Looking at Chinese Digital Space: An Interview with Elena Gatti

Meet Elena Gatti, expert on cross-border E-Commerce to China and Managing Director at Azoya for the DACH region.

Elena, what makes you passionate about retail industry?

Considering the fact, that retail – simply put “exchanging goods” or “selling and buying” – are some of the oldest activities of human beings in every part of the world, this alone fascinates me. The retail industry went through so many changes throughoout the centuries but never lost its importance in our human society. Now the retail environment is changing so rapidly as ever before, and this brings great opportunities as well as many challenges to the global retail world.

Speaking of opportunities: What do you think are the most exciting opportunities in retail right now?

I see big opportunities for retail in the connection between the “real” and the “virtual” world. A few years ago, this was called “omnichannel”, now it is called “customers first”. The online and offline world are melting to offer customers the best shopping experience possible, and that independent on time and place.

In the near future, I see great potential in leveraging data and offering customers personalized products and services at the right time and on the right place

What do you think is the most difficult part when doing cross border e-commerce?

In general, I think the most difficult part is to understand the customer who lives in another country. He usually has a different shopping behavior, different preferences, likes and dislikes. A quite often seen mistake is to think that what has worked well in our home country will for sure work out somewhere else. That is wrong. Retail is closely connected to culture and tradition, and these can be very different from country to country.

A special challenge when doing cross-border e-commerce to China is that laws and regulations in China itself can change rapidly. Retailers, brands and service providers need to be flexible and open minded in order to adapt to the new circumstances.

What do you see as the most surprising facts of China?

I am impressed how digital technology in China gained so much importance and speed in the last years. China has become a global digital pioneer and Western countries are starting to look east to get digital inspirations and experiences. Digital technologies are being accepted by Chinese consumers with curiosity and positive attitudes. This extreme fast-peace digital environment can be observed in major Chinese cities, on the other hand the countryside is often still in a developing stage compared to Western countries. It is this mix of old and modern that fascinates me as well.

You have been supporting Azoya for 3 years now. What made you decide to join and dedicate yourself to Azoya?

I have always been fascinated by China as it is one of the most exotic countries and culturally very different from our Western way of seeing things. Joining a Chinese start-up meant getting deeper insights into this far away culture and understand the Chinese mentality and way of thinking. I also trusted and liked the former DACH Managing Director and Azoya’s founders, I’m learning a lot from them.

What has been the most exciting moment working with Azoya?

Probably the most exciting moment has been my first visit to Azoya’s Headquarter in Shenzhen. I could breathe the atmosphere of this young, vibrant tech start-up city and meet face-to-face my colleagues with whom I daily spoke and chatted for the first time. I am proud to be part of this innovative and dynamic company.

What’s the number 1 take away from these past 3 years?

From working with colleagues from a totally different culture, I learned that nothing cannot be taken for granted. The same situation can be interpreted totally different when coming from a different cultural background. Therefore, I learned to evaluate situations under many different points of view and being even more curious and open to different opinions.

What’s your career advice for new comers in the retail industry?

Stay innovative, look forward and not backwards, be quick and do not underestimate the importance of IT.

What do you do to spend your spare time?

I do not really have spare time as I have a family with 3 kids. ;-) During holidays I love to travel with my family, as far as possible and as wild as possible. We just visited Namibia last summer and we have been in Africa many times before. We spent also some months travelling in USA, Canada and Australia. It is wonderful to discover different cultures and landscapes together with the kids and to see the world through their eyes.

Who are your favorite influencers or celebrities in the retail industry?

In Germany, I admire Mr. Werner, the founder of DM, who has built up his company from zero. Despite his success he never lost his modesty and pragmatism. What I mostly admire in Mr. Werner is that he is a great supporter of social responsibility and social engagement projects.

Globally, I think Jack Ma is nowadays one of the most innovative and interesting celebrities in the retail industry worldwide. It does not matter if one agrees or not on what he says, but his speeches are full of ideas and energy.

Do you have a motto you live by?

I recognize myself in Charles Darwin’s quote which fits the time we are living in very much:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent one. It is the one that is most adaptable to change, “