ELLA SMITH
Summary
Dynamic inventory management professional with a proven track record at Tapestry, leveraging expertise in SAP and cross-functional collaboration to optimize global inventory strategies. Adept at data-driven decision-making, I enhance sales performance and drive operational efficiency, ensuring alignment with market trends and maximizing product visibility.
Overview
4
4
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate Buyer/ Allocator
Tapestry: Coach and Kate Spade
New York City, USA
06.2023 - Current
- Allocate daily inventory for 160 North America RTW stores, managing allocation constraints, mins/maxes, segment transfers, and door count updates using Allocate Smart, RPAS, and SAP; monitor inventory flow through PO tracking and delivery reporting to ensure optimal store inventory placement.
- Produce and analyze daily, weekly, and monthly reporting on sales performance, AUR, gross margin (TY vs LY and vs Plan), weeks on hand, store consolidations, and markdown effectiveness to inform allocation and buying decisions; manage seasonal size curves, SKU-level reporting, and initial allocations for all new store openings, ensuring assortment breadth, depth, and size mix align with store tier and projected demand.
- Partner with GMP and Brand Operations to reforecast SKUs monthly, leveraging selling trends and beat/loss to plan to optimize future allocations and support buying decisions.
- Re-tier North America RTW store model by analyzing net sales, AUR, square footage, and sell-through; collaborate with Visual Merchandising and Merchandising to optimize tiering and inventory depth, improving inventory productivity and maximizing store performance.
- Lead seasonal hindsight analyses and executive decks incorporating sales performance and Gen Z insights; develop merchandising briefs, compile monthly store toolkits, and collaborate with e-commerce teams to update release files and ensure accurate on-site launches.
Global Planning Analyst
Tapestry: Kate Spade
New York City, USA
06.2023 - 09.2025
- Own global inventory management across all channels, running bi-weekly Availability to Sell (ATS) reports, managing segment transfers, and leading prepacks inventory breakdown to meet business needs.
- Collaborate with global buyers and wholesale teams to prioritize and expedite inventory from factories through air file reports, while overseeing tick-to-old reports, Outlet transfers, and off-price sell-offs.
- Partner cross-functionally with Merchandising, Buying, Planning, Allocation, Wholesale, Product Development, Social Impact, and PR teams to resolve inventory inquiries, coordinate weekly warehouse communications, and drive inventory-related solutions.
- Oversee the entire inventory lifecycle from factory to donation, ensuring smooth transitions and compliance with business processes.
- Lead Mainline and Outlet Market for footwear and ready-to-wear collections, including managing communications for change log attributes, costing, and meeting minimums with global buying and wholesale teams, as well as managing post-market sample and prebook order processes.
Product Development Intern
Scout Bags
Washington, USA
09.2022 - 05.2023
- Collaborated cross-functionally with the Product, Planning, Marketing, and Design teams at a growing lifestyle brand, gaining hands-on experience across multiple stages of the product lifecycle.
- Owned weekly competitive website and product analysis, delivering presentations that directly informed product ideation, seasonal assortment planning, and promotional strategy.
- Reviewed and quality-checked CLO 3D imagery for all SKUs featured across press, wholesale platforms, and SCOUT's e-commerce site to ensure consistency, accuracy, and brand alignment.
- Created seasonal product line sheets and supported development coordination with vendors on materials and specialty collaborations, including textiles and candles.
Global Planning Intern
Tapestry: Kate Spade
New York City, USA
05.2022 - 08.2022
- Created and maintained daily Excel reports and pivot tables to highlight key metrics across sales, inventory, and product tracking, providing actionable insights for the global business.
- Collaborated cross-functionally with Planning, Allocation, Buying, Merchandising, Store Operations, and Warehouse teams to resolve issues related to inventory discrepancies, pricing errors, shipping delays, and warehouse transfers.
- Utilized SAP to execute global inventory segment transfers and maintain accurate inventory records across all channels.
- Managed the creation of air shipment files for all product categories, updating the FY'23 air freight budget weekly in partnership with the Buying team.
- Compiled receipt plans for upcoming fiscal quarters across global inventory hubs, including Retail, Wholesale, E-commerce, and Outlet channels.
Sales and Marketing Intern
Stanley Black and Decker
Washington, USA
10.2021 - 12.2021
- Represented top-performing brands-DEWALT, Stanley, and Porter-Cable-by driving in-store sales through merchandising execution, inventory optimization, and promotional support across key retail partners.
- Engaged directly with customers to provide product education, implement strategic selling tactics, and boost brand visibility, contributing to an increase in weekly product turnover.
- Partnered with the Sales and Marketing team to coordinate and host promotional events, enhancing customer engagement and brand awareness at high-traffic retail locations.
- Conducted store audits and competitor analysis to inform local marketing strategies and ensure proper product placement and pricing, supporting regional sales goals.
Education
George Washington University - Communications and Business Entrepreneurship
George Washington University
Washington, DC05.2023
American University of Paris -
American University of Paris
Skills
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Inventory management
- MicroStrategy BI/ Cora
- Allocate Smart
- SAP ERP
- EcVision
- JOOR
- CLO 3D
- RPAS
- Apollo Customer Data
- Global Inventory Planning & Analysis
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Product Lifecycle Management
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Supply Chain Operations
- Market & Trend Analysis
- Inventory Optimization
Websites
Timeline
Associate Buyer/ Allocator
Tapestry: Coach and Kate Spade
06.2023 - Current
Global Planning Analyst
Tapestry: Kate Spade
06.2023 - 09.2025
Product Development Intern
Scout Bags
09.2022 - 05.2023
Global Planning Intern
Tapestry: Kate Spade
05.2022 - 08.2022
Sales and Marketing Intern
Stanley Black and Decker
10.2021 - 12.2021
George Washington University - Communications and Business Entrepreneurship
George Washington University
American University of Paris -
American University of Paris