In the Spotlight: IndieCommerce's Valerie Federici

Valerie Federici joined the American Booksellers Association's IndieCommerce team this April, and she has assisted many member bookstores in setting up or maintaining IndieCommerce websites. Her understanding of e-commerce, her patience, and her experience in traditional customer service makes her an asset to the ABA staff, as well as the booksellers she serves on a daily basis.

Federici has a background in e-commerce. She previously worked at a children's clothing company from Sweden that had just started a franchise in the U.S. In that job, she learned a lot about e-commerce and had many roles in the company including maintaining the website, creating promotional material, and working with customers. Federici acquired a foundation in customer service when she worked at The Big Top, a local independent toy store that was “a community staple,” in her hometown of New Rochelle, New York.

Since joining ABA, Federici has immersed herself in the realm of bookselling, and she is happy to be a part of the organization.

“I think ABA is a great community of learning,” she said. “And in these tough times with the economy, a lot of other trades are cut-throat and will use any tactic to put a competitor out of business. ABA helps facilitate friendships among stores, and the association tries to give members the information and services they need in a very competitive environment.”

On a day-to-day basis, Federici is fielding phone calls and e-mails from booksellers with questions that range from basic overviews of the features available through the IndieCommerce platform – like adding a Twitter feed to the site – to more involved requests, such as launching a website. Federici said that if she isn't able to help it is important to find the right person to assist each member.

“I may not have the technical background to resolve some of the more advanced issues, but at least I can do some initial troubleshooting to help resolve the problem more quickly,” said Federici.

The most common issue Federici hears is that an image is not displaying properly on the site. Her response: “It's just a sneaky little issue of changing the Input Format to Rich Text.”

Her background – a combination of customer service and e-commerce – is helpful in assisting booksellers bridge the gap between in-store and online shopping.

“Since the differences between a brick-and-mortar setting and an e-commerce platform can be a little tricky, I think it's essential to have a support team to assist members with building and maintaining their site,” she said. “I myself have roots in traditional customer service, and I had to learn to modify those skills because selling for the web is different than in store. You can normally have a nice chat with your customer in the store, but on the web you need to portray a reflection of that same quality shopping experience in a whole new way.”

Connie Appel, co-owner of Morgan Hill Bookstore, in New London, New Hampshire, has worked with Federici extensively before launching their IndieCommerce website.

“Valerie—or, I should say 'Saint Valerie' has been wonderful,” said Appel, who had no experience with the Drupal platform. “She was extraordinarily patient and helpful, and never got aggravated, which I appreciated! More than anything, it's her calm, good nature that's so pleasant to work with.”

Appel said that Federici assisted her through building her entire site, which was an extensive undertaking.

“We've got a really great website, which has been bringing in a lot of business, so the work was so worthwhile. The future of our store depends on this, so it was really important that I did it right. And Valerie helped – in spades.”

Valerie Federici can be reached at (800) 637-0037 ext. 6643, or via email.