequency may be in question. 

Turning up is not enough, thought leadership is required. Amplification is the next step - who can spread your message. 

We try to absorb too much info to the detriment of getting things done. I salute all those vendors who turn up week in week out. Not sure how you do it. Big brands are selective about participation. Legacy brands, more so. They have strategy & therefore execute differently, their non attendance is noticable. Are they winning?

#events #strategy #content

#ecommerce A common question I am hearing at ecomm meet ups is around the efficiency of spend or how to allocate budgets. Not easy, but necessary. The IAB report on advertising spend in 2023 tells us where we placed our bets and where the sands of spend are shifting towards. 

Ad revenues hit $225B - their highest ever level with a slowed growth rate. It is clear we have new distribution channels that are being taken seriously - #CTV now accounts for 23% of all ad revenues, $52bn. Audio, including podcasts and streaming music has the highest growth rate at just shy of 19% - total $7bn. Social was $65B and retail media totalled $43.7bn - at a growth rate of 16%. 

So why take note? 

Shifts in channel and distribution outlet. What do I mean? 

I listen to Smartless, an entertainment podcast - This year and last they had ads for Netsuites annual plan?? And Shipstations shipping ecommerce software. Seem not really aligned. But its possible. As a small or growing brand, I can now access new outlets for areas of the marketing funnel I previously had to speculate on. CTV provides the same. The granularity of targeting gives me better precision on audiences. 

What is also evident from brands I work with and stories from the conference yesterday is that performance is now being driven by newness of content output. Almost all platforms are ravenous for new content in double time, placing an emphasis of resource on output. Lo fi production or hi doesn't matter, there is a place for it all. 

What is missing from the report is comparatives and performance metrics. It looks great on one side - more spend, more channels etc but how does it deliver and importantly where in your customer journey or sales process is content effective. 

In a year where the path to profitability started many threw away growth. I want to say maybe they are right. Profitability should be everyones goal but the time to profit should be laid out in perspective. Hyper growth was sought, by many, to be in a position to sell a DTC unicorn (sorry to use that expression), as opposed build a 30 or 100 year business. Accounting periods typically determine success or drive decisions. 

By elongated our thinking and understaning the cyclical nature of the impact of spend and where it impacts we allow more time for the mechanics of the machine work and customer purchasing cycles to be realistic and not magically aligned to our sales plans. 

I am not saying to hell with profitability in 2024 but stop and look around at all that is going on in the world. People are switching to cheaper alternatives .. Rick Watson told  us today he didn't buy his $80 dollar socks, instead he walks around barefoot, like me. Growth, stability and the building blocks to profit. 

#strategy #advertising #retail #usretail 

#ecommerce What is the V Spot? Where is the V spot? Questions I wish people asked me regularly. Alas, they don't. Much like a stray dog we get enough interaction like a small bowl of water given to said dog, to keep us going. Sometimes the big stories miss your inbox because, they are, well too big. So we do our best to distill them down into something digestible. 

We care passionately about quality reporting over production quality, though this is changing. We work relentlessly, have midweek wine sessions to ensure we are on the cutting edge. No 11 minute blog reads here folks. 

Mostly we do this, because it is fun. Our industry is under a cloud. 

I get asked alot how I manage to look so nonchalant or have a vacant, I just checked out look on. Those who speak to me know the answer. Book a call to find out. 

For all those newcomers to my timeline this week and those wondering what value I bring, this is it. In. ALL. ITS. GLORY. Who needs recession talk when all this fun stuff happens. Changed the time to see if we can infiltrate your lunchtime binging and get your news on. 

Unfiltered news. Not afraid to barely dig in on those hard hitting headlines you want to mock in public. 

Throwing shade this week at 

Poundland - when is cheap too cheap
Rent the runway and more time
Meta - Shame on you
ALDI enjoy some M&S
Bark Air - peak - nowism

This was the week in ecommerce. Stay tuned next week. Missed an episode? Listen here or subscribe to the V Spot. Link in the comments below. 



#retail

#ukretail
#usretail

#strategy 

#brandstrategy
#TRE

#TopRetailExperts 
#Getinvolved 

#ecommerce Other recurring headlines that are being ignored completely this year. 

The worlds biggest retailers have recognized retail revenues alone are not profitable. Most have invested in secondary activities to create new revenue. 
> They created media networks - places you can buy ad space.
> Think Walmart acquiring Vizio.
> Amazon partnering with Mr Beast. 
> Acquisition of sports broadcasting rights. 

This is impacting you. 

Why
They are buying front line ad spend on existing channels - Google and Meta. 
> Driving your price up. 
> Driving your ranking down. Ask Mike Ryan
> You may well be buying your mid table spot on more than 1 channel. 

Bottom line - retail revenues alone may not be enough. (Sidenote: Bolting on subscription is not the answer.)

Other headlines. 
Regulation will be the ultimate decider of certain "initiatives" of the last 5 years. Namely. 
> Sustainability - will be replaced with corporate policy, ESG policy and taxes. Can't regulate or split the big guys? Tax them. 
> AI and control - regulation. Today the EU parliament overwhelmingly said we want to design a better framework for AI use. 

Logisitics and Performance Marketing are HARD. 
Not because we have poor solutions (though we do have them too). 
But because they are seen as the only 2 controllables when it comes to margin mgmt. 1 is seen as cost and the other, investment. (Depends on who you speak to). 
Logistics is best left to experts. Costs should rise to improve service. 

Gen Z and Millenials are more than just customers. 
> These "cohorts" are my generation 20 years ago. Rejecting and disliking work practices, brands and ways we live. We thought we were rebels. 
> They have different ways of thinking and we underestimate it (me included) but we need to pay attention. 

Personalization is a fallacy. 
We have driven on a number of fronts to put the power of the individual ahead  of the power of the collective. That is not always the best solution. 
Design and by extension, product design falls into this trap too. This is why, Shopify, templates and all provide a "good enough" experience. 
We really crave relevancy, control and certainty. Shopping used to be about stumbling upon something and not knowing the answers. It was really about the journey. Better meandering please. Time should be our friend. 

#strategy #retail  

#ecommerce What is the V Spot? Where is the V spot? Questions I wish people asked me regularly. Alas, they don't. Much like a stray dog we get enough interaction like a small bowl of water given to said dog, to keep us going. Sometimes the big stories miss your inbox because, they are, well too big. So we do our best to distill them down into something digestible. 

We care passionately about quality reporting over production quality, though this is changing. We work relentlessly, have midweek wine sessions to ensure we are on the cutting edge. No 11 minute blog reads here folks. 

Mostly we do this, because it is fun. Our industry is under a cloud. 

I get asked alot how I manage to look so nonchalant or have a vacant, I just checked out look on. Those who speak to me know the answer. Book a call to find out. 

For all those newcomers to my timeline this week and those wondering what value I bring, this is it. In. ALL. ITS. GLORY. Who needs recession talk when all this fun stuff happens. Changed the time to see if we can infiltrate your lunchtime binging and get your news on. 

Unfiltered news. Not afraid to barely dig in on those hard hitting headlines you want to mock in public. 

Throwing shade this week at 

Disney - sorry Disney, you didn't mean it. 
Amazon Just walks out - takes football and says, I'm going home. game Over. 
UPS - when 2 boxes is 2 many
Fast Food Joints
Tennessee Titans - Fans first

This was the week in ecommerce. Stay tuned next week. Missed an episode? Listen here or subscribe to the V Spot. Link in the comments below. 


#retail 
#ukretail
#usretail
#strategy 
#brandstrategy
#TRE
#TopRetailExperts 
#Getinvolved 

#ecommerce You have got to make your own version of ecommerce. Whenever I say this I get 1 of 2 looks - like a dog turning its head sideways because they they think their owner is mad or those who get it. I have arrived at this hypothesis some time ago but started speaking about it in the pandemic. 

Primark or Penneys do this really, really well. A smart and sensible approach to a strategy that integrates digital and commerce, smart physical spaces, evolving curated collections and a slow methodical store expansion and the development of an international footprint - all through the prism of customer experience. 

I am grateful to Georgia Wright and the Retail Gazette for including my comments on the Primark journey and what might be next for them. 

https://lnkd.in/eCc_-XHY

#strategy #retail #ukretail 

retailgazette.co.uk • 6 min read

What next for Primark online?

#ecommerce What is the V Spot? Where is the V spot? Questions I wish people asked me regularly. Alas, they don't. Less viewers than the ladies NBA draft but more subscribers than Peacock. That's us. Unlike Ryan Gosling in SNL, we don't laugh and break character. We are full on Kenning. That is our mantra. 

We care passionately about quality reporting over production quality, though this is changing. We work relentlessly, have midweek wine sessions to ensure we are on the cutting edge. No 11 minute blog reads here folks.

Mostly we do this, because it is fun. Our industry is under a cloud.

I get asked alot how I manage to look so nonchalant or have a vacant, I just checked out look on. Those who speak to me know the answer. Book a call to find out.

For all those newcomers to my timeline this week and those wondering what value I bring, this is it. In. ALL. ITS. GLORY. Who needs recession talk when all this fun stuff happens. Changed the time to see if we can infiltrate your lunchtime binging and get your news on.

Unfiltered news. Not afraid to barely dig in on those hard hitting headlines you want to mock in public.

Throwing shade this week at

Temu blinding us by the stripes
ASOS kinda, not really, but they are there
Sesame St in for guest spot
Flexport with a Sheiny new toy
Dr Pepper turns our stomach
Adidas living their core brand value - sell sh*t

We are now inviting sponsor discussions. DM us for more details

This was the week in ecommerce. Stay tuned next week. Missed an episode? Listen here or subscribe to the V Spot. Link in the comments below.


#retail
#ukretail
#usretail
#strategy
#brandstrategy
#TRE
#TopRetailExperts
#Getinvolved

#ecommerce The Watson Weekend Moving Beyond Video Into an Audio Podcast! We have been working on this for well over 18 months. 20 epiesodes done and ALOT more to come. I have a tonne to learn as producer of this, but have put all of my years of ecomm experience to work for us. 

The Watson Weekend is food for all of the senses. Well some of them anyway - cos we know everyone is different. For example, If you're looking for real content in the eCommerce space and you prefer the audio podcast format, we have your back. The Watson Weekend, produced by our long-time friends and collaborators CitizenRacecar.

So here's how it breaks down:

* Every Friday we have a live show on Youtube (link below) and LinkedIn (it's here!) at 12:00 PM Eastern or 5PM GMT.  The show is hosted by my friend Rick Watson and the incredible Jessica Lesesky, also a 20+ year veteran of retail and eCommerce.

* The following week:
- we release cut-ups and shorts of the podcast on our Youtube channel throughout the week.
- we release a podcast version around Thursday of the following week.

Last week we had CASEY GOLDEN on our show. Nick Kaplan is a regular (in a portion of the video here). Our goal with the Watson Weekend is simple.

Information and Entertainment. At the same time. 

Whereas the Watson Weekly podcast is a little more geared to "get your news digest". On the Weekend, we have time to unpack and dive deeper with topics and guests, and we try to keep it light and fun as well.

Thank you to all our collaborators and team Kaylea Sepulvado, and of course our amazing co-hosts, who of course carry the show!

If you're interested in sponsoring either show, reach out and we will work with you! I must warn you though -- sponsors need to be prepared to embrace the entertainment and the "real" angle, we spend time with all of our sponsors working on storytelling.

The attached video is not the V Spot, this is a little reel of snippets we have done already this year. 

#strategy #usretail #retail #platform #supplychain

#ecommerce DePop goes the weasel as eBay follow their competitor to remove selling fees in the fashion category. Feels more like market share preservation than a category unlocking initiative. (UK). Fashion is a basket case of a category. Some of the contradictory headlines  you will have read since the turn of the year. 

> Ted Baker shuts down 11 UK stores. 
> Boohoo and ASOS hit a tipping point on greeenwashing strategy - they now need to be clear and specific when using terms such as eco, responsible and sustainable without clarity. 
> Shein tops $2Bn in profits. Sets sights on UK IPO.
> Shein customers will pay more for more environmentally friendly clothese (67% apparently).
> 92% of UK adults say they have 1 item of clothing they haven't worn in the last 12 months. 25% only have sold unwanted clothing - or as eBay calls them, pre loved.  

So we are to think on one hand, we want to be better consumers and yet we do not want to list our clothes to sell? This is not a function of selling fees. I do not see someone deciding to list their unwanted denims going, "sod it, those selling fees are off putting". It is less hassle to placed them in charity shops. 

And the pre loved market or second hand as I call it has always existed on eBay. It has had a relative growth and contraction but been steady. Now, there are alternatives. But I think the category is up for grabs. It is now easier, more convenient and affordable to buy new. This is the behaviour we built. 

We have voted with our pockets in numbers of TemU and Shein proportions. We have opted for sale items over full price. 
Some of the behaviours are there because it is what people can afford and that is hard to tackle. Today and into the future. So while I applaud the move, I think motivating people to sell more pre loved needs a bigger market or an option to donate my free clothing (like tinder but for clothes) to an anonymised and verified, pre loved enthusuiast who needs it. Claim a monetary credit to be offset against my new stuff etc... There are ways this can be a motivator in itself. 

#strategy #prelovedfashion #ukretail #ukfashion


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