OSHIYA SAVUR is currently the VP of Marketing for Luxury brands at Revlon.  She specializes in brand strategy, ecommerce marketing, and content, innovation development. She worked at Unilever for 10 years. Over the years, Oshiya has been instrumental in turning around businesses launching top-ranked (several #1), multi-million-dollar innovations. Most notably she launched from scratch a $120M+ business on Suave, re-imagined Hair Sprays for TRESemme, drove omnichannel growth on Elizabeth Arden, launched All Saints fragrances in the US and delivered #1 innovations on Juicy Couture Fragrances. 

Oshiya grew up in India where she studied English Literature at HansRaj college in Delhi University and received her MBA from Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. She moved to the US in 2010 with her husband whom she met while in Singapore. Prior to that she also lived in Istanbul and Bangkok. Today Oshiya lives in Weehawken, New Jersey with her husband and two lovely daughters (7 and 4). 

Why did you choose to pursue eCommerce in your career? As consumer behavior keeps switching to online shopping, I believe that every leader of the future will need to have had a meaningful stint running an ecommerce business. The business model is quite different as it relates to content needs, digital shelf and operational excellence. Being able to experience it firsthand to then ladder up the insights into business planning for the total company will be critical.  

What is your biggest strength, and how have you used it for your success in eCommerce? My relentless curiosity is my biggest strengths. I ask a lot of the annoying “why” questions to understand the root cause. This helps me break down complex problems for meaningful stakeholder and organization alignment. I am also good about thinking the big picture and then rolling up my sleeves to do the actual work. 

What is the weirdest skill or talent to come in handy in your eCommerce experience? Learning & unlearning everyday while staying rooted in basics of what drives sales.

Quite often I find that people are distracted by fancy KPIs. If you break down any business model to its fundamental core, it is still about customer acquisition and retention – the two basic pillars of Marketing. I am able to adapt quickly in the moment while never losing sight of why we are doing something. 

How have you most successfully influenced change within your organization (or with your clients)? I would say persistence has helped incredibly in brining about change. Knowing the players and persisting for change ultimately catches up especially when what you are pushing more makes business sense.

What was your most “valuable” career failure, and why? Once upon a time, all I wanted was to be a Human Resource Consultant. I wanted to study at TISS (Tata Institute for Social Services). It is one of the best in India. I cracked my entrance exam but could not convert my interview. I was devastated beyond belief. And then I caught a second wind, started to work on my GMAT and then went to Indian School of Business which is a top MBA program in the country. It was a turning point of my career. Fast forward… I now love what I do so I am forever thankful for this failure. I also would have never met my now husband had I not studied to MBA and joined Unilever which would then bring me to Singapore where I met him.  

In the last five years, what new belief, behavior or habit has most improved your life? Prioritization and delegation. My father-in-law gave me this advice 10 years ago and to this day it is by far the most important skill that I have nurtured overtime. Earlier this year I read an article about productivity on HBR. It has had a profound impact on how I view my daily to-do list. Specifically, the table that asks – “Is your work worth $10 an hour or $10K an hour? How are you really spending your time?” I highly recommend reading it.

What are you learning right now? I have had the privilege of working in both Mass and Prestige categories across B&M and ecommerce. I am on a quest to understand the nuances for different price points within each of these varied channels– B&M, eretail, amazon and DTC for Mass and Prestige brands. It really is fascinating to coordinate customer acquisition and retention strategies across these ecosystems.

What are the 1-3 songs that would make up your career soundtrack today?

• Not a song but a poem by Robert Frost: Miles to Go Before I Sleep

What are the 1-3 books you’ve gifted the most or that have greatly influenced your life, and why?

• Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
• Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg
• Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor

If you could have a gigantic billboard for the world to see with anything on it, what would it say, and why? HUSTLE IS EVERYTHING

What are the worst recommendations or advice you have heard related to eCommerce? I have been fortunate to be surrounded by incredibly motivated people who are all trying to transform. However, there are always few people who will continue to question the growth of ecommerce and its ultimate potential. If they are in critical positions in the company, this could really hurt. 

What advice would you give to a future leader of change about to enter business, or specifically the eCommerce field? Stay humble, stay curious. (You can NEVER EVER know it all.)

Being able to adapt and learn fast will by far be the most important soft skill as we look into the future.  

What specific, industry-related change do you believe will happen that few others seem to see? Human beings are wired to be social and while ecommerce provides convenience, people will continue to seek tactile experiences of touch, smell, and feel.

In Prestige, I believe that malls will become entirely experience oriented. Store fronts will only be for testing/trying on products (no inventory). Online grocery delivery concept will flip on its head and become Store online delivery. In other words, order in store but get it through online delivery. As the visible part of the store will reduce significantly, overheads will reduce dramatically. There could be an opportunity to turn some of this real estate into warehouses for instant deliveries. 

In Mass, high engagement/high price categories may also transform to the Prestige model.

This could create a win-win for consumers and retailers. 

What is the last thing you bought online, and why? Halloween outfits for my kids

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First Movers is a change leader interview series featuring select industry pioneers who are boldly driving the evolution of digital commerce, the consumer and everything in between.