This week's inspirer is Fredrika Erlandsson who, after a long background from leading roles in the Danish and Swedish fashion industry, today works as an advisor and consultant focusing on strategy, leadership, supply chain and organization.

‍

Fredrika, you have a long background as a leader in several retail companies, how do you see the development in retail and what is currently happening in the area?

Without a doubt, retail has faced a huge change in recent years. The trends we saw even before the pandemic have only accelerated both development and transformation with a major dominance on the e-commerce side. Global e-commerce is expected to continue to grow strongly - influencing our buying behaviors and at the same time characterized by large international players setting the tone with both extensive product offerings and fast deliveries.

For businesses, it will be crucial to offer a seamless experience across channels, integrating physical stores with e-commerce and social media to meet customer expectations. Agility and hybrid thinking, as well as an always-on mindset, will be necessary. The impact of technology cannot be overstated, especially digitalization and personalization. The use of AI for tailored recommendations and personalized marketing campaigns will be central to understanding and engaging customers.

Of course, the sustainability perspective is also crucial, with increased demand for circularity, sustainable products and transparency around production and materials, as well as requirements for financially sustainable business models and regulatory compliance. I would also like to highlight re-commerce as a growing trend, where the encouragement of second hand is promoted to increase the life of products and reduce environmental impact.

It will be exciting to see how these changes shape the future of trade!

You also run VOCA Mentorship, a company that offers mentorship mainly to senior business leaders. How did you come up with this idea and how do you get feedback on the results of mentoring??

I believe that as leaders in today's changing work environment, we have an increasing need to access the important outside perspective, skills and experience quickly and with high quality. This is also the reason why I started VOCA. I am passionate about making a difference - both for individuals and companies. And with mentoring, which is that unique combination of goal-oriented coaching and business-related advice, I get to do just that. The fact that we also, through our customer surveys and follow-ups that we do after completed programs, get enormously positive feedback and create results - is of course a blessing!

What is your best career advice for young leaders?

Take care of your own personal and professional development, and remember that leadership is a privilege.

Be curious. Always be curious. Both about the people around you and the business you work with. Dare to be vulnerable and ask for help - together is always better than alone.

The customer is the focus. Understand who your customer is and how to meet them from different perspectives - no customer - no business.

‍