Job Feature: Nikki Nguyen, e-Commerce & Digital Manager

I am always curious about what other people do at their jobs, and I know I’m not the only one, so I thought why not post my questions on my blog? I am very excited to feature my friend Nikki and learn more about her job at a growing celebrity fashion company! If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to reach out to her directly with the contact info towards the bottom of the post!

Name: Nikki
Age: 26
City: Brooklyn, NY
Industry: Fashion
Title: E-commerce & Digital Manager
Time at Company: 8 months

How did you hear about the position and what was the interview process like?
I was recruited through LinkedIn for the position. I did a screening call with my recruiter and then two interviews with VPs at the company, then finally with the CEO. I explained my wants and needs to my recruiter and she handled the negotiations.

What does your job entail?
Despite having a celebrity as our Creative Director, we’re a small team of about 15 so we operate very much like a start-up. Ultimately this means that we all wear many hats and I manage a holistic online experience from digital marketing to site improvements, and through to customer service. When we have in-store experiences, you can find me helping there as well.

I average about three meetings a day cross-functionally with Brand/PR, Merchandising/Planning, and Operations. It’s a large rotation of tasks such as planning, arranging, and scheduling marketing emails, importing products, uploading content, answering order/product inquiries, working on site improvements, and liaising with external partners (design & development agency, international shopping software, etc.). We have an all-team meeting bi-weekly where I co-present on the E-comm business—who’s our customer? How are they finding us? Where are they from? What do they engage with?

Somewhere in the midst, I do find time to eat lunch, haha. I use MealPal (a subscription, points-based app) to choose my lunch most days which encourages me to leave the office and pick up my lunch. We’re in a great location in NoHo so on nice days, I take longer walks, visit Elizabeth Garden, take outfit pictures, do some quick shopping in SoHo.

Who do you directly report to and does anyone report to you?
I currently report to our VP of Merchandising and Planning. I have an intern who helps us out with customer service and site improvements.

What are the skills needed to be successful at your job?
Program and software-wise, Excel and Google Analytics are so useful in every industry. Other important ones for me are Shopify, Klaviyo, Adobe Illustrator, and then there are always whichever product management, shipping management, and customer service platform the company decides to use—being a fast learner and picking up on new software quickly is key in E-comm.

As for soft skills, be able to demystify. Take the time to understand topics of your field so well that you can simplify them for your team.

Be hungry for opportunities. Pick up on details of the business and be able to connect the dots back to your area. For example, hearing that photos of the limited edition dress are gaining traction on social media? Let’s create a Newsletter sign-up page to capture emails on our website and then have the social team direct a sticker link to that page.

Do you work from home, office, or hybrid?
I am fully in-office 5 days a week around 9:45 AM to 6 PM.

How many vacation days do you get per year?
It’s pretty standard at 15 days of PTO, 2 personal days, and 5 sick days.

What do you do to help your work/life balance?
I schedule CorePower Yoga sculpt classes or dinner with friends after work to help me stick to my boundaries.

What is your favorite part of your job?
Our silly little team! We are so lucky that everyone on our team has a sense of humor and I feel so comfortable being myself around them. We bond over the ups and downs of building a brand from the ground up. Also when my lovely friends support the brand! Not only have friends bought the product but they’ve come into the office to help with PR, social media, and the pop-up stores.

What has been your proudest moment on the job? 
I took my intern to lunch, and it was one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had. She’s my first direct report in my career, and she was so kind to compliment my management style and thanked me for being all she could hope for in a manager. It was a full circle moment for me; for my first internship, I worked under an E-Commerce Manager who took me under her wing and taught me so much of what she knew. She kickstarted and inspired my career; I only hope I can do the same.

What is the biggest lesson you’ll take away?
Being confident in what you do and being sure of yourself go a long way. I have been able to apply experience from all of my previous companies at this job which makes me feel truly qualified, and it shows.

Any advice for people who want to work at your company or in your general field?
Start interning as soon as possible, and attend/watch seminars about popular software and programs for E-commerce.  Find someone you look up to and pick their brain. Ask meaningful, purposeful questions.

Have you worked anywhere else in the past?
Yes! I’ve been lucky to work at some very great companies previously, Dover Street Market, Neiman Marcus, Maisonette, and AFRM to name a few.

If people want to connect with you and learn more, how can they reach you?
You can find me on LinkedIn or Instagram!

Fast last 5 with Nikki Nguyen:

• Last tv show/movie: Shotgun Wedding with Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel was honestly knee-slappin’ funny.
• Last book: Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn, shout-out to Laura’s book club! This book is an excellent consolidation of almost everything you ever needed to know about love.
• Last concert: Wow, it’s been a while for me but Lizzo in October 2022. I’m very excited to see Taylor Swift next in August in LA!
• Last restaurant: Evelina, a very cute restaurant in my neighborhood. They had a creamy, yet zesty seafood risotto—cocktails, apps, and dessert, all good as well.
• Last vacation: I went to Australia to visit extended family for New Year’s and met some amazing people along the way! It was summer when I went there in January so the vibes were immaculate.

Thank you Nikki for sharing!

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