What Would You Do as Head of eCommerce tasked with massively improving operational efficiency? – with Jaime Hill (episode 570)
What would you do as Head of eCommerce if you were tasked with massively improving operational efficiency?
In this special WWYD episode, eCommerce Director Jaime Hill – whose experience spans Monsoon, FatFace, Jack Wills, Oak Furnitureland, Hurtigruten, and more – shares how she’d approach the challenge. Expect smart, people-first strategies, practical examples, and plenty of inspiration for doing more with less.
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Dive in:
[04:59] Streamlining Operations and Team Efficiency
[06:47] Team Optimization and Process Review
[13:09] Prioritizing Efficiency in Evolving Industries
[14:15] Optimizing Spend and Data Accuracy
[19:58] Improving Processes Through Experimentation
[21:44] Breaking Silos Through Communication
[23:31] Listen to Jaime’s Top Tips!
Start with Your Team, Not Your Tech
Operational efficiency isn’t just about systems — it starts with people. Jaime reminds us to look closely at how your team works before buying new tools or cutting costs. Ask what’s taking up their time, what skills are underused, and what processes could go. Sometimes small workflow tweaks unlock more capacity than a new platform ever could. Real efficiency begins when everyone is working to their strengths.
Simplify Before You Spend
Many eCommerce businesses layer on new tech to fix problems — but often, the answer is simplification. Jaime advises auditing your processes and tools first. Are there duplicate apps doing the same job? Are your agencies handling work you could manage in-house more efficiently? Clean up your setup before you invest again — that’s how you save both time and budget.
Smarter Marketing Spend Beats Bigger Budgets
Jaime argues that efficiency also means spending smarter across marketing channels. She suggests regularly shifting budget between paid search, paid social, and SEO based on performance data. A strong SEO foundation lowers your paid media costs over time and improves quality scores. Reviewing spend weekly or monthly keeps you flexible and ensures you’re not pouring money into underperforming channels. Smart allocation drives growth without raising spend.
Collaboration Cuts Waste
One of the biggest killers of efficiency is working in silos. Jaime stresses the power of communication across departments — from marketing to customer service to warehouse teams. Simple conversations often uncover overlapping tools or duplicated work that waste money. Collaboration also helps teams share quick wins and avoid process bottlenecks. The more connected your teams are, the leaner and stronger your business becomes.
Efficiency Isn’t About Cuts — It’s About Impact
Too often, “efficiency” gets mistaken for reducing headcount. Jaime turns that idea on its head. True efficiency comes from empowering your team to work smarter and focus on high-impact activities. That might mean freeing someone from admin tasks to take on strategy, or automating repetitive work so they can deliver more value. Efficiency should lift performance — not morale.
SEO Is the Unsung Hero of Marketing
SEO often gets less attention than paid ads, but it can make a massive impact across all marketing channels. A well-optimized site boosts your rankings and reduces your cost-per-click in paid search. Investing in SEO lays a strong foundation for long-term organic growth and can amplify the effectiveness of your other campaigns. Regularly check if your SEO could be driving more traffic and saving you money elsewhere.
eCommerce Book Top Tip
- Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- SEO Marketing
Tool Top Tip
- Trello project management tool
Carbon Top Tip
- Check your website hosting provider’s energy source. Jaime recommends choosing a host that uses renewable energy, since the servers powering websites (and increasingly, AI tools) consume massive amounts of electricity.
Interview links
Related Episodes
- David Williams (Ugg & Charles Tyrwhitt) on international expansion & DTC ecommerce operations (episode 237)
- WWYD? Ian Leslie on Achieving Hockey Stick Growth in a $10–25M eCommerce Brand (episode 561)
- What Would You Do if growth at your eCommerce brand has stalled? – with Janis Thomas (episode 566)
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