Aditi Gupte’s Post

Yesterday marked my 8-year anniversary at Zalando! 🎉🎈 Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine staying with a company for this long (my previous record was 1.7 years), but here I am, thrilled about it and excited for what the next year holds! This time has been a journey of high growth and learning, filled with extraordinary people (some of whom I now call friends) and unforgettable moments hashtag #bestteamevents. For me, Zalando has been an exceptional product school. Over these years, I've had the opportunity to: ⇥ Work with products in all stages (0-1 remains the most exciting for me – there's nothing like launching a new product direction!; growth the most surprising and maturity the most fruitful) ⇥ Launch impactful and innovative solutions ⇥ Dive deep into various business verticals ⇥ Collaborate with almost all types of tech products ⇥ Learn how different customers are across the European markets ⇥ Build and grow cross-functional teams ⇥ Organize fun product events and trainings ⇥ And most importantly, grow as an individual As I reflect back, here are 8 important product learnings I’ve gained along the way: ① Don’t A/B test everything – it easily gets costly. Instead, make time for more user research. The more you talk to the customers, the more you will understand them and nail the right solutions quickly. Then, use A/B testing at the end for quantitative confidence; ② Figure out how to ship the great ideas faster – focus on 'wow' ideas for your customers, not on the ones easy to do. Get creative with your team to execute them within the desired timeframe. Solutions always exist; don’t compromise on the product outcome; ③ Focus on solving the underlying customer needs, not only on the customer problems – this helps drive innovation rather than patch solutions; ④ Understand what to optimize for – for 0-1 products, impact = speed; for growing products, impact = volume; for mature products, impact = high quality; ⑤ Teamwork over solo work – no matter how experienced you are, the ideas and solutions always better with a cross-functional team. I've learned so much from amazing peers in other functions; ⑥ Great product work can be done anywhere – even in less exciting problem spaces. However, exciting visions and problem spaces can motivate teams to move mountains; ⑦ Say "no" thoughtfully – instead of the classic “no” or "later", ask the right questions to understand stakeholders' problems, have data and research at hand and see how you can find solutions to the core problem. Bonus points if you find a quick fix; ⑧ Effective communication is THE skill to master - it will solve the majority of your problems. It’s also one of the hardest ones, where you always keep on learning. Bonus tip: Have fun while doing it! The PM’s work isn’t always glamorous, so it’s crucial to laugh and enjoy the ride🎢 What has been your most valuable learning experience in your career? #WorkAnniversary #ProductManagement #Innovation

✨ It’s the people that make my work at Zalando truly rewarding! ✨ Last week marked a special milestone as we celebrated our 4th anniversary of the Zalando Zurich office. What a journey it’s been! 🎉 It all started with the acquisition of a startup, which is now our Size & Fit Zurich team. From day one, I had the privilege of guiding the team through a smooth integration into the wider Zalando world. What's truly remarkable is that nearly all our colleagues are still with us—growing, evolving, and today tackling one of fashion's biggest challenges: helping people find the right size advice as one team spread across Zurich and Berlin. 👗👚 We’re continuing to expand and we all have been excited to welcome one of the Zalando eCommerce Plattform Service Teams to Zurich last year, working on exciting initiatives like the Zalando Fashion Assistant and other inspiring projects. 🚀 A big thanks goes to the Site Operations Team that I have the honor of leading for the past three and a half years. Pamela Herrera, Petros Papagiannis, Roxana and Marko Kauzlaric - we are a small team and we make the magic happen together, thanks a lot for your commitment and trust 🙌 Reflecting on my own adventure - moving to a new country during the pandemic, building up our site in Zurich and leading across functions far beyond my original profession - I couldn’t have done it without the incredible support from my team, central experts and leadership who believed in us every step of the way. 💪 For anyone dreaming big, here are two pieces of advice I’d love to share: 1️⃣ Build a strong foundation from the start so you’re ready to grow when the time is right - this equally counts for personal as well as business growth 2️⃣ When a great opportunity comes your way, be brave. (Personal) Growth often comes from stepping outside your comfort zone and surrounding yourself with people who challenge you in the best ways as well as those believing and supporting you 💡 Here’s to many more years of growth, collaboration, and exciting opportunities ahead! 🚀💼 #Teamwork #InsideZalando #ZalandoZurich #Leadership #GrowthMindset #CareerJourney

Being bold is more than just taking risks; it's about daring to step forward when others hesitate. The story of Zalando is a powerful example of how courage and vision can transform an idea into a global phenomenon. When Zalando started, the founders faced uncertainty, competition, and a rapidly changing market. But they didn’t back down. Instead, they pushed forward with boldness, embracing innovation and challenging the status quo. ✨ Their journey teaches us that being bold is crucial for success. It’s about believing in your vision, even when the path isn't clear. It’s about making decisions that others might shy away from, and having the courage to shape the future instead of just following trends. 🚀🔥 Zalando’s success wasn’t a stroke of luck; it was the result of bold moves, a commitment to excellence, and a willingness to lead rather than follow. So, whether you’re starting a new project, pursuing a dream, or simply trying to make an impact in your daily life, remember: boldness is your ally. It’s the key to unlocking opportunities, overcoming challenges, and creating something truly extraordinary. 🌟 Like Zalando, you have the power to turn bold decisions into a legacy. Be bold. Your future depends on it. 💥🌍 https://lnkd.in/gGeQmeyJ #zalando

We’re constantly experimenting to find better ways to connect our customers, brands, and partners. When those experiments work, we celebrate. When they fail, we learn the lessons. It’s part of the Zalando culture. But we know that for lots of people, failure feels like a big deal. So how do you become a pro at 'failing forward'? Here are our top tips. 1. Break it down Being good at failing doesn’t mean taking unnecessary risks. If you’ve got a bold idea, break it down into smaller chunks, so that if you fail, you fail early and move on. 2. Remember the re-do At school, lots of us learn that instant success is the only acceptable result. But the joy of being an adult is that there’s always the re-do. If a project goes wrong, try it from a different angle. If this week’s presentation is a disaster, there’s always next week. Take the long view. 3. Give yourself points for being brave If your only measure of career success is perfection, you’ll probably take a pretty safe (and boring!) path. Give yourself points for being creative and bold. 4. Understand the consequences What would really happen if a project failed? What would your manager actually do if your big idea turned into a big mess? Where are the boundaries? Talk to your team leader to make sure your fears are based on reality. 5. Give yourself permission Failing doesn’t make you a failure. It makes you somebody who is brave enough to try. And that’s the kind of person we love! Put failure into perspective by allowing it into your career as part of your growth. At Zalando, we think big and act fast – it’s been an essential part of the Zalando story. Read it here: https://zln.do/3X4zU2K #InsideZalando

Success is also knowing when and how to slow down. Pausing doesn’t mean falling behind. Giving yourself permission to pause isn’t just necessary, it’s powerful. Often, when we slow down, we come back stronger, with new insights and energy to fuel our journeys. A refreshing perspective and wise advice from our conversation with Delphine Mousseau. With her impressive background as an e-commerce expert, board member, former VP at Zalando, and mother of four, Delphine has firsthand experience balancing professional ambitions with personal priorities. #UnboxingTheFuture #WorkLifeBalance #CareerWisdom

Exactly 10 years ago I started at Zalando. I started as a Product Management Trainee. It was supposed to be an 18-month traineeship. Every 6 months they cycled me through a different part of the company. From Fashion store to Logistics. There are only a few moments in a person's career where opportunities arise. To me... that happened after 6 months when I and my small team were tasked to prototype same-day delivery. Instead of building something fancy, we did something very rudimentary. We drove to the nearest warehouse, packed parcels headed for Berlin, and delivered them ourselves. Instead of the regular 2-3 day delivery. We surprised customers with a delightful 4-hour delivery. At the door, we asked them for feedback. Some of them were shocked. After 100 positive deliveries, we took this feedback and prepared a pitch for Robert the CEO. I remember clearly that Jan let me help prepare the pitch. We stayed up till midnight preparing the pitch. He was a former McKinsey partner. And I was just a trainee. I saw it as a learning opportunity. And these opportunities come by seldom. He pitched the project, we got an internal budget and ended up building same-day delivery for Zalando with two other teams in 6 months. It was the first corporate startup I got to be part of. My advice for other juniors in Tech. Be on the hunt for responsibility. If your manager tests you, go above and beyond. Not that I know much about corporates, but in my short time at Zalando I understood that corporate success is all about building momentum. Small wins, followed by medium wins, and then larger wins. I'm very grateful for having worked at Zalando and that I had several mentors who coached me, challenged me, and ultimately helped me grow. Thanks for all the help and I hope I wasn't too much of a pain in the a$$ 🤣 Jan Bartels Henri Holjewilken Clemens Kress Christoph Lange Rasmus Voigts Till Juchheim Stephan Christ Carsten Ernst Artur Weber One thing that I applaud Zalando for is their continuous innovation. They've built a culture that dares to take risks and continuously launches new products. So hats off to you Robert Gentz for being a great role model in Germany 👏

Meet Mélissa MARHUENDA, Senior Product Manager at ZEOS. Driven by curiosity and a love for continuous learning Mélissa is a perfect match for our ever-changing world of logistics. Starting off her career with a bang: Mélissa won a competition to develop a mobile fashion app.  She also teaches Zalando women about cycle syncing, emphasizing the importance of optimizing our bodies with technology. As Mélissa says, "I believe in optimizing our bodies with tech—because who says you can’t be part human, part tech, and fully thriving?" Read more about Mélissa below and if you want to work with us, you can find open vacancies following the link: zeos.eu #FashionLogistics #InventoryManagement #Sustainability #ZEOS #EcommerceSolutions

The vast majority of product titles on Zalando are not optimized, in fact, most products DON'T EVEN HAVE A TITLE. Between the platform's strict requirements and the difficulties of understanding the search engine behavior, increasing your product's visibility on Zalando can be quite challenging. Zalando rejects any title that doesn't meet their requirements, which represents a significant missed opportunity for brands. This impacts BOTH product visibility AND conversion rates. To tackle this issue, you might want to explore feedelitist.io. One of its key features is helping you match those requirements by creating titles that are both compliant and optimized to boost your visibility and conversions. And the best part? You can start today and use the tool for 20 products without spending a single euro! #marketplace #zalando Zalando

Braze sat down with Gaiar Baimuratov, Head of Product and Technology at Lounge by Zalando to discuss the challenges that companies face to stay ahead in a highly competitive market. The decision to build or buy isn’t always straightforward; it involves evaluating resources, market availability, and long-term goals. With a modular approach to their technology stack, they've developed a balanced strategy that empowers them to scale efficiently while keeping ownership of critical processes. Here are seven steps Lounge by Zalando takes as they navigate the "Build vs. Buy" dynamic. https://lnkd.in/gB_BhfF3 https://bit.ly/3OjBwQO

How to deal with unpredictable challenges in supply chain logistics in times of constant change? Zalando building the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle explains the strategy: The key are flexible partners like we as KNAPP are.🤝 Zalando values various factors that make our partnership so good and flexible: ✅ Save time up front: Working closely together as partners also during times without an active project and preparing for different scenarios. ✅ Scalability: providing modular solutions that can be scaled up when needed. ✅ Internationality: possibility to handle large projects across Europe. ✅ Resident engineers: short response times for technical challenges. ✅ Collaborative approach: transparent communication about requirements. We are proud to have this partnership with Zalando and we are looking forward to our further collaboration. 🚀