We are excited to welcome Rick Watson to this week’s episode of the Own Your Commerce podcast. Watson is the CEO and Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting where he supports investors and management teams (B2C, B2B, or Omnichannel) plan, execute, and optimize major digital initiatives. In this episode Watson shares his 20+ years experience in ecommerce and what brands can do to ensure their technology strategy is optimized to deliver results. 

 Some topics we discuss: 

• The state of Direct-to-Consumer and Omnichannel retail. 
• 3p marketplaces vs. direct stores. Which model ultimately wins?
• The impact of technology on retail brands and how to craft the perfect technology or supply chain strategy. 
• Watson’s experience architecting the WHP+ platform that powers AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com. 
• Shopify vs. Amazon. 

Guest bio:

Rick Watson has spent 20+ years as a technology entrepreneur in the ecommerce industry, having worked with companies like ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, Merchantry, and Pitney Bowes. While serving as CEO of Merchantry, he led the company to a $30M acquisition by Tradeshift. Watson also directed the cross-border product strategy of Pitney Bowes, a $450M business, comprising Borderfree and the eBay Global shipping program. Today he is the CEO & Founder of RMW Commerce Consulting and hosts The Watson Weekly podcast. Fun fact: he has visited Siberia in Russia 3 times.