Samantha Peters

Motivation and determination are traits I innately have that have driven much of my success. I've always had a personal drive for curiosity, and that leads to personal and professional growth and development. I'm always curious about learning new things, learning more about things I already know, and learning how to be better. My resiliency has also been a key factor. If you're not failing, you're not trying. When we would do AB testing, some would be hesitant to proceed, but I would urge them that they won't be able to make the right strategic decisions without getting customer data. If your hypothesis fails, it fails. Now you know and you can use that information going forward to make the right decisions for site optimization. Having a good support system is also something I attribute to my success. I work remotely and while I may not get to spend as much time with coworkers, I feel it's important to establish and maintain relationships that I feel comfortable in and have a safe space to share my thoughts. I also believe in maintaining a healthy work-life balance, so having a personal support system is necessary.

Build your brand. It's something that has helped me exceed any positions I thought I would and into different areas than I thought. One unique thing about me is that I chose my original contracting role at Home Depot, but since then, essentially all my positions have been created for me. Whether it was being promoted or changing the role according to my skills and identified business needs, I have constantly grown throughout my career while creating a positive impact at work. Without building my own brand, I don't think this progression of roles would have been available to me. Building a brand provides trust and credibility from others and offers opportunities that may not have been available otherwise.

Just do it. You're never gonna know until you try. Stop overthinking if you're skilled enough for the position and just apply. Don't be afraid to try new things when you're in your role to develop your skill set. You never know what you're capable of until you try!

One of the biggest challenges in ecommerce right now is the shipping crisis and increased tariffs on raw materials. This is an issue not only for vendors, but customers alike. The increase on shipping and raw materials leads to an increase in retail price for the customer, who is already impacted by inflation, leading to lower overall demand in goods. I think an opportunity for us is to study the workings behind AI bots and use that information to our benefit to surface more of our products during AI-based product searches. Customers are opting into using AI more and more, creating a whole new 'marketplace' we need to understand and optimize.

Leadership is important to me. I like to have good leaders and be a good leader. I think those relationships will make or break work efficiency, productivity, and accuracy. Having a positive and open atmosphere to express yourself freely and feel respected is key. Relationships, in general, are very important to me. Whether it's a boss, coworker, or friend, I think it's important you have a safe space to share your thoughts and be yourself. Growth is another value I prioritize. I am all about development and continuing to learn. Another is empathy. I think everybody needs to have empathy, not only in daily life, but even from an e-commerce standpoint, understanding the customer, whether or not they feel a certain way, and being empathetic to the customer's needs.