After enduring the massive waves of change 2020 threw at the world, companies have had to rapidly strategize to adapt to the new business normal. Some organizations, however, have taken the COVID-19 pandemic in stride, finding opportunities for growth and innovation despite sweeping economic uncertainty. And, according to a couple local tech companies we spoke with, they’ve been laying the necessary groundwork for pivotal success in 2021.
ClearCut Analytics Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Amin Harari, for example, said his team has spent the last several years building a strong foundation for scale with proven products and services in the retail analytics space, and now they are ready to double the company’s headcount in the coming year. Meanwhile, Abby Hunt, VP of marketing at research platform dscout, said her employer is hiring across the board as they anticipate human-centric data will continue playing a key role in driving innovation across industries.
Below, Built In Chicago caught up with Harari and Hunt about their strategies for anticipated success and every pin they have put in their roadmap along the way. Looking to be a key component of either team’s expansive endeavors? They’re hiring.
ClearCut’s mission is to empower consumer packaged goods brands by providing critical sales data for strategic decisions and existing as a missing link in the retail data ecosystem. With a database of more than $50 billion in analyzed e-commerce, they’ve set their sights on growing their internal teams and improving their company culture for even bigger wins in the coming year.
What is one of the most important focuses for your business in the coming months?
2021 is a pivotal and exciting time for ClearCut. We have spent the last several years building a strong foundation for scale with proven products and services, the right team and a vibrant workplace, and now we are ready to hyper-focus on growth.
So how do we accomplish this? First, we have developed an aggressive product roadmap. Our roadmap aims to optimize our data processing as well as build new features to further position ClearCut as the leading provider of retail and consumer insights for CPG brands.
Second, we plan to invest heavily in our sales and marketing teams to expand our target market and accelerate brand awareness.
And third, we are committed to doubling-down on our culture. We are sensitive to ensuring that growth will not compromise the unique and positive atmosphere we have worked so diligently to create.
Bringing on the right people that not only embody our values, but also believe in the power of data for better decision-making, will be key criteria.”
What impact will this have on the business and/or your industry?
From an industry perspective, ClearCut is the missing link in the retail data ecosystem. As more CPG companies pair our e-commerce and Amazon sales data with brick-and-mortar data, they will be best positioned to innovate and scale in today’s dynamic retail environment.
From a business perspective, in order for ClearCut to grow quickly, we will need to nearly double our headcount by the end of the year. Most of these hires will be on our sales, marketing and product teams.
For instance, we will be seeking passionate sales development representatives, account executives, digital marketing leaders, client success managers and product engineers. Bringing on the right people that not only embody our values, but also believe in the power of data for better decision-making, will be key criteria. On top of this, we are excited to offer advancement opportunities for existing employees that have proven they are ready to step up during this critical phase of growth.
Research platform dscout helps products and brands become more human-centric. Its software specializes in humanizing dense data by analyzing millions of in-context moments and providing essential information to clients based on authentic human experience.
After being forced to take a step back during the pandemic, dscout’s Vice President shared how this tipping moment left new room for growth and why research roles are more important than ever.
What is one of the most important focuses for your business in the coming months?
Getting back to embracing and celebrating our growth.
We started 2020 excited for what the year would bring for dscout — years of product innovation and exceptional service was continuing to drive research teams to seek us out. And, the game-changing research being done on dscout’s platform was inspiring.
Then the pandemic became a reality. Like every other organization out there, we had to take a moment, pause, and get a sense of the impact.
What we found was that companies were doubling down on the remote research they were doing, both in breadth and depth. COVID-19 upended how we approach nearly every situation and shined an even brighter light on critical problems and inequities that need to be addressed. Researchers around the world responded by digging into how people were experiencing these changes — everything from grocery shopping to unemployment to interactions with extended family members.
We’ve seen that the world’s most innovative companies are truly invested in understanding the human experience, and dscout has been able to provide them with the critical tools they need to gather this insight.
We’ve seen that the world’s most innovative companies are truly invested in understanding the human experience, and dscout has been able to provide them with the critical tools they need to gather this insight.”
What impact will this have on the business and/or your industry?
For us at dscout, this means hiring across the board. Every team at our organization is growing, and we are on the lookout for motivated individuals that are excited by the challenge that lay ahead of us. The research and design industries are growing at a pace that is exceeding even our expectations, and dscout is committed to being the partner that continues to facilitate that growth.
When it comes to the broader industry, I think you are going to hear to hear more and more about the role research plays in driving innovation across every aspect of business. Research is no longer the “secret” weapon, and we are going to see it become more accessible.
Designated researchers will continue to conduct the rigorous studies that require expertise, but smaller, less precious, research projects will be peeled off and conducted by other teams across organizations. This democratization of research allows companies, as a whole, to better understand, and therefore serve, the needs of their customers.
