43%
Digital Revenue Uplift
Saving American Apparel With Digital Commerce
American Apparel was in trouble. The founder was pushed out. The board gave us a blunt mandate: move the numbers fast with digital, or there won't be a company left. I partnered with Amanda Lopez, AA's Director of eCommerce, to drive a global Oracle ATG & RFID-driven commerce engine across 16 regional sites and 260+ stores, while the rest of the business was on fire.
14%
Retail Channel Uplift
300%
Omni-Channel Growth
At-a-Glance
Digital Survival Horror
This was not a normal eCommerce re-platform. The company was betting survival on a digital turnaround, and my job was to make the technology real, fast enough to matter. I helped unify 16 international Oracle ATG storefronts, real-time RFID inventory across the entire globe, and omni-channel order routing into one commercial system that retail, factory, and web could finally share.
- Role
- eCommerce Program Manager
- Client
- American Apparel
- Industry
- Retail • Apparel • Omni-Channel Commerce
- Timeline
- Jun 2013 - Jun 2015
- Team / Stakeholders
- 7
- Budget / Scale
- $6M
- Systems / Technology
JIRA
Azure
MS Dynamics
Oracle ATG
Problem
American Apparel didn't need another incremental website upgrade. It needed digital commerce & omni-channel to move revenue quickly enough to stabilize a distressed business. But inventory visibility was broken, stores & web didn't share the same truth, and our global retail footprint was behaving like disconnected local systems. If customers couldn't reliably find size, color, and availability across stores & web, the business would keep bleeding sales and trust.
Mandate
Unify global commerce and inventory into one operating model that could stabilize the business and turn omni-channel into a real commercial lever.
What I Changed
Amanda sold the vision to the board, and I became the technical co-pilot who made it real. I owned the product & program layer that connected global IA, PRDs, integration design, launch plans, and omni-channel logic across stores, factory, and web.
Outcome
Digital revenue grew 43%, store sales moved 14%, omni-channel orders grew 300%, and shrink fell 65%.
Problem Statement
Betting on Digital
American Apparel didn't need another incremental website upgrade. It needed digital commerce & omni-channel to move revenue quickly enough to stabilize a distressed business. But inventory visibility was broken, stores & web didn't share the same truth, and our global retail footprint was behaving like disconnected local systems. If customers couldn't reliably find size, color, and availability across stores & web, the business would keep bleeding sales and trust.
American Apparel's global commerce and omni-channel planning materials.
“
Amanda Lopez
Director of eCommerce, American Apparel
What I Owned
I Turned Inventory Truth to Commercial Performance Across the Globe
Amanda sold the vision to the board, and I became the technical co-pilot who made it real. I owned the product & program layer that connected global IA, PRDs, integration design, launch plans, and omni-channel logic across stores, factory, and web.
- 1
Owned the Program Layer
I owned the product & program layer that connected global IA, PRDs, integration design, launch plans, and omni-channel logic across stores, factory, and web.
- 2
Unified the Global Platform
Moved 16 international sites onto one Oracle ATG commerce model w/ shared integrations and release logic.
- 3
Made Inventory Real
Made RFID the inventory truth layer across stores, factory, and digital experiences.
- 4
Designed Smart Fulfillment
Designed the order-routing logic behind BOPIS and ship-to-store to balance fulfillment speed, cost, and store traffic.
- 5
Connected Stores, Factory, and Web
I helped unify 16 international Oracle ATG storefronts, real-time RFID inventory across the entire globe, and omni-channel order routing into one commercial system that retail, factory, and web could finally share.
Solution
One Global Commerce Engine
I built a system where stores, factory, and web could finally act like one business. The solution combined a global Oracle ATG stack, real-time RFID inventory visibility, and omni-channel order-routing logic.
Global Commerce Core
Shared Commerce Core
16 sites, one Oracle ATG model.
- 16 international storefronts
- Shared templates and integrations
- One global release model
Inventory Truth
Real-Time Inventory
RFID made inventory visible.
- Stores, factory, and digital
- One inventory truth layer
- Improved inventory accuracy
Omni-Channel Fulfillment
Smart Fulfillment
BOPIS and routing connected stores.
- BOPIS and ship-to-store
- Inventory-aware routing
- Stores connected to digital
WHAT THE BUSINESS GAINED
American Apparel operated 268 retail stores across 16 countries. The commerce, inventory, and order-routing platform connected those locations to the BOPIS system we implemented, allowing stores and digital channels to operate from the same inventory truth.
Impact
Revenue, Stores & Inventory Discipline
We changed the economics of the business, not just the website. Digital revenue grew, store sales moved, omni-channel orders took off from zero, and the inventory system became disciplined.
43%
Digital Revenue Uplift
14%
Store Sales Uplift
300%
Omni-Channel Growth
-65%
Shrink Reduction
Problem
Regional stores & operations didn't share inventory truth. Customers couldn't reliably trust product availability.
01
Decision
I pushed RFID and inventory visibility into the core of the customer and fulfillment experience so stores and web stopped disagreeing about what existed.
Outcome
RFID-driven inventory visibility reduced shrink by 65%.
Problem
The business needed digital to move revenue fast across a fragmented global footprint.
02
Decision
I helped consolidate 16 regional storefronts onto one Oracle ATG model so the business could move globally instead of piecemeal.
Outcome
Digital revenue rose 43% and store sales rose 14%.
Problem
Stores were disconnected from digital fulfillment and omni-channel orders started from zero.
03
Decision
I helped build BOPIS, ship-to-store, and routing logic that made every order a smarter retail decision.
Outcome
Omni-channel growth reached 300%.
“
Paula Schneider
Interim Chief Executive Officer, American Apparel
Recognition
Press & Accolades
Despite our best efforts, we didn't make it. The board of directors made the decision to file for bankruptcy and then sold it for parts to the Canadians. Just like hand grenades, 'almost' counts in this story.
American Apparel files for bankruptcy
Oct 5, 2015
NewsCBS
After a series of scandals and lawsuits, American Apparel is filing for bankruptcy. Buzzfeed News' Business Reporter Sapna Maheshwari spoke to CBSN about the filing.
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