Eric Nelson Email & Phone Number

• Strategized, executed, and managed all eCommerce initiatives on B2C Magento eCommerce platform with website annual sales exceeding $1 million dollars.• Maintained e-mail marketing database and creates comprehensive e-mail marketing and digital campaigns to increase online presence in emerging media outlets.• Regularly monitored the competitive landscape by examining strategies of best-in-class brick and mortar and online retailers to understand emerging trends and recommended changes based on customer and competitor insights.• Utilized traditional and digital marketing efforts to create relevant, value-added and engaging customer shopping experiences and to ensure maximum customer acquisition, engagement, retention, loyalty, and revenue. • Leveraged insight into sports retail to monitor and manage inventory performance and developed financial strategies to achieve sales plans for pre-season, in-season, and hot-market opportunities.• Collaborated and worked closely with third-party agencies to increase eCommerce traffic and sales, improve conversion and profitability, and optimize online advertising and marketing efficiencies.• Created yearly partner-specific marketing calendars to capitalize on relative sporting events and sales cycles to increase gross revenue.• Provided overall strategic direction on all new product introductions from key vendors including financial forecasts, merchandising, and marketing directives.• Oversaw systems implementation and improvements with eCommerce and site-based development of integrated POS and warehouse inventory systems.• Accountable for strategic planning and financial oversight, ensuring precision in corporate financial reporting.

Tallahassee, Fl, Us

• Managed top-down product demand forecast based on open-to-buy and financial targets to maximize sales and attain desired inventory targets. Provided product forecasts and proactively identified risks or opportunities with recommendations to optimize sales to inventory ratio.• Tracked, analyzed, and reported 12-month moving average figures to gauge the direction of the current product line trend with the removal of seasonal fluctuations. • Attended weekly planning and budget meetings to discuss companywide financial targets including product gross profit margins, estimated EOY inventory valuation, and inventory overages or shortages. • Identified and analyzed product mix potential by utilizing GMROII analysis to identify top SKU effectiveness by collection and profitability by product. • Planned and procured in-season purchases and tracked orders with on-time delivery. Responsible for price negotiation, purchase order creation and issuance, maintenance, and receipt of finished goods. • Managed purchases of more than $1.9M annually – Maintained average initial product gross profit margin of 74.6% with an average blended gross margin of 45.6%.• Coordinated and managed information about product line management, product creation and development, and go-to-market processes.• Developed a vendor guide strengthening partnerships and establishing a clear understanding of requirements and standards.• Established, implemented, and tracked quality assurance control-related standards, reports, and procedures to monitor and minimize product defect rate – In 2014, effectively managed to fulfill more than 675,000 units with low defect/return rate.• Maintained strong vendor relationships by traveling to China annually to meet with an export agent and visited and evaluated current and potential manufacturing facilities.

Us

• Developed, planned, and executed seasonal product assortments and financial plans with annual departmental sales exceeding $19.8M. Initiated sales plans using corporate goals and strategies to maximize sales and profits. • Sourced and assembled corporate-wide product mix; negotiated prices and established production and delivery guidelines with 50+ vendors.• Communicated with vendors on an ongoing basis regarding product availability, pricing, minimums, terms, graphic options, shipping schedules, and other related concerns. • Prepared merchandising tools such as style/SKU reports, product flow, and assortment pages, and merchandising grids. • Communicated vendor and product information to the planning management team including product assortment plans, lead times, and product style sheets. • Partnered with planners to review decisions impacting the product category including sales and margin forecasting, seasonal markdown direction, and pricing and promotional activity. • Established buy plans for key items and provided item forecasts to vendors to ensure proper execution of merchandise strategy.• Prepared and analyzed sales reports identifying opportunities that included a review of vendor performance, product, size, color, and graphic trends. • Performed weekly analysis of sales and inventory availability of key items or seasonal products and provided recommendations to store planners for fulfillment orders. • Tracked, analyzed, and evaluated current fashion and market trends and offered actionable insights for trend introduction to the collegiate retail environment.

Us

• Executed general merchandise purchasing for 10 stores in the South region totaling over $5.7M annually in retail sales. • Generated sales plans and market growth strategies for the region. • Managed Open-to-Buy process by store location to support inventory goals including sales, gross margin, and inventory turnover. • Selected product assortments with style and graphic options for diverse markets. • Maintained proper size, color, and style balance to meet demands for each location. • Performed weekly analysis of sales and inventory availability and initiated fulfillment orders. • Executed allocation plans and managed purchase orders for timely and accurate delivery. • Recommended and executed markdown schedules and sale events to liquidate aged inventory or overstock situations. • Effectively communicated purchasing plans with key personnel while adapting plans to meet the store’s individual consumer needs. • Diagrammed, organized, and directed visual presentation of each store and recommended changes to enhance sales.

Us

• Developed product assortments for collegiate retail store with an annual sales volume of more than $2.75M. • Maintained 44% gross margin while companywide standard set at 42%. • Consistently met and exceeded corporate annual growth factor of 5%, 2004-2008. • Attended trade fairs to select and assemble product mix. • Collaborated with licensed manufacturers on exclusive product development. • Worked with campus licensing director reviewing product standards, resolving vendor issues, and examining market trends. • Regularly reviewed sales analysis including style evaluation, vendor performance, stock sell-thru, and margin analysis. • Managed plans for stock levels and identified growth opportunities and risks in assortment and developed contingency plans. • Created, designed, and planned production of licensed product catalogs, brochures, and in-store advertising. • Participated in promotional activities and met with the management team to ensure sale events were executed effectively. • Managed implementation and maintenance of eCommerce site and E-marketing plan.