In an insightful conversation, Steve Wertz, Director of Digital Marketplace at Dickies, reflects on his extensive career in e-commerce, highlighting the rapid evolution of the digital marketplace over two decades. He describes how Amazon initially dominated the e-commerce space, with brands quickly relinquishing control over pricing and presentation to gain visibility. As the market matured, competition intensified with the rise of platforms like Walmart.com and others, necessitating a strategic approach to brand management and the importance of nurturing buyer-seller relationships in an increasingly fragmented landscape.
Reflecting on my career, the digital marketplace has evolved tremendously over the last 20 years, with platforms like Amazon initially offering manufacturers unprecedented access but also creating challenges around brand and inventory management.
The Amazon vendor managers would say, 'Yeah, I want it all.' As a salesperson, I didn't know how to react. It was shocking to consider such a wholesale approach without formal presentations.
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