Introducing

JESS

FOUNDER OF PARICHAYA/

ONLINE COORDINATOR

On Childhood

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

When people asked me what I wanted to be growing up, I said I wanted to be a teacher because I acted out being one to my younger brother and it seemed like such a cool job to have but as I grew older, I realised that the immense pressure that they go through which I wouldn’t be able to do so but I still admire the profession.

At University

What did you study at University and why?

I studied Computer Science, thinking I would be a programmer but that didn’t span out as I didn’t want to be involved in coding. I was still confused on what I wanted to do after graduating so I decided to do a Masters In Information Management. It was only in my Master’s year that I decided on delving into E-commerce whilst doing a dissertation on the topic.

Start of your career

How did you land your current career?

I took a gap year after graduating to try my hands on different roles. I travelled to Vietnam for a month and then once back, I interned at an online wedding boutique for 3 months before deciding to pack my bags again and intern as a Marketing assistant Intern for an online CRM company in Slovakia. I learned a lot of things being away from home, having the freedom to learn about myself and what I liked and disliked at work.

Once I got home, I got my first role as a Web Assistant at an independent fancy dress party store who were looking to launch online. From that job onwards, I have dabbled in online positions in fashion, home and a natural progression to beauty. Currently I am an Online Coordinator for two french perfume brands Frederic Malle and Kilian.

Job application process

How was the job application process like for your online coordinator role?

I applied for the role in LinkedIn and got called by the HR. The process for an e-commerce role varies by company but most of them do a 3 part interview- first, a telephone interview, second, an excel/ maths test and the final face to face with your manager. Some of the companies I applied would even do a group interview or would like for you to come up with a presentation on how to improve their website.

Typical work day

What does a typical work day look like in E-commerce?

A work day in E-commerce varies from day to day.

I'll be analysing sales for the brands, what worked, what didn't in terms of launches and promotions, bestsellers and top retailers at the beginning of the week. I'll then do a site walk to ensure everything is working and merchandise or launch new products. I manage the paid search (Google ads) with a third party agency and also look into planning, creating and deploying emails.

At the end of the week, it's mainly looking at our brands retailers on what promotions they have going on and what impact they might have on our sales. Overall, it's different from day to day, not every day is the same as we need to react to trends or current situation and workaround that.

What you find enjoyable and challenging at work?

I enjoy analysing sales and the trends of the market along with new launches and testing out new technology and promotions on site. It's challenging to predict consumer behaviours on certain products or how they would react to certain user experiences.

Skills

What skills are needed for an e-commerce role?

I think if you are a keen learner, you'll get used to all the tools that is needed for the role along with reporting sales but it's good to have some basic excel skills such as vlookup and pivot table to analyse sales and trends and some basic html skills is useful but not compulsory in order to debug some of the issue we get on the website or on emails creation. Along with that, you'll have to be good at multitasking and prioritising tasks on a daily basis.

Motivation at work

What keeps you motivated at work?

I love lists, so I create a list of my tasks every morning and prioritise them according to what needs to be done.

I then allocate certain hours to each task with breaks in between. This keeps me motivated to get work done for the day. Overall, I have yearly and quarterly goals that I work towards with my manager and constantly being challenged to try out new things to elevate the brand position is what I strive to work towards.

Future plans

What are your future plans in terms of your career?

I currently enjoy managing the brands online presence but there are different routes where you can go in terms of specialising in specific fields such as email marketing or google ads. I do want to get into the position where I manage these brands by myself and grow them.

Advice

Any advice to someone who wants to start in E-commerce?

Be open to learning and trying new things.

E-commerce is a massive field and there are lots of roles that you can start in from marketing to design to finance. It's exciting to be part of it as technology changes and you get to experience and learn new things.

Passion

Anything you would like to share besides work?

Parichaya has been an idea of mine since ages and to see it come to life is nerve wrecking and thrilling at the same time, I was confused about my career when I first started but now as am more confident in my role, I would like to share knowledge I have gained so far as well as connect with other people in different stages of their careers. Hope everyone who comes here get something in return whether it's where they can start or where they can move in terms of their own self development.

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