In this episode of Talk Commerce, Brent Peterson sat down with Elena Leonova, the Senior Vice President of Product at Spryker, to explore the world of complex ecommerce solutions and the art of effective product management.
“Ultimately, what they want to do is they want to run digital commerce, how they’ve been running their commerce practice in general. And that also means that in most of the cases, the available solutions that fit everybody don’t work for them.”
- Elena Leonova
Navigating the Complexities of Sophisticated Commerce
Elena shared her insights on how Spryker, a digital commerce platform, caters to the needs of large enterprises with intricate business models and processes. She highlighted examples of Spryker’s customers, including those selling to dealers, powering small grocery shops, and managing supply chain complexities for industrial-grade printers.
“We built our platform to specifically be extensible in all those places to solve for those complexities.”
- Elena Leonova
The Evolution of Product Management Across Platforms
Brent and Elena discussed how Elena’s product management experience evolved as she transitioned from Magento, an open-source platform, to BigCommerce, a multi-tenant SaaS solution, and now to Spryker. They explored the challenges and opportunities that arose in each environment, from managing an ecosystem of partners to navigating the data-rich world of SaaS platforms.
“The role of the product manager is to make sure that we as software company make the right decisions. Ultimately, we’re building a product or a platform that is going to last for many, many years.”
- Elena Leonova
Mentoring the Next Generation of Product Managers
Elena’s passion for product management extends beyond her work at Spryker. She shared her insights on the importance of understanding the nuances of platform products and the need to balance customer-centric thinking with commercial viability.
“Besides just kind of what we just talked about, the platform products, a lot of people also don’t realize that product management is not about just building the product that customers love. You build products that you ultimately need to sell to customers.”
- Elena Leonova
As the podcast drew to a close, Elena invited listeners to connect with her to discuss platform products and explore product management mentorship opportunities.
Brent’s Takeaway: Elena’s deep dive into the complexities of sophisticated commerce and her insights on the evolving role of product management were incredibly valuable. Her commitment to mentoring the next generation of product leaders is truly admirable and showcases her dedication to advancing the industry.
WordPress Tags: ecommerce, product management, platform products, Spryker, Magento, BigCommerce, sophisticated commerce, enterprise commerce, mentorship
Key Takeaways:
- The complexities of sophisticated commerce and how Spryker addresses them
- The challenges and opportunities of product management in open-source, SaaS, and platform environments
- The importance of balancing customer-centric thinking with commercial viability in product management
- Elena’s commitment to mentoring and sharing her knowledge with aspiring product managers
Don’t miss this insightful conversation packed with valuable lessons for anyone interested in the world of ecommerce, product management, and platform-based solutions. Watch now and unlock the power of sophisticated commerce!
