Armed with a deep knowledge of retail and a passion for eBay’s purpose, eBay's Chief Strategy Officer Kris Miller stepped into her role in 2014 with a compelling vision of our future, and a clear roadmap of the path ahead.
Kris came to eBay from Bain & Company, where she was a Partner and Director of the global management consulting firm, after a career spent working closely with a range of retail clients in established and new markets, from specialty retailers to department stores to mass merchandizers. Her knowledge of product categories is equally expansive, ranging from consumer electronics to apparel and footwear to homewares.
Kris sat down with Adam Kohler and Jennifer O’Connell of the eBay News Team to talk strategy, the joy of meeting sellers face-to-face and her love of art.
On eBay buyers’ passion for shopping and treasure hunting…
“Our buyers are people who love to shop. They love to find great deals, they love to treasure-hunt and we’re making it a simpler, more engaging and more exciting experience for them to browse and discover the things that they need and they love..”
On making life easier for all our sellers, from C2C to major brands…
“We have an amazing flywheel, whereby our eBay buyers sell things that they no longer want in order to make some money to buy other things they do want. These consumer sellers are incredibly important to us as they are more engaged and more valuable when they buy and sell on eBay. But we also have a phenomenal range of business sellers, everything from small entrepreneurs to mid-size retailers to very established brands who sell on our marketplace. And I’m excited about what we’re doing to make them more successful, to make it easier for them to list, to make it easier for them to merchandize and make it easier for them to be successful in their own right.”
On our strategic priorities…
“There are really three main elements of our strategy, at the highest level. The first is to offer the best choice of inventory – from the latest releases to great bargains on last season’s items to the long tail of collectibles. This incredible selection and great value is at the core of our marketplace. The second is to be the most relevant for our target buyers, giving them a shopping experience that allows them to discover the amazing selection of items and helps to inform their purchases. And the third is the most powerful selling platform, enabling the everyday entrepreneur to the small and medium-sized business seller to be successful on eBay.”
On her passions outside work…
“I have a number of passions outside of work, but one is for contemporary art. I have a good friend who has an art gallery and over the years he’s really helped me develop my interest in art and has helped me get to know a number of fabulous artists, both Bay Area artists and artists from around the world. So that’s been a wonderful journey to learn more about contemporary art and the artist’s story behind the artwork.”
On the experience of meeting sellers face-to-face…
“When you actually go out and talk to sellers, you realize what eBay means to them. These are sellers that really have created a career on eBay and have taken their passion -- whether it’s their passion for guitars or their passion for mountain bikes or their passion for Italian jewelry -- and they have created a community and a following on eBay. We hear these fabulous stories about how selling on eBay is what has allowed them to put their kids through college and buy that second home for their family. It really brings to life the whole purpose of eBay and it is a privilege to meet them and better understand the role eBay has played in their life story.”