Q&A With Jim Herbert VP & GM EMEA at BigCommerce – Black Friday 2021

The week of Black Friday is upon us and we reached out to Jim Herbert who is the VP and GM EMEA at BigCommerce to get his expert industry insight into this coming Black Friday sales period. Following on from a fantastic Q3 earnings report from BigCommerce we wanted to bring you some insight from those in the know regarding this week.

In case you don’t know BigCommerce is an eCommerce platform that provides SaaS solutions and enables eCommerce sellers to set up and run a true multi-channel setup utilizing many online marketplaces. In business for over 12 years, they have seen their fair share of black Friday events and helped thousands of sellers make the most of the peak holiday season.

That’s why we are excited to bring you this exclusive interview with Jim from BigCommerce.

Q1. Firstly congratulations on the great Q3 earnings report. 2021 has been a big year for you and your merchants. What do you think has been the stand-out reason for your success this year?

A. There have been several reasons for our strong performance. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of eCommerce by retailers and consumers, meaning retailers have had to learn to maximize the online experience. More than ever, consumers demand flexibility and convenience, and adopting an omnichannel approach has become increasingly necessary. Even as physical shops have reopened, retailers are viewing the in-store experience as only one touchpoint among many and treating eCommerce as part of that journey, not as a siloed alternative.

This has led to many retailers experimenting with omnichannel and social commerce and understanding the need for a scalable, flexible, headless solution. Competition drives innovation, and merchants are having to think more strategically about how to maximize their eCommerce offering to meet consumer behavior and expectations. Retailers require these tools and strategies to gain an edge and this incentive has led them to discover and leverage our unique Open SaaS platform. I believe this will only continue into 2022.

Q2. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost upon us, amidst the global uncertainties around logistics right now, what are some of the ways sellers can maximize their potential this holiday season?

A. In these supply-constrained times, agility will be key for retailers looking to maximize their potential. On Black Friday the best deals go fast, and with limited supply, retailers need to be able to adapt to demand. Merchants with a platform that emphasizes business control will be able to quickly adjust storefronts, giving prominence to items that might not be selling as well, and quickly removing sold-out items from view.

Few things cause customer dissatisfaction like being confronted with a wall of ‘sold out’ items on the front page. Consumers are able to redirect to a competitor’s website in seconds, so agile and intelligent inventory management is vital to ensure retention and sales conversion.

Q3. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are famously American exports, how have they changed retail in Europe over the last few years?

A. Europe has always had seasonal sales, and European consumers love a discount, but the key change Black Friday introduced was condensing this demand into a single day, creating a brief sales spike that retailers can plan around- not just a window to shift unwanted inventory.

And by centering a day (although it’s increasingly a week-long event) solely around shopping, it provides an opportunity for retailers to attract new customers who are actively looking for deals, not just deferring to their usual favorites.

Thank You Jim from BigCommerce

We want to say a huge thank you to Jim for taking the time to answer our questions and share his Black Friday insight with us in what is an incredibly busy time for him and the team at BigCommerce.

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