Designer Brands, SVP, CIO: Technology Is a Strategic Investment

(US and Canada) Ervan Rodgers II, SVP and CIO, Designer Brands, speaks with David Goodwin, Managing Partner, Co-Founder, Next Gen IT Consultant at ATC, about using technology as a differentiator, understanding customer perspective, key success factors, and how they generate business value.

Rodgers describes Designer Brands' focus on technology as a key investment from a strategic standpoint and an enabler from an innovation standpoint. He affirms that the organization has leveraged technologies from order management systems to websites and apps. He mentions using devices to scan products, fulfill orders, and print labels, and the need for technology everywhere in the company.

He says that joining Designer Brands and using its products helped him understand customers' experiences and develop better products. For example, he owns 40 pairs of shoes to understand customers' perspectives on shoes. He opts to donate shoes through the brand’s non-profit app Soles4Souls. He states that customers get credit on their reward app, which helps the needy.

He highlights the key drivers and mentions going for regional trips to collect insights. He maintains that establishing a relationship with the front-liners to get unfiltered feedback is critical. From the technology perspective, it boils down to having a firm understanding of business. Moreover, he states that having a collaborative business culture is one of the core principles of Designer Brands.

Rodgers shares that initially, he went to the distribution center to understand the roles and how they bring in products to fulfill online orders. He adds that visiting various stores and regions aids regional empowerment by setting up stores, understanding customers' needs, and driving sales.

According to Rodgers, key success factors are customer, brand, and speed, aka CBS. Rodgers states that it starts with collecting customers' feedback from different avenues. Then getting the products and the brands they are looking for. He stresses using data science to be more predictive of customers' wants, understanding the most desirable brand assortment, and using these insights to create the best customer experience. The third prime factor is speed, he says.

Rodgers concludes by acknowledging the digital transformation journey with the CBS initiative and modernized backend services. He wishes to leverage each avenue from an omnichannel approach, like introducing the VIP program where customers accumulate reward points for buying products.