Earlier this year, we launched our first Rising Stars of Retail report in the May issue of Inside Retail Australia’s quarterly magazine, a special feature highlighting some of the great under-the-radar talent in the industry from a wide range of departments. Each week, we will publish interviews with the inspiring people listed in the feature, where they reveal what motivates them, the work that they’re most proud of and the challenges that they’ve overcome. This week, we chat with Zhoe
h Zhoe Low, general manager at July.
Inside Retail: You’ve been part of the team at July since it first launched in 2019. What’s it been like to work in a company from the very beginning, particularly throughout Covid?Zhoe Low: Our revenue dropped 90% during Covid and our tight-knit team went through the worst of it together. It was an intensive growth period for us.We used the downtime to focus on product and process development collaboratively. Covid gave us a lot of time to capitalise on the return on travel.As a team, we built so much resilience after going through such a tough time together. We’re fortunate enough to come through on the other side with the growth we’ve had in the past six months. It’s been very rewarding.
IR: What was your first job in retail?
ZL: My first job ever at 15 was at the checkout at my local IGA! The after school shifts were tiring, but I learned a lot about customer service and loyalty during that stint.
IR: What are some of the initiatives in your company that you’ve led that you’re most proud of and why?
ZL: In the thick of lockdowns, I planned our US market entry strategy. With a limited budget, we launched in the US in July 2021, and it accelerated our Covid recovery as Americans were back travelling much sooner than we were.
With travel coming back now in Australia too, we are busier than ever. It’s set the path for us to make July a global household brand.
IR: Who is your retail hero and why?
ZL: Jane Lu from Showpo. She’s been in the game since 2010 and she took Showpo from her parents’ garage to a global brand. Aside from her countless professional accomplishments, I am sure I am only one of many young Asian females she’s paved the way for in this industry.
IR: If you could swap jobs with anyone in retail, who would it be and why?
ZL: Aside from Jane Lu, it would be Zoë-Foster Blake. Go-To Skincare’s growth is a testament to her influence and the power of great branding and considered product strategy. It would be great to see how the business works from the inside.
IR: If you could change anything about the retail industry, what would it be?
ZL: More experiential retail in physical stores. We know our customers who visit us in person are much more likely to have a stronger relationship with our brand than if they only know us online. It’s hard to measure, but memorable and delightful in-person retail experiences are such a high-value touchpoint in the customer journey. Even if they don’t convert there and then, we see many convert online eventually. Physical stores are a part of our brand awareness strategy.After the past two years of lockdowns, physical retail will be a strong preference. People want to get out and about. Doubling down and investing in the in-store experience will help brands capitalise on this. Some Aussie brands who already do this well are: Mecca, Culture Kings, Gewürzhaus and of course, luxury brands like Cartier. I say all this also knowing that the leasing costs for retail stores are very challenging.I’d also like to see more brands offer or take steps towards more sustainable products. In all categories, there is a growing demand for considered alternatives that are better for the environment. Unfortunately, it can seem like it’s an all or nothing approach, but it’s not the case. Small steps are still progress.
IR: What’s your dream role? What would you like your retail journey to look like?
ZL: I’m right where I want to be at the moment. My next milestone is to grow July into a household brand across the world. Most importantly, I’d like to continue working on great brands, great products and great people.