Hello and welcome to Extra Mile by YourTechDiet, a distinctive interview series with industry frontrunners, discussing the latest innovations, tech trends, marketing practices, expert insights, and much more.
For today’s discussion, we’re delighted to introduce our guest, Riikka Söderlund, Chief Operating Officer of Katana, a leading cloud-based manufacturing resource planning provider. Katana crucially assists businesses in managing their inventory, production, accounting, and reporting in real time.
Welcome, Riikka! We are super excited to have you with us today!
1. Enlighten us with the key highlights of your professional journey so far. Which components have contributed to your career as an industry expert?
Ans: I’ve been in the marketing field for nearly two decades, specializing in scaling brands both in B2B and B2C. I also have vertical expertise in technology, retail, and cloud. My journey has been driven by a passion for increasing pipeline, optimizing revenue growth, and building brand awareness – I like to put plans into action and surpass expected results. In particular, overseeing all marketing efforts at Katana, including brand and growth, has been incredibly rewarding for me. It has allowed me to help small and medium-sized businesses streamline operations through efficient inventory management, diversify sales channels, and grow their businesses today. Many are still facing economic obstacles, inflation, and supply chain issues, so assisting them through this turbulent time and helping them grow into their success has been deeply impactful.
2. You have expertise in the marketing sector for over a decade. But your recent shift to operations has surprised many. How are you coping with your new role, and what has inspired you to move to operations?
Ans: Transitioning from marketing to operations was a natural progression for me. Understanding the operational intricacies of a company complements my marketing experience in a business where most of revenue comes from inbound marketing. The new role enables me to drive holistic growth strategies across functions. The inspiration behind the move was to be more directly involved in the everyday processes that define our success. It has been a thrilling journey so far, allowing me to leverage my marketing insights to optimize operations and contribute to our consistent month-over-month growth.
3. What exactly is cloud-based manufacturing resource planning? Can you walk us through Katana’s key offerings that help organizations elevate their operations?
Ans: Cloud-based manufacturing resource planning, also known as MRP for short, refers to using cloud technology to manage and optimize manufacturing processes. MRP’s are still predominantly on-premise legacy systems that don’t adapt well to current, hybrid and omnichannel environments. At Katana, we offer a robust platform that provides “inventory at a glance,” integrating seamlessly with other cloud-based tools like Shopify and QuickBooks Online. Our platform is designed to make inventory management as clean, simple, and easy to use as possible, helping businesses streamline operations and enhance their overall efficiency.
4. What difficulties does Katana commonly encounter in its operations, and how does the workforce deal with them?
Ans: One common challenge we encounter is helping our customers transition from traditional methods like Excel to more integrated cloud solutions. To address this, we focus on providing educational and actionable strategies to demonstrate the value of our technologies. We pride ourselves in how quick and easy Katana is to implement. Anyone who has implemented an MRP or an ERP system before can appreciate this! Our team is dedicated to creating a customer feedback loop to ensure our products and marketing strategies meet the needs of our users effectively.
5. In your observation, what are the major B2B trends that have emerged in the last couple of years? Have technological advancements contributed to effective B2B collaborations in any way?
Ans: In the past few years, we’ve seen a significant shift towards cloud adoption and integrated tech stacks in the B2B space. Technological advancements, particularly in AI, have greatly enhanced B2B collaborations by offering better data insights, automating processes, and improving customer engagement. Companies are increasingly looking for platforms that offer adaptability and flexibility, much like Katana, which is outlined in our recent Shopify Ecommerce Performance Report. It revealed that a staggering 94% of SMBs intend to increase their spend on SaaS technology and 97% plan to incorporate AI into their business operations this year.
6. As the former CMO of Katana, can you share some insights on the company’s marketing endeavors?
Ans: Our marketing strategies are heavily customer driven. We strive to meet customers where they are and help them navigate their tech stack effectively. Utilizing a robust MarTech stack, we create, deliver, and measure our marketing efforts to ensure we provide valuable, actionable content. AI also plays a significant role in streamlining our operations, automating processes, and repurposing content, making our marketing efforts more efficient and impactful – and we’re constantly testing a lot of new tools and features to continue to strive to improved ROI.
7. Where is Katana heading in the next few years? Can we expect major developments in the company’s operations and marketing?
Ans: In the coming years, we aim to continue our growth trajectory and further integrate AI into our platform to enhance our operations. We’re always working on implementing the latest and most innovative technologies, both in our product offerings and internal practices. You can expect us to remain at the forefront of the industry, continuously improving our solutions to better serve our customers and support their growth.
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