Toros Panos

Toros Panos — E-commerce and Cross-Border Commerce Director

Toros Panos is an Istanbul-based e-commerce director and cross-border commerce specialist with more than 15 years of experience. He has built some of Turkey’s leading e-commerce operations from zero and scaled them to multi-million-lira revenue, running marketplace operations, Amazon FBA/FBM, SAP Hybris and Shopify-based commerce infrastructure, and international export processes end to end. He won the “E-Commerce Project of the Year” award at SAP Forum Istanbul 2016. He currently serves as E-Commerce Director at Ziyarem Yazilim Elektronik Ticaret A.S.

A note on figures: revenue and budget numbers on this page are in Turkish lira (TRY) as recorded at the time of each project, and are not adjusted for inflation or converted to other currencies.

An experienced e-commerce director

As an e-commerce director, Toros Panos designs a brand’s digital sales channels end to end, managing marketplace strategy, performance marketing, operations and growth together. Reading the business model correctly sits at the centre of his approach: every project starts with an e-commerce business blueprint, the channel economics and unit costs are worked out, and only then is the KPI set and reporting structure built. That way marketing budget, inventory, logistics and pricing decisions all draw on the same data.

His remit is not limited to the marketing side. Working alongside software teams, he owns the product side of custom marketplace infrastructure, seller panels, order management systems and payment integrations, and designs the data flow between ERP (SAP) and e-commerce. He has hands-on operational experience across all three models: B2B, B2C and marketplace.

He delivers projects that produce measurable results in both the Turkish and international markets. If you would like to work together, discuss a consulting engagement or talk through a project, you can reach him via the contact section.

Selected achievements

• From zero to TRY 48M annual revenue: built the e-commerce channel at Gencallar from scratch and grew it to TRY 48M a year (TRY 4M a month) in three and a half years.
• From zero to TRY 8M in multi-channel growth: founding team member at Avansas.com; grew sales from zero to TRY 8M through integrated print, catalogue, web and direct marketing campaigns.
• A TRY 12M product launch: managed the market launch of 3,000 new products at G2M, generating TRY 12M in additional annual sales.
• 10,000+ restaurant integrations: founded the Yemekgelir.com online food ordering marketplace and onboarded more than 10,000 restaurants in 16 months.
• 500+ sellers in six months: built the end-to-end operation of the Ziyarem marketplace from scratch and brought more than 500 sellers onto the platform in the first six months.
• 100% revenue growth: doubled e-commerce revenue at Misirli 1951 (Triko Misirli A.S.) in six months.
• 4,500+ new products brought to market (3,000 at G2M, 1,500 at Avansas).
• SAP Forum Istanbul 2016 — “E-Commerce Project of the Year” award.

Career and experience

Over his career he has been involved in launching and growing several of Turkey’s leading e-commerce platforms, combining a background in corporate communications and publishing with e-commerce operations and technology management.

Ziyarem Yazilim Elektronik Ticaret A.S. — E-Commerce Director (05/2025 – present)

Umraniye, Istanbul · A multi-million-lira online marketplace focused on health and wellness products.

Designing and growing a marketplace specialising in the health and wellness category from the ground up. Responsible for managing a TRY 100M budget, along with brand management, category sales team operations, online marketing, corporate positioning, product launches and advertising. Digital infrastructure, the logistics network, financial flows and the performance management of thousands of independent sellers all fall within the role.

• Built custom marketplace infrastructure with high-performance Go (Golang) backend services and dynamic React interfaces, leading a nine-person software development team.
• Designed and shipped the seller panel, a real-time order management system and payment integration modules as full-stack development lead.
• Built the end-to-end marketplace operation from scratch and onboarded 500+ sellers in the first six months.

Triko Misirli A.S. (Misirli 1951) — E-Commerce Manager (10/2024 – 04/2025)

Sisli, Istanbul · A multi-million-lira fashion retailer.

Launched a start-up-style e-commerce project in the fashion category and managed every function of it on a TRY 8M budget. Doubled e-commerce revenue in six months — 100% growth — through strategic marketing initiatives, conversion optimisation and operational improvements.

Gencallar A.S. — E-Commerce Manager (10/2020 – 02/2024)

Umraniye, Istanbul · A multi-million-lira fashion retailer.

• Built the fashion e-commerce operation from scratch and managed all of its functions on a TRY 10M budget.
• Grew the e-commerce channel from zero to TRY 48M in annual revenue (a TRY 4M monthly run rate), making direct-to-consumer one of the company’s main revenue lines.
• Set up and ran every e-commerce function, including team building, platform selection, digital marketing and operations.
• Produced steady year-on-year growth through data-driven marketing strategies and conversion optimisation.

Yemekgelir A.S. — General Manager (11/2018 – 02/2020)

Esenyurt, Istanbul · An online food ordering marketplace.

Founded the online food ordering marketplace from scratch, managing brand management, sales team operations, online marketing, corporate positioning, product launches and advertising on a TRY 50M budget. Took the platform to market successfully and integrated more than 10,000 restaurants within 16 months, establishing a strong market presence.

G2M A.S. — E-Commerce Manager (10/2014 – 04/2018)

Sancaktepe, Istanbul · A multi-million-lira foodservice company supplying food and cleaning products.

Built an e-commerce project spanning B2B, B2C and marketplace models, and ran the online marketing and communications functions on a TRY 1M budget. During this period he delivered the company’s SAP Hybris-based enterprise commerce infrastructure.

• New corporate website g2m.com.tr (February 2015); English version (June 2015) and mobile-responsive version (September 2015).
• Three micro-sites: caterfresh.com.tr, lokumet.com.tr, nesos.com.tr (March 2015).
• Content marketing blog project mutfaktabizvariz.com (June 2015).
• SAP Hybris commerce project online.g2m.com.tr (April 2016) and responsive design (September 2016).
• iOS and Android mobile app launch (May 2018).
• Marketplace project pazaryeri.g2m.com.tr (February 2017).
• Launch of 3,000 new products: opportunity analysis, product research and joint web, email and mobile campaigns with the merchandising and IT teams generated TRY 12M in annual sales.

Avansas.com A.S. — Founding Team Member and Marketing Coordinator (11/2009 – 01/2014)

Sancaktepe, Istanbul · A multi-million-lira e-commerce company selling office products.

A member of the founding team at Avansas.com, he built the brand’s digital sales channel, marketing infrastructure and communications structure from scratch. He ran the online marketing and communications functions with a TRY 10M budget and a seven-person team, covering brand management, corporate positioning, product launches, advertising and trade show marketing.

• Grew sales from zero in 2009 to TRY 8M by the end of 2012 through integrated print, catalogue, web and direct marketing campaigns.
• Brought 1,500 new products to market, generating TRY 3M in additional annual sales.
• Turned a static intranet into a dynamic web portal and integrated it with SAP, giving field teams an effective sales tool.
• Produced catalogues, training manuals and brochures that made complex product specifications easier for sales representatives to understand.
• Identified unmet needs early through continuous customer and market research and demographic profiling.
• Closed each year around 10% under budget through cost-focused marketing management and supplier negotiations.

Bersay Communications Consultancy — Corporate Communications Specialist (05/2008 – 11/2009)

Gayrettepe, Istanbul · A full-service marketing and public relations agency.

Developed integrated marketing and PR programmes for B2B clients, handled relationship management for five corporate accounts and ran media relations, events and corporate publishing. Grew the client portfolio by 30% in 18 months and, as part of the business development team, contributed to winning accounts including Bayer, Turk Telekom, AMPD and Onur Air (one of them a TRY 1M-scale win).

Marketing Turkiye & IP Magazine — Editor (2005 – 2006) / Writer (2003 – 2004)

Istanbul · Turkey’s leading marketing publication.

As the editor responsible for a six-person reporting team, he produced news and analysis on emerging marketing trends and managed interviews, editorial review and publishing processes. He served as chief editor at Turkey’s leading weekly marketing magazine and played a part in successful publication launches. Richer content led to a 20% increase in magazine ad inventory and TRY 100,000 in additional advertising revenue.

Adidas — Sales Representative (2000 – 2001)

Istanbul · Sporting goods manufacturer. Sales profitability, growth and account penetration in the sports retail market; new customer acquisition and relationship-based selling.

Areas of expertise

E-commerce and marketplaces

• Marketplace operations: Trendyol, Hepsiburada, Amazon
• Amazon FBA / FBM and international cross-border commerce
• B2B, B2C and marketplace business models
• Custom marketplace development, seller management and commission / financial flow design
• E-commerce business blueprints, KPI definition and reporting systems

Platforms and technology

• SAP Hybris commerce (3+ years of project experience), SAP SD / ERP integration
• Shopify (3+ years), WordPress, WooCommerce
• Go (Golang), React, JavaScript, REST APIs, full-stack architecture management
• Managing front-end and back-end development processes, UI development

Marketing and growth

• Performance marketing and multi-channel campaign management
• CRM, email and mobile marketing automation
• Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) and A/B testing
• Social media management, affiliate marketing
• Web and print content development, corporate communications, media relations
• B2B sales

Technology and tools

• E-commerce & ERP: SAP Hybris, SAP SD, Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress
• Analytics: Google Analytics (GA4), Yandex Metrica, Optimizely (A/B testing)
• CRM & marketing automation: Salesforce, Emarsys (web/email prediction and recommendation systems), Smartfocus (Campaign Commander, Customer Intelligence), Insider
• Development: Go (Golang), React, JavaScript, REST APIs
• Other: SurveyMonkey, Interfax (Fax over IP), MS Office

Certifications

AI and AI leadership

Google and digital marketing

Awards and industry roles

SAP Forum Istanbul 2016 — “E-Commerce Project of the Year”

At SAP Forum Istanbul 2016, one of the year’s most significant technology events, the G2M e-commerce project won the “E-Commerce Project of the Year” award. The event drew more than 4,000 industry professionals across 17 halls, with 130 presentations and 17 senior customer panels. The G2M project was recognised for the custom shopping flows, invoicing and reporting it introduced, and for the innovations it brought to online retail operations.

Inci Gymnastics Sports Club — President (2018)

Speaking and industry contributions

He has spoken at WORLDEF events on topics such as “The Mathematics of E-Commerce” and “Cross-Border E-Commerce from A to Z”. His talks cover e-commerce unit economics, marketplace commission and logistics cost structures, market selection for international selling, and Amazon FBA/FBM operations, worked through with practical examples.

For panel, workshop and in-house training requests, please get in touch.

Education and languages

Istanbul University — Public Relations and Advertising / Marketing (Faculty of Communication), graduated with honours.

• Turkish: native
• English: advanced
• Armenian: intermediate
• Russian: beginner

Frequently asked questions

Who is Toros Panos?

Toros Panos is an e-commerce director and cross-border commerce specialist with more than 15 years of experience. He has built and grown e-commerce operations from scratch at companies including Avansas.com (where he was part of the founding team), G2M, Yemekgelir.com, Gencallar and Misirli 1951. He currently serves as E-Commerce Director at Ziyarem Yazilim Elektronik Ticaret A.S.

What does he consult on?

Marketplace strategy and operations (Trendyol, Hepsiburada, Amazon), Amazon FBA/FBM setup, international cross-border commerce, SAP Hybris and Shopify-based e-commerce projects, CRM and email/mobile marketing automation, conversion optimisation, and building e-commerce KPI and reporting systems.

What scale of projects has he worked on?

He has managed budgets ranging from TRY 1M to TRY 100M and structures ranging from seven-person marketing teams to nine-person software development teams. The channels he has built include an e-commerce operation taken from zero to TRY 48M in annual revenue and a marketplace with more than 10,000 restaurants integrated.

Is he available as a speaker?

Yes. He has spoken at WORLDEF events on e-commerce and cross-border commerce. For event, panel and in-house training requests, please use the contact section.

Contact

For projects, consulting or speaking requests, you can get in touch directly.

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/toros-panos-6844893b
• Email: torospanos@gmail.com
• Phone: 0542 421 03 73
• Location: Maltepe, Istanbul, Turkey