Heather Hershey

Research Director, Worldwide Digital Commerce @IDC

Analyst Director: WW Digital Commerce SaaS; Member: Enterprise Applications and Customer Experience Groups; FutureScape Analyst: for Future of AI and Automation, Payments, B2B Sales, ESG and Sustainability, CX, and Intelligent ERP reports. Hello, I\'m Heather Hershey! In my role as a Research Director for IDC\'s Worldwide Digital Commerce practice, I have the opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of digital commerce applications. I assist businesses of all sizes and across various industries to chart successful paths in B2C, B2B, and B2B2C operations, drawing upon a wide-ranging knowledge base that includes Product Information Management (PIM), Commerce personalization, CPQ and order management applications, Digital marketplaces, and AI-enabled commerce, to name a few. My professional journey has been an interesting one. Before joining IDC, I had the privilege of founding three internationally recognized wig brands, harnessing the power of social media marketing to drive significant sales. My hands-on experience extends into business analytics, global supply chain logistics, international manufacturing, and product sourcing. In addition, I\'ve honed skills in PPC performance analytics, growth marketing, and digital content marketing. A notable achievement was serving as the primary content and SEO strategist for the redesign of vote.gov, a project I\'m particularly proud of. At IDC, I\'ve been able to combine my love for analysis with my keen interest in digital commerce. I explore buying behavior, develop strategies for optimizing commerce systems, study trends in digital commerce, and evaluate the impact of AI and other technologies. One of the fascinating aspects of my work is looking at the implications of international regulations on global commerce markets. I\'m always excited to contribute to the understanding of the future of digital commerce and the role that emerging technologies such as cloud, AI, and headless commerce will play.