Head of Ecommerce Product & Category

GSF Car Parts; Wolverhampton; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

GSF Car Parts is seeking a Head of eCommerce Product & Category to lead our online product and range strategy, manage a team of Product Managers, and identify new opportunities to drive incremental revenue across our digital channels.

You will own the strategy for what we sell online and where we expand next, translating this into category plans and growth initiatives, with a focus on expanding into new categories and dropship partnerships to increase revenue, margin and customer lifetime

Responsibilities

• Own and develop the overall eCommerce product and category strategy.
• Identify the categories, products and ranges that will drive the next phase of online growth for GSF.
• Build category growth plans based on customer demand, market opportunity, margin and strategic fit.
• Identify gaps within the existing range and develop plans to address them.
• Establish clear priorities for investment and expansion across existing and new categories.
• Develop a clear balance between core automotive products and adjacent categories that broaden the reasons customers shop with GSF.

Job description

GSF Car Parts is looking for a Head of eCommerce Product & Category to lead our online product and range strategy, manage and develop a team of Product Managers, and identify new opportunities to drive incremental revenue.

The role will own the strategy for what we sell online and where we expand next, translating this into clear category plans, commercial priorities and growth initiatives for the Product Management team.

The focus is growth: identifying customer and market opportunities, bringing new products and categories to market quickly, and creating compelling ranges that increase revenue, margin, average order value and customer lifetime value.

A major part of the role will be expanding beyond the traditional GSF range through eCommerce-only products, dropship suppliers and new category partnerships, enabling us to test and scale new opportunities without the constraints of the traditional branch stocking model.

This includes significantly developing categories such as tools, accessories, car care and lifestyle/leisure, while continuing to identify opportunities to broaden our core automotive proposition.

Key Responsibilities

Product & Category Strategy

• Own and develop the overall eCommerce product and category strategy.
• Identify the categories, products and ranges that will drive the next phase of online growth for GSF.
• Build category growth plans based on customer demand, market opportunity, competitor activity, margin and strategic fit.
• Identify gaps within the existing range and develop plans to address them.
• Establish clear priorities for investment and expansion across existing and new categories.
• Develop a clear balance between core automotive products and adjacent categories that broaden the reasons customers shop with GSF.

New-to-Range Growth

• Own the pipeline of new-to-range products and categories for eCommerce.
• Identify opportunities using customer searches, competitor ranges, site search data, sales performance and wider market trends.
• Build commercial business cases for significant new categories and propositions.
• Work with internal teams and suppliers to take new ranges from opportunity through to launch.
• Establish a structured test, learn and scale approach to new ranges, allowing GSF to validate demand before making larger commitments.

eCommerce-Only Range

• Develop a dedicated range strategy for products that do not need to be stocked within the GSF branch network.
• Use the flexibility of the online channel to materially increase GSF's available product range.
• Identify long-tail and specialist products where online availability can capture customer demand without requiring branch stockholding.
• Ensure the online range complements the wider GSF proposition rather than simply duplicating the branch assortment.
• Own the commercial strategy for expanding GSF's dropship supplier network.
• Identify and onboard suppliers capable of expanding the online assortment with minimal inventory risk.
• Develop commercial relationships with existing and prospective suppliers.
• Work with suppliers and internal teams to ensure product data, pricing, availability, delivery propositions and customer experience meet GSF standards.
• Monitor supplier and range performance and make clear decisions about where to expand, improve or exit.

Tools, Accessories & Lifestyle Expansion

Lead the development of GSF's proposition beyond traditional replacement car parts, including areas such as:

• Tools and workshop equipment
• Car accessories
• Car care and detailing
• Vehicle maintenance
• Cleaning products
• Travel and touring
• Leisure and lifestyle
• Seasonal automotive products
• Other adjacent categories relevant to GSF's existing customer base

Commercial Performance

• Take commercial ownership of performance across new and expanding eCommerce categories.
• Deliver measurable incremental revenue and gross margin from new products and ranges.
• Create revenue forecasts and commercial plans for key category opportunities.
• Monitor category performance and identify where further investment or corrective action is required.
• Optimise the balance between sales growth, margin, availability and range breadth.
• Identify cross-sell and basket-building opportunities across the GSF range.
• Develop a strong understanding of what GSF's online customers are buying, searching for and unable to find.
• Monitor competitors and adjacent retailers to identify category and proposition opportunities.
• Use customer behaviour and commercial data to challenge existing assumptions about what GSF should sell.
• Identify opportunities to improve repeat purchase frequency by expanding into categories customers buy more regularly.
• Lead, manage and develop a team of Product Managers, creating a high-performing, commercially focused product function.
• Set clear category ownership, objectives and priorities across the Product Management team.
• Translate the wider eCommerce strategy into actionable category and product roadmaps for each Product Manager.
• Ensure Product Managers have clear commercial targets covering revenue, margin, range growth and category performance.
• Coach the team to identify growth opportunities rather than simply maintain existing ranges.
• Establish a consistent approach to category planning, range reviews, competitor analysis and new product introduction.
• Challenge Product Managers to identify gaps in their categories and build a strong pipeline of new-to-range opportunities.
• Ensure the team uses customer behaviour, search demand, competitor insight and commercial performance to inform ranging decisions.
• Build strong relationships between Product Managers and key functions including Trading, Product Data, Marketing, Supply Chain and Technology.
• Create a culture of ownership where Product Managers are accountable for the commercial performance and growth of their categories, not merely the products within them.
• Support the development of the team, identifying capability gaps and building the skills required as GSF expands into new categories.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Work closely with Trading, Product, Supply Chain, Marketing/CRM, Technology, Operations, Customer Service and the branch network to deliver the category strategy.

In particular, ensure that:

• New products have the data and content required to trade effectively online.
• Pricing and promotions support the commercial strategy.
• New propositions can be operationally fulfilled.
• Marketing plans support priority category launches.
• Technology and data requirements are understood early.
• New ranges deliver a strong end-to-end customer experience.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will materially expand the breadth and commercial contribution of GSF's online range while building a high-performing Product Management team capable of delivering sustainable growth.

Key measures include:

• Incremental revenue from new-to-range products
• Incremental gross margin from new products and categories
• Revenue from eCommerce-only ranges
• Dropship revenue and profitability
• Revenue from newly launched categories
• New-to-range product productivity
• Category growth versus prior year
• Category conversion rate
• Cross-sell / attachment rate
• Repeat customer rate
• Speed from opportunity identification to online launch
• Category plans and growth pipelines in place across all Product Managers
• Delivery against Product Manager category targets
• Development, engagement and capability of the Product Management team

Importantly, success will be measured through productive range expansion and commercial impact, not simply catalogue size. The objective is to drive profitable growth through the right products, categories and supplier partnerships rather than increasing SKU count for its own sake.

About You

You will be a commercially driven digital retail leader who combines strong product and category instincts with an entrepreneurial approach to growth.

You are likely to have:

• Significant experience within eCommerce, category management, buying, range development or digital trading.
• A strong record of identifying and delivering incremental revenue through new products or categories.
• Experience developing categories beyond an organisation's traditional core range.
• Strong commercial understanding of revenue, margin, pricing and promotional performance.
• Experience working with third-party suppliers and negotiating commercial propositions.
• Experience with marketplace, dropship or extended-range business models would be highly advantageous.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to turn customer and market data into commercial decisions.
• Experience building business cases and forecasts for new opportunities.
• The confidence to challenge existing range assumptions and identify opportunities others may have overlooked.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills.
• Experience leading, developing and coaching Product Managers or category teams, creating a culture of commercial ownership and accountability.
• The ability to move comfortably between strategy and delivery.

GSF Car Parts is one of the UK’s leading automotive parts distributors, supplying thousands of independent garages throughout the UK and Ireland with parts, tools, garage equipment and specialist training. The group has over 218 branches nationwide and a turnover exceeding £500 million. Built on the heritage and success of a dozen local brand identities acquired over several years, we have traded as one brand since November 2021. Our branch network is bolstered by centralised support and expertise from specialist departments in key areas such as procurement and supply chain, marketing and national accounts. The business also benefits from integrated IT systems, which include our industry leading catalogue system, Allicat, and access to the Group's national garage programme, Servicesure.