In a wide-ranging and overdue conversation, I catch up with James Connell, one of the industry's most experienced retail marketing, customer experience, brand and omnichannel executives. We talk about the evolution of customer experience, marketplaces, lessons learned from Asia and abroad, and his local & global consulting work here in Canada
In a wide-ranging and overdue conversation, I catch up with James Connell, one of the industry's most experienced retail marketing, customer experience, brand and omnichannel executives. We talk about the evolution of customer experience, marketplaces, lessons learned from Asia and abroad, and his local & global consulting work here in Canada
About James
James has 25+ years of senior leadership experience in developing marketing, ecommerce, and customer experiences with a global lens. The bulk of his career was at Roots Canada, where he assumed several progressively more senior roles, and most recently before his departure as their Chief eCommerce and Customer Experience Officer, where he pioneered one of the first comprehensive omnichannel solutions in North America in 2009 while building digital revenue to equal just over half of the company’s direct to consumer sales.
He has supported marketplace initiatives in North America and Asia, while innovating in social commerce, AI, brand strategy, and digital transformation. James has a proven track record of driving impactful branded, customer-centric experiences, being recognized with numerous awards, including Canadian Marketer of the Year, Salesforce’s eCommerce Trailblazer Award, and twice awarded the Best Ecommerce Technology Award by the Retail Council of Canada, and collaborating on a book about collaborative marketing teams in a global organization.
Currently, James is consulting with several international businesses based in North America, Africa, and Asia in the ecommerce, FMCG, technology, and charitable verticals, helping businesses accelerate growth, and clarify their brand value proposition, go-to-market strategies, and digital platforms. Additionally, he has co-created a startup based in Singapore to educate and engage consumers and ecommerce businesses in Southeast Asia about environmental issues.
LINKS
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshconnell/
Website - www.jhconnell.com