Issue 2 2021

Acquisition International - Issue 2 2021 27 Nov20238 Constantly Innovating Launched in 2001, ChannelAdvisor is an e-commerce cloud platform whose mission is to connect and optimise the world’s commerce. Following its well-deserved success in Acquisition International’s 2021 Global Excellence Awards, we got in touch with Vladi Shlesman, Managing Director, EMEA at ChannelAdvisor. to find out more. ased in London, ChannelAdvisor has helped brands and retailers worldwide improve their online performance by expanding sales channels, connecting with consumers around the world, optimising their operations for peak performance and providing actionable analytics to improve competitiveness. To start, Vladi gives us a brief overview of the firm and offers more insight into its clientele. “ChannelAdvisor’s mission is to connect and optimise the world’s commerce by integrating to the ChannelAdvisor platform. Brands and retailers can better execute against their multichannel eCommerce strategies all within a single platform. With a desire to be a brand or retailer’s partner in eCommerce success, we want to help them efficiently acquire more customers, increase sales, and hit their goals. Naturally, the things that grew to define the ChannelAdvisor brand are constant innovation, leading technology, proven results, and experienced people. “To this day, these remain our guiding principles as we continue to take retailers and brands into the future of eCommerce. Thousands of customers depend on ChannelAdvisor to securely power their sales and optimise fulfilment on channels such as Amazon, eBay, Google, Facebook, Zalando, and hundreds more. Working with leading global brands and retailers to mid-sized businesses and entrepreneurs, our team of eCommerce consultants across the globe will help our clients decide if ChannelAdvisor is the right solution for them.” Operating in the eCommerce world can be a challenging experience, however as Vladi goes on to explain, its approach to innovation has allowed the firm to distance itself from the crowd. “ChannelAdvisor has always kept its finger on the pulse of eCommerce and innovated to keep up with the breakneck speed of the industry. Combined with key partnerships and alliances in our space, this means that we are often the first to integrate with new channels and new ways of shopping.” The ChannelAdvisor team are the heart of the organisation, so when it comes to recruitment the firm typically identify candidates who possess an particular set of skills. “As a business focused on solving problems everything starts with our people. To help us build the best in-class team we have today, we have always looked for grit, persistence, determination, curiosity, adaptability, competitiveness and scientific orientation when hiring.” Embracing challenges is nothing new to the firm and the outbreak of COVID-19 is just another example of a difficulty it has had to overcome. However, as Vladi points out, the pandemic only brought forward changes that were expected in the future anyway. “Covid-19 came out of nowhere and certainly shook the industry. Ultimately, many brands had to bring forward their digital transformation plans which included adding new channels to compete in such an innovative arena.” Bringing the interview to a close, Vladi signs off by commenting on the firm’s future plans as we look ahead to 2021 and beyond. “As a company we always strive to keep innovating to ensure we are helping brands overcome their eCommerce challenges. For example, in 2019 we added ChannelAdvisor Brand Analytics to our platform. ChannelAdvisor Brand Analytics helps multi-channel brands manage online distribution, improve visibility, grow sales, and protect their reputations by leveraging intelligence related to product assortment, pricing, brand product content, reviews, and search performance. “Moving forward, ChannelAdvisor Brand Analytics will further enhance the enterprise by offering help to brands to solve their multi-channel marketplace, digital marketing, direct-to-consumer, first-party retail, drop-ship and fulfilment needs, all in a single and centralised platform.” Company: ChannelAdvisor Contact: Vladi Shlesman, Managing Director Website: www.channeladvisor.co.uk B