Coworking with Ami DeWille

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Ami DeWille is VP of branding and marketing at returns solution provider ReturnPro.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I help retailers manage one of their biggest headaches—returns. I have a clear memory from when I was an assistant buyer early in my career of being in a distribution center, digging through piles of returns to decide what could go back to stores, what qualified for return to vendor (RTV) and what had to be donated or destroyed. Fast forward a few decades, and returns have become a nearly $1 trillion challenge for the industry. Today, my job is to educate retailers on how ReturnPro’s three-pronged solution—returns SaaS, supply chain, and recommerce—not only manages that challenge, but transforms it into a revenue opportunity.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? It’s equal parts scientist, storyteller, and social worker. As the scientist, I use data to drive decisions about demand gen, attribution, and where to focus our efforts. As the storyteller, I shape the narrative so retailers can see how our solutions fit into their world and solve real problems. As the social worker, I spend time listening, understanding, and empathizing with retailers’ pain points because only when we truly understand their challenges can we create the solutions that reposition returns from being a burden to becoming a new source of value.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? What excites me most is building a marketing function from the ground up. In my day to day, I help shape the strategy and marketing initiatives to help my team drive growth. That’s always been my favorite kind of challenge.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? Recommerce. I love that retailers are rethinking “end of life” as “new life.” Returns and resale are no longer just operational headaches, they’re opportunities to build loyalty, recover value, and meet consumer demand for sustainable choices. What excites me most is how recommerce is becoming embedded into core retail strategy. Brands and retailers aren’t just dabbling in resale programs anymore; they’re building them into the customer journey. It’s a smarter and more circular future for retail that balances profitability with purpose.

What’s your go-to coffee order? I’ve never developed a taste for coffee. My go-to is a strong Earl Grey Crème tea (with three stevia packets).

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? “Have a plan and stick to it.” If I had followed that advice, I’d never have made the leaps that shaped my career: switching industries, building new functions from scratch, or taking on new challenges. The best opportunities have always come from veering off the plan, taking the riskier path, and being willing to reinvent myself along the way. I always struggled to answer the “Where do you see yourself in five years?” interview question, because I honestly didn’t know. What I did know was that I’d be successful, but I left room for how that success would take shape.

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? At 15? Units modular clothing and Vidal Sassoon’s Colorifics hair gel in plain glitter and neon pink—basically anything that would make me stand out at the ice rink. Now, it would be anti-aging everything. Let’s just say my retail priorities have evolved.