Product Manager Jobs: REEDS Jewelers seeks a Product Manager, Ecommerce Lead (Wilmington, NC 28401)

Let me start out by saying that we have an absolutely INSANE amount of information on this position. Our market research includes a 2015 diamond industry report from DeBeers (US sales up 7% last year), plus we have reports from First Research and IBIS World as well. On top of that, the notes from my two-hour kickoff call with this role’s hiring manager exceed 10 pages! Applying for this role without this information will be like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Now then: REEDS Jewelers is the largest family-owned retail jewelry chain in North America. The firm sells diamonds, watches, and a large selection of fine jewelry from top designers in over 65 retail stores across 18 states as well as online at Reeds.com. Headquartered in the coastal city of Wilmington, NC, REEDS is a 70-year old company that started selling on the web in 1996, and today accepts accepts freaking Bitcoin (!!) online and in-store.

While the world is shifting under the feet of luxury marketers, diamond jewelry still represents an $80 billion global market annually. In fact, online jewelry growth in the US is twice that of retail stores. Roughly 10% of all US diamond jewelry (by value) is sold online and 40% of all US jewelry purchases are researched online.

Established brands like REEDS can do very well online because diamonds are nature-made and therefore extremely difficult to standardize. Diamond consumers don’t really know who’s certifying their diamonds: It could be a legitimate high-standard laboratory -OR- a lab with lax standards. Fact is, all labs use the same terminology for color, cut, and clarity — so it’s critical that consumers rely on trusted brands to help them buy the stones that will commemorate the most important decisions of their lives.

As Product Manager for REEDS.com, you will take the lead for the digital shopping experience for REEDS worldwide. That’ a big job, because “selling” is the transfer of confidence — and that transfer relies on two things: TRUST and CREDIBILITY. You’ll be responsible for refining a UX for REEDS.com that exudes trust and credibility, and you’ll oversee the frontend UI plus backend system technologies and integration that will separate REEDS.com from other sites in the category.

It will be up to YOU to identify and develop the right business objectives for the site, develop the product strategy, evaluate technology solutions, and create the development roadmap … Then bring to life an online product that REEDS’ users can get hooked on. Plus, you’ll be expected to lead digital product innovation in REEDS’ retail store environments, crossing from the digital into the physical shopping realm.

“What do REEDS’ customers REALLY want? And how can you best represent their interests in a truly omnichannel way?”

Currently, the Product Management function is a shared responsibility within REEDS’ Ecommerce department. As the product management baton is passed to you, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to review and clarify both REEDS.com’s end-users’ needs plus the site’s business goals. From there you can develop a roadmap for web development, innovation, and growth. Analytically biased Product Managers who know how to test and validate their ideas will do well here, as will A-players who can move the site forward in an organized way.

Great online products are always a work in progress. It’ll fall to YOU to continue to continually evaluate REEDS.com … to question and challenge your own assumptions … to measure your activities and outcomes … and reevaluate and refine the UX as needed. Great product management is all about continuous improvement (versus just saying “Okay, we’ve improved it. Let’s move on to the next thing.”)

You’ll have a plan / roadmap in place for next 6 to 12 months. You’ll have refined what KPIs are to be measured and EVERYONE at REEDS will know where the product is headed — and what’s in it for them you the product “arrives.” Bringing your vision to life will involve developing collaborative, productive, and respectful relationships with all of your stakeholders — both internally and externally.

Obviously, you need intelligence. This is a very analytical role which’ll require you to cope with change. Continuous improvement will require you to change what you currently have. Beyond that, you’ll need to have a process for managing and measuring everything around you. Your job is to represent the interests of REEDS’ customers – now and in the future. Naturally, this means you’ll have to understand how they FEEL about buying jewelry …

• What do they fear?
• What makes them mad?
• What are their top three daily frustrations?
• Is there a built-in bias to the way they make decisions? (Logic versus emotion)
• What are their secret hopes and dreams?
• What will make them feel better about themselves because of their relationship with REEDS?
• and so on.

Obviously, doing this will require you to manage with vision and purpose. It will require perseverance, interpersonal savvy, and ability to prioritize, and a knack for learning on the fly. More than anything, it will require you to drive results in ways that are reality-based yet future oriented. Think about that. That seems contradictory, doesn’t it?

Again, we have a massive amount of proprietary intel to share with qualified candidates. My industry research for this assignment exceeds 50 pages! Be sure to TEXT me (Harry Joiner) for this info at (404) 281-2025. Or simply use the email link when you apply for the role below.