Head of Product E-commerce

A trip to an amusement park? A weekend of fun at the beach? Or an unforgettable night out at a musical? Each year, millions of people bid on or buy fun days out, mini breaks and cool gadgets through the successful e-commerce platforms Vavabid, VakantieVeilingen, Actievandedag. In 2017, the company behind the success formulas was acquired by John de Mol’s Talpa Network, ushering in an entirely new phase of growth. The new Head of Product E-Commerce is responsible for the continued development of these international auction and e-commerce platforms and will ensure an optimal customer journey and customer experience.

TALPA E-COMMERCE

With over two million lucky winners and buyers in 2017, VakantieVeilingen and Actievandedag are amongst the most successful e-commerce platforms in The Netherlands. The formulas have already proven themselves in The Netherlands and they’ve recorded initial successes in Belgium under the name Vavabid. In 2018, Vavabid will also take on the French market. This did not go unnoticed: by the end of 2017, John de Mol’s Talpa Network acquired the company behind the success formulas in order to shape his multimedia company’s e-commerce ambitions.

The labels are now ready to play an essential part in Talpa’s full-funnel multimedia strategy. Through new cross-media concepts, the company will be able to offer viewers, listeners, and online visitors a more substantial and more surprising experience. Their new range will be based on data, and that’s exactly the area in which the online platforms excel. The user data gathered from millions of visitors and registered users provide Talpa with an enormous head start in the development of new commercial propositions based on information about the behavior and preferences of the consumer. In the near future, Talpa will also launch new e-commerce propositions.

VACANCY: HEAD OF PRODUCT E-COMMERCE

The Head of Product E-Commerce at Talpa is responsible for the continued development of the international auction platforms (VakantieVeilingen and Vavabid) and works closely together with his/her team on the continued improvement of both the websites and the apps. The Head of Product reports directly to Marketing Director Harry Bruijnis, and manages a team of five FTEs, which consists of two UX Designers, a Conversion Specialist and two Product Owners.

Talpa E-Commerce’s ambitions are clear: conquer Europe and become a market leader in the area of user experience. Not just in the browser, but also with regards to the apps in which more than half of the transactions take place. For both consumer channels, the Head of Product rolls out a strategy which will turn the journey into a unique customer experience. Even after winning an auction or purchasing a ticket, the consumer’s experience needs to be flawless. At a strategic level, the Head of Product decides the direction and ensures a successful implementation thereof together with the team. For example; they make sure the tickets can be saved in a mobile wallet directly after purchase. Does the customer have any questions? Then they will come up with accessible ways to get in contact with the customer service.

Being a market leader in the area of user experience requires the Head of Product to always be informed about the latest market developments. Take voice technology, which allows the customer to make a spoken offer at an auction. Also, in optimizing the search functionality and the integration of direct messaging with customer service, the Head of Product keeps up-to-date on the latest developments. They research the possibilities and decides how the team will integrate these into the website and the apps.

Besides optimizing the user experience, the Head of Product takes a critical and commercial look at the platforms. They proactively investigate the possibilities of bringing more and better personalized propositions to the attention of the visitors and will work closely together with the COO, CTO, and the CRM and Online team during this process.

PROFILE

Talpa E-commerce has big ambitions: to grow internationally and to double their customer base. This requires the Head of Product to be able to identify opportunities, think outside the box, shift gears based on new information and get a kick out of achieving real results.

The ideal candidate has completed an acecemic level degree and has experience with Scrum and working with UX experts and developers. They are able to take a strategic and data-driven look at the development of the websites and the apps and possess the necessary technical knowledge to be able to understand what the implications of new developments and challenges are.

Experience

• Academic background
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in product
• Ideally with the development of both websites and apps
• Ideally with high-volume e-commerce platforms
• Leading Scrum teams
• Sufficient technical knowledge to manage a team of developers and to exchange ideas at a strategic level with the CTO and COO/CMO

PERSONALITY

• Driven
• Entrepreneurial
• Analytical
• Strategic
• Result-oriented

Talpa collaborates with Top of Minds Digital Executives to fill this vacancy. Send an e-mail to Jessica Lim, Senior Consultant at Top of Minds, at jessica@topofminds.com, to find out more about this opportunity.