Shiseido APAC's eCommerce lead: 'Selling online has become non-negotiable'

Joining this year's Asia eCommerce Awards as judge is Shiseido Asia Pacific's regional eCommerce and CRM director Scott Leaw (pictured). Leaw currently leads eCommerce and CRM within Shiseido Asia Pacific, across eight markets and the entire portfolio of brands under Shiseido.Prior to joining Shiseido, Leaw held leadership roles in eCommerce and digital for global brands and organisations such as Under Armour and SingPost Ecommerce. With over a decade of experience in sales, digital transformation and eCommerce, Leaw has led and initiated several CRM projects as well.As a judge, Leaw is on the lookout for innovation that goes beyond short-term buzz. He also shares that eCommerce is yet to be fully explored and has an abundance of opportunities for industry players. Here's more from his interview:Marketing: What is your perspective of the eCommerce industry?Selling online has become non-negotiable for any brand or retailer as consumers demand the ability to dictate their shopping experience – be it at the convenience of staying at home and buying through their mobile phones or going to the stores to try the product before making the purchase.As a result, the availability of products sold online has skyrocketed and is setting off a flywheel effect where consumers have more access to products they are searching for, and as a result buying more online. Brands then find themselves needing to invest more in the channel to meet this demand and the cycle goes on.While offline retail will never be completely replaced, its role and how it co-exists with eCommerce will continue to evolve as both these channels remain critical in meeting the needs of the consumer.Marketing: How have you witnessed the eCommerce industry evolve over the past few years?The dominance of online marketplaces has continued to grow as brands which have originally resisted selling outside of their own websites have succumbed to their customer’s desire to transact on these platforms. With large amounts of investments and venture capital funding these marketplaces, plus the fact that they have less pressure to turn a profit within the short term in the name of driving growth, they have been able to invest disproportionately in optimizing their customer journey and acquiring new customers.Retailers now need to have an eCommerce strategy that addresses a direct-to-consumer and a third party eCommerce approach.Marketing: What comes to mind when you think of eCommerce excellence?Customer obsession. It is crucial now, more than ever, to really invest in understanding your customer purchase journey and the challenges when it comes to buying online. It’s also about leveraging technology to personalise the shopping experience so that consumers do not face unnecessary friction in their purchase journey.Marketing: Where do you think eCommerce will be in five years?While I personally believe that the impact of technologies around VR, AR and voice-enabled commerce have been over-hyped, I do think that we will start to see them playing a role in enhancing the online shopping experience. Lines between online and offline will continue to blur, as retailers build more omnichannel experiences where consumers can look to get the best of both worlds.Marketing: What qualities will you be looking out for in the entries for Marketing’s eCommerce awards?I’ll be looking out for innovation and ideas that truly bring intrinsic value to the consumer, instead of creating short term buzz for some quick eyeballs.Marketing: Why do you think recognising eCommerce players is important to the industry?Compared to the long history of traditional retail, eCommerce really is still at its infancy. There is much to be explored and it is important to recognise the players who are pushing the boundaries and driving innovation.It is also important to drive awareness to the industry leaders so that others can aspire to elevate their way of working, and as a result advancing the overall industry.[Asia eCommerce Awards welcomes you to submit your entries by 23 August. Designed to recognise excellence in eCommerce across Asia, there are 30 enterable categories offered to showcase the best industry players from brands and eRetailers to agencies and enablers. Register now!]Last year, RedMart triumphed at Marketing magazine’s first-ever regional Asia eCommerce Awards, taking home the title of eCommerce Brand of the Year while IDOTYOU took home the top agency title of eCommerce Agency of the Year. RedMart bagged the awards for Best eCommerce Merchant – Consumer Goods, Best eCommerce Customer Service, Best Design, Best Platform Experience, Best AdWords eCommerce Campaign and Best Mobile eCommerce Campaign. Meanwhile, IDOTYOU brought home two trophies throughout the night for its collaboration with McDonald’s Malaysia on the latter’s app, and for the re-launch of McDelivery.Read also:eCommerce Awards judge Marriott’s Mark Shrives to focus on work that breaks down barrierseCommerce Awards judge Xante Koh from Yum! 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