In 2020, we saw the ecommerce industry experience the growth that was anticipated to occur over the next ten years. Think about that, in just one year an industry experienced TEN years of growth. We at Spreetail feel fortunate to be a part of that growth and acknowledge the responsibility that accompanies scaling. We spent the greater part of 2020 focused on harnessing that growth to enhance our offerings to online shoppers, developing our current team and building upon it, and finding opportunities to support the communities where we live and work.
Delighting Millions of Customers
This past year, we were able to put into motion many of the improvements we had been working on as a team over the last few years. This allowed us to be in a position to succeed through the change and pace required to not just survive this year, but thrive. Our fulfillment centers saw upgrades to their sorters, enabling our teams to work more efficiently and continue to prioritize safety. Internal products were built by our software team to handle the scale of orders our teams needed to process and ship to our customers. Our assortment growth team partnered with many new vendors and quickly listed their products across the 15+ ecommerce channels Spreetail partners with, leading to sales on channels they were previously missing.
These are just a few of the highlights and accomplishments we saw from our team this year to meet the needs of our customers – and while I could go on and on about how our team came together to thrive this year, I’ll let a few of them tell you about it...
“I am proud of how our team has not lost its zeal or fervor in the face of multiple external challenges. Despite social separation, I feel more efficient and closer to the teams I work with and support.”
"The biggest accomplishment of 2020 was our team’s ability to maintain optimism, energy, and sense of community.”
“I’m most proud of my team for digging into sticky issues and figuring out new processes on things that a small company could handle ad hoc, but a big company has to address with process, rigor, and discipline. It’s so much fun moving from small to big and I’m proud of my team for their endurance and grit through 2020.”
"The software team put a big emphasis on quality in 2020 and it made a huge impact. Our systems were so much more reliable and were able to keep up with the amazing growth that Spreetail saw throughout the year. That type of work isn’t always sexy or fun, but it certainly paid off and allowed our teams to run more efficiently than ever before.”
Creating Opportunity & Wealth for Our Team
With growth, comes opportunity for our team. In 2020, we saw over 150 team members make an internal move into a new role. Many of these roles were newly created as we continue to build out our organization to match the growth of the ecommerce industry. In addition to internal moves, we welcomed so many new team members across every division. We feel fortunate to be in a position to grow our team and continue to create opportunities for individuals looking to make an impact.
One of our key hires in 2020 was the addition of Josh Ketter, Spreetail’s Chief Financial Officer. Josh has a wealth of ecommerce experience and will be instrumental in setting Spreetail up for success as we continue our purpose of making a dent in the universe.
When I asked Josh why he was joining Spreetail, he said, “Besides being a fast-growing company in the heart of ecommerce, my perception is that Spreetail is a customer-centric company with operational excellence and focus. Those are incredibly important pillars and when I think about all the different ways Spreetail can leverage what we do best, I'm excited about all the possibilities.” We’re thrilled to welcome him to the team and look forward to all he and his division will accomplish in the years to come!
An exciting accomplishment in 2020 was the creation of the Spreetail Inclusion Networks. At Spreetail, we acknowledge we have a duty to build and foster a workplace where all may succeed. This was one of many steps we’re taking as a team to ensure we’re pursuing this responsibility. Our three Inclusion Networks (Spreetail Professionals of Color, Spreetail Pride Alliance, and Spreetail Professional Women Rising) recently set their objectives for the first quarter of 2021 and I’m looking forward to seeing the impacts these networks will have on Spreetail and the communities where we live and work.
Revolutionizing the Communities We Touch
This year more than ever, our communities needed us. It is our responsibility as a growing business to give back to the communities that support us. In May of this year we decided to donate $1,000 per team member, which we called our Spreetail for Good Giving Initiative, where we donated over $500,000. Our team members had the opportunity to pitch nonprofits to receive donations and it was amazing to see their passions on display through this initiative.
We also continued to heavily focus on growing our New Beginnings Program, which provides ‘house starter kits’ to families exiting homelessness. As a program founded in our home city of Lincoln, NE, we were thrilled to continue the expansion of two other Spreetail cities – Omaha, NE and Indianapolis, IN.
In addition to many other initiatives, I was extremely impressed with the way our team members showed up for the nonprofits close to their hearts with our donation match program. Spreetail matched more donations this year than any year prior – a testament to our team members' generosity to give to the organizations making a difference in our communities.
Wrapping Up
In 2021, we expect significant growth again resulting in hundreds of new roles and millions of new happy customers. With this growth, we know we will again have the responsibility to continue to enhance our offerings to online shoppers, develop our team and build upon it, and find opportunities to support the communities where we live and work.
Our goal is to build the best team in ecommerce focused on our vision “To accelerate brands and channels to compete for tomorrow’s ecommerce customer." We will continue to add new roles and expand our teams throughout this upcoming year. Check out the opportunities available today, I’d love for you to join us!
Onward and Upward,
CEO
