DTC Buying & Merchandising Manager

The purpose of the DTC Buying and Product Merchandising Manager, reporting directly to the Head of DTC, is to create, develop, plan, and execute product strategies related to the DTC product assortment of the Gibson Brands Portfolio. In scope are all Brands and Categories offered on Gibson Brands DTC channels, with a key focus on Ecommerce and Retail (Gibson Garage).  

The DTC Buying and Product Merchandising Manager owns the DTC line architecture, the assortment selection by channel, pricing, and availability of products to drive brand/product desirability and maximize sales, profitability, and customer satisfaction. She/He ensures that product offerings are aligned with market demand, brand strategy, and company’s commercial and financial objectives.  

Primary geographic scope is the United States; however, she/he is a global subject matter expert and liaises frequently with regional DTC teams in EMEA and APAC. Connects with the global DTC teams to ensure that DTC exclusive products cast the widest net for demand.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Creates and presents the annual and seasonal DTC product Line Architecture game plans (business plans), that align with Gibson's overall business goals and objectives with defined commercial revenue growth plans.
• Develops a specific product business plan for each brand/category and each distribution segment (e.g.: Retail, Ecom, etc) resulting in a Channel Right Assortment plan
• Defines Product Key Business Drivers and KPIs and ensure implementation and realization
• In cooperation with the Brand and Marketing teams, conducts frequent market research, social listening, competitor analysis, and customer insights to identify market trends, customer preferences, and emerging growth opportunities for our brands within our DTC channels.

• Stays abreast of the latest industry trends, innovations; proactively identifies opportunities to enhance Gibson's competitive advantage and pioneers new approaches.
• Drives revenue growth by identifying and capitalizing on opportunities to leverage our product portfolio, brand equity, and customer base. Creates industry leading product experiences. 
• Coordinates product launches across various DTC channels. Supports impactful story telling in his/her role as product expert. Works with Marketing and Site Merchandiser in articulating the DTC  I-MAP (Integrated marketing activation plan)
• Develops product concepts and programs, and briefs DTC Exclusives to ensure sufficiency of product newness and product differentiation. Uses product exclusives to close gaps in the retail calendar story roll out/flow, price point gaps, and maximizes on tentpole activation opportunities.
• Utilizes product exclusive programs as a key business driver (KBD) to ignite consumer desire (traffic/conversion). Understands the importance of Product Differentiations as a Unique Selling Point (USP)
• Pilots select new product concepts as a DTC first in form of a test market. 
• Implements robust product merchandise analytics and reporting to track key performance indicators (KPIs), monitor business performance, and derive actionable insights to optimize strategies and drive continuous improvement.
• Supports and collaborates with DTC Operations/Planning manager in providing Sales Forecasts by product category, SKU level, and channel. This is based on consumer insights, business intelligence, historic performance, and marketing activation plans 
• Prepares and presents impactful merchandise performance reviews 
• Elevates the DTC channels and positions the Gibson Garage and our DTC websites as a location to find unique, authentic, and highly desired product that are only available in limited quantities on these channels.
• Caters to collectors with Limited Editions such as: Master Artisan Collection, Collector Editions, Collaborations, etc. 

Working with People & Communication

• Fosters cooperation and teamwork and establishes effective relationships across the organization. Builds wide and effective networks of contacts and relates well to people at all levels
• Builds trust, teamwork, practices and encourages an open, honest and direct communication and promotes constructive feedback
• Writes clearly and succinctly, as well as correctly in an engaging and expressive manner. Is concise, well-structured, and logical. Structures information to meet the needs and understanding of the intended audience. Presents with impact
• Expresses information and key points of a topic clearly and concisely  
• Listens, consults, and communicates proactively

Other duties

• DTC Buying and Product Merchandise Manager can be asked to lead or contribute to specific projects and can be asked to perform other duties that are reasonable with the area of responsibility and expertise

Required Experience

• Academic Experience: Post-secondary education in Business/Marketing/Merchandising/Music or related area or equivalent experience (Bachelor/master’s degree)
• Professional Experience: ideally 8-10 years of relevant work experience in Ecommerce/Retail in Product Merchandising/Buying/Planning/Category Management roles
• Deep understanding of the MI industry, specifically Stringed Instrument categories including new, used and vintage markets
• Demonstrates relevant Market and Consumer trend insight

• Shows track record of driving revenue growth and achieving business objectives through DTC product initiatives with strong experience in product merchandise planning, briefing product exclusives, and product lifecycle management, 

• Knowledge of product-, consumer-, and channel segmentation 
• Good understanding of GTM process and working within stage/gate calendars and meeting key milestones
• Knows how to navigate a matrix organization and demonstrates an understanding of different organizational departments and functions

Essential Skills & Knowledge

• Skilled in building MI (Stringed Instrument) Line Architecture, Category and Product Management and Assortment Planning
• Extensive knowledge of Gibson Brands’ current and historic product portfolio
• Extensive knowledge of Stringed Instrument market, specifically guitar, bass and accessories
• Familiarity with used, vintage and boutique stringed instruments and their respective markets
• GTM Process Management; Efficiently manage priorities, time, attention to detail, and strong project management skills.
• DTC Product Metrics and Commercial Acumen
• Merchandise Metrics, Retail Math, KBDs, KPIs
• Develops Product Game Plans and drives execution excellence

• Excellent analytical skills in processing, analyzing, and reporting data; Revenue; Channel; Sell Through; Merchandise Metrics
• Demonstrates ability to derive actionable insights from data and make informed decisions and improve business performance.

• Articulating business cases and conceptualizing product briefs (exclusives) and product stories 
• Is digital savvy and uses technology to achieve work objective
• Must be able to manage multiple projects/tasks simultaneously, and organizes workload to meet timelines in a fast paced, high-growth environment

• Ability to acquire product technology skills quickly

• Experienced/Proficient in Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, Outlook, Merchandise Planning and Analytical Tools (Salesforce, Power BI)

Personal Qualities

• Passionate about working and winning in a team environment.
• Great love for guitars and passion for music, with a deep appreciation for Gibson’s brands and products
• Genuine enthusiasm, great team collaboration and high say/do ratio
• Able to multitask, to prioritize and to identify solutions in timely manner
• Continuous learning, and looking for better ways to do things
• Self-sufficient, proactive, service and result oriented
• “Can do” attitude
• Personable, fun, team oriented and ignites a positive work atmosphere
• Customer centric mindset: Enjoy pursuit of delivering the industry-leading omnichannel customer experience

Nota Bene:

The company’s job descriptions are not intended to be a complete detailed account of all expected/anticipated activities. We operate in a fast-moving and competitive global environment and therefore need employees to be flexible.