In the crowded e-commerce sector, it’s proven tough for brands to stand out with consumers. But it’s legacy players like Nike who somehow continue to Just Do It.
Online experience has long been a priority for the athletic lifestyle brand, and that focused attention has paid off. Nike’s chief digital officer, Adam Sussman, took the top spot on Coresight Research and eShopWorld’s Top 25 Global E-Commerce Power Players list, which was released Wednesday.
The list compiled the industry’s “top visionaries and leaders driving e-commerce,” according to a release from eShopWorld. Honorees include senior executives from brands and retailers that service worldwide markets and provide customers with a “seamless, localized shopping experience.”
“Global selling is the most important opportunity retailers have today to grow their businesses, and we created this list of power players to highlight those who are showing the world how to do it right,” said Tommy Kelly, CEO of eShopWorld.
The list’s runners up included Marc Lore, Walmart’s president and CEO, in second place, along with Andrea Cappi, group global digital director for Max Mara, in third.
With a presence in nearly 200 countries and access to hundreds of millions of consumers, Nike’s Sussman has said that it was mobile shopping specifically that has allowed the company to scale “all over the world,” according to Coresight. And despite the brand’s explosive reach, it has attempted to preserve its co-founder’s vision of prizing personal connections with consumers.
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Walmart’s Lore is responsible for some of the company’s most profitable and successful international expansion. The former founder of Jet.com (who sold the venture to Walmart in 2016 and joined the company himself) has pioneered global omnichannel efforts in China, like partnerships with Tencent and JD.com. Most recently, Walmart acquired a 77 percent stake in popular Indian retailer Flipkart, giving the company new access to a $200 billion online market and 120 million customers.
“The nearly two billion online shoppers around the world represent both a massive business opportunity as well as challenge when it comes to integrating the retail supply chain to ensure a frictionless purchase journey,” said Deborah Weinswig, CEO and founder of Coresight Research. “The digital leaders we named today are setting the standard in global e-commerce excellence and creating seamless local experiences that resonate with their international customers.”
Other high-ranking honorees included Mary Beth Laughton, EVP of omni-retail at Sephora, who ranked fourth, Andrew Robb, COO of Farfetch in fifth, and Julie Wainwright, CEO of TheRealReal in sixth.