ur key takeaways from the Top 50 below.  1. Focus on the customer to stand out online There’s no doubt about it, more people than ever are shopping online, and more businesses than ever are competing to reach them. It’s no longer enough to offer a great product at a great price, you need to have a great customer experience to stand out.  Here’s why this year’s #1, Adore Beauty CEO Tennealle O’Shannessy, believes focusing on the customer is key to success: “When I look at e-commerce it’s clear that the structural shift to online will continue. The winners will be those that remain deeply customer-centric and understand not only what the customer is looking for now, but also how they will shop in five or 10 years.”  Another great example of putting the customer first? Booktopia’s FAB Award. This highly engaging initiative lets Australians vote for their favourite book and last year, it drew more than 100,000 participants in 2021. Credit for the idea goes to Steffen Daleng, Booktopia CMO and this year’s #19. 2. Be a great leader by inspiring and empowering your team Many of the Top 50 People in E-Commerce are CEOs or senior leaders in their business, so their day-to-day job revolves around managing and inspiring their team as much as driving online sales. Understanding how to be a great leader takes years of practice. Here is how some of this year’s Top 50 approach it: “When I joined Tigerlily, I brought optimism, excitement, and a vision of what we could be. The team has followed suit and now we feel like a start-up with endless possibilities,” Travis Wright, Tigerly CEO and this year’s #7, said. “Mentoring and developing your team is so important. I believe your brand is only as strong as your team. You need to build and strengthen the skills of your team to allow them to work towards a common goal,” Argylica Conditsis, founder and director of Babyboo Fashion and this year’s #8, said.  3. Put purpose at the heart of your business By now, we all know that doing good is good for business, and there is no shortage of people in this year’s Top 50 who have embraced the triple bottom line concept: people, planet, and profit.  Here’s what Flora & Fauna founder Julie Mathers and this year’s #2 had to say about being a purpose-led business: “We have always been very clear on our purpose and values and live and breathe them in everything we do. We have a really strong community and they want to be part of the Flora & Fauna Family and love what we do. They’re proud to shop with us.”   There’s also Rob Godwin, Australasian director of Lovehoney and this year’s #3, who is committed to employing people with disabilities across at least 25 per cent of his workforce. And there are many others, including Zoltan Csaki, #10 and co-founder of Citizen Wolf, who is reducing textile waste by making clothes on demand; Josh Howard, #20 and CEO of Single Use Ain’t Sexy, who is helping keep plastic soap bottles out of landfill; Lottie Dalziel, #29 founder and CEO of Banish, who offers sustainable alternatives for everyday items; and Matthew Skerritt, #32 and founder of EveryHuman, as well as this year’s One to Watch, who offers a wide range of fashion and lifestyle products for people with disabilities. 4. Don’t let a lack of experience hold you back While many of the Top 50 People in E-Commerce have worked in online retail for years, there are a number of people on this year’s list who are new to the industry, but have quickly made a mark with their innovative ideas and willingness to learn.  Take #47 Rob Adams, the founder of Send, a grocery app that delivers orders to your door in less than 10 minutes. A UI/UX designer by trade, he was inspired to start his business last year, when his grandmother was unable to access basic necessities due to Covid-19.  And then there’s #50 Wes Robbins, head of retail at Chiropedic, a bricks-and-mortar mattress chain. An experienced salesperson, he stepped up during the pandemic to learn how to launch and run an online website, so the business could continue running through lockdown.