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We are working with HeatandCool.com in their search for an Ecommerce Sourcing and Merchandising Manager based in Doral, Florida. It’s a lovely place.
One of the coolest Online Merchandising jobs around!
HeatAndCool.com is one of America’s largest online distributors of HVAC products and one of Inc. magazine’s fastest growing private companies. The firm specializes in sourcing and installing the world’s best HVAC systems at the lowest possible prices. HeatAndCool.com offers unparalleled bilingual service and technical support. Plus, unlike other HVAC distributors, HeatandCool.com assists its customers and technicians with complicated technical issues that may arise before, during, and after installation.
Evidently, it’s this level of service that has led to some pretty awesome fanboy videos being posted on YouTube. Check out this smokin’ hawt heavy medal guitar ode to HeatandCool.com …
HARRY’S COMMENTS: Lots of great things are happening at HeatandCool.com. The client just signed a deal with NetSuite (which integrates easily with Magento) and they are in the process of rolling out their ERP system – which should be live in a few weeks. Also, HeatandCool.com has re-platformed and redesigned its site just in time for the busy season, and management is incredibly excited about the forthcoming site’s intuitive UX and state-of-the-art functionality.
As well, HeatandCool.com has hired a fantastic new customer service manager plus a killer logistics manager from one of the largest ecommerce companies in South Florida. HeatandCool.com’s management team has spent truckloads of money adding capacity to the business, and now it’s time to add more product to the site.
That’s what this job is about.
Ideally, the client would like to see their SKU count quadrupled in the next 12 months. Until now, HeatandCool.com’s strategy has centered around selling its own private label products, but management believes that the new online merchant can have an immediate impact by analyzing HeatandCool.com’s house file and deducing which new products the company might offer.
Obviously, management has some great ideas about which products and categories offer low hanging fruit (heating, cooling, ventilation, and indoor air quality related, for example). From there, it’s a matter of contacting potential suppliers and making things happen. Potential suppliers may include any air conditioning supplier that’s already selling online. Obviously.
HeatandCool.com has done the math and you’ll be shocked when I tell you how much revenue the firm believes it can capture with this strategy, the new site (relaunching soon), and the capacity it has added to its ecommerce channel with tools like Exact Target, Salesforce CRM, and more. Much more.
And the best part is: YOU get to make it happen.
Look, we all want to do important work in our lives. Well friends, THIS is important. This role is about one thing only: Growth! And the company has decided to add an A-player to its team for the express purpose of making this happen through clever sourcing, squeaky clean supplier management programs, and first rate planning and online merchandising.
Most ecommerce merchandising roles center around merchandising planning and execution; product placement and “story” flow; and assembling content for web pages. You’ll do all of that here — but as part of a broader set of responsibilities. This position involves dimensionalizing HeatandCool.com’s brand to be about more than just its private label.
Here’s why that matters …
Historically, the vast majority of HeatandCool.com’s sales have been driven by its popular house brand, Klimaire. (Click here to read my previous post about how vertical integration has given the firm a strong advantage online.) HeatandCool.com’s product strategy and operating model have made the company industry leader in terms of how it simplified how HVAC products are bought online.
The average HVAC customer doesn’t know what they need – nor do they understand how to manage the industry’s layers of installers, contractors, and subcontractors.
The US plumbing and HVAC contractors industry includes about 93,000 establishments (single-location companies or units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $130 billion. The actual HVAC equipment component of this market is $60 billion, and not many companies are having an impact in terms of advancing, HVAC units are bought and installed.
Becoming a one-stop-shop for this far-flung industry builds on HeatandCool.com’s strategy of simplification.
The HVAC industry is very complex, and it’s difficult to integrate an online marketplace that involves brokers, resellers, manufactures, contractors, and installers. HeatandCool.com has a wonderful vision for tackling that opportunity. The firm has been around for nearly 30 years, and its founder has very deep relationships with suppliers, vendors, and factories in Asia. There is a lot to know about how to build a profitable ecommerce business through drop shipping, and having access to HeatandCool.com’s seasoned sourcing team will be a huge advantage for you.
Anyhoo, this is an amazing role with tons of upside potential for the right person. Right away, you’ll be an important part of a great team — yet you’ll have tons of latitude to make your own decisions and learn from experience. Plus, it’s almost a lock that wherever you are right now, the good people of Miami are kicking your butt, weatherwise.
So what are you waiting for?? Apply to Kelley Newsome below and she’ll hook you up with all kinds of competitive intel that’ll help you get this job — and shine it once you do!
View Harry Joiner’s profile
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Primary responsibilities will revolve around Performing keyword research to assess market demand / potential for new items; Overseeing imaging and photographic aspects of the site as it pertains to any items you add; Production of all relevant onsite / offsite promotional content for all new SKU’s; Oversight of new supplier database; and Management of web analytics activities as they pertain to gauging the success of new categories, products, and suppliers.
Additional responsibilities include …
- Lead the development of online merchandising planning and execution based on online merchandise strategies, branding objectives and marketing campaigns
- Drive website merch strategy through the development of the product assortment, key item positioning, and promotional plans for HeatandCool.com
- Lead the development of online promotional strategies and product presentations to support overall branding objectives and marketing campaigns
- Evaluate and maintain effective product family grouping, sort orders, site search filtering and categorization strategies that facilitate efficient search, reinforce a positive brand experience and support effective visual merchandising.
- Direct and conduct regular competitive analyses to identify best practices and recommended action items
- Collaborate directly with management to position key selling themes, offers and promotions consistent with HeatandCool.com’s brand efforts
REQUIREMENTS:
- Common sense and a bias for action when you smell an opportunity
- Resilience: The ability to deal with setbacks despite resistance. (Initially, you may taste a little rejection from some suppliers. So what! “Never, never, never give up.“)
- Proven track record of success in online merchandising
- HVAC / Home and garden experience is ideal
- Some experience working with the proper tools for this job
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