Sara Gafney

About Sara Gafney

Strategic and execution-driven digital leader with 10+ years of experience shaping ecommerce and mobile experiences for iconic retail brands across apparel and home furnishings. Proven success in leading cross-functional teams, optimizing customer journeys through A/B testing, and aligning site strategy with brand and commercial goals. Key Achievements • Directed two premium site photography overhauls, elevating PDP as our top entry point for customer and increasing traffic and conversion across site. • Formulated new App advantage strategy, including First Look, VIP acquisition tactics and feature prioritization with central partners. • Led customer journey and site content strategy for high-profile launch of BodyMove, prioritizing SEO-first PDPs, site navigation, and ISM and PLP video strategy. Developed PDP photography and outfitting strategy with key business drivers to minimize risk. • Developed DAM base and vendor workflow for integrating organic social and internal marketing content to PDPs driving triple digit product view growth when launched. • Managed the brand transition to Natural Language URLs, driving positive YoY traffic impact. Expertise:Site Merchandising | Product Page Optimization | SEO & Internal Search | A/B Testing | eCommerce Strategy | Product Photography | Digital Content Management | Team Leadership | Vendor Partnerships | Conversion Optimization

Experience

1. Senior Site Merchant Product Photography Project Manager

   Athleta

   Mar 2022 — Present · San Francisco, CA, US

   Led cross-functional strategy for PLPs, navigation frameworks, and landing pages, optimizing customer discovery and engagement across U.S. and Canadian sites. • Directed end-to-end Product Photography operations, partnering with Studio and Creative teams to ensure brand consistency, overcoming operational hurdles and executing strategic goals under compressed timelines and evolving leadership direction. • Collaborated cross-functionally with channel owners across Retention, Paid Media, Organic Social, and App to architect tailored customer journeys by channel, strategically balancing traffic generation with conversion optimization. • Aligned seasonal storytelling and campaign entry points with Brand Marketing, ensuring consistent messaging across homepage and landing pages. • Influenced strategy for personalization engines (Certona, Findmine) to enhance product recommendations and outfitting for an endless shopping journey.

Education

• FIDM

  Associate of Arts Degree, VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS

  2009 — 2011

• San Francisco State University

  Communicatons

Skills

• Trend
• E-Commerce
• Digital Marketing
• Visual Display
• Window Displays
• Sample Management
• Fashion
• Marketing Communications
• Trend Analysis
• Sales Operations
• Customer Service
• Digital Rendering
• Website Merchandising
• Retail
• Employee Hiring
• Sales Management
• Merchandising
• Time Management
• Corporate Branding
• Trend Research
• Photography
• Brand Development
• Project Management
• Photo Art Direction
• Apparel
• Visual Merchandising
• Audio Branding
• Jira
• Styling
• Image Correction
• Photo Shoots
• Apparel Graphics
• Microsoft Excel