Kate Maszluch is VP, Marketing at independent ecommerce experts Tryzens.
We caught up with her to ask the usual questions about skills, metrics, career history, advice for newbies and what a typical day looks like.
Please describe your job: What do you do?
I’m VP, Marketing at Tryzens, a full service digital commerce consultancy. Our job at Tryzens is to make sure that our clients have the best technology, strategies and skills to succeed in an ever-changing retail landscape. I’m responsible for global marketing which includes (but certainly isn’t limited to) events, content creation, branding, communications and technology partner collaborations.
Whereabouts do you sit within the organisation? Who do you report to?
I report into the CEO, Andy Burton, but I also work very closely with everyone in the team. We have a wide range of in-house specialists – developers, design & UX, strategists, data specialists, delivery managers and sales, just to name a few! It’s important to be in constant contact to ensure they have what they need from me and that I have what I need from them.
What kind of skills do you need to be effective in your role?
In my role, you need to have an understanding of both retail and technology and be able to articulate experience and key concepts of both sides. It’s also really important to make sure that you work closely with every department so you keep on top of any new developments or launches as well as how they work as a unit.
You also need to be a quick learner – if you need to assist with writing a paper on best practice, you need to inform yourself quite quickly!
Tell us about a typical working day…
Talk about having a role that is different every day! Because I work across regions, disciplines and verticals like B2C, direct to consumer and B2B, no two days are really the same!
In any day, I could have catch ups with technology partners, write a case study with a client, organise an event to promote thought leadership, work with the design team on branding assets, or spend a day researching best practice with our in-house teams for a white paper. It really is a job that encourages variety.
What do you love about your job? What sucks?
I love building communities of digital commerce practitioners. When I first started working in digital commerce, it was a bit of a niche role, but it has since exploded and become a key part of any business’ operations and that’s because digital commerce practitioners have a great sense of camaraderie and want to see each other succeed.
I love it when I can help share a retailer or brand’s story that others can learn from and improve their own practices. What sucks is those last-minute event hiccups or immediate deadlines that crop up sometimes!
What kind of goals do you have? What are the most useful metrics and KPIs for measuring success?
My ultimate goal is to make as many people aware of what we do, but beyond that building strong relationships with, and providing agnostic advice to retailers because in the end, we are there to help the community and propel digital commerce forwards.
What are your favourite tools to help you to get the job done?
I am a big fan of using Google suite for my sheets, slides and documents to encourage collaboration alongside tools like TradeState (our own retail analytics platform that summarises online performance in a simple, customised dashboard), Confluence for transparent and accessible documentation, Google Analytics, HubSpot for tracking and social and I also dip into a variety of the programs that the sales team use to stay in the loop.
How did you end up at Tryzens, and where might you go from here?
I am originally from Australia and moved over to the UK late last year to work with Tryzens after working in similar roles in Australia. I was attracted to Tryzens because of their flexibility around client needs and their strong partnerships with some of ANZ and UK’s biggest retailers, plus the team was just lovely! From here it’s hard to say, but for the moment I am loving the adventure of relocation!
Which ecommerce experiences do you admire?
I most admire retailers who are constantly trying to push the boundaries and go the extra mile for their customers by replicating the in-store experience or create those really immersive brand experiences.
In particular, I love the personalised product creators that New Balance, R.M.Williams and Function of Beauty use, the expedited delivery of Argos, the customer focused technology of ASOS, the story telling of Sweaty Betty and the flow of Cotton On.
Do you have any advice for retailers setting their tech/product strategy in 2019?
Make sure that you’re considering the customer across every channel and you have the right strategy to create the best possible experience to create loyalty. I think it’s easy in many businesses to start working in silos as opposed to collaborating across departments and functions, so every business should aim to create transparency and dialogue to improve the customer experience and align for a more consistent experience.