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Queensboro Shirt Company seeks an Ecommerce Marketing Manager (Wilmington, NC)

WILMINGTON, NC – Last year I was blessed to place Jay Dunn with BareNecessities.com as its new CMO. It was a fantastic search during which I had the opportunity to interview some of the brightest senior marketing executives in the Shop.org community.

Interestingly, there was never a job description for that role. It was a confidential search during which I was seeking Don Draper, and the only way to describe the job was “to grow the business.”

When you think about it, that's all any great marketer does: Sell more stuff, to more people, more often, for more money. Simple. Which brings me to my current project …

Currently, I’m handling an Ecommerce Marketing Manager search for the Queensboro Shirt Company, based in Wilmington, NC. Wilmington is awesome, and pretty much everything you need to know about Queensboro is in this video …

Not your typical Ecommerce Manager role

According to the company’s President, Fred Meyers, Queensboro is a $14 million B2B marketer of custom logo apparel and other promotional products that is eager to grow its business. Founded in 1982, the company has sold more than 10 million shirts and is now ranked #503 in he Internet Retailer Top 1000.

But there’s lots of room for growth.

The US sales promotion industry includes ~7,500 companies with combined revenue of roughly $12 billion. Major players include subsidiaries of large marketing firms such as Carlson Marketing and subsidiaries of major ad agencies like WPP and Omnicom. The business is fragmented, with the top 50 players comprising less than 30% of industry revenue. Demand is driven by economic growth and by corporate profits. Within that space, Queensboro sells primarily to small businesses, and according to the Department of Commerce, there are 5.8 million firms of 99 employees or less.

How’s that for a target market?

This role is not a turn-around. The fundamentals of Queensboro’s primary ecommerce business are in decent shape: traffic, monthly unique, and re-orders are all headed in the right direction, although who couldn't use growth in these areas? The primary issues involve improving the site’s conversion rate and figuring out which customer acquisition vehicles (PPC, affiliate, email, display advertising, etc) are delivering the highest ROAS and then doing something about it: Doubling down on the stars and improving – or shooting – the dogs.

Queensboro has two promising side businesses, Zaptee.com and MyCustomEstore.com.

Zaptee is similar to Zazzle or CafePress: It allows users to create unique T-shirts by uploading a photo, entering a caption, and getting through the checkout process for as little as $6.50 per shirt with no minimum order.

MyCustomEstore.com is a storefront program that allows users to create an online store to sell their own logo on any of Queensboro’s apparel items. It's an interesting and effective way for companies to expand their brands, create uniformity, and make a profit with a Queensboro storefront. There are no inventory carrying costs, and sellers can market their products with any margin they choose. Additionally, Queensboro will handle all of the customer service and order processing.

Operationally, the concept is similar to an Amazon A-store, but it differs in the important fact that companies can sell their own branded items. Think of MyCustomEstore has an affiliate marketing program for the backend of Queensboro’s business. Currently, Queensboro has roughly 1000 customers for this concept, which accounts for 15% of the company's business.

The role will report directly to Fred, who has a fun and unusual hiring process mapped out for this position. The company has the resources to grow, and Fred is very sincere in his desire to build the business. I have done the math, and the five year growth target for Queensboro’s three lines of business is aggressive, but very achievable.

As always, I have a ton of information to share with qualified candidates. The client has begun conducting interviews through us and I have learned quite a bit about Fred’s management style, the hiring process, the company culture, and what it will take to succeed in this role.

Please click here to email your resume directly to me.  To download my contact information to your address book, click here.

–Harry
________________________
HarryJoiner | 404.281.2025
http://EcommerceJobs.com

[funny video]: "Stuff Marketing Executives Say"

Kudos to my pals at ResponseMine for this hilarious video. There should be a version of "Sh!t Marketing Executives Say" bingo, don't you think? Like this (but with an ROI).

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Adidas seeks a Senior Manager, Global Ecommerce User Experience

CANTON, MA - EcommerceRecruiter.com is the leading executive search firm serving the Shop.org, Ad:Tech, and IR-500 communities. To subscribe to our searches, click here. Alternatively, follow EcommerceJobs on Twitter. To add your resume to our confidential database, click here.

We are working with a adidas (yes, "that" adidas) in their search for a Senior Manager, Global Ecommerce User Experience based in Canton, MA. Check 'em out:

Position Description

Are you a passionate believer in the importance of user experience? Can you visualize solutions to business problems that delight users? Do you build your designs on a foundation of rigorous user research? If the answer is yes, one of the most admired brands in the world is looking for you.

The Senior Manager of User Experience will join adidas' Global Center for Excellence supporting its ecommerce platforms worldwide.

HARRY'S COMMENTS: The war for talent has made its way to Canton, MA, where adidas’ global ecommerce business is expanding faster than the client can handle the volume. This is a simple matter of the client needing sharp people to build its business.

If you look at UX as an input into adidas’ business process, it's essential that adidas add UX experts in two different areas of its business: The client needs to create more websites, and it needs to optimize the sites it has.

Outside resources won't cut it: There is a certain amount of ramp-up that must be gained before an adidas UX professional can start offering meaningful input, and it's painful to use outside resources who may not stick around -- or may not take a personal interest in adidas’ success. In UX roles, efficiencies are gained only by hiring the right people and scaling them over time.

To hit the ground running in this position, the right candidate will have a deep understanding of ecommerce UX issues. And we would expect you to be able to make meaningful recommendations within 90 days. For example, suppose adidas needs a new website: How would you design that website? How would you enhance it? What specific steps would you take to improve the user interface? How would you know which user interface is right for your users?

What’s your PROCESS for these things? How will your process work given adidas’ existing platforms? And how will you PRIORITIZE your issues?

There are a lot of moving parts in this position, and you must have experience managing large UX projects. Additionally, you'll need a strong, business oriented voice to guide business issues through the organization. You'll need to manage outside contractors in the way that gets the most out of them, and you will need to reach across multiple departments and functional silos to get things done. Meaning, you’ll need to be politically agile without being a political animal.

Before you apply, ask yourself:

“Have I led large scale UX testing initiatives?” At adidas, UX professionals design things; create the prototype; go into a room with users and ask them to do some tasks; get their feedback and recommendations; and document those findings. Can you do that?

“How much design experience do I have?” Have you created websites, blueprints, wireframes, thumbnails, and site maps by listening to business users and trying to parse what they want into an actual framework? For example, let's say someone at adidas sits down with you and says “I want a website that can do XYZ…”. You should have your own methodology for executing around that inquiry.

“Do I have meaningful experience with ecommerce?” Meaning, do you know how to design sites and user interfaces where money actually changes hands? Do you understand how to get a user from the homepage through the checkout process in a brand-friendly way? Be prepared to give examples.

I have placed people with adidas before, and they love it. They love the culture. They love the travel. They love the compensation. They love the opportunity. And they love the momentum of the whole place. If any of this sounds like heaven on earth to you, I would love to hear from you.

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Position Responsibilities:

• Provide input and oversight for the creation of the front-end blueprint for ecommerce initiatives.
• Create and implement a usability testing process and regular user feedback loop for the enterprise.
• Serve as the UX expert within the organization and create a set of shared best practices, and validate these through research and present in internal forums.
• Collaborate with global analytics and perform deep dives to unearth customer behavior insight.
• Lead projects to implement these findings.
• Evangelize the importance of great UX and propagate this vision throughout adidas' businesses.

As the ideal person for this role, you'll have:

• Understanding and appreciation of UX issues in ecommerce.
• Direct ecommerce experience.
• At least 6-8 years of experience as a UX/usability practitioner and complete command over the various aspects of the discipline.
• 2-4 years’ experience managing other UX professionals.
• Solid experience creating and running usability testing. (You must be comfortable implementing the full cycle of recruit-test-report.)
• Experience working in cross functional teams implementing UX solutions.
• Experience creating visual artifacts and other means of conveying front-end requirements.

You must also possess:

• A Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline (human factors, psychology etc.). Master’s preferred.
• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills. You must be very comfortable speaking to large groups and senior executives.
• Understanding of HTML, CSS and web 2.0 technologies.
• You will also have decent prototyping skills and can work your way around Photoshop and Dreamweaver.
• And: You'll need a positive ‘can do’ attitude and a sense of humor.

Applications for this position are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, please send your resume in Word format to directly yo Harry.  Be sure to ask him for a packet of market research and company / competitive intel that will differentiate you in your candidacy. Due to the intensely competitive nature of this search, thorough preparation for these interviews with this proprietary material is strongly recommended.

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NYC-based Luxury Ecommerce Role: “Who Else Wants a Stellar Reputation?"

NEW YORK, NY - Here's a little pitch about an international, high-profile, six-figure, NYC-based luxury search that's right up your alley. I posted it last week on my Linkedin groups -- and the response was through the roof. Now, here it is for your viewing pleasure ...

BACK STORY: As a recruiter, I like to see myself as in the “before” and “after” business – like in an infomercial:

... BEFORE my candidate arrives on the scene, my client has problems: Affiliate fraud, for example. Or a platform integration plagued with delays and cost overruns. Or declining sales.

... AFTER my candidate has been on the job for 12 months, the affiliate fraud is gone, a hugely successful integration is ancient history, and the sales slump has been arrested. Problem solved.

Naturally, whenever I land a search I ask myself “Assuming they have the skills, which of my candidates will benefit the most from this search? What's in it for them, long term? Not just monetarily, but in terms of how their accomplishments in the role will contribute to the narrative about them in the industry.”

Because after handling more than 250 ecommerce searches, here's what I know: People TALK.

Having a great resume is one thing, but having a stellar reputation for solving cross-functional, multichannel ecommerce problems is another. After your first two years in the business, your peers won’t talk about your resume. They will, however, gossip about your accomplishments.

Which brings me to this week's pitch.

My NYC-based client is a European luxury goods manufacturer who seeks a US Ecommerce Manager to develop the US market for their product line. They know relatively little about how to make this happen, but you have heard of the company and they sell online through one of America's most prestigious high-end retailers.

The client is doing ~$500K in US online sales. However, the US retail market for their product includes about 20,000 companies with combined annual revenue of about $30 billion. The industry is fragmented, with the top 50 companies generating only about 40% of revenue.

Which is exactly why the client has very high hopes for America. You know many of their competitors, several of whom are members of the Internet Retailer Top 500. The situation has exactly what attracts venture capitalists to any business:

1. Huge, addressable market
2. Remarkable, high-quality product(s)
3. Well defined customer
4. Viable distribution network
5. Proven revenue model
6. Long-term scalability
7. Access to the right team (which you'll get to build.)

All of those things are here. All you have to do is bring them together in a brand-friendly way. It's totally doable, for the right person.

Reporting to the North American CEO, you will need a strong knowledge of: customer acquisition; content management systems; customer care; ecommerce platforms; logistics; promotion and loyalty management; online catalog management; order management systems; rich media; site search; social media; web analytics; and web design/user experience.

Luxury experience is preferred but not required.

The job will pay a base salary of between $100,000 and $130,000. Tops!!  And before you older readers say “Rubbish! Harry will never find someone with all that experience for that low price,” please know that there’s a new breed of up-and-coming rock stars who would easily rise to the challenge.

Make no mistake: If you take this job, the challenges will be waiting for you. But they are surmountable, and you'll have the resources and management support to overcome them. And when you do, you'll have the kind of reputation that will get you talked about. In a good way.

To apply, send your resume to Harry.Joiner [at] EcommerceRecruiter.com. Please put "NYC LUXURY SEARCH" in the subject field of your email.

Peace out,
Harry

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JOB OF THE DAY: Director of Ecommerce Marketing

SUWANEE, GA - EcommerceRecruiter.com is the leading executive search firm serving the Shop.org, Ad:Tech, and IR-500 communities. To subscribe to our searches, click here. Alternatively, follow EcommerceJobs on Twitter. To add your resume to our confidential database, click here. To like us on FB, please click here.

We are working with Simple Floors in their search for a Director of Ecommerce, in Suwanee, GA.

HARRY'S COMMENTS: This search will allow a world-class search marketer to get fantastic experience as an ecommerce marketing general manager. Three years from now, you’ll have hands on experience in off-line retail marketing, usability, analytics, online merchandising, logistics, purchasing, conversion rate optimization, leadership, and organizational development. For search marketing specialists, GM opportunities like this one can be scarce as hen's teeth.

The client’s online retail business is very well-established.

The company has been in existence for 7 years, and management has a great understanding of sourcing, production, logistics, inventory management, and financing. It operates 15 stores around the US, and recently launched a franchising program.

Annually, SimpleFloors.com gets 1.2 million unique visitors, 90% of which come from search engines. Their average order value is $2500 on a site-wide conversion rate of 11%. The firm is a well established seller in marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, MSN, Yahoo, Shopzilla, Square Trade and Overstock.com. These folks know what they're doing, so it's not like you'll need to beg for resources to grow the business.

But there is a lot of work to do ...

The client has sincere interest in broadening their email and affiliate marketing programs, plus management is would like to dramatically improve the firm’s ROAS in Adwords. Both SEO and analytics improvements are key initiatives, as well. In fact, the company’s franchising success is critically linked to SimpleFloors’ ability to drive high quality traffic to its web properties through paid search, social media, SEO, and comparison shopping engines. The buck will stop with you on these initiatives.

There’s a ton of potential in SimpleFloors' markets, both online and off.

SimpleFloors is classified as a building material dealer. The building material dealers industry in the US includes about 45,000 companies with combined annual sales of about $230 billion. Major companies include Home Depot and Lowe's. The industry is concentrated: the top 50 companies account for more than 50 percent of industry revenue.

The company’s customer base includes interior designers, builders, contractors, and homeowners. Demand for wood flooring is closely tied to residential real estate construction, both new and remodeling. Competition comes from other manufacturers and competing flooring products like carpeting, linoleum, tiles, etc.

The US interior design industry includes about 10,000 companies with combined annual revenue of about $8 billion. The industry is highly fragmented: the 50 largest firms account for about 10 percent of revenue.  Huge opportunity!

SimpleFloors’ ability to contract its manufacturing process and distribute direct to its clients allows the company to bring the latest designs to market with incredible speed: For instance, a new style introduction can go from the design room drawing board to the factory and onto installation in just under two months (versus the industry stand two years). This speed makes SimpleFloors very popular with interior designers, who seek the latest flooring trends for their clients.

As usual, I'm loaded with proprietary research and information on this search.  If you'd like to apply for the role -- please see the link that the bottom of this posting.

Please Tweet this job, and you'll be automatically entered into our monthly drawing. Just do it and see what happens: 2010 prizes included $100 Amazon gift certs, Dean & Deluca steaks, and Keurig coffee machines ...

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RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own the overall acquisition strategy for SimpleFloors
• Grow / optimize our keyword portfolio through testing with ad copy, landing pages, bidding strategies, negative keywording, etc.
• Tracking, reporting, and analyzing our PPC initiatives and campaigns, including understanding attribution analysis and impact of lifetime value.
• Create business requirements for engineering as well as develop your own solutions to improve our search engine marketing process.
• Stay current with new advances in search engine marketing and the competitive landscape.
• PPC & online marketing are part of your DNA
• Grow and manage our presence on non-affiliate comparison shopping engines such as Pricegrabber and Google Product Search.
• Build brand awareness by overseeing content strategy, contact strategy, and promotional calendar.
• Drive improvements in our natural search channel by developing content strategies and facilitating technical solutions that allow for greater visibility in search engines
• Provide weekly reporting and analysis to the management team and board of acquisition marketing channels and additional initiatives.
• Contribute and form overarching strategy for social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Blog) and provide basic customer service when necessary
• Research and implement new acquisition marketing tactics and vendor partnerships
• Effectively manage strategic vendors and partners related to the acquisition of new customers
• Work with the Marketing and Creative group to improve site performance visibility.
• Manage and report on multi-variate (MVT) and A/B testing program for the web site.
• Assume full P/L responsibility and an ability to plan revenue, marketing and sales promotion consistent with the global strategies.
• Manage the development of the Web organization to meet revenue objectives and recruitment of the team
• Improvements to our internet retail site, including feature-functionality, user interface, SEO, landing page optimization, effective online merchandising of products and promotions, and overall user experience.
• Manage email marketing (list development and management, campaign development and implementation, etc.)
• Conduct extensive A/B testing of email strategy, including delivery timing, creative layout, tailored offers, and subject line testing to develop best practices for ongoing email campaigns
• Drive overall promotional messaging and creative onsite and through email.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Self-learner and a passion for search engine marketing.
• Experience managing PPC campaigns across Google, Yahoo, and MSN.
• Expert knowledge of performance marketing, conversion, and online customer acquisition strategies.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel.
• You should love spreadsheets and lots of data.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, work within a marketing team, and work with other departments in a matrix environment.
• Excellent verbal and written skills.
• Detail oriented.
• Ability to re-prioritize projects as needed.
• Knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO)
• Expert with web analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Coremetrics, etc.

Applications for this position are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.  Candidates, please be sure to email Harry Joiner for a packet of market research and company / competitive intel that will differentiate you in your candidacy. Due to the intensely competitive nature of this search, thorough preparation for these interviews with this proprietary material is strongly recommended.

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Alibris seeks an Ecommerce Acquisition Manager (San Francisco)

EMERYVILLE, CA - EcommerceRecruiter.com is the leading executive search firm serving the Shop.org, Ad:Tech, and IR-500 communities. To subscribe to our searches, click here. Alternatively, follow EcommerceJobs on Twitter. To add your resume to our confidential database, click here. To like us on FB, please click here.

We are working with Alibris Retail in their search for an Acquisition Marketing Manager, in Emeryville, CA. Alibris Retail is the premier online marketplace for independent sellers of books, music and movies. Alibris offers more than 140 million new and used books, movie and music items from more than 20,000 independent sellers in over 50 countries and Google eBooks to consumers through their web sites (Alibris.com, Alibris.co.uk) and Library Services group.

HARRY’S COMMENTS: I have been an ecommerce recruiter for seven years, and one of the coolest things about my job is that there are candidates whom I have placed more than once. Such is the case with this role’s hiring manager, Adam Silverman, who is a rock star anyway you slice it.

I placed Adam as a VP of Ecommerce with Monsoon Commerce last October, and it’s Adam’s charge to develop and manage the growth of Monsoon’s retail arm, Alibris, currently No. 123 in Internet Retailer’s Top 500 Guide. Prior to Alibris, Adam was Director of Marketing at Musician’s Friend (IR-44), and from 2006 to 2009, he was Director of Ecommerce for apparel retail chain Wet Seal (IR-316).

Smart. Funny. Authentic. Driven (in a good way). Highly competent. Endlessly resourceful. I have never seen Adam in an easy role, and somehow he always finds a way to win. Seriously, I would want my own kid to work for him.

In fact, I'm going to post that as a LinkedIn recommendation for him.

Now about the role: We need a real, live marketer who is an inch wide and a mile deep in customer acquisition experience. This person needs to eat, sleep, and dream multichannel customer acquisition: Affiliate marketing, Display advertising and retargeting, CSE’s, PPC, Mobile, and possibly, when appropriate, direct mail. You will need to know how to acquire customers with each of these channels individually, but much more importantly – you will need to combine these channels so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Your ads will need to do it all:

1. Stop prospects in a way that allows them to self-select.
2. Hold prospects.
3. Create desire by hinting at the value of the Alibris experience.
4. Give the prospect a reason to act now.

Imagine a cross between the late, great PPC savant Alan Rimm-Kaufman and legendary adman John Caples. You don’t have to be that now – but you should aspire to be that.

We need someone who sees Alibris’ categories through the customer’s eyes. That means developing an affinity with each type of Alibris customer so that you can anticipate their needs and behaviors.

Both Caples and Rimm-Kaufman would question everything: What went wrong and why? Was it the place? The time of day? The kind of customer we attracted? Was it the offer? And so on. Next, what went right and why? For each thing that went right, could we do it again, only bigger, or cheaper, or both? The questions are endless.

To answer these questions, you’d need to be very creative in not only what clues you’ll be looking for, but where those clues might be found. Alibris’ analytics package is certainly one place. But we need someone who’s not afraid to profile customers based on their RFM history, demographics, psychographics, geography, etc.

Alibris has already done much of this work with one of America’s foremost database marketing consultants – but you’ll need to build on that exemplary work, realizing that all markets are dynamic. Things change, which is why we expect you to have a teachable point of view regarding multichannel attribution models.

As I’ve said many times before, I don't take every search that comes my way. Not by a long shot. There has to be a compelling reason that an A-player would want to apply for this role.

And here ‘tis: This role is about giving a bright up-and-comer who has a ton of depth the kind of breadth that will come in handy for the rest of his or her career. It's about giving an exceptional candidate an opportunity to have a real impact on a $150 million etailer’s business, while working for a great guy in a high visibility role in one of America’s coolest cities: San Francisco.

And truly, I am not looking for someone who can just “press the buttons” with AdWords. Heck no. This role is about so much more than that. I need a marketer. I need someone who is hypothesis driven in their approach to customer acquisition and is not afraid to make smart bets on how to grow the business.

As always, I’m loaded with proprietary info on this search. Apply below and I’d be happy to give you all I’ve got.

Please Tweet this job, and you'll be automatically entered into our monthly drawing. Just do it and see what happens: 2010 prizes included $100 Amazon gift certs, Dean & Deluca steaks, and Keurig coffee machines ...

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Position Overview:

The Acquisition Marketing Manager’s primary responsibilities will owning the strategic roadmap, including optimizing and growing the acquisition marketing revenue for the Alibris Retail division in accordance with business goals. As the acquisition guru, you will design tests, track program performance, implement campaigns, and come up with strategies and recommendations on how Alibris can optimize the breadth and depth of their acquisition programs across paid search, natural search, direct response, display, non-affiliate shopping comparison engines, and other emerging acquisition channels.  You will also own the strategy and presence on the social media channels, and look for general growth opportunities in the acquisition marketing field.

Responsibilities include:

• Own the overall acquisition strategy for Alibris Retail (B2C), and provide acquisition support for Monsoon Selling Solutions division (B2B)
• Grow the keyword portfolio by figuring out how to scale and manage a program with potentially millions of keywords and finding new search venues to advertise in.
• Optimize the keywords portfolio through testing with ad copy, landing pages, bidding strategies, negative keywording, etc.
• Tracking, reporting, and analyzing PPC initiatives and campaigns, including understanding attribution analysis and impact of lifetime value .
• Create business requirements for engineering as well as develop your own solutions to improve the search engine marketing process.
• Stay current with new advances in search engine marketing and the competitive landscape. PPC & online marketing are part of your DNA
• Grow and manage Alibris' presence on non-affiliate comparison shopping engines such as Pricegrabber and Google Product Search.
• Drive improvements in the natural search channel by developing content strategies and facilitating technical solutions that allow for greater visibility in search engnies
• Provide reporting and analysis on a weekly basis for acquisition marketing channels and additional initiatives
• Contribute and form overarching strategy for social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Blog) and provide basic customer service when necessary
• Research and implement new acquisition marketing tactics and vendor partnerships
• Effectively manage strategic vendors and partners related to the acquisition of new customers

Position Requirements:

• Self-learner and a passion for search engine marketing.
• Experience managing PPC campaigns across Google, Yahoo, and MSN.
• Analytical Experience
• Expert knowledge of performance marketing, conversion, and online customer acquisition strategies.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel. You should love spreadsheets and lots of data.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a quantitative, test-driven field (economics, market research, science, etc.)
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, work within a marketing team, and work with other departments in a matrix environment.
• Excellent verbal and written skills. Detail oriented. Supportive of co-workers.
• Ability to re-prioritize projects as needed.
• Knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO)
• Expert with web analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Coremetrics, etc.

Applications for this position are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.  Candidates, please be sure to email Harry Joiner for a packet of market research and company / competitive intel that will differentiate you in your candidacy. Due to the intensely competitive nature of this search, thorough preparation for these interviews with this proprietary material is strongly recommended.

  Get my latest searches.  (Opt out anytime.)

DAS BOOT: "Boot Barn seeks an Ecommerce Merchant" (Orange County, CA)

ORANGE COUNTY, CA - EcommerceRecruiter.com is the leading executive search firm serving the Shop.org, Ad:Tech, and IR-500 communities. To subscribe to our searches, click here. Alternatively, follow EcommerceJobs on Twitter. To add your resume to our confidential database, click here. To like us on FB, please click here.

We are working with Boot Barn in their search for a Digital Merchandising Coordinator based in Orange County, CA. Founded more than 30 years ago in Southern California, Boot Barn is a specialty retailer dedicated to providing its customers with one of the largest selections of top-quality western and work footwear and apparel available in today’s market.

With an 83-store footprint that spans across much of the Western US, the organization has a presence in California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Montana.

HARRY'S COMMENTS: Everyone wants to work for a great boss. When I think back on my own career, the jobs I loved the most involved my best bosses: People who were business-oriented. People who listened. People who truly cared about my personal and professional development. People who led by example. People who could use my hot buttons to get the best performance out of me. People who gave me stretch objectives that were “better than my best, but believable.” In my own company, I try to model those examples, and at times it can be difficult.

This job reports to Dave Gusick, an outrageously nice guy who reminds me of my best bosses: Dave has been an A-player in the Internet Retailer Top 500 for as long as I can remember. I was fortunate enough to place Dave at BootBarn last year, and since Dave’s arrival, BootBarn’s online revenues are up 50%.

When one thinks of western wear, the word “innovation” doesn’t always come to mind. But BootBarn’s suppliers are forever improving their lines.

I’ll refrain from giving you specific numbers here (call me for those), but nearly all of BootBarn’s primary metrics are headed in the right direction: Conversion rate; Shopping cart abandonment rate; Average order value; Average items per order; Repeat customer rate; Repeat customer revenue; etc. Everyone wants to play on a winning team, and Dave’s organization has a ton of forward momentum.

If you are a seasoned online merchant who craves a “voice” in your organization – this is the job for you.

Why is the job open?

While BootBarn has a team of excellent merchants who manage the technical aspects of merchandising, Dave believes that the company needs someone who specializes in the aesthetics of online merchandising. The new hire will be working with the buyers and the web support team to ensure that ...

• BootBarn.com features the right product mix;
• The right products appear on the top levels of the site’s internal search results;
• Products are being portrayed in the most flattering way;
• BootBarn’s products’ most relevant technical attributes are brought to light.
• And much more.

According to Dave, “A lot of times, we have vendors come in and tell us about their new products. And they will always mention the product’s latest technical features: the treads, the last, the construction of the boot, etc. Their excitement is contagious, yet that stuff doesn’t always make it to our website, nor our competitors’ sites. Take any cowboy boot: Each vendor has several different attributes that they have test marketed and built into their product because they have done their market research and they know their customer.

We need to do a better job of bringing our vendors products to life online based on all of the features and benefits are available to BootBarn. There needs to be romance language. There should be multiple views of each product, and so much more. The list of things we could be doing is endless – and it changes all the time. We need to bring an edge to the way we market this product.”

As always, I have a huge amount of research to offer qualified candidates, in addition to inside information on the client’s key merchandising initiatives for 2012. Again, the is a great role based in sunny Orange County, CA. The comp is fantastic, and your new boss is a jewel of a guy. Apply below.

Please Tweet this job, and you'll be automatically entered into our monthly drawing. Just do it and see what happens: 2010 prizes included $100 Amazon gift certs, Dean & Deluca steaks, and Keurig coffee machines ...

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Position Overview:

Responsible for providing support to team members in merchandising and marketing across the Bootbarn.com website, bringing product to vivid, engaging & interactive life, combining the technologies and experiences uniquely available in digital with the product assortment, and monitoring a wide range of site usage metrics to optimize site merchandising and overall experience, including user pathways, traffic & abandonment rates, engagement rates & conversion rates.

Essential Functions:

• Coordinate with the buying department and vendors on new style additions, images, and product content.
• Develop and deliver an overall strategy of how to leverage web analytics and optimization to drive business results.
• Utilize web data and analysis to create concise conclusions and recommendations for improving the user experience, increasing conversions, optimizing marketing and merchandising, and positively impacting return on investment.
• Collaborate with buyers to develop cohesive assortments, competitively priced to achieve established sales and margin goals and to ensure brand integrity.
• Review merchandise reporting on weekly and monthly basis and collaborate in seasonal analysis meetings.
• Shop competition to identify new trends and ensure merchandising strategy and bootbarn.com is competitive. 
• Any other duties as assigned by store management.

Position Requirements:

Ability to:

• Communicate with customers, management, and other employees 
• Act as a liaison between merchandisers, buyers and e-commerce team
• Multitask and give clear direction to the team
• Read, count, and write to accurately complete all documentation
• Work varied hours/days as business dictates

Other Skills:

• 3-5 years of online merchandising experience preferred
• 7+ years experience in retail, preferably footwear
• Bachelor’s degree
• Must have experience with web analytics, Excel, PowerPoint
• Must have proven experience in driving change and creating support across an organization
• Must possess excellent communication and organization skills
• Must be flexible and have the ability to effectively prioritize multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment

Applications for this position are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.  Candidates, please be sure to email Harry Joiner for a packet of market research and company / competitive intel that will differentiate you in your candidacy. Due to the intensely competitive nature of this search, thorough preparation for these interviews with this proprietary material is strongly recommended.

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Le Creuset seeks an Ecommerce Web Manager (Charleston, SC)

CHARLESTON, SC - EcommerceRecruiter.com is the leading executive search firm serving the Shop.org, Ad:Tech, and IR-500 communities. To subscribe to our searches, click here. Alternatively, follow EcommerceJobs on Twitter. To add your resume to our confidential database, click here. To like us on FB, please click here.

We are working with Le Creuset in their search for an Ecommerce Web Manager based in Charleston, SC. For nearly a century, Le Creuset premium cast iron cookware has been trusted in kitchens around the world for its superior performance, lasting quality and iconic design.

With a traditional sense of craftsmanship and hands-on attention to detail, the artisans at the client's Fresnoy le Grand foundry have kept chefs and culinary enthusiasts in mind, and their work reflects the real demands of a working kitchen. Le Creuset's products are crafted to achieve optimal weight and heat retention properties, and its cookware is versatile, ergonomic, extremely resistant to wear and tear, and guarantees excellent cooking results.  Plus it comes in a rainbow of groovy colors. ...

HARRY'S COMMENTS: Last year, Susan Emmett of The Times UK wrote an article called “Top Ten: Iconic Kitchen Items.” At #1 was Le Creuset’s cast iron cocotte, about which Ms Emmett wrote …

“This is not a pan, it’s a rite of passage from a life of pizza takeaways to one of slow-cooked beef bourguignon and it is one of the most popular items on the John Lewis wedding register. Those tying the knot before the Sixties will have one in volcanic orange, the original colour dating back to the company’s beginnings in 1925. Last year’s newly-weds bought cerise while those getting hitched alongside Kate and William may opt for the latest midnight blue …”

Her love of the product was genuine, and for good reason: Le Creuset is to chefs what Ducati is to motorcyclists, Gibson is to guitarists, and Louisville Slugger is to baseball players.

A staple, yet so much more.

What we are looking for here is a marketing oriented technologist. You've heard me use that term before, and it refers to someone who sees ecommerce technology as a means to an end – not an end unto itself. We want this person to improve conversions. The site's traffic is not bad, but the conversion rate is simply not where it needs to be. This hire will determine what platform fixes get into the project queue. If the platform fixes don't improve conversions, then they shouldn't be in the queue.

Meaning, we are NOT looking for a technology drone. The ideal candidate must look at Le Creuset’s technology piece and ask “What is this technology capable of doing for the customer? What is it capable of doing for revenues?” Among other things, the new hire will impact conversion rates, average SKUs per item, repeat customer rate, and marketing costs per order. For real. For very real.

Not only will you be expected to leverage IBM’s Websphere, but you’ll be expected to work effectively with Crossview, Le Creuset’s highly-valued integration partner. A major opportunity for the company is improving how the site renders content and using analytics to revise how content is acquired and displayed. Additionally, there is an excellent opportunity to mine customer data to improve the user experience.

Accordingly, the ideal candidate will have meaningful analytics processing capability because Le Creuset believes that "if you are disconnected from what consumers are doing on your website, then you cannot optimize your conversion funnel based on known site behaviors."

A great job, any way you slice it.

As usual, I'm packing a ton of excellent information on this search. I had two calls with this client: A 45 minute meet-end-greet with Faye Gooding, Le Creuset’s CEO for the Americas, and a 75 minute kickoff call with the hiring manager, Alex Campbell, Le Creuset’s Director Retail Marketing. Alex is very smart, and we got nitty gritty.

The job is based in Charleston SC, one of the top five places that I’d like to live, personally.  FANTASTIC quality of life.  Right up there with Austin and Boulder.  And based on several online calculators, this role's base compensation will put you into the top quintile of SC's earners.

Really: To love cooking and ecommerce and to live in Charleston making great money and traveling abroad occasionally. I can’t believe they pay me to tell you this story. And I can’t believe they’d pay you to live it. Apply below.

Please Tweet this job, and you'll be automatically entered into our monthly drawing. Just do it and see what happens: 2010 prizes included $100 Amazon gift certs, Dean & Deluca steaks, and Keurig coffee machines ...

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Position Overview:

• Manage the ongoing operations of Le Creuset of American (LCoA) e-commerce website. Ensure that the website's availability, performance, security, and customer experience maintain the company's standards of excellence.
• Develop and manage proactive maintenance procedures for all systems and ensure high reliability of ecommerce customer experience.
• Manage the relationship with all third party vendors who are part of the LCoA ecommerce solution (hosting, reviews, analytics, etc.)
• Coordinate with LCoA IT the 24/7 availability of all interfaces with the IT infrastructure.
• Maintain the list of all bugs and defects in the site and manage their mitigation.
• Maintain the integration with LCoA all ecommerce business practices including (Order integration, Payment processing, Shipping and Logistics, Security, ERP/Accounting, and Analytics)
• Continuously improve the retail and wholesale user experience on the company’s web properties.
• Maintain master backlog of desired improvements the customer experience of Le Creuset's retail and wholesale websites.
• Prioritize all backlogs against projected cost to implement vs. perceived return on investment.
• Coordinate the implementation of all improvements.
• Serve as Project Manager and center of expertise for the development and deployment of new web properties within the LCoA group, such as www.lecreuset.ca.
• Partner with the Digital Merchandising Manager to insure execution of all content updates and marketing plans.
• Serve as the subject matter expert for all ecommerce issues within the LCoA team.
• Manage all costs and budget activities to insure that LCoA web properties achieve their performance goals.
• Serve as member of the LCoA management team and participate in various marketing and planning activities.

Position Requirements:

• BA/BS, MBA preferred.
• 5+ years’ experience overseeing the operations of an e-commerce website. B-to-C experience preferred.
• Expertise in all ecommerce technologies (web servers, application servers, databases, IT integration, hosting, performance, and security).
• 2 – 3 years Web Sphere experience.
• Strong project management skills. Certification in a project management methodology is desired.
• Strong leadership skills to get the best performance out of employees and vendors.
• Must have superior written and verbal communication skills and be able to achieve objectives from working with others.
• Development and execution of a budget.
• Execution against ecommerce performance and availability KPI’s (site availability, page load times, peak loads)
• Execution against ecommerce KPI’s (traffic, transaction, revenue)
• All execution issues related to maintaining and operating the LCoA e-commerce websites.
• Selection of vendors and partners.
• Recommendations as to staff composition and responsibilities.
• Recommendations around enhancements to the website customer experiences and business user services.
• Self-starter, willing to demonstrate superior work ethic to consistently deliver on position requirements.
• Must be innovative, and able to move thrive in a highly dynamic environment.
• Able to work with various stakeholders in a matrix environment and build consensus.
• Must be able to travel (between LCOA offices, LCOC office and world wide as required.)

Applications for this position are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.  Candidates, please be sure to email Harry Joiner for a packet of market research and company / competitive intel that will differentiate you in your candidacy. Due to the intensely competitive nature of this search, thorough preparation for these interviews with this proprietary material is strongly recommended.

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JOBS OF THE WEEK: "24 Killer Ecommerce Jobs" (9 Directors + 3 VP's)

Hey Gang!

Hope your year is off to a great start. For those of you who are due for a job change in 2012, I thought I'd jot down some observations on resumes.

The first thing you need to know about resumes is that there is a limit to what even a great resume can do. I have seen thousands of resumes, and I have yet to see one that's so unbelievable that the candidate gets hired on the spot with NO phone screen and NO in person interview. Not gonna happen.

The very best you can hope for with your resume is that it converts to a phone screen. Period. It's the phone screen's job to convert to an in-person interview, and so on.

Think of it this way: Did you ever take statistics in college? I did. One thing that surprised me is that one never actually "proves" anything with statistics. One only "rejects" or "fails to reject" the hypothesis.

And so it is with a resume. You send your resume to the company, and the recruiting coordinator simply rejects, or fails to reject, your resume. If she fails to reject you, your resume has done its job. Mission accomplished.

Now then, just as there is no one-size-fits-all love letter, there is no one-size-fits-all resume.

Guys: If you had the hots for five women, you wouldn't send them all the same love letter, would you? No! You'd tell a Woman1 how swell her lips look; You'd tell Woman2 that her eyes are like limpid pools; You'd make up something about how the sun dances off of Woman3's hair, yada yada yada.

It's the same thing with a hiring committee: They all want a candidate who can solve their own unique problems, expressed in their own way. Therefore, any candidate who wishes to be taken seriously must map their resume to the job description in a way that's TRUTHFUL, relevant, and impactful.

Like this ...

Suppose a job posting requires that the new hire must "Generate and automate key metric reports and dashboards." Fine.

Ask yourself: "Have I done this? When, specifically? What actions did I take? What was the result? Will my references verify my claim?" If the answers are positive, then note it in a customized, key-word rich bullet on your resume.

Complete this step for every requirement in the job description. If you don't, you could get rejected on the grounds that you "don't" have experience that you really do have.

Anyhoo, here are this week's brand new jobs!

1. Ecom Buyer and Prod Manager (San Diego) http://bit.ly/wwUl2e - GREAT GIG
2. Ecom Strategist (New York City) http://bit.ly/w26GkW - FIVE STAR JOB
3. Email Marketing Manager (Cincinnati) http://bit.ly/w7RqEJ - BIG MONEY
4. Sr Leader, Ecom Site Mktg Strategy (Raleigh) http://bit.ly/zZ0PHR - GROWTH OPPTY
5. VP of Search Marketing (NYC) http://bit.ly/xnoDwK - AWESOME ROLE
6. Dir of Ecom & Mobile (Greenville, SC) http://bit.ly/x65gDO - GREAT QUALITY OF LIFE

Plus, these great jobs are still available ...

• Affiliate Marketing Manager (Virginia Beach) http://bit.ly/zcP0xZ
• Dir of Buying (San Jose) http://bit.ly/exe6Vz
• Dir of Category Mgt (Boise) http://bit.ly/AyfcbM
• Dir of Ecom (Detroit) http://bit.ly/thjGHu
• Dir of Ecom (Miami) http://bit.ly/wE1YQa
• Dir Ecom Strategy (Petaluma, CA) http://bit.ly/wJ8CyH
• Dir of Online Sales (Columbia, SC) http://bit.ly/rsI4Us
• Dir of PPC (Walnut Creek, CA) http://bit.ly/tih3ef
• Dir of Prod Data and Merch Mgt (Walnut Creek, CA) http://bit.ly/sw5tYt
• Ecom Mgr (Woodstock, CT) http://bit.ly/lCsSGM
• Ecom User Experience Spec (Boston / NY) http://bit.ly/wj8qIa
• Email / Database Mkg Mgr (San Diego) http://bit.ly/vdqnUY
• Front-end Developer (Atlanta) http://bit.ly/xOPKQp
• Internet Mktg Mgr (Manchester, VT) http://bit.ly/w0oIem
• Mgr, Voice of Customer (Richmond, VA) http://bit.ly/jxhard
• VP / Director of Marketing (Vancouver, BC) http://bit.ly/uq5IQF
• VP of Sales (Home based) http://bit.ly/yZsWDo
• Web Insights Analyst (Manchester, VT) http://bit.ly/vStu9c

LQQK OUT FOR FIVE NEW JOBS NEXT WEEK ...

rock on!
h a r r y
http://www.linkedin.com/in/harryjoiner

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Vice President of Search Marketing (New York, New York)

NEW YORK, NY - EcommerceRecruiter.com is the leading executive search firm serving the Shop.org, SEMPO, DMA, Ad:Tech, and IR-500 communities. To subscribe to our searches, click here. Alternatively, follow EcommerceJobs on Twitter. To add your resume to our confidential database, click here. To like us on FB, please click here.

We are working with iMarketing LTD, a leading full-service online marketing agency that delivers measurable results for clients such as Yahoo, Dow Jones, Barclays Group and American Express. iMarketing's analytical and performance-based approach enables clients to profitably acquire new customers and increase revenues through a wide range of online channels.

HARRY'S COMMENTS: In the last 18 months, EcommerceRecruiter.com has been very blessed to receive tons of inquiries from fine companies seeking our assistance with ecommerce recruitment. Because I am not in the position to handle every search, I am afforded the luxury of working only with the best companies whose searches can be closed on the back of a single story. (After all, I'm a storyteller.)

I'm always on the lookout for a hook: If I were a candidate, why would I want to go to work for this client? What's so special about them? Do they have a competitive advantage that will allow my team to generate more sales at higher margins? Are the underlying economics of their business favorable? Why do their customers do business with them again and again? And so forth.

Basically, I'm trying to answer the $64 question: “If I were a venture capitalist, would I invest my own money, time, and reputation in this business?” Very often, if I’m satisfied, my candidates will be too.

So here's the deal: iMarketing is a healthy, profitable, and growing interactive agency that helps clients cost-effectively acquire customers online. The firm's success metrics might include a sale, a lead, a subscription, or any other measurable action that is dictated by their clients. Yet unlike most interactive agencies, iMarketing uses any and all methods of customer acquisition, both online and off.

And to me, that’s the hook.  These guys know more about integrated, multichannel customer acquisition and reactivation than any firm I’ve ever vetted. And given where search is headed, iMarketing is a versatile search marketer's paradise.

However, this is a VP level position. We're looking for an experienced, future-oriented search marketer with significant management, strategy, and team-building experience. This position will oversee P&L for the Search Marketing Group, ensuring revenue goals and resource needs are met.

Candidates must be absolute top performers - intelligent, strategically and financially literate, analytical, net-savvy, and creative - and willing to work hard as part of a larger team. This position is ideal for a seasoned executive looking to work with experienced online marketing professionals in a high-performance, results driven environment.

Please Tweet this job, and you'll be automatically entered into our monthly drawing. Just do it and see what happens: 2010 prizes included $100 Amazon gift certs, Dean & Deluca steaks, and Keurig coffee machines ...

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Position Overview:

• Oversee P&L for search marketing group, ensuring revenue goals and resource needs are met.
• Manage a team of 5 Search team members, including performance, development, and training
• Supervise development, implementation and maintenance of comprehensive plans and strategy to achieve Client objectives and targets
• Define and implement standardized processes/workflows for Client campaign management and internal activities
• Oversee reporting and analytics processes for Search Team
• Perform in-depth quantitative analysis of search marketing campaigns and identify more advanced analysis areas for analysts
• Review and standardize tools and documents used by the Services and Account Management teams.
• Manage high-level relationships with primary vendors (Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and tools providers)
• Implement intelligent and disciplined testing to increase web site and landing page conversion rates across clients
• Work with Account Management team to facilitate client communications flow and fulfill Client needs
• Support Business Development with collateral, research, and support Account Management in Client presentations for Search.
• Identify / assess online marketing trends to develop Client marketing opportunities
• Support programs associated with our Client’s online marketing efforts

Position Requirements:

• 10+ years of online marketing experience in ROI-driven, highly accountable Search Marketing campaigns
• 5+ years of experience directly managing Search Marketing teams (no experience managing teams, no consideration)
• Sound business acumen, financial analysis skills, strategic thinking, and analytical capability
• Direct management of online campaigns across multiple search vendors and tools (including, but not limited to: Google, Yahoo!, MSN, Ask.com, AOL)
• Solution-oriented thinker with a strong attention to detail, analytics, and persuasive presentation of data
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills necessary to interface with a variety of personnel at multiple levels as well as clients and vendors
• Ability to meet tight deadlines consistently while maintaining a high level of attention to detail and follow-through.
• Ability to turn empirical data into insightful, strategic decisions and tactical team plans
• Extensive use of PPC bidding tools, as well as hands-on/manual PPC techniques
• Experience with Landing Page Testing and Optimization and how it relates to Quality Scores
• Experience with Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Experience with all online marketing related technologies, including HTML, pixel and non-pixel based tracking, datafeeds, XML, etc.
• Experience with other online media formats (Display, Email, Co-Reg, Contextual, etc.) a strong plus

Applications for this position are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.  Candidates, please be sure to email Harry Joiner for a packet of market research and company / competitive intel that will differentiate you in your candidacy. Due to the intensely competitive nature of this search, thorough preparation for these interviews with this proprietary material is strongly recommended.

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