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Chief Marketing & Chief Digital Officer

Marketing & Sales

I am a well-balanced "left brain/right brain" marketing executive - An engineer & artist. I am a data-driven, innovative & creative CMO/CDO who places the brand & customer experiences first. 

PERSONAL SUMMARY:
I have significant experience building and growing retail omni-channel businesses from start-up, by transformation, and through the optimization of brand, marketing, digital and customer experience. I’m known for leveraging disruptive technologies and analytics-based insight of customer behavior & needs to drive tremendous growth. I'm admired for building, mentoring, educating, and inspiring customer-focused teams across professional disciplines. I am an expert in acquiring and retaining customers while maximizing engagement and loyalty. I have exhibited progressive responsibility growth as a result of my success.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
-  Transformed marketing organization driving a 45% increase in total company revenue to $500M.
-  Built platforms, deployed technologies and leveraged analytics that doubled online revenue.
-  Launched new e-commerce and direct-to-consumer businesses in excess of $60 million.
-  Led teams of up to 100 employees and operated online businesses as large as $300 million.

STRENGTHS PROFILE:
P&L | Brand Positioning | Digital Marketing | Strategic Vision & Influence | Revenue & Channel Growth | Team Building & Development | CX Optimization | CRM | Salesforce | Digital Transformation | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Customer Segmentation & Profiling | Target Marketing | Omni-Channel Marketing | Content Marketing | Photo & Video Production | Catalog | Profit & Market Share Optimization | C-Suite & Board Relations | Customer Acquisition & Retention | Marketing Automation | Loyalty | International | Call Center | Store Marketing | Events Management | Sales Management

CATEGORY & INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE:
Fine Jewelry | Fashion Apparel | Beauty & Cosmetics | Home Décor | Sporting Goods | B2C | Retail | B2B | Services | Software

Manufacturer, wholesaler & retailer of customized fine jewelry products, services, software and business development programs.

BRAND CHALLENGE:
I was recruited as the company’s first CMO to consolidate and transform multiple independently-operated, marketing-oriented functions into one holistic team designed to enhance customer experience and accelerate brand revenue growth & profitability.

ACHIEVEMENTS:
Increased annual revenue by 45% over 5 years from $351M to $510M by successfully consolidating multiple, independently-operating teams into one cohesive marketing organization. Spearheaded corporate rebranding initiative, shifting from a product to a customer experience focus. Optimized marketing & communication strategies for greater engagement. Leveraged deeper customer insights & segmentation. Championed CRM, digital experience transformation & marketing automation. Expanded field sales team while shifting bonus compensation from business drivers to a business results focus.

RESULTS HIGHLIGHTS:
•	Grew online revenue by 111% from $140M to $296M by leading various UI/UX initiatives including SEO/content development, on-site search functionality, automated product suggestions, and mobile website optimization.
•	Boosted market share and customer engagement by devising company’s first loyalty program. Grew program to over 10K members with an annual retention rate of 95%.
•	Launched company-wide Salesforce CRM/marketing automation and built CX-focused team that deepened customer insights, improved service quality, and unified relevant and targeted communications across all customer touchpoints.
•	Created and leveraged content marketing and educational strategies to deliver relevant decision-making information.
•	Built and led a social media marketing team to increase engagement 41% and social-related revenue 44% annually.
•	Grew field sales team membership and associated revenue by 50% while reducing operating expenses by 10%.

Omni-channel, lifestyle retailer of fashion apparel and accessories targeting style-conscious, confident women.

BRAND CHALLENGE:
Company’s online revenue had remained consistently flat year-over-year. I was recruited to significantly revamp the company’s digital footprint with the goal of acquiring new customers and improving online capabilities and experiences for all customers.

ACHIEVEMENTS:
Grew online sales by over 100% to $40M or 15% of total company revenue in two years through major innovations in digital experience and a significant expansion of digital marketing efforts.

RESULTS HIGHLIGHTS:
•	Garnered $19M in incremental revenue from prior store-only customers by converting them to multi-channel buyers via omni-channel digital innovations including buy online/pick-up in-store and mobile applications with push notifications.
•	Extended digital marketing to include display advertising, paid search, SEO and affiliates which generated an incremental $5M from new customers.
•	Deployed improved email technology (Salesforce) with focus on activity-based contacts. Integrated email and retail transactional databases to provide more targeted, personalized offers.
•	Launched technology improvements and processes to support international currencies and languages, expanding brand to 100+ countries worldwide and generating $1M new revenue in first year. 

VP Ecommerce & Digital Marketing

National multi-channel retailer of premium beauty, skincare, hair and health products as well as salon services.

BRAND CHALLENGE:
Company objectives were to replace its e-commerce technology, significantly improve digital branding and experiences, and support rapid omni-channel revenue growth by more effectively presenting over 400 unique brand products and stories online.

ACHIEVEMENTS:
Drove significant e-commerce sales growth from $5M to $60M as a direct result of implementing new web technology (Oracle ATG, Salesforce), integration with store retail operations, and an expanded suite of digital marketing activities.

RESULTS HIGHLIGHTS:
•	Defined the overarching ULTA.com and digital brand essence while supporting the unique brand requirements of 50+ other companies selling products on the website via specific micro-site messaging, merchandising & experiences.
•	Set customer segmentation and relationship strategies that harnessed marketing technology to automate and personalize email and on-site communications. Measures increased email conversion rate 25% and on-site conversion rate by 15%.

Director of Ecommerce

Leading retailer and wholesaler of premium scented candles, home decor and giftware.

BRAND CHALLENGE:
I was hired to more effectively leverage customer data, CRM technology, and innovative contact strategies to drive greater engagement, increase revenue, reduce discount rates, and improve overall profitability.

ACHIEVEMENTS:
Generated a 25% increase in revenue ($65M to $81M) affiliated with direct-to-consumer efforts (catalog, e-commerce, store promotional offers) through more effective use of CRM insights and the optimization of customer contact strategies.

RESULTS HIGHLIGHTS:
•	Reduced corporate promotional discount dollars 25% by delivering targeted offers based on customer average purchase.
•	Improved overall customer contact conversion rates by greater than 10% by reducing and optimizing direct mail circulation and implementing new, brand-relevant printing innovations (inclusion of new fragrance sampling in print pieces). 

General Manager DTC and CRM

Specialty retailer of fashion apparel & lifestyle products for “tween” girls sold through the “Justice for Girls” brand.

BRAND CHALLENGE:
I was recruited to establish a new revenue stream for the organization by providing its target customers with engaging venues (catalog, digital) that would more effectively convey the brand’s lifestyle-oriented value proposition.

ACHIEVEMENTS:
Started-up a new $40M business channel (10% of total company revenue) by developing a direct-to-consumer catalog and ecommerce business and integrating them into an existing brick-and-mortar retail store chain. Significantly improved brand image and customer engagement by leveraging relevant & creative content, social media and interactive strategies.

Director of Ecommerce and Catalog

Find out detailed information about Kevin Metz, Chief Marketing & Chief Digital Officer in Lafayette, LA

Kevin Metz: Chief Marketing & Chief Digital Officer in Lafayette, LA

Kevin Metz

Purdue University

Purdue University