About
This blog compiles learning, insights, and updates about Social Commerce. Here, we talk about how Bazaarvoice clients use customer-generated content to better understand their business and customers. We also hear from our industry-leading eCommerce partners and interactive agencies to see where social commerce will go next. And we also have a bit of fun!
Based in Austin, Texas, Bazaarvoice develops outsourced technology, services, analytics, and expertise to encourage and harness word of mouth marketing and bring it closer to a company’s brand and customer experience. The company is privately held with venture capital funding from Austin Ventures and six serial entrepreneurs, including the founder of Half.com and Performics.
Brett has grown Bazaarvoice exponentially since its inception in 2005, positioning Bazaarvoice as a leader in the burgeoning social commerce industry. A seasoned executive, Brett has a history of turning groundbreaking ideas into leading businesses, as he previously founded Coremetrics and grew it into a leading worldwide web analytics firm.
An Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Wharton School, Brett regularly advises early-stage technology firms, is an inventor, and is a frequent international speaker about social commerce, Web 2.0 and entrepreneurship. He serves on the board of Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, the largest trade organization for retailers. Brett was named the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Austin.
Brett is one of the few, the proud – a native Austinite. Outside of Bazaarvoice, his biggest project is raising Rachel and Levi with Debra, his incredible wife. He enjoys reading Business Week, The New York Times, Wired, and almost anything written by Bruce Sterling, William Gibson, or Neal Stephenson (except for the Baroque Cycle… sorry, Neal). Travel (especially Hawaii and Italy), restaurants (Uchi is the best in Austin and Alinea is the best anywhere), red wine, yoga, and exercise are also passions.
Sam Decker, Chief Marketing Officer 
Sam Decker is a recognized expert in eCommerce, word of mouth marketing, and direct marketing. He frequently speaks at marketing and eCommerce events and authors the award-winning marketing blog at www.deckermarketing.com.
Prior to Bazaarvoice, Decker helped build Dell.com into the largest consumer eCommerce site, established their global best practices in merchandising, analytics, product management, and operations, and pioneered Dell’s customer-centricity and customer segmentation strategies. He has led marketing at B2C and B2B startups, helped develop loyalty marketing strategies for Apple and Adobe, and written two marketing books. He serves on the Board of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.
Brant Barton, Co-founder and Vice President of Client Services and Business Development 
Brant co-founded and leads critical, client-facing teams for Bazaarvoice. With more than 10 years of technology and start-up experience, he frequently speaks about Web 2.0, user-generated content, and social commerce.
Prior to Bazaarvoice, Brant served as Director of Account Services at Coremetrics, a leading provider of analytics solutions for the eCommerce industry, where his team effectively serviced more than 400 of the web’s most successful and demanding brands. Brant began his career at Sapient, a leading interactive services consultant, and has held founding management team positions at two technology start-up companies.
Michael Osborne, Senior Vice President of Sales 
Michael is responsible for driving Bazaarvoice’s growth through expansion of the client base and revenue. Prior to joining Bazaarvoice, Michael served as Director of Client Services at Coremetrics where he led a large team of Account Executives and Account Analysts responsible for more than $30 million in annualized revenue. Michael and his team directly managed and grew the relationships with clients such as Bank of America, Victoria’s Secret, Columbia House, and many more. Michael’s expertise is in sales leadership, achieving growth goals, and building and motivating world-class teams of sales and service people coupled with a strong understanding of how online businesses operate.
Michael previously worked as Presales and Partner Manager at Trilogy Software, an enterprise software firm specializing in solving the most complex business problems through technology solutions. Michael worked directly with Accenture and IBM Global Services to facilitate Trilogy implementations across numerous financial services clients. Before that, Michael worked with companies such as Intel and Microsoft, leveraging his BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Heather Brunner, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Client Services
Heather oversees Bazaarvoice’s industry-leading services organization as it helps companies gain higher ROI from social commerce initiatives, and she has built a career delivering technology to create business value for both privately-funded new ventures and Fortune 500 companies. Before joining Bazaarvoice, Brunner served as President and CEO of Nuvo, a wholly owned subsidiary of Trilogy and provider of managed network services, and she was previously COO for B-Side, a privately funded entertainment technology company. She has held various other executive management roles at leading technology companies, including Coremetrics, Trilogy, and Concero, where she led a team of 130 business and consulting professionals. She was also a practice director at Oracle, where she led the grounds-up development of the Central Texas enterprise sales and consulting practice, building an $18 million book of business in less than 18 months. She began her career at Accenture, where she ascended to Senior Manager in less than five years.
