“Challenges are temporary; direction is not”: 10 LESSONS FROM LENIA KARALLUS, Chief Commercial Officer Fashion at momox SE

The E-commerce Berlin Expo celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2026. To mark this milestone, we interviewed some of the world’s most influential leaders about the future of online retail, asking them to share their 10 valuable lessons in e-commerce. Their insights were featured in our special album, showcasing the most powerful voices in online retail, which we decided to share with you on E-commerce Germany News.

This time, we’re featuring an exclusive interview with Lenia Karallus, Chief Commercial Officer Fashion at momox SE. See what e-commerce lessons she shared with us below!

What first drew you to this industry?

LENIA: I became an e-commerce ambassador back when I studied in a small town in Scotland with almost no shops. E-commerce suddenly opened the world for me – giving me access to global brands and experiences I couldn’t get locally.

What started as a customer perspective quickly turned into a career path. I entered the industry because I understood it first as a user – what works, what frustrates, and what great digital experiences feel like.

I’ve stayed because e-commerce is one of the most exciting spaces to work in: it moves fast, rewards innovation, and gives you instant feedback. It combines creativity, data, and problem-solving in a way few industries do. You build something, test it, analyse it – and see immediately how customers respond. That mix of speed, impact, and continuous learning is what makes me love this industry.

Which early failure taught you something that still guides you today?

LENIA: You have to work at a company that values your strengths. Early in my career, I was let go from my first consulting job in London after 2 years because my English wasn’t good enough. Someone always had to correct my slides before we could present them, which became unacceptable as I progressed – and there was no ChatGPT to help me back then.

I then moved to a place where the quality of my thinking mattered more than the perfection of my wording, and I excelled from then on. It taught me that the right environment doesn’t change who you are – it enables you to become who you’re capable of being.

Ownership is everything

When you think of the past decade of e-commerce, what do you miss – and what are you glad we left behind?

LENIA: I miss the pioneering spirit of early e-commerce – that sense of building something completely new without a playbook. I actually rediscovered that feeling when I entered the re-commerce space at momox, a field no one has fully mastered yet. And now, with AI transforming everything at incredible speed, re-commerce remains just as exciting for me even after six years.

What I wish we had left behind is the mindset of endless consumption. The rise of ultra-fast fashion shows that this habit is still alive and well. That’s why I’m so energised by the growing relevance of re-commerce: it offers a more accessible, more conscious alternative, and proves that a different kind of consumption is not only possible – it’s increasingly what people want.

Quote / Lenia Karallus, Chief Commercial Officer Fashion at momox SE

My guiding principle is to stay focused on the bigger goal, especially when the way there gets difficult. Challenges are temporary; direction is not.

What is the single most important business lesson you have learned throughout your career?

LENIA: The most important business lesson I’ve learned is that ownership is everything – when you treat a problem, a project, or a customer outcome as if it were your own business, you make better decisions, move faster, and inspire others to do the same.

How would you define success in e-commerce today, and how has your view of it changed over time?

LENIA: For a long time, success in e-commerce was defined almost exclusively by scale: growing fast, reaching more customers, expanding assortments. And profitability wasn’t always the priority. After the past few years, that has changed. Today, real success means scale and economic resilience. Every marketplace needs a sustainable, profitable foundation to uncertainty. At the same time, the definition of value has broadened. It’s no longer only about business KPIs, but also about creating meaningful value for customers and for the planet. For me personally, success is not only defined by how fast we grow, but by how steadily we can operate and by the positive impact we create along the way.

What do you see as the biggest opportunity in e-commerce today?

LENIA: The biggest opportunity lies in combining technology with circularity and putting customers at the center of both. AI is reshaping how we understand needs, reduce friction, and personalise the entire journey. At the same time, re-commerce shows that people increasingly want smarter, more sustainable choices without paying a premium for them. The real opportunity is to use technology to make circular consumption as easy, convenient, and joyful as buying new. If we manage that, e-commerce can become not just more efficient, but genuinely better – for customers, for businesses, and for the planet.

Focus on the bigger goal

What’s the most counterintuitive or unconventional thing your company does today that actually works?

LENIA: Maybe the most unconventional thing we do at momox is relying on a logistics setup that’s almost the opposite of classic e-commerce: instead of shipping out new, standardised items, we process millions of completely unique second-hand products, each with different conditions, formats, and requirements. And surprisingly, we’ve managed to industrialise this chaos. What sounds counterintuitive is that we combine highly standardised processes with extremely individual items. Every product goes through hands-on quality checks, pricing, data matching, and preparation – yet the system still works at scale and with high efficiency.

Quote / Lenia Karallus, Chief Commercial Officer Fashion at momox SE

The next generation of e-commerce won’t be won by whoever shouts the loudest, but by the companies that create real value for customers and for the world they operate in.

What guiding principle do you personally refuse to compromise on, no matter the trend or pressure?

LENIA: My guiding principle is to stay focused on the bigger goal, especially when the way there gets difficult. Challenges are temporary; direction is not.

Looking ahead, what will define the next decade of e-commerce, and how does thinking about the future make you feel – optimistic, excited, concerned, or something else?

LENIA: I am very excited about it! The next decade of e-commerce will be defined by two forces: intelligence and responsibility. AI will radically change how we personalise, operate, and make decisions. At the same time, the pressure to build more circular, more resource-efficient models will grow. For me, the real transformation happens where these two dimensions meet: using advanced technology to design consumption that’s smarter, more sustainable, and more accessible for everyone. 

If you could leave a message for future e-commerce leaders, what would it be?

LENIA: Build something that actually solves a problem. The next generation of e-commerce won’t be won by whoever shouts the loudest, but by the companies that create real value for customers and for the world they operate in. Stay curious, stay data-driven, and challenge old assumptions. Don’t ignore circular models: the leaders who understand how to keep products in use longer, and make that easy for customers, will shape the future of our industry. And last but not least, hire people who are smarter than you!

Lenia Karallus’s bio

Lenia Karallus has been leading momox fashion, Europe’s largest online shop for second-hand fashion, since 2019. With a strong background in e-commerce and fashion, she drives growth and innovation while proving that profitability and sustainability can go hand in hand by making high-quality second-hand fashion accessible to everyone.

Subscribe to our newsletter for more e-commerce news!