Hi, I am applying for the Global Talent visa as a business applicant. I am the head of an eCommerce business with a background in [digital] product management and looking for some advice on my innovation evidence.
In my last role, I came in and did a complete turnaround of the business. We made changes to everything - lots of small changes that led to big improvement of performance. I’m struggling to pull out an example of a technical innovation to focus on. The most important innovation was likely the process we used to identify opportunities and develop and implement solutions in a coordinated way across the team.
Do you think I can successfully argue that as a leader of a product-led company (eCommerce), my biggest innovation was in how I managed the team?
(Note: my 2 other innovation examples are pure tech)
basically the innovation example i want to detail as a business person in eCommerce is:
creating a product-led growth strategy for an ecommerce business
creating a super responsive management system with a daily cross-functional check-in that drove continuous improvement across the business (not just product and tech, but all functions)
do you think i can use this as an example to show innovation as a business person in Sector = ecommerce, skill = Product Management?
note: my other innovation examples are
defining the strategy for and leading a team to build an on demand delivery product in Brazil; solved an unmet consumer need, new business model for CPG companies. app has since scaled to 10m downloads
launch strategy for an IOT device harnessing an innovative community-driven approach. commercially successful launch, strong reviews, etc.
@makeitfly my other 2 examples are 0-1. last 4.5 years i’ve been leading later stage businesses and scaleups.
other possible examples:
ecommerce replatform and site redesign to offer free shipping, next day delivery, and delivery estimates based on user’s IP address location. significant technical innovation - plugging into shipping carrier API, building custom order management system to route orders between our warehouse and 2 3PLs based on customer location, etc. impact- largely a big improvement in customer experience. commercial impact not super impressive. technology - front-end = shopify, custom OMS, and custom API integration with shipping carrier
returns process improvement - introducing new website functionality and UX. I identified the strategic priority, helped to clarify the problem, brought the approach including the data, then asked the team to come up with a plan. I then coached the team through the creation and execution of the plan. significant improvement in user satisfaction and usage of the feature
thanks @Maya for writing back! i’m planning to explain the context of the problem, my role, my approach including diagrams, data, and then detail the impact. i also refer to other letters (recommendation, letter of support) that confirm my role in transforming the business and the impact i had. big reason i want to include this example is it is what i’m most proud of achieving in my career and the impact is most impressive.
it sounds good to me. I always prefer having a letter besides the diagrams and outcome, it is more effective. However, this sounds more like an impact to me.
@alexnels both are good candidates to be picked. The first one looks like you are more passionate so pick that. Remember Innovation can also be the approach with a good impact so do highlight that what you did wasn’t done in the same way in the industry and hence…
@makeitfly “innovation can also be the approach with a good impact”… this is what i was hoping to show through my original idea. it’s proving harder than a pure tech innovation though.
Hey I just came across your thread and wondering if you got your endorsement. I am also currently looking to apply under exceptional promise. I have an e-commerce Shopify store under my name that I run, manage and developed myself. However, I am unsure what is meant by product-led and digital product business. Does it mean the means to sell (i.e e-mcommerce) has to be digital or it means that the product itself has to be digital (like a software or something). I sell stuff through ecommerce but my goods are jewellery.
While you are running an e-commerce store, this visa is for people with exceptional talent or promise at product-led digital technology businesses. So unfortunately, selling jewelry through an online medium would not apply.
The previous poster was the head of an eCommerce business with a background in digital product management and scaling digital product companies. They were able to showcase examples of technical innovation and product development. If you were an employee of a digital e-commerce company, the experience would be more relevant.
Thanks for clarifying this as some people don’t understand that there is a difference between a tech enabled business and a product-led digital technology company.
Thank you! I still am unclear what you mean by an ‘employee’ for digital e-commerce company? I am the head , developer, marketing person for my own e-commerce company
Per your previous post, you have an e-commerce Shopify store - but you do not work for Shopify building their e-commerce product. As @Francisca_Chiedu said above, there is a difference between a tech-enabled business and a product-led digital technology company. Shopify and their technology enable you to run an e-commerce store, but this does not make your store a digital technology company.
If you read authors comment further down she mentioned how she improved delivery of products to customers ‘physical’ addresses by using API that gave estimates of delivery why they attempt to place order. This means the ecommerce company she is working for are selling physical products not digital. However she used digital solutions to make customer experience better
