Coworking with Nolan Koon

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Nolan Koon is senior director of omnichannel sales at men’s personal care brand Every Man Jack.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I lead retail e-commerce and digital marketing for the men’s personal care brand Every Man Jack. We’re one of the original men’s care brands that’s focused on using naturally derived ingredients and making sustainably minded choices. Said another way, I sell body wash.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? I’m an avid surfer and lover of (most) everything in water. To me, surfing is the perfect outdoor sport. There’s the element of fitness but also one of meditation and creativity. I find being out in the water a perfect place to think through any challenging projects or not think about work and just enjoy the outdoors.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Every three or so years our brand will revisit our digital assortment and marketing strategy across the Amazon and e-retail channels. We take the opportunity to deep dive into the personal care market across our core categories, survey the competitive landscape and ultimately how we should adapt to continue profitable growth. The output is everything from innovation white space vetting to packaging refresh recommendations to major shifts in marketing tactics and everything in between. It leads to a great deal of learning as well as collaboration within our larger organization, both of which I love.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? I’m very interested in all things retail media. From the standpoint of traditional brick and mortar, it’s more common than not to hear the emphasis retailers are placing on the digital channel. Whether that be advances to more seamlessly engage a guest online to the analytics they are providing brands with to drive digital sales. Also, spending a significant amount of time working in the Amazon ecosystem, I’m excited for the continued learnings from Amazon Marketing Cloud. I appreciate the opportunity to leverage data for actionable insights and think it will change the way our brand views marketing as a whole within the channel.

What’s your go-to coffee order? Ninety percent of the time it will be a hot or iced Americano. There’s something about the combination of espresso and water.

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? It felt less like advice and more encouraging a perspective, but I’d say having a fear of failure. I’ve since learned to lean into failure and the learnings that come from it both in and out of the office. If we’re not failing, are we really pushing ourselves?

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? I appreciate where this question took me for five minutes. I’d have to say my favorite product at 15 was likely an iPod. I’m not sure I went anywhere without the opportunity to listen to music. Now I’d say now my Garmin watch (an EPIX Pro for any enthusiasts) takes that prize. I definitely don’t use every program it offers but love that it keeps me more active and much more aware of what my body needs.