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I was one of the millions of people who lost someone to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the nonstop news about the new normal, my grief felt invisible. I took shallow solace in my phone and turned to social media to numb me from the reality that I now lived in: a world without my dad. One day, while mindlessly scrolling, I came across the r/Squishmallow subreddit, where a girl had posted her collection of more than 100 round plush toys. They were called Squishmallowsround stuffed animals invented in 2017 that have become one of the most popular toy lines in the world, with more than 100 million sold each year. I was hypnotized. I expected that my dive into the Squishmallow phenomenon would be the usual two-hour rabbit hole, but spending time in that community was the first joy Id felt in months. After scrolling through endless photos of Squishmallow hauls, I worked up the courage to post. I asked if there was a cardinal Squishmallow, since that bird was my dads symbol for his own father. I was bombarded with compassion; even though cardinal Squishmallows were rare at the time, someone sent me theirs for free. That single act of generosity started my collection. Stumbling into the Squishmallow world But alongside kindness and joy, I encountered a darker side of the community: resellers. Finding the most coveted Squishmallows could turn into a fierce competition. This wasnt just my personal frustration. As a doctoral candidate in marketing, I wanted to understand how communities like this function when outsiders exploit their passion for profit. That became the focus of my dissertationthe first study to examine resellers psychological and emotional impact on brand communities. That researchwhich my colleagues and I published in one of the fields top journalsechoed what I had lived through as a collector: Resellers are one of the most consistent sources of pain for members of brand communities. A Squishmallow reseller discusses his technique. For example, when I heard that my local Hot Topic would be selling two Reshmas, the coveted strawberry cow Squishmallow, I, like any rational adult, found myself outside of a mall at 6:30 in the morning. When the doors finally opened at 11 a.m., I sprinted to the storefrontonly to find that I had been beaten by some people who had dressed as mall employees to sneak in early. I left devastated and cowless. Later that day, I saw the same people gloating in local Squishmallow Facebook groups, trying to resell the cow for more than 10 times the retail price. I was heartbroken and angry; I swore Id never collect again. And I wasnt the only one to feel that way: Across social media, youll find countless collectors venting about resellers. What is a brand community? I didnt know it then, but I had joined my first brand community: a group of consumers who form strong, meaningful connections through their shared admiration of a product. Brand communities range from giant online hubs with more than 100,000 members to tiny local groups that host trading parties in empty lots. You might be in a brand community without realizing it. These communities can be created by a companylike Harley-Davidson, Lego, and Hot Wheelsor emerge organically from fans, like the Facebook group Walt Disney World Tips and Tricks. And they arent just about buying and selling. Theyre creative ecosystems, full of posts showing collections, inventive displays, and even goodbye messages when someone rehomes an item to another loving collector. Community members help each other solve problems, share leads on hard-to-find items, and sometimes even mail strangers a plush toy because they know it will make them smile. But while collectors use these communities to exchange information, so do resellers. The reseller paradox: A shared enemy can unite a community Resellers are outsiders who buy the most sought-after items and flip them online for a profit. They scout inventory tips, track hot products, and plan their shelf-clearing strategies accordingly. And they infuriate collectors like me. Nothing sours the thrill of the hunt faster than seeing a shelf cleared by someone who only wants to use your sacred collectibles for profit. After feeling emotional pain myself, I wanted to understand why resellers bothered me so much, and what they meant for the communities that had become my lifeline. That frustration became the spark for my research. What I found surprised me. As a collector, nothing frustrates me more than to say: According to my research, resellers paradoxically strengthen brand communities. Yes, you read that right. Resellers help communities, but not because they try to help members acquire their desired items. In fact, my findings indicate that resellers inflict heartbreak on community memberswhich was in line with what I saw and experienced. Resellers help brand communities because they create a common enemy that the community can rally against. When resellers grab all the stock from a store shelf, collectors turn to each other. They vent. They strategize. They share tips on where to find certain items, offer to pick up extras for strangers, and organize trades to help each other avoid inflated resale prices. Ironically, the people causing the most frustration also increase community engagement. Brand communities are real communities These communities reminded me that you are never truly alone in our darkest moments. Joining a niche community, whether for sneakers, trading cards, cars or even Squishmallows, can enrich your life far beyond the products themselves. It wasnt the Squishmallows that helped me heal from loss; it was the connection that lived in threads, comments, and group chats. I even came to appreciate the villains of the communityresellersfor their role in bringing people together. Although I still think I deserve that strawberry cow more than they did. Danielle Hass is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Marketing at West Virginia University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Category:
E-Commerce
According to a recent study conducted by the global consulting firm, EY, 97% of respondents reported that it is important for companies to act with integrity. Many companies tout integrity as a core principle of their organizations in an attempt to reassure customers, employees, and the wider public that their organization plays by the rules. By some estimates, integrity is ranked as one of the most cited corporate core values, with over 80% of companies listing integrity as a core value. But simply including integrity on your list of core values and mounting that list on a plaque on a wall (as many companies do) wont positively influence your culture unless your core values are fully embraced and lived by employees each and every day. After all, Enron was once the darling of corporate America and a supposedly stellar business success storyuntil news broke that Enron had engaged in what would turn out to be one of the biggest accounting scandals in U.S. history. Here’s why listing integrity as a core value and getting employees to live with integrity in the workplace can pose a challengeeven for companies with the best of intentions. A few years ago, the CEO and chairperson of a large financial institution were caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar, engaged in what could be described, at best, as questionable behavior. When the media asked the chairperson if what she and the CEO had done was aligned with the companys core value of integrity, the chairperson replied, Integrity means different things to different people. The media and the public were outraged by the response. But, yknow what? The chairperson was right! Integrity does mean different things to different people when it comes to business practices. Here are three steps to take if you want to build a company where everyone understands exactly what integrity means to the organization and exactly how to demonstrate integrity in the workplace. 1. Define what integrity means for your company An organizations perspective on the topic of integrity most often comes from the leadership of that organization, and their various versions of integrity are often reflected in corporate policies. For instance, ice cream chain Ben and Jerrys version of integrity is reflected in their policy to only use fair tradecertified ingredients, ensuring that farmers along their supply chain are paid a fair price for their products. Chipmakers like Intel demonstrate their version of integrity by avoiding using conflict minerals that are mined under conditions that could be considered to be abuses of human rights. The Body Shop demonstrates its version of integrity by committing to never testing its products on animals. Some companies whose very business models, products, services, or waste may be viewed by others as causing harm to the communities in which they operate try to demonstrate integrity by engaging in acts of restitution. For instance, timber company Hampton Lumber plants three trees for every tree it harvests. Outdoor clothing company Patagonia, known not only for the quality of its products, but also for its efforts to minimize damage to the environment, donates 1% of revenue to environmental groups. (Despite these actions, some critics insist that the acts of restitution pale in comparison to the destruction caused by the companies and even accuse these companies of greenwashinga deceptive practice designed to paint organizations as being more environmentally conscious than they are.) But, demonstrating boardroom integrity through corporate policies isnt enough to qualify a company as being one that acts with integrity. Companies also need to demonstrate integrity at the grassroots level. It makes little sense to list integrity as a company core value unless that commitment to integrity permeates every corner of the organization on an individual, team or departmental level. 2. Clarify what integrity means for your employees So, since integrity may mean different things to different people, how can a companys employees truly commit to integrity as a core value? Theres no easy answer to that question, but one way to stay within the boundaries of ethical behavior is to use the social media test where you instruct your employees to ask themselves, would I be comfortable if this behavior, action, or decision were to be reported on social media (or in the newspaper) for everyone to see? If the answer is no to this litmus test, then deep down in their hearts, they probably recognize that whatever they are considering probably isnt aligned with the principle of integrity. Another way to clarify to your employees how to act with integrity in the workplace is to articulate clear behavioral expectations expressed not in abstract concepts but in clear, crisp, and concise language, using what I refer to as the even if principle to make it crystal clear that your organization values integrity over the potential short-term benefits of acting unethically. For instance, members of your organizations sales department might be told: Integrity means never misrepresenting a product to close a deal, even if it means losing a sale. Consultants that provide services on an hourly rate to clients might be instructed to never overestimate or bill clients for time not spent on the accounteven if that means not hitting monthly billing targets. Quality control managers at a company that manufacture parts may be told in no uncertain terms to never ship faulty productseven if a customer might never notice the defects. 3. Take Accountability Seriously Next, its important to hold employees (especially leadership) accountable for these standards. One way to hold people accountable is through the use of independent oversightsuch as an empowered board of directors, ethics committees, or external auditors. To be effective, these bodies must have the authority to investigate ethical concerns, insist on transparency, reward employees for acting with integrity, and apply consequences to those who violate their companys standards for acting with integrity. Most importantly, these bodies must not be influenced by internal politics and should not be able to be fired on the whims of the leadership team who they are holding accountable. Ideally, these oversight bodies should be proactive, with audits that identify potential conflicts early enough to prevent ethical mischief. Another way to hold leaders accountable is to create a culture where employees at all levels feel safe reporting ethical concerns without fear of reprisal. Anonymous reporting and whistleblowing channels can help identify problems that leadership might otherwise missor wose, knowingly condone. The desire to operate a company that acts with integrity is a noble onebut, as we have seen, one that is fraught with challengesparticularly because acting with integrity means different things to different people. No wonder research shows that just 23% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they can apply their organizations values to their work every day! If you want your organization to be one in which employees can apply integrity to their work every day, follow the three steps above. Define what living with integrity means for your organization, drill down to the employee level and remove any ambiguity about how employees can live with integrity, and hold everyone in your organization (especially the leadership team) accountable for living with integrity. Once youve done this, you will be in a much better position to lead with integrity, maintain your reputation in the marketplace, and navigate complex ethical challenges.
Category:
E-Commerce
The latest wave of tech layoffs doesnt have to be a step backwardit can be a launchpad. If youve spent years shipping products, debugging systems, and partnering with go-to-market teams, you already have what many founders dont: domain insight and a network. Pair that with AI employees, (role-specific software agents trained on your companys data that can perform defined tasks like drafting on-brand content, qualifying leads, and updating CRMs) and your severance becomes seed capital for a lean, scalable company. Whats different now is that the traditional barriers to starting a business have collapsed. The math is transformative: What once required $500,000 in annual salaries can now be achieved for less than $500 a month. Beyond cost, theres leveragethose complex migrations you managed, the customer insights you unearthed, the systems you architectedthats IP AI can now operationalize at scale. The most successful builders arent just venture-backed startupstheyre experienced operators who realized AI employees can handle everything from customer research to financial analysis, all trained on their specific expertise and methods. Former Google engineers, Meta product managers, and Amazon developers are spinning up businesses with the capacity of a 10-person startup, run solo. Take Todd Krise, who launched Mercenary Marketing after two decades in agencies and now teaches others to run lean, AI-powered businesses without traditional overhead. Or Jenna Ahern of Guardian Owl Digital, who is transforming a decade-old agency into an AI-first marketing firm. Tech professionals have a unique edge here: You understand system architecture, data flows, and automation logic, and you know what good looks like from UX to code qualityknowledge that becomes exponentially more valuable when deployed through AI agents working 24/7. While I didnt lose my job, I did choose to leave my job at TikTok when changing inoffice requirements and a fading worklife balance told me it was time to rethink my path. I realized companies were being asked to deliver more with leaner teams, and AI was finally capable of helping. I started Parallel AI soon after with a simple goal to turn anxiety about headcount into AI tools that could help teams automate content, sales workflows, and operations without burning out. Building is messy and setbacks happen, even now. The steps below aim to reduce risk and improve your odds. Start with a real problem Write one sentence that states the outcome a buyer wants. Test it with 10 buyer conversations before you build. Ask: What have you tried? What did it cost? What would make this a yes in 30 days? A former marketing agency leader, Todd Krise, mapped out how artificial intelligence could replace the bloated, outdated agency model he worked in before launching Mercenary Marketing. He pressure-tested the plan with real clients and deadlines at the start of 2025 to prove that the systems, prices, and deliverables worked before he scaled. If you cannot find 10 people who would pay, change the outcome and try again. What to prioritize in the first 30 to 90 days Aim to land two or three paid pilots and validate one repeatable way to get customers. Divide your runway into two or three time blocks (for example, 30, 60, and 90 days) with clear milestones. Sell clear outcomes you can deliver in two to six weeks. Use them to confirm the right customers, the right price, and the value you create. Create a simple brand: Think a clear oneline promise, a basic landing page, and two or three proof pieces (short case example, short demonstration, testimonial). Building trust matters more than polish. Measurement: Pick one main goal (revenue or active pilots) to focus on, and three early signs (qualified talks each week, proposals sent, share of proposals that become sales). Careful spending: Cap monthly spending, and pay yourself a modest paycheck. Platform choice: Prefer a measurable, custom AI agent platform over many singlepurpose tools. Fewer vendors means lower cost, less setup, and a clearer view of what works. How to land and execute your first paid pilot Define a tight offer Who: one target customer with a clear problem (for example, software companies that sell to businesses but have a weak sales outreach, or agencies that need brandsafe content in larger amounts). What: a named pilot (for example, 30Day Artificial Intelligence Sales Outreach Boost or Content in Context Sprint) with three to five deliverables and success measures. Why now: a clear trigger (new product launch, missed sales target, hiring freeze, a backlog of content). Use your own relationships to find your first pilot clients Use a short, specific outreach Subject or opener: Quick pilot to achieve [outcome] in 30 daysBody (three lines): We help [customer type] achieve [outcome] without [main headache].Proposed fourweek pilot: [deliverables] success = [measure]. Price: [$X], 50% upfront, applied to ongoing work if it delivers.Worth a 20minute fit call next week? If not you, who is best? Include one proof point, a short case example, a short demonstration clip, or a measured personal example. Reduce friction Apply the pilot fee to a monthly agreement or offer a partial refund if success measures are not met. Keep paperwork simple with a onepage work plan with clear data rules and weekly cadence. Make onboarding quick with a startup checklist, access you will need, and a dayone plan. Execute to convert Measure everything! Record starting levels, send weekly updates with a simple measures checklist, and deliver early quick wins. At your midpoint review show progress, confirm success measures, and discuss the followon now. During the final week, present a short results deck and a onepage decision plan with a yes or no choice and a start date for the monthly agreement. This is the moment to turn your experience into a scalable business with artificial intelligence on your terms.
Category:
E-Commerce
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