For Alexis Hoopes’ 13-year-old daughter and her pals, trend is in regards to the thrill of the hunt. And because the vp of trend at eBay, Hoopes is aware of simply how deep and rewarding these hunts can go.
For many years, eBay has been the buying vacation spot for trend lovers to find preloved objects once more. Lately, the corporate has continued to raise its expertise for the rising cohort of resale consumers, with new options and partnerships together with authenticity ensures and ongoing training about the best way to keep away from counterfeits.
EBay has additionally hosted numerous luxurious consignment occasions that includes curated collections from movie star and trend icons like Elton John and Jenna Lyons. This previous New York Trend Week, eBay teamed up with Knowledge Kaye to model its first Infinite Runway trend present, which was adopted by a second pre-loved trend week occasion in London.
Hoopes, who joined eBay’s workforce earlier this 12 months from Mattel the place she was the senior vp of e-commerce after a 15-year profession in management roles at Nordstrom, has a observe file for driving direct-to-consumer technique and directing digital transformation throughout commerce platforms, buyer information, advertising and marketing and provide chain. She additionally loves a routine, being outdoor coaching for a marathon and convincing her fashion-hunting daughter to ski or hike within the mountains.
Right here, Hoopes offers WWD a take a look at the musts her private {and professional} life and shares pleasure for what’s subsequent.
Alexis Hoopes, vp of trend at eBay.
WWD: What’s the very first thing you do within the morning?
Alexis Hoopes: Each morning, I comply with roughly the identical routine. I stand up early, have a cup of espresso, learn the information then go for a run. I like exercising very first thing within the morning as nothing will get in the way in which of a exercise when you go early sufficient — besides sleep, which each as soon as and some time trumps a exercise.
WWD: What’s a retail or tech pattern that you simply’re excited to see coming to life proper now?
A.H.: Generative AI to assist prospects discover what they’re in search of.
Trend is such an awesome use case to have the potential of a digital buying assistant reduce by all the choice and discover a couple nice ideas to start out a trend search. From there, having the ability to work together and additional refine the search feels a lot extra pleasing and akin to the in-store expertise of a private stylist than needing to filter search outcomes or scroll endlessly by choice.
WWD: What’s the finest recommendation you’d give somebody beginning out of their profession at the moment?
A.H.: For these taken with careers in retail and trend, my recommendation through the years has been the identical: go work on the ground. Understanding what prospects need, how your organization serves these wants — or doesn’t — is extremely helpful. If the corporate is digital, discover a option to get near the shopper. This could possibly be a task in analytics or listening in to the decision middle. The extra expertise you’ve got nearer to the shopper earlier in your profession, the higher.
WWD: What evokes you?
A.H.: Watching my 13-year-old daughter and her pals and the way they store for trend. Their go-to buying locations are re-commerce websites and thrift shops. They love the joys of the hunt and actually worth round commerce as they’re consistently shopping for and promoting. It’s a complete new relationship with trend with how they give thought to their wardrobe.
This era will problem the style trade to consider a altering buyer relationship that extends past the primary buy and purchaser. That’s disruptive and thrilling.
WWD: What do you do to “energy down” and what does having a piece/life steadiness imply to you?
A.H.: To energy down, I prefer to get exterior and in nature. There may be nothing like the facility of nature to reset and refocus. I not too long ago hiked the Rim-to-Rim path within the Grand Canyon, which is a 22 mile one-day hike that’s scorching, steep and difficult. I did this with six girls who’re part of my operating group. It was additionally lower than a month after I began a brand new job and the week I moved into my new home. Not supreme timing, however I’m so glad I went.
Work/life steadiness for me is having objectives and priorities exterior of labor like this that you simply prioritize above all else that life throws your means.