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We are working with Zachys in their search for a Director of Ecommerce based in Scarsdale, NY.
One of the coolest NYC Ecommerce Jobs …
Zachys.com is one of the premier on-line destinations to purchase fine wine and spirits. Zachys has a well-established bricks and mortar location and an unparalleled reputation for quality and impeccable customer service throughout the tri-state area and the world.
Zachys seeks a Director of Ecommerce to lead Zachys online retail initiatives as the firm expands its business within and across categories, distribution formats and consumer targets. The Director of Ecommerce will directly manage all aspects of e-commerce, online advertising, email marketing, local and national advertising, and brand strategy. It’s a big job.
HARRY’S COMMENTS: Zachys is one of America’s largest fine wine retailers. The firm has a traditional brick and mortar retail wine business, as well as a global wine auction business that conducts auctions primarily in New York and Hong Kong. Zachys advertises heavily in the New York Times, and the firm is extremely well-known in the mid-Atlantic states.
The firm specializes in unique and hard-to-find wines from around the world, and it is in the early stages of building out its Hong Kong office, where it has been participating in wine auctions for the last 3 years. Zachys intends to staff a full team, in addition to pursuing a consumer-oriented wine business in Hong Kong and China.
As is very unusual for a family run business, Zachys management has always provided its people with great autonomy to grow the business however they have seen fit. Accordingly, the firm’s hiring style is to select extremely business-oriented people who have a strong vision and the ability to execute, and then provide them with the money and the guidance to grow the business. According to Zachys Vice President Andrew McMurray, “If you have the smarts and the drive, we will not get in your way.”
The firm takes all of its relationships very seriously.
Selling hard-to-find and high-quality wines is a relationship intensive business. Zachys has wonderful relationships with its suppliers, whether that is a winery in France or a very wealthy collector in Florida. On the demand side, Zachys appeals to both affluent and ultra-affluent consumers.
How big is the market?
Much bigger than you would imagine! According to a study by MarketWatch, Affluent consumers typically have household incomes of $150,000-$250,000 and/or net worths exceeding $1 million. Ultra Affluent consumers have household incomes of $250,000 and up and/or net worths of $3 million-$10 million. These are the wealthiest 10% of US households, according to the Federal Reserve. They earn 36% of all US income and control 70% of the US net worth. Incredibly, there are more than 11 million Ultra Affluent households in the United States.
How do they buy?
In his outstanding book “The Art of Selling to the Affluent” Matt Oechsli lists seven drivers of significant buying decisions by the affluent:
- They want to be respected (even honored) for the level of success they have achieved.
- They are successful because of the professionalism and competence they apply to their work, and they expect no less from others.
- They will react strongly to any attempts to deceive them, and when they feel that happens, they take their business elsewhere.
- They define value in their own terms.
- Instead of striving to keep up with the Joneses, they want to be different than the Joneses.
- They experience enough tension and hassles in their daily work life, and they want to be free from all of that when dealing with people who would like to sell them something.
- They can afford and are willing to pay for the best information, the best products, the highest level of competence, and the best professional service available.
Which is absolutely perfect for Zachys.
According to Mr. McMurray, “We are not necessarily the cheapest, but we are highly reputable, and we understand the value of bending over backwards for our buyers and sellers. And these people greatly appreciate our knowledge and enthusiasm for the merchandise. Basically, the service side of our business is run like a four-star family restaurant, and these affluent and ultra-affluent buyers return to us again and again.”
What does that mean for Zachys ecommerce?
It means that Zachys best days are ahead of it. Currently, the company’s online sales are nearly $6 million. Zachys.com sold 143,000 bottles of wine on the web last year, down only slightly from the prior year thanks to Hurricane Sandy, which knocked the site out during the firm’s busy season. Zachys average order value on the web is just north of $400, and Mr. McMurray advises that the firm is starting to sell more spirits online.
And it’s not all about selling to rich people either.
According to Mr. McMurray, “Besides our existing customer base, we want drinkers. We want people who will enjoy the merchandise and not just sit on it. Also, we want to attract a younger demographic. Most people in their 20s are not rich or ultrarich. We would love to pursue people in their 20s or 30s who want to enjoy a $20-$30 bottle of wine. Great wine is about sharing and learning, and there are plenty of wonderful bottles on the market for under $30 a bottle. We have a tremendous inventory of that product as well, and we would love to develop that audience. We feel that our high touch approach will translate very well in that space.”
As NYC ecommerce jobs go, this one’s a doozey.
Essential Function and Responsibilities:
- Profitably acquire new customers through organic search, paid search, PR, social media, marketplaces, and other digital marketing programs
- Increase customer retention and maximize lifetime value through effective use of targeted retention marketing programs
- Oversee all design and web production developed by creative team
- Leverage Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) testing techniques to drive customer engagement and revenue
- Proactively gather and utilize intelligence from ecommerce, digital marketing, customers, competition, and verticals to understand business risks and support the expansion and optimization of existing products and initiatives that will drive increased customer acquisition and retention
- Collect input from various departments to create, maintain, and circulate an email deployment calendar
- Manage multiple email campaigns at once
- Work cross-functionally with internal teams from the briefing stage through to email deployment
- Create campaign tracking links within web analytics tool
- Complete email list pulls, ensuring data quality and accuracy
- Deliver final assets and data to 3rd party email service provider
- Assist with the execution of testing within email campaigns as well as the structuring of email templates
- Set up email campaigns within the email service provider’s tool
- Understand the competitive email landscape as well as email trends and best practices
- Utilize 3rd party email service provider and web analytics provider reporting tools to gather and analyze results
- Passionate about continual measurement — set and refine key metrics (KPIs) for success in all channels/roles and evaluate progress against them
- Oversee the development of promotional strategies for Zachys
- Collaborate with team members to achieve financial objectives
Job Requirements:
- MBA in Marketing, Finance or Strategy required, equivalent experience considered. Academic and professional background should offer strong preparation for a highly strategic leadership role in an entrepreneurial environment. Candidate should have demonstrated ability to lead and motivate a complex marketing organization.
- Clear demonstration of leadership, team commitment and ability to influence Board-level decision making.
- Detailed understanding of best practices in media mix modeling, media planning, behavioral targeting / lead management, loyalty programs, experimental design, retail marketing and remarketing, email marketing, and best practices in online advertising and social platforms.
UPDATE: THIS SEARCH IS CLOSED.
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