Vera Bradley Taps Multi-Channel Evangelist
By Hannah Ash, contributing writer
Thomas Giacalone, Omni-Channel And E-Commerce Strategist, Joins Vera Bradley
Vera Bradley has announced that Thomas Giacalone, OfficeMax’s VP of omni-channel strategy and e-commerce, will serve as VP of e-commerce for the company, overseeing VeraBradley.com and all digital sales. This move comes shortly after Q4 2013 data showed that Vera Bradley’s digital arm was underperforming in comparison to in-store sales, particularly significant given that most Q4 reports reflected an uptick in online sales over store sales due to inclement weather conditions. The retailer reported that site traffic and sales were down as was the average order size.
According to his Linkedin profile, Giacalone brings over 25 years of adapting traditional retail to the evolving omni-channel environment. While at OfficeMax, Giacalone drove omni-channel growth by rolling out a new, intuitive website, order online pickup in store initiative and the creation of a niche B2B commerce website. While at OfficeMax, Giacalone described his position there, “my new role within the organization is to act as the multichannel evangelist across the company – to drive how we think and act differently. We’ve challenged our teams to better reflect the multi-discipline, omni-channel approach to bring initiatives and program launches to market more effectively, and with one common goal.”
Robert Wallstrom, Vera Bradley’s CEO, comments,"Growing our e-commerce business is a critical piece of our five-year strategic plan, and we are very fortunate to have someone of Tom Giacalone's background and caliber join Vera Bradley to lead this important function." In his new role, Giacalone will establish both the strategic and tactical directions for VeraBradley.com, and all corresponding digital operations. He will work to collaborate with the company’s retail and wholesale partners to implement an enhanced digital strategy that creates more of a channel-agnostic culture at Vera Bradley. Given Vera Bradley’s lackluster online performance and its 5 year plan, it is apparent that Giacalone is the company’s answer to breaking down silos and driving more sales, regardless of channels.