Ecommerce Jobs: Whitewater Brands seeks a Director of Omni-Channel Marketing (Boise, ID)

1. Collision Services, Inc in Hudson, Iowa, which is focused on selling consumable products and equipment collision repair shops.
2. I/D/E/A, Inc. in Boise, Idaho, which operates two lines of business: IdeaAutoBody.com, focused on selling consumable products and equipment to collision repair shops; and IdeaAutoRepair.com, focused on selling consumable products and equipment to mechanical repair shops.
3. Sole Source, in Boise, Idaho, which designs and manufactures cards and promotional materials of various types for the veterinary, trucking and construction industries.

Additionally, Whitewater seeks to acquire other multi-channel B2B marketers and distributors. This position may eventually impact those brands as well.

At a high level, Whitewater operates like a manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of consumables and equipment for the collision repair and mechanical repair industries, and I/D/E/A and Collision Services are highly regarded by those repair shops as a one-stop-supplier for their equipment and repair supply needs.

It works like this:

Perhaps at some point in your life you’ve been in a fender bender. If so, you may have been in an auto body shop. As you waited to pick up your car, you might’ve seen any number of job folders, specialized equipment and tools, floor mats, key tags, paint stands, parts caddies, repair order racks, business forms, and more. That’s what Whitewater’s automotive businesses sell, and there’s real money in it, too.

Industry research estimates that the collision repair industry in the United States generates approximately $30.7 billion in revenue annually and consists of approximately 35,000 collision repair shops. The entire U.S. automotive repair and maintenance services industry generates revenue of ~$90 billion and includes ~120,000 mechanical repair shops.

The auto repair industry is very fragmented: the 50 largest companies generate less than 10% of revenue. Most auto repair shops are independently owned, although many are being acquired by industry consolidators or becoming part of networks.

Most firms in the mechanical field provide generalized services, such as maintenance plus specialty services. These shops primarily deal with deterioration of parts due to normal wear. Common repairs involve air conditioning, brake, transmission, and electrical systems.

Collision repair involves two distinct types of repair: body work and painting (or refinishing). In the body shop, technicians correct damaged car frames and panels. Each repair is unique and depends on the accident that caused damage.

A typical mechanical repair shop has seven service bays and handles 200 repairs a month, according to the Automotive Service Association (ASA). A typical body shop has 15 bays and handles about 100 repairs per month.

Almost 80% of mechanical repair shop and 50% of collision repair shop customers are repeat, according to the Automotive Service Association (ASA). Auto repair shops typically draw customers from a 20-mile radius. Marketing and promotional vehicles include phone directories; signage; local newspaper, TV, and radio ads; and direct mail.

Because business related to insurance claims can be a large percentage of sales, relationships with insurance agents and companies are important for large body shops. About 30% of body shops report higher profits after affiliating with an insurance-sponsored direct repair program (DRPs), according to BodyShop Business.

All of these firms tend to rely on repeat business, maintaining customer satisfaction is crucial. A good reputation among customers can yield valuable word-of-mouth advertising – many of CSI and I/D/E/A’s products can help a shop owner in the marketing process.

In fact, the firm’s websites are designed to mimic its catalog — and that’s a good thing. Both the catalog and website play key roles in driving customers to the company’s call centers in Boise and Iowa, which are staffed by two dozen extremely knowledgeable service reps.

As a marketer, you’ll be solving some very interesting problems. For example, the average body shop owner is 55 years old and loves the catalog. However, the next generation, possibly the body shop owner’s son, is much more likely to pull up the Internet. And while dad is making the decisions today, Whitewater must position itself as a trusted resource to both generations.

As usual, we have several thousand words worth of kickoff call notes, KPIs, and industry research we are happy to share with qualified candidates. All told, there are 9 key marketing disciplines Whitewater will expect you to know deeply in order to succeed in this position. But at the end of the day, success will boil down to a handful of critical initiatives:

1. Gaining an understanding of all the marketing channels used by the company, and developing ideas for how to improve the firm’s marketing.
2. Supporting both the catalog and e-commerce sides of the business.
3. Providing meaningful guidance on the merchandising side of the business, reviewing products, understanding what products are selling (and WHY), and understanding the latest product trends within the industry.
4. Tying marketing promotions and plans to the sales effort, which will include improving product training; and integrating product marketing plans with the sales promotion plan. Naturally, that would involve integrating sales, training, and marketing.
5. Assisting in better managing and rationalizing vendor relationships between Whitewater’s Boise and Iowa facilities.

The role is perfect for an energetic, detail oriented person with a proven ecommerce track record. You will need to be tech savvy in this position, and you’ll need a cross channel philosophy of the business. Moreover, it’s essential that you understand how to excel in a lean environment. If that describes you, then we’d love to hear from you.