Gap Innovator Names Most Exciting Growth Opportunity for Retailers Today

Name: Nick Sheth

Title: Senior Director, Global Business Development

Company: Gap Inc.

What I’m working on now… Reaching current and prospective customers with the right message at the right time and enabling them to interact with us wherever they are, on whatever device they may prefer.

What problem I am solving by doing it… Better communicating and enabling interaction with our customers.

My crowning achievement is…  Leading a team that launched online marketing in over 100 countries, in over 70 languages, last year.

When I go shopping, my preferred method of payment is… Credit card, because I am a point junkie and like the purchase protection. But I can’t wait for NFC to become more common.

I think the next big thing in retail is… True omni-channel retailing, where I can seamlessly browse, transact and take delivery of my goods in completely independent channels.

Cash is… Private but ultimately inconvenient.

Merchant loyalty programs are… A great way to identify customer needs. The better we understand our customers, the more we can provide them with timely offers, relevant product information and great customer service.

eCommerce will… Continue to grow as people continue to become more comfortable buying a wider variety of goods online and will evolve to become a better complement to brick-and-mortar shopping experiences.

Mobile commerce will… The most exciting growth opportunity for retailers today.

Social commerce is… Continue to seek definition of its role in retail.

Many new ventures in retail don’t cut it because… They lose focus on the customer’s primary needs.

The most important thing to consumers is… What has always been the most important: the right product, at the right price.

Bio: Nick Sheth is Senior Director, Global Business Development at Gap Inc, where he leads the global online marketing and business development efforts for all of the Gap Inc brands. Previously, he led the sales and business development efforts for Like.com, and spent several years at Overture/Yahoo! where he was instrumental in launching and growing paid search programs in the United States and later across Europe. Earlier he held a number of product management and business development roles at CNET Networks. He started his career in management consulting at Andersen Consulting. Nick has degrees in Molecular Biology and Business from the University of Texas at Austin.