Marketing Operators Podcast:

"Mattel & PDQ: Scaling Through Data, Checkout, and Customer Trust"

Host(s): Connor Rolain, Connor MacDonald, Cody Plofker
Guests: Mina Zandabar (VP of Global eCommerce, Mattel), Avi Moskowitz (Co-Founder & CEO, Pretty Damn Quick / PDQ)
Release Date: March 6, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores how global brands and fast-moving commerce tech startups are tackling modern e-commerce growth from opposite ends of the spectrum. Mina Zandabar shares how an 80-year-old giant like Mattel maintains agility, leverages first-party data, and innovates with direct-to-consumer (D2C) experiences. Avi Moskowitz discusses how PDQ solves the endemic problem of checkout abandonment and fragmented e-commerce data, helping brands personalize checkout and lift conversion through trust and operational intelligence. The discussion dives into customer-centricity, the intersection of logistics and customer experience, personalization with AI, and actionable advice for brands at any scale.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Guest Introductions: Origins & Perspectives

• Mina Zandabar (Mattel):

  • Leads D2C strategy across iconic Mattel brands (Barbie, Hot Wheels, Monster High, etc.).
  • Journeyed from banking to beauty startups to a major CPG, bringing lessons of agility and process.
  • "What connects all of them together. For me, it brings joy to everybody's home. So it's fun." [05:16]

• Avi Moskowitz (PDQ):

  • Serial entrepreneur; got operational e-commerce insights running a craft brewery.
  • Founded PDQ after realizing the massive leak in e-com checkouts ($270B problem).
  • "We are effectively a data company connecting all the different parts of the customer journey..." [05:48]

2. Big Brand Agility vs. Startup Velocity

• Mina on Adapting Startup Agility at Mattel:
  • Merged process discipline from corporate with agility from startups.
  • "D2C Digital cannot be merged into the corporate and get into the process and process, process and processes existed. You have to be agile... Test and learn and move fast." [09:32]
  • Internal “startup” teams act quickly within the broader Mattel infrastructure.

3. Modern D2C: The Mattel Creations "Drop" Model

• Why Drops Work:
  • Mattel Creations focuses on community, storytelling, exclusivity, and collector culture.
  • Not about volume—a modern twist driven by narrative and fan engagement.
  • "It feels so special because it's not about volume, it's about the narrative and the community and the content we are creating around our products." [11:38]

4. Customer Centricity in Practice: Insights from Mattel

• Start with the customer’s needs and journey, not internal bias.
  • "You always have to start from your customers. I remember... Jeff Bezos used to say in every meeting there is an empty chair, that that chair is your customer." [12:41]
• Data, direct interaction, events, and community drive innovation.
• Mattel’s lifecycle approach: serving customers from childhood through adulthood and across generations.
  • "We have you in the life cycle, in our journey. You start with us and when you are grandpa and grandma, you're still staying with us." [14:23]

5. Personalizing Checkout: The PDQ Approach

• Shopify and most e-commerce treat every customer identically; real-world doesn't.
• Importance of segmentation—a first-time customer, high-value, or geographically close customer should all see different offers.
  • "Segmentation was the first opportunity... With AI, you really should be able to identify a customer as a personality..." [19:05]
• PDQ leverages 1600+ data points at checkout to personalize options and build confidence.
  • Trust signals: delivery transparency, reviews, urgency, dynamic shipping offers.
  • "The earlier you can communicate to the customer everything there is to know about the product... you're communicating with confidence that you're not putting a date there that you're going to regret." [22:18]
• Over 50% of support tickets are "Where Is My Order?"—rooted in poor delivery communication.

Brand Perspective: Cody (Jones Road) on PDQ in Action

• Beyond checkout: PDQ touches ops, finance, CX, and more.
  • Tracking, order routing, LTV prediction, segmented reviews—all personalized.
  • "My ops team talks to PDQ more than anybody else at my team because there's, there's so much with like our order routing and flow that is integrated..." [28:12]
• Backend optimizations (dynamic rates, better order routing) raise profit per session vs. just top-line metrics.

6. Measuring and Optimizing Profitability

• Jones Road prioritizes "profit per session" over vanity metrics; every session's economics matter.
  • "We try to be profitable on first purchase, it's always that it's really your, you know, normal CRO, it's your combination of conversion rate and AOV gives you your revenue procession. But now... it's really like profit per session..." [36:32]
• Segmenting offers (e.g., shipping thresholds) to serve both high and low AOV customers.

7. Organizational Structure: What to Centralize vs. Localize

• Mattel:
  • Centralized: Content, tech, finance, supply chain.
  • Localized: CRM, merchandising—all customer-facing communication tailored to local cohorts.
  • "Personalize your CRM campaigns to the needs of your consumers versus generically sending one set of communications to everyone." [40:49]

8. Segmentation & Use of First-Party Data

• Data enables true 1:1 personalization—track real behaviors across sites, carts, emails.
• Mattel uses data to identify collector types, recommend products, and strategically segment content.
  • "There is no question mark anymore. And that's what I say. It's not one shirt fit all because we can see exactly somebody's coming to our website. Where is the first place they went in, what they clicked on..." [42:59]

9. AI: The Present and Future

• Mina: Use AI to automate “busywork” (e.g., research, recommendation), but human creativity/judgement is irreplaceable.
  • "The busy work AI can help you to leave the busy work to AI but meaningful work stays with you... where the creativity comes to the picture..." [44:19]
• Avi: PDQ’s “SWAS” (Software With A Service)—AI copilots like “Max” run A/B tests, suggest optimizations, and are evolving toward “autonomous checkout.”
  • Long-term: Autonomous, real-time checkout optimization that manages margin/customer experience per-session.
  • "What autonomous checkout does is it takes this loop... and will do that on a customer by customer basis..." [49:17]

10. The Power and Profit of First-Party Data

• Both Mattel and PDQ underline the competitive advantage of owning first-party data.
  • Drives loyalty, better CX, and higher innovation velocity.
  • "The super power of E commerce is first party data. I always say that is the heart of the business." [57:51]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cultural Shifts at Big Brands:

  • Mina: "D2C Digital cannot be merged into the corporate and get into the process... you have to be agile. You have to be really taking ownership for your journey and making decisions. Test and learn and move fast." [09:32]

• On Checkout Personalization:

  • Avi: "You can't just download something that injects [trust]. It requires so many different aspects of the journey to be touched. 1600 actual criteria, 1600 different data points that we're touching in the checkout alone..." [05:48]

• On The Future with AI:

  • Avi: “Our North Star, when we think about AI... is something we call autonomous checkout... so instead of you saying if a first time customer from New York comes to my store... you're able to just say the strategy and say I want to make X amount of margin on first time customers and it'll take care of the rest.” [49:17-53:26]

• On First-Party Data’s Value:

  • Mina: "Everything we do, we do it with first party data. First party data, as I mentioned, is the heart of our business." [58:28]

• On Team & Progress:

  • Mina: "Always look at your team as the superpower of your company. If you’re in a startup, if you’re a big corporate... Having a diverse team is helping you to do things differently." [60:01]

Important Timestamps

• [05:04]: Mina describes her Mattel D2C remit & career path
• [05:48]: Avi shares the origin story & thesis behind PDQ
• [09:32]: Mina on merging startup and enterprise agility
• [11:38]: The power of drops and Mattel Creations
• [14:23]: Mattel's approach to customer lifecycle
• [19:05]: Avi’s lessons on personalized checkout, segmentation
• [22:18]: Building trust at checkout and solving WISMO support
• [28:12]: Cody (Jones Road) explains PDQ impact beyond checkout
• [36:32]: Jones Road’s focus on profit per session
• [40:49]: Mina on organizational centralization vs. localization
• [44:19]: Mina and Avi on practical and strategic AI use
• [49:17]: Avi outlines the vision for autonomous checkout
• [57:51]: Mina’s perspective: first-party data as business "superpower"
• [60:01]: Mina’s closing advice on teams, leadership, and mentorship
• [61:28]: Avi’s closing invitation to use checkoutindex.com

Concluding Thoughts & Actionable Takeaways

• For Brands: Double down on first-party data collection and usage; treat each customer and segment uniquely, especially at crucial conversion moments like checkout.
• For Leaders: Build teams that merge agility with process, and cultivate diverse, empowered groups willing to test and own decisions.
• For Marketers: The next frontier is not just message personalization but operational and logistics-driven customization—powered by data and AI.
• For Operators: Profitable growth comes from optimizing every session, every segment, and every order—backed by intelligent tooling and relentless customer focus.

Where to Connect & Learn More

• Mina Zandabar: [LinkedIn] (Encourages outreach, mentorship, and dialogue)
• Avi Moskowitz / PDQ: [PrettyDamnQuik.com], [CheckoutIndex.com] (free audit), [LinkedIn]
• Recommended Tools Discussed: PDQ, House, Rich Panel, Motion, Pression, After Sell

This episode is a must-listen for e-commerce leaders aiming to bridge the old and new, and harness the best of data and human creativity for profitable, customer-obsessed growth.