In 2016, I wrote an updated digital creative strategy for saks.com, with a goal of increasing sales while making our emails and site content more elevated, engaging and consistent across all channels.

The strategy shifted our creative focus from desktop-first to mobile-first. Copy became bite-size. A variety of lists became commonplace. And vertical, scrollable storytelling became the norm. 

Communications got more personalized. We created a 24/7 "Connect with a Saks Stylist" chat function, supplied Associates with tools to help them curate their own pages on saks.com, and focused on the personal voice and lifestyle of our fashion director.

Our emails became more editorial without getting too serious, and more clickable while greatly increasing the amount of product featured.

Building our fashion authority became a major focus, as my team sought out frequent contributions from designers and other influencers.

We made huge strides toward content that feels "in the now." With careful planning around trends and brands, we were able to make the connection between fashion shows featuring next season's product and currently shoppable merchandise.

Where we once had various ways of identifying trends, we unified around a single IT LIST that was consistent throughout digital, store and print executions.

A new NAMES TO KNOW feature gave Saks a unified way to introduce new designers across all channels of the business.

I instituted a series of templated email franchises, each meeting a business need while elevating the level of content and reducing the strain on the creative team. Regular franchises like What to Pack, 5 Ways to Wear xxxx, Innovation and Inspired are all instantly understandable and serially engaging. 

The changes not only made the content better, they streamlined processes and led to increased click-through rates. In a difficult retail environment, we achieved double-digit revenue increases and a major surge in mobile demand.