Designer Brands

Ervan Rodgers

Customer Experience Architect

Rodgers is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of expertise in IT disciplines, as well as supply chain, digital, cybersecurity, business process, program, and operations management. With a passion for inspiring and leading teams and leveraging performance-driven technology to position for growth, Rodgers has a proven track record driving strategy for both the private and public sector having previously served as Chief Information Officer for the State of Ohio. 

Ervan Rodgers serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Designer Brands. With over three decades of experience working in various roles with multi-billion dollar employers, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his position. As a leader, he is renowned for his ability to inspire and empower his teams to set high goals and accomplish great things. Rodgers provides direction and oversight for all of Designer Brands’ business processes, software system deployment, project and operations management, and customer relationship management.

As the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Designer Brands what are some of your key roles and responsibilities?

Designer Brands is one of North America's largest designers, and producers of retail footwear and accessories. Our business segments include world class design and sourcing operations with a robust direct-to-consumer omni-channel infrastructure and powerful national wholesale distribution .We are driven by the mission of “self-expression” and as the CIO, I make sure to build my operation around it.

All of our services are customer-centric and to enhance client experience we always keep up with the technology and update our processes and systems. For example, we recently upgraded our OMS system, with real-time inventory, to allow our business to react completely to supply chain needs. By bringing visibility to supply chain processes, including easy return and exchange, we aim to bring a memorable, frictionless delivery and exchange to our customers.  

In the next couple of years, what would you think will be the probable changes that can happen in the payment methods that we use today?

We need to be aware of the technological innovations that are happening and adopt them when we find the right technology. A decade ago, there were not as many payment options available other than cash or card payments. As the saying goes, "time and tide wait for no man", we need to learn to adapt and evolve to remain successful.

“All of our services are customer-centric and to enhance client experience we always keep up with the technology and update our processes and systems.”

In the new era, where technology is changing drastically, so are customer needs. At this juncture, taking care of your customers and understanding their expectations is also necessary. We provide numerous opportunities through our website for customers to interact and give feedback on various payment options and how they can use them effectively. By accommodating clients' opinions, we were able to provide frictionless customer checkouts from both in-store and online shopping, meeting customer expectations.

How do you think are the ongoing supply chain disruption and its subsequent price hikes affecting your clients at the end of the day?

As an organization, we focus on building brands. Our portfolio includes 10 of our owned brands that we create based on customer needs, complemented by our large assortment of national brands. We value our customers and always provide clearance sections in all our stores. This allows clients to purchase the latest and trendiest products from top brands at a comparatively lower price.

In light of your experience, what will be your advice to the fellow peers in the industry?

I value every employee in our organization and work with our business segment partners from supply chain, marketing team, and store employees to gather insights for product promotions and enhancing the customer experience. We need to take risks and fail fast - test the ideas to learn new things.