Ekta Chopra, Chief Digital Officer at e.l.f. Beauty, explains why the cosmetics brand closed physical stores to go all-in on digital. She shares three moves for digital transformation: unify your data, build a future-proof e-commerce platform, and keep customers at the center. Ninety percent of e.l.f.'s ecosystem runs on Salesforce.
Questions this video answers
March 16, 2021.
90%.
They shut down their stores and reinvested 100% into digital.
"Number two Gen Z favorite brand" and "number seven marketer of the year."
1) Unify data; 2) Invest in a future-proof e-commerce platform; 3) Keep customers at the center.
Chapters
My role at ELF is really to create digital happiness. My mom, when I tell her what I do, you know, I have to like really bring it down for her. This is what it sounds like. Mom, how would you explain to your friends how I do my job? She does Internet sales in security. So you know what security is?
Mom.
Security guard. Nobody comes inside. Exactly.
I'm Emmanuel Acho, your host for Simply Put, where we take complex business challenges and give them solutions that are simply Put. Here's my guarantee. No jargon, no buzzwords. You need steps to digital success, not homework. I'm gonna get you clear advice and words people actually use. So if you here monitor real time consumer insights and leverage your first and third party data across multi channel marketing journeys, we'll jump in and translate it into accessible phrases like simply put, emojis matter. This season we're getting to know the team behind ELF Beauty. You just met X Achopra and her mother Ekta is the chief digital officer at elf, which makes her the most qualified person to speak about what digital happiness actually looks like. Plus, Bruce Coutries, a product marketer at Salesforce, will unpack Ekta's tips for digital success. Let's get going.
I am living my dream right now. ELF is for every eye, lip, face and paul. We're the number two Gen Z favorite brand. We're the number seven marketeer of the year. But we don't want to just feel good about this year. Now it's about how do we sharpen our swords to get ready for years to come. We really are a brand that's a digital native. Two years ago, we made the decision to shut down our stores and take that investment and fully invested 100% in digital. The biggest pain point that we're experiencing across the full ecosystem is that our consumer behavior is changing every single day. I would say that the pandemic has been one of those things obviously nobody expected. But in many ways it has brought us really close to our community. We couldn't do what we do without Salesforce. 90% of our ecosystem is powered by Salesforce. The one thing that I care about the most is the first touch point, the first time they're going to be introduced to your brand. And first impressions are the last impressions. With Customer360, we've been able to ensure all our digital touch points are telling a consistent story across the full digital ecosystem. Salesforce Digital360 is essential for E L F beauty. Without that, we could not serve our consumer in a meaningful way. Digital is also about the organizational culture. We don't dwell over stuff. If we know it's a pain point for our consumer, we're going to go and solve for it. So my challenge to everyone who's thinking about digital transformation is get ready to take some risks. You're going to be moving at a lot different pace than you ever did before.
Taking risks. That sounds risky, but don't worry. Eksta's got three pro tips to help anyone move at L speed. Salesforce's Bruce Coutries will jump in to add more context.
Simply put, these are my top three tips for digital success. Number one Unify data to drive business forward.
With all your data consolidated, every interaction from the first touchpoint on, we'll feel personalized and connected. We'll talk more about how to make this happen in episode two this season.
Number two Invest in a future proof e commerce platform like how you think.
Ekta Always focus on the future. The right platform will serve you in years to come and it won't slow you down when your company expands to new markets or product lines. More on this in episode three.
Number three Keep customers at the center.
This is what it's all about. As a customer, I can feel when a brand has my best interest at heart. ELF is great at this and you'll dive deep into their tactics in Part four of our series. Stay tuned.
Feeling inspired? Just wait till you see what's ahead. Actor why don't you tell us who we're gonna meet this season?
In this season of Simply Put, you will see the most extraordinary women from ELF Beauty. Corey Marchisotto, our cmo. She is a lightning bolt. Insights don't mean any unless you actually turn them into action. Molly Duffner, VP of E Commerce and Consumer Experience she's amazing. She's a data geek, so give her Data is like candy for her. Data allows us to invest in our future because data allows us to more accurately forecast what the future is going to look like. Gay Trey Buteraja, VP of Brand for E L F Beauty. She can synthesize any big problem for you in the simplest way possible. It is no longer enough to just have a good product or a good service. Consumers expect brands to stand for something. I'm Ekta Chopra, Chief Digital Officer for E L F Beauty and this is Simply Put.
All that and more on this season of Simply Put. Click on the next video and we'll keep it going.
