Ani Nandi
Sydney
As seen in:
Specialty Retailer
Covers:
Ecommerce, online retail, Shopify, digital commerce, AI in ecommerce, online business, entrepreneurship, small business, ecommerce technology and web development.
Doesn't Cover:
Politics, entertainment, celebrity news, sports, health and medicine, travel, general lifestyle, or topics unrelated to ecommerce and digital business.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I didn’t begin my career as a journalist. My background is in ecommerce, web development and building online businesses. My first step into journalism was contributing practical ecommerce commentary and articles based on that experience, including writing for Specialty Retailer.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes
How is social media changing news?
> Social media has made news faster, more accessible and more interactive, but it has also made verification more important. Stories can spread globally within minutes, often before all the facts are clear. For journalists and readers, the challenge is balancing speed with accuracy, separating useful firsthand information from noise, and avoiding the pressure to treat engagement as a substitute for evidence.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lois Lane. She’s persistent, curious and willing to keep digging when something doesn’t add up — qualities that make a good journalist memorable, even in fiction.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
> To me, being a journalist means asking good questions, checking the facts, providing context and helping people understand why something matters. It also means being fair, transparent and willing to separate evidence from opinion. The goal should be to make complex subjects clearer without oversimplifying them.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Probably #BreakingNews attached to something that clearly wasn’t breaking at all. Social media has a special talent for turning a minor update into a global emergency.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email is best. Keep the pitch concise and tell me why the story matters, who it is relevant to, and what is genuinely new or useful about it. I’m most interested in practical, data-backed ideas around ecommerce, retail, Shopify, AI in business and online entrepreneurship. Clear evidence, real examples and specific insights will always get my attention faster than a generic press release.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
> I use a mix of ecommerce, research, analytics and content tools depending on the story. That includes Shopify and WordPress for hands-on ecommerce work, Google Analytics and Search Console for performance data, Canva for visual content, and AI tools such as ChatGPT for research support, idea development and workflow efficiency. I still verify important facts independently and rely on primary sources wherever possible.
What's your favorite social network?
Linkedin
Who do you wish followed you?
People who are building, studying or shaping the future of ecommerce — founders, retail operators, editors, analysts and technology leaders. I’m especially interested in connecting with people who share practical ideas, real data and thoughtful perspectives on how online business is changing.
Why did you become a journalist?
I didn’t come into this through a traditional journalism route. I came from ecommerce, web development and building online businesses. Over time, I realised that many founders were struggling with the same questions around demand, costs, technology, AI and growth. Writing became a way to turn practical experience into useful, independent insights that others could apply to their own businesses.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Use this:
> No. I didn’t work for a high school newspaper. My background developed through ecommerce, web development and building online businesses rather than traditional student journalism. Writing came later as a way to share practical experience and useful insights with a wider audience.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I’m particularly proud of my article for Specialty Retailer on how retailers can test ecommerce concepts without overspending. It reflects the kind of work I want to do more of: practical, experience-based writing that helps business owners make better decisions before committing large amounts of time or money. The core idea is simple — validate with real customer behaviour first, then scale based on evidence.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Stay curious, verify what you can, and write for the reader rather than for yourself. The strongest work usually comes from asking better questions, using real evidence, avoiding unnecessary jargon and being willing to challenge your own assumptions. Practical experience also matters — understanding how something works in the real world often leads to better questions and more useful stories.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Late Evening
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The best pitches are concise, relevant and make the value immediately clear. A strong pitch explains why the story matters now, who it affects, and what new evidence, data or perspective is available. If I can understand the angle and why it is useful within the first few sentences, that is usually a very good start.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
The worst pitches are the ones that are clearly mass-sent, have no connection to what I cover, and make me work to figure out why the story matters. If the sender hasn’t taken 30 seconds to understand the audience or explain the relevance, it is usually obvious immediately.
What's your favorite drink?
Water
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Park or Gym
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
One publication I consistently find useful is Modern Retail. I like its focus on how ecommerce, technology, changing consumer behaviour and new business models are reshaping retail. The strongest articles tend to connect broader industry trends with what operators are actually experiencing on the ground.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
The biggest misconception is that ecommerce success is mainly about launching a beautiful website or using the latest technology. In reality, the fundamentals matter more: product demand, margins, supplier reliability, customer acquisition costs, trust, fulfilment and conversion. AI and automation can improve execution, but they cannot replace sound commercial judgement or real customer validation.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.