Ace Your Zulily Interview: The Top 15 Questions and How to Answer Them

Interviewing at Zulily? You’ve come to the right place. In this article we’ll reveal the top 15 most common Zulily interview questions along with tips and sample answers to help you prepare.

Zulily is an online retailer running daily sales and flash deals on products for moms, babies, kids, and the home. Since its start in 2010, the company has experienced meteoric growth, cementing itself as a popular destination for shoppers seeking deals and unique finds.

With a fun, vibrant culture and opportunities to grow with the business, it’s no wonder positions at Zulily are highly coveted. Competition is fierce. On average, each corporate role attracts around 500 applicants according to some employee reports.

So how do you stand out and prove you’re the perfect culture fit? Preparation is key, Let’s dive into the interview questions you’re likely to encounter and how to knock your answers out of the park,

Common Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral interview questions are asked to gauge your past experiences, behaviors, and soft skills relevant to the role. At Zulily, hiring managers want to make sure you can handle the fast-paced startup style environment. Expect questions testing your abilities in areas like:

• Time management and prioritization
• Problem-solving
• Communication and collaboration
• Leadership
• Customer orientation

Here are some common behavioral questions asked and how to tackle them:

Question: Tell me about a time you successfully juggled multiple projects with tight deadlines. How did you prioritize tasks?

Sample Answer: In my previous role, our marketing team was prepping for both a product launch and a holiday sales campaign simultaneously. The product launch was on a set date that couldn’t move. Meanwhile, our holiday promotions had to align with competitor calendars.

To keep everything on track, I created detailed project plans for both initiatives mapping out all key tasks and deadlines. I identified dependencies across the projects to schedule tasks efficiently. Daily stand-up meetings kept all stakeholders aligned.

Through careful prioritization, we successfully launched the new product on time while also implementing several holiday campaigns that exceeded revenue goals by 18%. It taught me how structured project management and collaboration are key to success when juggling concurrent priorities.

Question: Share about a time you had to be flexible and adapt quickly to changes in your work. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

Sample Answer: When the pandemic hit, it significantly impacted our supply chain operations. With factories shutting down overseas, we faced major delays and disruptions. I had to act quickly to find ways for us to continue fulfilling customer orders.

I immediately reached out to our procurement team to identify alternative suppliers that could meet our demand. We found a domestic manufacturer that could produce some of our top-selling items. I also had frequent discussions with logistics to redirect inventory based on purchase trends we were seeing.

It was a challenging time, but we quickly adapted our processes to leverage different suppliers and prioritize inventory of our most popular products. As a result, we were able to maintain reasonable order completion rates and delivery times despite the disruptions.

Question: Tell me about a time you successfully persuaded team members to accept an idea or process change. How did you convince them?

Sample Answer: When I joined the customer service team, I noticed inefficiencies in our systems that made response times slow. I proposed a new CRM system and outlined how it would streamline our processes. However, the team was very used to the legacy system and resistant to change.

To convince them, I first outlined the tangible benefits the new system would bring such as improved response times and reduced manual processes. I also respected their concerns about learning a new technology and promised dedicated training and support during the transition. Lastly, I offered to be the first to try the system and provide feedback before full rollout. This demonstrated my confidence in the change.

Within two months of adoption, the team was fully onboard. The modern CRM led to a 10% improvement in response rate. This experience taught me how addressing concerns and showcasing benefits helps smooth adoption when proposing major changes.

Common Situation/Scenario Questions

Situational questions present hypothetical scenarios and ask how you would respond. The goal is to understand your thinking process and judgment in action. At Zulily, hiring managers may use scenarios to assess skills like:

• Critical thinking
• Customer orientation
• Communication
• Conflict management

Some examples include:

Question: If you noticed a colleague was struggling to meet deadlines and it was impacting your work, how would you handle it?

Sample Answer: First, I would speak to them privately to understand what’s causing them to fall behind on deliverables. There may be an underlying reason, such as lacking a required skill. I would offer my support, whether it’s training them or temporarily assisting with certain tasks.

If the issue persists, I would involve our manager to discuss solutions, like redistributing certain responsibilities or requesting an extension on impacted projects. My goal is always to address the situation constructively and offer help whenever possible. Keeping an open channel of communication is key so problems don’t spiral.

Question: A customer wrote a bad online review for a product they purchased during your flash sale. How would you respond?

Sample Answer: My first step would be to contact the customer directly to better understand their experience. I’d thank them for their feedback and offer my sincere apologies for their dissatisfaction. I’d ask questions to determine if there was an issue with that specific product or a broader concern.

If it seems to be an isolated case, I would work to resolve the issue for them as a one-off customer service case. However, if it points to a larger problem, I would loop in our quality control team to investigate immediately. I would also quickly relay feedback to the relevant internal teams so we can make necessary improvements or adjustments before more customers have problems.

Lastly, I would respond to the review, thanking the customer again for bringing the issue to light and outlining how we’ve addressed their concerns. Handling negative feedback with professionalism and care is essential.

Common Zulily Interview Questions on Leadership

Strong leadership skills are valued at Zulily where you’ll be expected to motivate and rally your team towards ambitious goals. Several questions are designed to probe your leadership approach and experiences.

Question: Tell me about your management style. How do you motivate your team?

Sample Answer: I believe success stems from an empowered, motivated team. My management style focuses on leading by example, promoting collaboration, and fostering talent development through coaching and mentorship.

I motivate my team by first understanding what drives each individual. Some may be motivated by public recognition while others appreciate flexible schedules or unique development opportunities. With this insight, I can tailor incentives and leadership approaches to optimize each person’s engagement and productivity.

I also motivate through transparency, providing context on company goals so team members feel aligned to the bigger picture. Lastly, I reward outstanding work and celebrate wins together. This uplifting environment keeps motivation high.

Question: Share about a time you had to rally your team during a period of low morale. What tactics did you use?

Sample Answer: During a major system upgrade, we encountered multiple setbacks that extended the project timeline by weeks. Understandably, my team grew frustrated. Productivity and engagement declined.

To motivate them, I first acknowledged everyone’s hard work and validated their feelings. I reminded them that we were all learning from this experience which would make us even stronger. Then I got the team involved in brainstorming creative ways to re-energize, leading to new team traditions like monthly lunches and recognition boards.

We also increased communication through daily standup meetings. This transparency helped re-align everyone to the big picture. Morale steadily improved and the project ended successfully, which we celebrated with a special offsite event.

Common Zulily Interview Questions on Analytics

Data-driven decision making is integral to Zulily’s operations. Several questions gauge your ability to analyze data and translate insights into strategic recommendations.

Question: If you noticed website conversion rates unexpectedly decreasing, how would you investigate and identify the cause?

Sample Answer: My first step would be confirming the trend is statistically significant and not a short-term anomaly. I would pull historical website analytics data and compare current conversion rates to past trends.

If the negative trend persists, I would dive deeper into the data to pinpoint affected areas, like landing pages with sharp declines. I would use A/B testing to see if changes to page layouts or content improve conversion.

Additionally, I would analyze customer segmentation data and survey results to see if certain customer groups were more impacted. These insights would illuminate the root cause, whether it’s a technical issue, content problem, or change in buyer behavior. Identifying the catalyst is crucial for implementing targeted solutions to rebound conversion.

Question: How have you leveraged customer or market data to improve business performance in the past?

Sample Answer: In one of my e-commerce roles, our marketing campaigns were not resonating with younger demographics based on engagement analytics. Surveying revealed this group valued personalized and interactive experiences.

Armed with these insights, I proposed launching an influ