Sherry Dial is helping e-commerce brands dial into data to increase repeat sales
Experts predict e-commerce sales will reach $8 trillion by 2027, leaving space for emerging e-commerce brands to find their footing.
When Sherry Dial launched Dial Services LLC three years ago, she wasn’t chasing a short-term trend. She was betting on something bigger: her confidence that the e-commerce industry would keep growing.
It was a safe bet.
Experts predict e-commerce sales will reach $8 trillion by 2027. While giants like Amazon dominate much of the market, emerging online shops and niche brands are carving out their own space. Dial saw an opportunity to help those businesses maximize sales operations, improve website functionality, and make smarter, data-driven decisions that resonate with customers.
“It’s similar to the before-and-after transformation pictures in the magazines at the grocery store,” she said. “The transformation is what really appeals to me.”
Dial’s career began in internal audit. For nearly two decades, she worked on freelance contracts with a wide range of clients, from Fortune 500 companies and mom-and-pop shops to manufacturers and government entities, helping them develop data-informed strategies.
“I want to put 120 percent effort into everything I do,” she said, admitting that managing large-scale freelance contracts was a balancing act. “I was working over 40 hours every week as a wife and mom of three. It just wasn’t sustainable.”
Still, there is plenty she loves about the audit industry. Watching businesses transform was a major motivator. And integrity, one of her core values, was central to the work. Dial believes in doing the right thing even when no one is watching, and she views audit as a mirror into that kind of integrity.
Starting Dial Services
When asked why she decided to launch Dial Services LLC, Dial didn’t hesitate: “Entrepreneurship chose me.”
During her years in corporate internal audit, she uncovered how big brands had systems for tracking, analyzing, and growing sales through data-driven website and point-of-sale (POS) optimization. Small and emerging businesses couldn’t compete with the advanced level of data collection and quick integration of new processes to reflect it.
Dial attended an “Idea to Reality” class at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center and laid her findings on the table.
“Between consulting for e-commerce optimization and audit services– Could it be a business? I needed to be honest with myself. The KEC gave me the encouragement and tools I needed,” she said. “Then, getting plugged in with Women in Entrepreneurship (WiE)—both have been great support systems and resources.”
Dial Services was born to bring “big brand” methods to small businesses by helping owners dial into the data that drives revenue.
POS systems like Square generate mountains of data, but most small business owners lack the time or resources to interpret it. Dial bridges that gap. Her approach transforms fragmented customer data into actionable insights that reinforce business instincts.
“I don’t want my clients to become Amazon,” she said. “But I do want them to adopt Amazon’s mindset (algorithms, attention, and user-experience tools) to serve their customers better.”
During the pandemic, Dial helped scale a tech startup from 1,000 to 15,000 paid subscribers.
“Too many business owners ignore data because it is confusing. I want to help my clients see data differently and become obsessed with their customers. All the answers are right in front of them,” she said.
However, starting a business hasn’t been a “walk in the park.” Many emerging e-commerce brands operate on tight margins. Few have extra funds to overhaul processes, analyze data, and optimize websites for sales. Therefore, in the first few years, Dial has spent a fair amount of time educating and raising awareness about what she believes is the real key to growth: data.
“I really want to see Knoxville grow and thrive,” she said. “A strong community is a good community, and e-commerce is a big part of that.”
Through Dial Services, she still takes on internal audit contracts, but now with more flexibility and freedom to choose her clients.
“For me, it’s all about seeing those transformations,” she said.
Learn more about Dial Services LLC.
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