How Brands like Sharpie, Food Saver, & Graco are Using Data to Level Up Their Ecomm Experiences with Michal Geller of Newell Brands

The buying experience is becoming more and more of a puzzle that comes together differently for every consumer. How they discover something might be different from how they purchase something and how they purchase it might be different from how it gets fulfilled. You can find something in a store, buy it online, and have it delivered via an app. Every part of the process is being uncoupled, and brand leaders have to build for that reality. Every touchpoint, every experience, every interaction has to be optimized. For Michal Geller, the President of eCommerce & Digital at Newell Brands, this is even more difficult because Newell’s portfolio of brands is massive, and well known — we’re talking about Sharpie, Crock Pot, Food Saver, Elmer’s Glue, Graco, and the list goes on. With so many brands, and so many potential touchpoints and opportunities for cross-promotion, how are Michal and his team approaching this challenge? On this episode of Up Next in Commerce, Michal and I talked about the ways that Newell is experimenting, using data, and taking advantage of new opportunities in order to bring the ecommerce experience — and every other aspect of the business — to the next level. Enjoy this episode and to learn more about Newell Brands, check out newellbrands.com, and Instagram/Twitter @newell_brands and Newell and Newell Brands on LinkedIn!

Main Takeaways:

• Data Dump: Every company has massive amounts of data, but the key is using data better. You have to experiment — even if you think the experiment is obvious — and then take the data from those experiments to guide your strategy. Putting a focus on experiments as a way to find better returns will yield better results than throwing money at marketing with no data to back it up.
• Ecomm’s Magic Bullet: The best thing about ecommerce is that it is data-rich and that gives companies the ability to move faster than traditional brick and mortar retailers. With the real-time data, even if ecommerce represents a minority of sales, it should inform the majority of the business decisions.
• Independent Customers: Part of the rise of ecommerce has been the rise of a more independent consumer, who has more choice and authority over purchase decisions. Brands have to cater to this kind of consumer and create buying experiences and touchpoints that are consistently excellent. It is only through exceptional service and experiences that brands will win consumers in the future.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.