Manager, Merchandising Strategy

The Merchandising Strategy Manager position plays a key role in the planning and analysis of merchandising initiatives for Orbitz, Cheaptickets and Lodging.  This role will synthesize research and analysis of product display with industry and competitive dynamics to drive merchandising changes.  Lead development of new reporting and analysis of merchandising performance results. 

 

Role & Responsibilities:

? Merchandising reporting & performance

o  Responsible for identifying, analyzing and assessing key merchandising performance trends; communicate conclusions, findings and recommended actions to optimize value

o  Conduct quantitative, strategic, and financial analyses of current and future onsite and merchandising initiatives

o  Develop reporting for measuring merchandising performance metrics that synthesizes data from various sources including web analytics data,  internal reporting tools & campaign analytics

o  Present merchandising performance metrics reporting to leadership team weekly

? Optimize onsite merchandising assets

o  Utilize web analytics reporting to understanding site productivity in the areas of site navigation, product placement and product display

o  Develop a comprehensive testing strategy, utilizing beta environment when appropriate, to optimize all onsite merchandising assets

o  Recommend changes to site design & product placement that maximize performance of merchandising assets and are in line with the company?s strategic goals

? Competitive analysis

o  Create competitive landscape analysis

o  Conduct a comprehensive comparison of our brands versus the competitive set for each

o  Develop business case for recommended site changes; manage beta test to confirm intended results; oversee project team to implement changes

o  Assess impact of ongoing competitive threats and make appropriate recommendations for counter-actions, if appropriate

? Planning

o  Preparation of key presentations for senior executive team

o  Act as a liaison between merch team and tech groups to ensure all merch projects are prioritized & executed in a timely manner

o  Develop a deep understanding of company goals & objectives and ensure that all merchandising efforts support those goals

o  Assist in development and regular analysis of annual plans, forecasts and business objectives

o  Participate in the annual forecasting and planning process

 

Qualifications:

? Bachelors degree in Statistics, Finance or Marketing; MBA (top-tier school) preferred

? 4+ years minimum professional work experience; e-commerce marketing or catalog experience preferred

? Hands on experience with web analytics reporting tools (Web Trends, WebSideStory, Omniture, etc.)

? Demonstrated analytic skills and comfort creating and analyzing business cases

? Strong verbal and written communication skills

? Command of Excel and Powerpoint.  Experience with developing Excel models for use in forecasting and scenario analysis

? Strategic thinker; quick learner; ability to work well in a dynamic environment and execute quickly

? Appreciation for how technology can be used to impact business results

? Travel industry experience a plus