EP310 - Sam's Club VP E-Commerce, Sabrina Callahan

Sabrina Callahan is the VP of E-Commerce at Sam's Club. She participated on a panel at E-Tail Boston entitled "Humanizing your brand through effective storytelling".

After her panel, she sat down with Jason to discuss all things digital commerce at Sam's Club. This broad ranging discussion included:

• Mobile's impact on shopping
• Challenges and opportunities of membership clubs (and their unique access to data)
• Role of omni channel
• Connecting digital marketing channels to digital experience
• Building a brand for Sam’s Club in the digital era

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Episode 310 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on live from e-Tail Boston on Tuesday, August 22, 2023.

http://jasonandscot.com

Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing.

Transcript

Jason:
[0:23 ] Welcome to the Jason and Scot show this episode is being recorded live from e-tail Boston Trade Show on Tuesday August 22nd 20:23 I'm your host Jason retailgeek Goldberg and unfortunately Scott wasn't able to join us so you're getting twice the Jason for the same great price which if you think about it is double the value.
And while I know it's disappointing to miss Scott we're making up for it by having a way better guest I'd like to welcome to the show Sabrina Callahan who's the VP of e-commerce at Sam's Club.
Sabrina just completed a panel here at retail and titled humanizing your brand through effective storytelling Sabrina welcome to the show.

Sabrina:
[1:04 ] Thanks for having me Jason.

Jason:
[1:06 ] We are so excited and I'm hoping this ends up being a permanent replacement for Scott.

Sabrina:
[1:09 ] I think I'm up for it I've heard him so I think I could do it.

Jason:
[1:12 ] I feel like in the first five minutes you're way more interesting and pleasant than he then he he's kind of a curmudgeon.

Sabrina:
[1:18 ] I'm not I'm just not even going to say anything but just know that I'm ready.

Jason:
[1:20 ] Smart so before we get into all the meaty topics I always like to let listeners kind of get to know the background of the guests a little bit so did you work for Sam's Club straight out of the Cradle how did you come to Sam's Club.

Sabrina:
[1:34 ] Surprisingly no not right out of the Cradle.
I've been here for the last four and a half years and Jamie rule mark my five year so I'll get the coveted 5-year badge but kind of backing up all the way to, my background I was born and raised on a small farm in Kansas.

Jason:
[1:53 ] And in Kansas a small farm is like 100 acres right.

Sabrina:
[1:57 ] Yeah exactly so I grew up on the farm grew out in the field by somebody dad does all of the crops and my uncle has the dairy so I was out on the tractors driving the semis trying to not get myself.
Killed you know all of the fun things that come along with Farm life and left went to University of Kansas.
Chuck that's exactly right that's Rock Chalk.
And then graduated in journalism and then made my way down to Dallas so as much as I love Kansas and small-town farm and and everything I wanted to kind of experience, bigger city and been in Dallas ever since and we love it there so worked at a start-up in the beginning my entire career has been in digital and marketing and brand and social media and everything that goes kind of along with that storytelling and driving digital performance so I was a star but at startup and then I went over to Hilton corporate and was there for about seven years loved it there I think I.

Jason:
[3:00 ] Are you okay this event is a tan on Hilton property.

Sabrina:
[3:03 ] I know listen you're not supposed to say it don't say it.

Jason:
[3:07 ] To our loyal Hilton listeners were sorry.

Sabrina:
[3:10 ] But what if he found out I was staying at the Hilton and walking all the way over.
True loyalty rate my shoes weren't word up for it today but no I was at Hilton for about seven years I loved it there and really grew up there and they took a they took a lot of.

[3:28 ] You know bets on me and allowed me to thrive I was there in the e-commerce space really when they launched the pilot of e-commerce, and and got to work with some of the biggest hotels, in the world with them and a lot of great opportunity got to start managing people you know they kept growing me and investing in Me And It ultimately LED I was in the e-commerce space for the majority of the time and then It ultimately LED <span title="3:55 - 4:04 " data-start="00:03:55 .340" data-end="00