Name: Eric Hunter
Age: 32
Job Title: Director of eCommerce
Company: AVB Marketing
Years in the Industry: 8
Education: Chico State
Dealerscope’s 40 Under 40 Honoree 2021
Describe your current role.
Leading a strategic group of stakeholders to help independent retailers across North America with an online eCommerce strategy. I work across business silos and manage several integral teams within our organization that help drive direction and strategy related to marketing campaigns, online merchandising tactics, customer engagement, and several other facets of business operations to improve online conversions.
What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?
Professionally, I’d say I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve been able to build with so many great partners and colleagues. In 2019 I got the ‘Leader of Leaders’ Award at AVB Marketing, nominated by my fellow associates for outstanding leadership and perseverance, which was pretty outstanding and a great honor.
What do you like best about your job?
This one is easy; it has to be the people! I get the special opportunity to work with some esteemed colleagues, clients, and partners that continually push me to get better. We have worked so hard as a team to charter new territories and to tackle every obstacle that has come our way. Every day provides me with a new learning opportunity to grow and help those around me grow all the same.
What technology are you most excited about at the moment?
Voice assistant technology is pretty amazing and so convenient. The fact that everyone can have a personal secretary to answer questions, take notes, set reminders, turn on the lights, etc., is pretty impeccable. It will be interesting to see how this technology continues to develop through artificial intelligence as the billions of data points continue to be connected.
Who in the CE or technology industry do you look up to, and why?
I’ve gotten to work closely with Gordon Isaac over the past several years. Gordon has provided great insight and knowledge on the industry as a whole with his experience across so many verticals. Gordon is well connected and always willing to work through it, providing those around him the ability to grow via osmosis. Thanks, Gordon!
What career advice would you give to people just getting started in the CE or technology industry?
My best piece of advice for anyone is to ‘keep it real.’ In everything that we do, we must be genuine to each other and to ourselves. There is no handbook to life, and no question is a dumb question if it helps you grow. Keep pushing forward and innovating on new ideas!
What, in your opinion, is necessary for the CE/technology industry to thrive in the next five years?
I think that cost will play a big factor in adoption, which is the ultimate factor in growth within the industry. Making technology affordable will help also make it accessible to more than a subset of people, but in doing so you cannot jeopardize quality for quantity. So excited to be a part of this industry for many years to come!
