Ecommerce Manager Jobs: Esquel Group seeks an Ecommerce Manager (New York, NY 10016)

With $1.4 billion in sales, 58000 employees, and production facilities in China, Mauritius, Malaysia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka and a network of branch offices servicing customers in key markets worldwide, the Esquel Group is one of the world’s most dynamic and progressive global-scale textile and apparel manufacturers. The company is famous (yes, famous) for its innovative and socially responsible practices designed to enrich the lives of its employees, and its retail brand, is being transformed into a world class luxury brand for the 21st century.

The Esquel Group is more vertically integrated than any company we’ve ever worked with — actually growing its own cotton to making its own buttons. Its standards for sustainability, exploration, education, and integrity are among the highest in the world of business. Truly, the company is amazing.

It’s on the back of these advantages that The Esquel Group seeks to launch their ecommerce business to affluent men throughout the United States. According to Esquel’s Dee Poon, “The men we cater to are confident, educated, and appreciative of quality and details. Our typical client actually has to do a lot of things. He’s active, he’s working, and he’s contributing to the world. We make clothes for men who have better things to think about.”

The affluent male is defined as an adult 18+ with a household income of $100,000. They are highly connected and engaged in a variety of devices, and they expect a seamless experience across devices and value-added features that make their lives easier. Affluent males tend to research and buy online, with the bulk of that research happening on a mobile device.

Mostly, affluent males appear to shop for themselves, and a majority of them will engage with banner ads. Search ads are a relevant, effective marketing channel, and social media is a highly consistent component of their media consumption. Affluent males tend to cite quality, style, and fun as their primary reasons for their affinity with certain luxury brands.

• 75% of affluent males are 35 and older
• 43% are between the ages of 45 and 64
• 69% have household incomes of between $100K and $300K
• 13% have household incomes of between $1 million and $3 million (Wow!!)
• 38% work for companies with 1000 or more employees
• 58% it in small households of 2-3 people (including themselves)
• 13% of this audience spends an excess of $30,000 online annually.
• Nearly half spend more than $4000 per year online.

Now then, here’s what you’ll be walking into: Although these are incredibly smart people with deep, relevant experience, there’s a lot they don’t know about ecommerce. Which is actually a good thing; It’s always better to work for managements that “know not and know that they know not.” That kind of humility is a sign of great intelligence.

What that means is that YOU will be expected to have a significant impact on the ecommerce strategy for the US division. And another thing: Esquel plans to market these shirts for between $150 and $200 per unit. But don’t let that scare you. My favorite dress shirt for special occasions is made by Robert Talbott. You can see the Robert Talbott dress shirt page here.

If you think I can’t tell the difference between my Talbott shirt and one of my Jos. A. Bank shirts, you’re crazy. It’s more comfortable. It looks better after several hours. It drapes on me better. It doesn’t stretch (like, at all). It has never faded, even after several cleanings. It’s better designed. It’s like a Rolex watch for my top half. Which is precisely the point. Whenever I need to look “perfect,” there’s never any doubt as to which of my 25 shirts is my “go to” shirt.

The fact is, there has never been a better time to launch an online business like this. Esquel just finalized their relationship with its Magento integrator, and the tentative plan is to go live with a small number of SKUs – something like 40. Ultimately, this could climb as high as 200.

What’s so great about this opportunity is that you will have the backing (clarity + ability + resolve) of a $1.4 billion organization that is 100% vertically integrated and privately held. Manufacturing 100 million shirts per year, Esquel grows its own cotton, gins it, spins it, makes fabric, garments, buttons, and ensures quality and responsible manufacturing every step of the way. In the food business, we used to describe this level of integration as “farm to fork.”

I’ve been recruiting for 10 years, and I’ve never seen a consumer company do this.

RIGHT NOW: We want YOU to be Esquel’s ecommerce linchpin, what Seth Godin describes as “an individual who can walk into chaos and create order, someone who can invent, connect, create, and make things happen.”

Cogs see a job; the linchpin sees a platform. Every interaction, every assignment is a chance to make a change, a chance to delight or surprise or to touch someone. Your job is to help every single Esquel client feel better about themselves because of their relationship with the firm. In that respect, the $150 shirt is really just a means to an end.

As always, I have compiled 50+ pages of personal notes and market research on this position. Be sure to ask my right hand, Allan Seibert, for that information when you apply below. Without it, it’s unlikely you’ll get hired.