Interview with Jary Carter and Michel Goossens
Magento recently appointed Michel Goossens as vice president and general manager of Magento’s EMEA operations and Jary Carter as vice president of N. America sales operations. Michel and Jary bring extensive industry experience and knowledge to Magento and both are strong and innovative leaders. We asked Jary and Michel a few questions so you can get to know them better and find out what they forecast for the world of eCommerce.
- What eCommerce trends do you see will have a big impact on the retail industry in the next 12 months?
JC: You are seeing a few key trends that are causing real shifts in how companies think about eCommerce. Probably most important for a merchant is that consumers are expecting a more sophisticated online interaction which makes personalizing the user experience even more important. Second, moving into mobile will provide a better ability for merchants to interact with their customers. Companies that quickly figure out an effective eCommerce strategy will have a competitive advantage.
MG: We are definitely seeing an increase in the number of businesses who want an eCommerce offering. At the same time, we are also seeing many businesses that went live with an eCommerce offering in the early days and now need to review and update their solution in order to remain competitive. As Jary mentioned, mobile or multi-channel reach, with a rich user experience, has become increasingly important. And looking to the future we will see more on the “cloud” effect in eCommerce with SAAS (software as a service) and PAAS (platform as a service) giving merchants even more choices for their eCommerce presence.
- What advice would you give to merchants entering the world of eCommerce today?
JC: I would say jump in, the water is warm. It’s a great time to enter the world of ecommerce. Merchants have never had more options in ecommerce than they do right now. Open-source platforms like Magento, SAAS and hosted options have really expanded the opportunities for merchants to provide a top-flight user experience in a cost-effective way.
MG: That’s so true. It’s also very important that a business choose the right technology and the right implementation partner. It is also important that any internal IT staff is well trained on the chosen technology.
I recommend that merchants look for a solution that not only solves today's problems but that can grow with their business and offer a set of features that can be added over time to support future business goals and the ever increasing sophistication of the eCommerce user.
- As VPs of Sales – what are your primary goals and objectives for the coming year?
MG: Our most important goal is that every customer is a happy customer. As a company that is experiencing explosive growth we will pay special attention to our processes to see if we can improve or streamline operations to ensure that the Magento experience for our Partners and customers is the same wherever they are located and that they always have a satisfying experience. As far as Europe goes, we will augment the presence and coverage of Magento in the European markets.
JC: We will be working hard on a number of fronts including initiatives to make our ecosystem stronger in terms of knowledge, access to information and support and to make procurement easier. And both Michel and I will be talking with lots of customers and Partners to make sure that we have a first-hand understanding of their needs.
- What attracted you to join Magento?
JC: It was pretty easy to be attracted to Magento - a well-engineered product with tremendous uptake in the market, a dedicated and growing community, a strong ecosystem of smart and experienced partners and an internal team that is committed to the success of customers. After I spent time with members of the team, I saw first-hand the extent to which Magento is revolutionizing the eCommerce market. To top it all off, they are having a lot of fun doing it. I wanted to be part of that.
MG: Magento has unique technology with products that are creating a revolution in eCommerce. There are hot products in the pipeline plus a very talented team who are all really great people. It simply felt like the perfect match for me. We all share the same vision and objectives for building Magento into a world class company.
- What do you like to do when you are not at work building the eCommerce ecosystem?
JC: My wife and I have four kids, so on the weekends I find myself running between soccer games and other activities with them. When we aren’t doing that I enjoy cycling and swimming.
MG: I spend time with my family and enjoy cycling, swimming, skiing and yoga/ pilates. And if times allows I love to sail and fly airplanes.
For more information on Jary and Michel please see the press release.


