At the heart of CommerceNext is a vibrant, dynamic community that drives innovation and growth. As we gear up for the much-anticipated CommerceNext Growth Show, we’re bringing you closer to the thought leaders and trailblazers shaping the future of ecommerce and retail.
Dive into our exclusive interview series starting with Clinton Suh, Head of Ecommerce at On. He’ll be speaking on the panel, “Unveiling Innovative Strategies for New Customer Growth in 2024.” Make sure you’re registered to attend and read on for the full interview.
Katja Teichmann: What do you love to geek out on in retail/ecommerce?
Clinton Suh: I love being a student of innovative retail, paying particular attention to store formats, the engagement experience with associates and the integration of digital to complement the in-store experience. I particularly enjoy visiting our owned retail stores, either incognito as a customer, or even attempting to sell products and overall listening and learning alongside our retail team(s). I also appreciate visits with our wholesale and specialty partners on what shifts in consumer trends they’re seeing, how we can better support the partnership and how they are investing into new innovative concepts. I find that oftentimes the greatest insights and learning comes through direct engagement with our community.
What are you most proud of in your career so far?
Suh: First and foremost, I’m most proud of taking the leap from what is a more traditional business track. I started in management consulting, and then had the opportunity to drive two waves of hypergrowth for a few iconic brands, not just focusing on how to enable sales tomorrow but thinking ahead and anticipating market trends and the needs of our consumer. At the end of the day, I like to remind myself and my teams, in the case of On, a premium sportswear company, we’re a people company first, that happens to stand behind sportswear and enables that in the environment. It helps to really humanize the day to day; we get to do really exciting things and trailblaze within various ecosystems and environments.
What’s your favorite store and favorite website?
Suh: My favorite store is On.com both across our web experience and the way we’re thinking about physical retail. We really uphold our design ethos in our entire UX: if anyone were to browse On.com, I would argue it’s a bit of a different experience just from a design philosophy. We are very intentional about the balance between content and commerce whether it’s honoring our athletes, really upholding our Swiss design language, but also understanding that we have some very strong metrics that we need to achieve. It’s really the ability to infuse both art and science, in a way that’s brand aligned that enables us to remain true to our brand voice and overall core values.
When you’re not working, what’s your favorite way to unwind or pursue creativity?
Suh: I personally have a strong affinity towards fitness, and I enjoy being able to pursue that through the lens of being a creator myself. I think there are tremendous learnings to not just be a student to platforms and formats but also infuse that with something that’s inherently of interest. I think it’s interesting to witness the changes, whether it’s new platform adoption or even formats of consumption—like the transition from photo to video, long-form to short-form, from the specs of wide to long angle, etc. To be in that space through the lens of my own creativity keeps me energized and has the dual benefit of enabling me to be better serving On as a brand in terms of how we want to play and how we’ll win in those domains.
What is one key takeaway you hope attendees will gain from your session?
Suh: I hope attendees will learn how we navigate hyper growth through the lens of innovation, but in a durable way. I want to help brands sustain longevity, and to balance near-term demands through the lens of brand. As trends shift and continue, balancing durability and hypergrowth aren’t typically always in alignment, so how to infuse the art and the science to achieve both our financial goals and sustainability is the constant balance to strike.
Rapid Fire Questions
What’s your favorite movie right now?
Goodwill Hunting.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Runaway by Kanye West.
In your opinion, what is the most overrated trend in retail/ecommerce right now?
I think it’s interesting to see the push for in-platform commerce, but I think there are some cultural nuances that haven’t hit our market yet.
What’s your favorite thing about NYC?
The immediate energy return you feel when you walk the streets (pace of walking ;), but specifically the trends and fashion in Soho!
We’re excited to welcome Clinton Suh, Head of Ecommerce at On, to the CommerceNext Growth Show this June 11-13. Register to attend to hear amazing insights from Clinton and 150+ other speakers!
