RIS Talks With Jetblack Co-Founder Jenny Fleiss on Changing How Consumers Shop
RIS: What new and emerging technology have you and your team recently deployed that helps set your organization apart?
RIS: How has women’s role in the retail industry evolved over your career?
Fleiss: It’s exciting to see so many female CEOs and founders taking center stage in business, and more than anything, I love the way women are supporting each other and collaborating to make an impact. I am so fortunate to have an amazing network of inspirational female entrepreneurs. We continually learn from each other and share ideas and best practices for our respective businesses. Our camaraderie makes my day to day so much more fun and worthwhile. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it is that self-confidence is so important and I want to help women in business build confidence to believe in themselves and their ideas.
RIS: What are your long-term goals for your career? What would you like to accomplish before you retire?
Fleiss: My work is embedded into my daily life and I’m constantly using my own life experiences to think of creative solutions. At the core of each of the companies I founded, identifying with the end consumer and constantly gut-checking innovation against real customer feedback has always been the key to success and longevity.
I find it extremely rewarding to deliver value to consumers and help them live their lives better. My goal is to continue to work in a way that produces solutions to customers’ changing needs. It excites to me to help customers optimize their time and get the most enjoyment out of the best parts of their lives. Whether that comes in the form of helping them shop faster, gift more thoughtfully, or put their best foot forward in important moments, I want to keep delivering!
RIS: What technology trends do you believe will have the biggest impact on the retail industry over the next 12-24 months?
Given the proliferation of choice in the market today, consumers are demanding more curated, personalized shopping experiences to make shopping more efficient and enjoyable. Consumers are more time-starved than ever, and want recommendations that not only reflect past purchases, but also anticipate future needs and interests. At Jetblack, we are building a reliable and convenient service that allows us to really get to know our customers. We use our understanding of who they are and what they need to provide recommendations, powered by a hybrid of AI and expert merchandising.
Conversational commerce is the first step along that journey because it unlocks the most convenient shopping channel. While we strive to perfect the customer experience on the front end, on the back end, we are building systems to serve customers at scale, with the same accuracy as a one-to-one relationship.