Speaker A: Before we get into today's checkout, I want to invite you into something brand new. Our free Slack Add to Cart community. After four years of bringing you experts and leaders in E commerce, I thought it was time to connect you our listeners. I have no doubt that you can share experiences, tips and questions that will help you in your E commerce businesses and careers. It makes sense to bring you all together. If that sounds like a community that you want to be a part of, head on over to addtocart.com au ecommerce community to join.
[Voiceover]: Welcome to the checkout. We catch up with previous Add to Cart guests and ask them five quick questions to get to know them better and leave you with a little extra inspiration to get through your Friday. Here's your host, Joanne Hugh Miller.
[Voiceover]: Today's checkout features Pippa Hallis, CEO of Ella Bache. Pippa is the great niece of the original founder of the renowned skincare brand and has been at the Helm since 2010 with counters and DJs and franchises in over 150 salons across Australia. Ella Bashet has an emphasis on individual skincare solutions and education.
Nathan Bush: Piper what is the weirdest thing you've ever bought online?
Pippa Hallas: So the first thing that came to mind was poo bags. So I literally have got this gorgeous puppy who's lying here next to me right now and so my whole world of shopping for animals has just opened up. I think that was my weirdest answer that sprung to mind. But when I thought more deeply about it and took it more seriously, I actually, we, we've just renovated our house. We did quite a big renovation like the rest of the world. And when I reflected on it, I pretty much bought everything online. I'm talking about floorboards and taps and doorknobs and, and it just made me realize how incredible the whole digital online, you know, shopping and what, how much it's opened up to us.
Nathan Bush: Yeah. Who would you say is your favorite retailer again?
Pippa Hallas: I really love this question. And I love this question because I love legacy brands that have been able to keep their relevance and reinvent themselves. And the first one that came to mind was I recently went Singapore and went to the new shopping precinct at Sydney airport and discovered this brand that had, I think had reinvented itself called Louve L O E W e. And it's a Spanish brand and it was started in the 1900s and it was built around, I know, 1500s.
Nathan Bush: Yes, yes.
Pippa Hallas: Around craft and products and artisan. And now it's completely transformed. It's in store experience. The Products are beautiful and how they represent themselves online, I think that's really. Was really cool. And then I thought about, you know, I've got two young sons and they've just recently got themselves all these Adidas gear again. So Adidas are making a comeback. And then I went to the new Adidas store in the city, in the cbd and, you know, started to, you know, get more, I guess, engaged in what they're doing online. So again, another legacy brand that I think has just been able to reach out to the younger generation. And then one more is Patagonia. Because I think if we, you know, we read a lot in retail, as you know, about brands with a true purpose. And I think they were born like that, similar to a knit, erotic, but they were born like that and they continued to behave like that. So they were my three. Yep.
Nathan Bush: Which E commerce practice do you wish was history?
Pippa Hallas: It sparked a memory of. Do you remember when Strawberry Net like, took the world over by storm and everyone, you know, was finding all these. Were they real, were they fake? Were they. They were discounted everywhere. And so I think if I think about marketplaces, and I know marketplaces are really important in this, you know, today's retail world, but I think some of them do it really, really well and some of them are a horrible experience because they ruin brands and products. So I think if I wish something didn't exist in the whole E commerce world, it would have to be when platforms do marketplaces really badly and ruin products and brands 100%.
Nathan Bush: I think this idea of needing to be able to share stories behind the brands as well, it's so important, you know, otherwise your customer just gets lost in a sea of product, really, isn't it?
Pippa Hallas: Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely.
Nathan Bush: Can you recommend a book or a podcast that our listeners should immediately get into?
Pippa Hallas: I am listening to Elon Musk's biography at the moment.
Nathan Bush: Interesting.
Pippa Hallas: Yes. So I'm a terrible reader because I just fall asleep. So I listen to audiobooks. So I'm listening to one on Elon Musk and honestly, I would highly recommend it. This guy is the genius of our generation and super inspiring.
Nathan Bush: Wow. And lastly, finish this sentence. The future of retail is.
Pippa Hallas: The future of retail is really exciting. It's about digital transformation, it's about storytelling, it's about luxury, it's about the customer being king. And yeah, I'm really optimistic about it.
Nathan Bush: Amazing. Thank you so much, Pippa.
Pippa Hallas: Thank you so much, Jo. Love talking to you.
Nathan Bush: You too.
[Voiceover]: To hear more from Pippa, jump back into episode three. 132 where Pippa shares the secrets to maintaining a legacy brand, how she executed the ultimate digital transformation, and why she chooses snow covered Boston for business inspiration every year.
Speaker A: Thanks for listening and until next time, keep adding to cartoon.
