A lot has changed in my almost 5 years at gap intelligence: we’ve seen gappers and categories come and go, we’ve redecorated and moved around, we’ve added processes to more efficiently deliver our #1 product – GFD.
When I first started at gap, I QC’d laser toner data. Although not the most glamorous category, it was important to be diligent and thorough. I soon gradually moved into the role of Data Specialist for US Printers, which actually comprises four categories: Black & White Business Printers, Color Business Printers, Personal & SOHO (small office/home office) Printers and Personal & SOHO All-in-Ones. Adjusting to full-time work while raising two pre-teen boys has been challenging, but because gap is such an amazing place to work, I have been able to work in the office and from home.
US Froot Loops vs European Froot Loops
Photo credit: moblog.net
As we grow as a company, that growth demands change, and I soon found myself moving onto European Laser printers, which consists of all laser printers in Western Europe, namely Germany, France and the UK. They're both printer categories, so we see lots of similarities, but we also see slight differences which is why they are both handled as unique categories within gap intelligence.
US Printers:
- Data gets crawled and updated weekly
- We collect and QC retail, ecom, and MFR data for US Printers
- Everything is in English
- Everything is in US Dollars
- Part numbers and product names are consistent
EU Printers:
- Data gets crawled and updated monthly
- We collect ecom and MFR data only (no retail)
- You soon learn how to say printer in German and French (drucker and imprimante, for those wondering)
- You keep well up to date on the current conversion rates between the Euro, British Pound and US Dollar
- You keep well up to date on the current VAT (value added tax) rates in Europe
- Working across three countries demands an even greater attention to detail due to different printer part numbers and slightly different product names
Variety is the Spice of Life
While I have to admit that I have enjoyed the flexibility of owning a monthly category, I am excited to move back into US Printer data and a weekly data flow! After all, variety is the spice of life!
While I was humming along in European laser-land, many changes have been happening in the US categories. As I entrench myself in re-acquainting and learning new processes in the US categories, that attention to detail remains ever important to maintain GFD to make this transition a smooth one.
Does our company worry when categories exchange hands? Absolutely not. We all have amazing shared product knowledge, outstanding work ethic, and a shared vision of becoming the world’s most respected business intelligence platform and services company.
