Eric Hook

Experience

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  Carol Wright Gifts

  Dec 1996 - Dec 1998

  Director International Marketing

  Responsible for International marketing for US based cataloger of household accessories with annual sales about $150 million and 500 employees.Directed the International division: UK, Canada, Germany; created local language catalogs, direct mail and newspaper ads.• Grew UK sales 170% annually from $2.3 million in 1996 to $9.2 million in 1998 by focusing on key metrics and performance drivers (KPIs). Drove customer acquisition, grew customers from 160k to 575k.• Created and launched a new German catalog in 4 months, achieved response rates of up to 9.8%.• Managed all international operations: marketing programs, catalog design & production, mail list selection, product selection, pricing, 3rd party fulfillment and inventory control. Negotiated 17% reduction in catalog costs. Show less

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  Damark

  Jan 1999 - Jun 2000

  Director New Channel Marketing

  Responsible for high growth catalog (ValueOne) and eCommerce site launch of this $400 million General Merchandise Catalog and Membership Services Company. Managed the Value One division and launched e-Commerce digital marketing initiative, responsible for divisional P&L.• Drove Value One credit based business from $3.5 million in 1998 to $63 million in 1999, on track for $112 million in 2000, through aggressive customer acquisition at positive CPA. Conducted over 100 A/B tests to determine best offers and mail lists, and working with credit partner CapitalOne Bank, the effect of these on credit quality.• Grew web sales from $5 to $25 million in 1999 with a new metrics based merchandising / promotional strategy. • Bundled Value Access membership club with catalog, contest and credit offers, generated take rate of 60%+.• Identified 2 new product category opportunities, launched spinoff titles cobranded with the Value One name; Kaleidoscope (lower priced gifts) and HomeWorks (softgoods and furnishings).• Developed Damark auction site and co-branded ISP service.• As additional duty, managed Damark house file rental and insert programs, generated revenue of $2.8 million, 12% above forecast for 1999. Show less

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  Overton's

  Jun 2000 - Nov 2001

  Vice President Marketing

  Specialized Direct Merchant offering boating and watersports accessories, as well as two hunting products divisions. Responsible for all marketing efforts of this $100 million company, including eCommerce, Catalog, Retail Showrooms and JV partnership.Led print and digital marketing: Catalog, e-Commerce, Joint Venture, Stores, & Advertising sales, responsible for P&L.• Led team for 4 catalog titles, 3 web sites, 3 email programs, eBay store and 3 store operations.• Grew e-Commerce from 17% of total company sales to 29%, through aggressive campaigns at a positive CPA and by redesigning websites and offers; increased web traffic by 124%.• Grew email list from 150K to 440K by actively soliciting customer opt-ins at every touch point (web site, catalog, call center, stores).• Redesigned catalogs, achieving up to 38% conversion increases; created A/B testing program which identified winning offers with conversion lifts up to 83%.• Developed strategic and financial plans for Bombardier Recreational Products Corp Joint Venture. Created website, SeaDoo & SkiDoo catalogs for BRPs entry into the B2C market, achieved first year sales of $4 million. Recruited over 50% of BRP dealer network for new business sales (B2B) programs. • Profitably launched ten80 wakeboarder line by identifying new customer/product positioning opportunity. • Saved $400K annually negotiating printing contract, saved $900K by negotiating paper contracts.• Developed affiliate programs with major partners, sharing web site links and offers. Responsible for sale of $1 million of catalog and web ads annually. Developed membership clubs for Herter’s and Dunn’s hunting lines. Show less

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  Shar Products Company

  Apr 2002 - Sept 2018

  SHAR Music is the largest nationwide direct merchant of violin family instruments and their related accessories, with two locations in Ann Arbor, MI and another in Beijing, China.Ensured effective, efficient daily and long term operations of the company, with direct responsibilities covering marketing, sales, finance, warehouse/fulfillment, IT and HR. Developed business and strategic plans, drove company P&L.• Drove record profits in 2015 and again in 2016.• Redefined marketing strategy, eliminated print catalogs, switched to a digital media eCatalog format with embedded video, rich text and direct links to web pages. Reduced marketing operating budget by 16% annually, while increasing brand awareness, customer engagement and customer retention.• Redesigned Call Center sales training and skill level; increased sales by 35%, increased Net Promoter Score from 8.9 to 9.2, reduced turnover from 41% to 8%.• Redesigned inventory management and purchasing, reduced shrink 63%, total inventory dollars 18% and sku’s 12%, with no decline in fulfillment rate.• Developed 2-4 day free shipping program at no additional cost to the company by optimizing use of FedEx and USPS by zone, negotiating rates. 60% of customers got orders within 2 days and 80% within 3 days.• Extensive negotiations with vendors to influence market issues and product positioning, including MAP legal enforcement, worldwide cost structures and distributor agreements. Enforced trademarks and copyrights.• Conducted competitive research on the Amazon Marketplace digital ecosystem, identified competitors and strategies, developed counter strategies increasing item sales by up to 125%. Created test-bed FBA store, grew to 13K customers & $500K sales in 14 months with 100% satisfaction rating.• Championed launch of digital download program, with proprietary videos and exclusive sheet music content.• Responsible for financial controls: created annual budgets, ensured bank covenants met, managed cash flow. Show less Responsible for print and digital marketing: e-Commerce, Print Catalog, Wholesale & Retail Stores, and divisional P&L.• Led team in multi title/site environment (B2C & B2B); 3 catalog titles, 4 websites, 5 email programs, social media, 3rd party marketplaces. Grew sales by 136%, while marketing budget never exceeded 4.5% of revenue. Managed KPI reporting and forecasts to ensure performance. • Optimized performance of marketing programs through use of CRM system, RFM modeling, persona modeling, cross channel attribution analytics, lifecycle management (LTV), A/B testing and trend analysis.• Managed pricing & offers using segmentation, maximized revenue through acquisition, retention and reactivation strategies.• Developed bank of email offers that increased open rates by up to 27% and SPM by up to 247%.• Achieved 1st or 2nd position Search Engine optimization (SEO) rankings on majority of key terms, consistently competing with Amazon and manufacturers, through data analysis and high quality content development. • Managed metric based site optimization (average conversion 8.8%, bounce rate 33%, cart abandon 27%). • Identified and launched additional growth opportunities based on customer needs, including Public Schools & Teachers (16% of total sales), plus introduction of student level Romanian violins (18% of units sold).• Directed 6 national and 20+ local trade shows / marketing events annually, managed industry partnerships.• Managed Call Center 2002-2006, introduced new training program, call scripting and increased skill levels. Show less

  • President

    Mar 2015 - Sept 2018

  • Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

    Nov 2012 - Mar 2015

  • Vice President Marketing

    Apr 2002 - Nov 2012
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  Northridge Marketing, LLC

  Nov 2018 - now

  Marketing Consultant

  Provide solutions for companies to develop or grow their eCommerce presence.• Developed cost efficient, rapid process to add eCommerce to existing brand sites. Evaluate & setup web cart, sales tax collection, shipping & payments integration using off the shelf software such as Word Press and Shopify.• Conduct extensive reviews of companies web presence, online market share, SEO/SEM position, Amazon Marketplace position, Social presence, email programs and content generation; to create comprehensive plans to increase web presence, traffic and sales.• Evaluation of companies for potential acquisition - full review of market share and presence in each sales channel; provide recommendations and ‘road map’ for rapid sales and profit growth. Show less