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One of the coolest VP Ecommerce jobs around!
HARRY’S COMMENTS: We are working with BlissWorld in their search for a world-class VP of Ecommerce and Digital Marketing based in sunny Los Angeles, CA.
Let’s get a couple of things out of the way right now:
1.) This is a highly strategic role that will significantly impact where, how, and what rate Bliss grows in the future. If you’re looking for an opportunity to make a difference to an established beauty brand, look no further. If you don’t have highly developed strategic planning chops, this probably isn’t the opportunity for you.
2.) Given the strategic sensitivity of this role, I’m going to be deliberately vague about what this job involves. Many of Bliss’ competitors read my job postings, so if you want to know the nitty-gritty details behind this search, you’ll need to sign an NDA.
My kickoff calls with this role’s hiring manager totaled three hours, and we ended up getting into deep specifics about the company’s revenue plan through 2022. I have no intention of unpacking that here.
Here’s what I can tell you:
Bliss Spa was founded by Marcia Kilgore, a Saskatchewan, Canada native who moved to Manhattan in 1987 to attend Columbia University. During college, Ms. Kilgore became a personal trainer to make money and soon after decided to take a course in skincare, largely because she had personally suffered from acne since her preteen years. Inspired by her classes, Ms. Kilgore began giving facials to her friends out of her East Village apartment.
Ms. Kilgore opened her first single-room office in New York’s Soho district in 1991, followed by the opening of a three-room mini-spa called Let’s Face It! in June 1993. To accommodate increasing demand, Kilgore opened the first Bliss Spa in SoHo in July 1996.
In January 2004, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide acquired Bliss spa from LVMH for a reported $25 million in cash. As part of the acquisition, Starwood launched Bliss Spas in several of its W Hotels in an effort to move its W hotel brand into the resort business. In January 2010, Steiner Leisure Limited completed its $100 million acquisition of Bliss from Starwood.
Today, Bliss retails its own line of bath, body and skincare products through its own website, spa stores and at retailers like Ulta, Blue Mercury, Macy’s, and Amazon. The firm has an iPhone app as well as a presence on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Take a quick look at everything this firm does …
About the Role
Reporting to the SVP, Marketing, Bliss seeks a goal-oriented, highly entrepreneurial, and wicked smart VP of Ecommerce and Digital Marketing to take the company to the next level. Again, I’m bound to some secrecy regarding how you might do that, but you can expect to closely examine all aspects of Bliss’ ecommerce operating environment, value proposition, revenue model, technology stack, and team (inherited and otherwise).
This is not a job for a pedestrian thinker.
You’ll be expected to take a strategic view of the digital commerce landscape, keeping current with industry best practices and trends, and partner with global team members to develop and implement Bliss’ international ecommerce roadmap. You and your team will oversee ALL THINGS DIGITAL, from concept development to strategizing, planning, and implementing Bliss’ ecommerce piece.
The buck will stop with YOU on all matters involving updates and improvements to the sites’ functionality and design. Bliss is embracing multichannel / multi-device in a very big way, and it will fall to your team to present a unified, customer-centric view of Bliss’ brands, consistent across the brick-and-mortar and digital spaces.
This is your basic Ecommerce GM role which will allow you to …
- Lead web merchandising, marketing, design, operations, analytics and development efforts.
- Collaborate with IT on the back-end of the ecommerce technical architecture, including any implementation/maintenance which will affect ecommerce functionality.
- Manage large vendor contracts, and partner with additional third-party vendors to identify and apply solutions as needed for site experience improvement and operational optimization.
- Influence the fulfillment and returns handling aspects of the ecommerce business, in partnership with the Operations/Distribution department. Drive decisions on packaging, delivery options and service levels.
- Frame and map opportunities based on historical results & current trends to maximize sales.
- Manage digital marketing budget holistically while working with agencies to understand marketing effectiveness by channel and optimizing spend across channels.
- Partner with product development, brand marketing, and creative to ensure efficient and effective delivery of key company marketing initiatives.
- And more.
The good news is that your fingerprints will be all over the successes of Bliss ecommerce. If you’re looking for a company that will shine a very bright light on the excellent work you do, Bliss is the place for you. It’ll be your P&L, your team, your strategy, and your ability to execute.
Bliss will supply the money, the people, the technology, and the inventory. The market opportunity is huge.
Candidates, we’ve got a MONSTER amount of proprietary intel about this client, their market, their strategies, and this search. You simply don’t want to apply without this background information. To apply for this role, simply TEXT “[your name] + Bliss” to (404) 281-2025. Or simply use the link at the bottom of this post.
Either way, we look forward to chatting with you!
View Harry Joiner’s profile
Responsibilities:
- Lead and motivate a talented team providing vision, direction and guidance.
- Develop business plan and annual budget for ecommerce function.
- Own & Manage P&L of ecommerce business. That means developing strategies to deliver financial plans (sales, margin, contribution, inventory turns) and partner with Finance, Brand Marketing, Product Development and Planning Departments to forecast weekly/monthly sales, margins and review financial rollups.
- Manage online margin and maximize online revenue and profitability by assessing and implementing effective pricing and promotional activities.
- Optimize the experience on existing sites to improve conversion and increase repeat purchases.
- Strategically and profitably expand ecommerce into additional regions and countries.
- Oversee the implementation and utilization of database marketing program to drive brand loyalty and sales.
- Maintain positive open lines of communication with leadership and other key contacts across internal departments in order to inform, build partnerships and further evangelize the importance of the digital space to Bliss’ efforts.
- Build and maintain relationships with outside suppliers and partners in order to contribute to the efficient operation of the organization.
- Play a key role in the company’s go-to-market process, and maintain a close relationship with the brand marketing team, representing the digital consumer and ecommerce efforts in the process.
- Contribute to the product strategy for the Company’s online services.
- Oversee and continue to improve the global ecommerce platform and other key technology providers.
- Define overall vision and strategies for Bliss retention and acquisition marketing programs in the context of business objectives and evolving consumer and marketplace dynamics.
Requirements:
- BA/BS required
- Proven leadership of an ecommerce P&L
- 7-10 years experience with B2C ecommerce
- Extensive knowledge of ecommerce technology and sophisticated analytics.
- Expertise on current ecommerce industry best practices.
- Outstanding analytical skills, strong experience interpreting test results & drawing conclusions.
- Demonstrated strong business judgment and decision-making skills; ability to identify, prioritize, and articulate highest impact initiatives
- Subject matter expert in acquisition marketing
- Extensive knowledge of digital marketing best practices, industry trends, and leading solution providers
- Strong project management skills
- Entrepreneurial drive
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and sometimes ambiguous environment
Applications for this position are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE. Candidates, please be sure to email Harry for additional information 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.
