Stephanie Simpson

Led category strategy and sales growth across food, consumables, and GM for over 200 brands. Translated market and shopper data into actionable retail recommendations that improved client retention, drove over $180M in revenue, and secured over $230M in new business.

• Delivered insight-backed line reviews, optimized assortments, and streamlined tools to support execution across Walmart, Sam's, and eCommerce channels.
• Identified new products and whitespace opportunities that would be beneficial to customers, in order to expand the category offerings.
• Provided guidance on product assortment, pricing/promo, and distribution to increase sales, gain share, and grow profit.

Recruited to lead the U.S. Team post-acquisition by NIQ for an AI-powered SaaS platform delivering real-time CPG eCommerce insights. Managed a portfolio of global brands, including L’Oréal, Unilever, Coca-Cola, and General Mills across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, ensuring tool adoption, and stakeholder expansion.

• Partnered cross-functionally to drive quality assurance and issue resolution, improving client satisfaction, and data accuracy.
• Created thought leadership content and presented strategic KPIs to senior clients, reinforcing DI’s value, and driving upsell conversations.
• Directed internal workstreams to improve automation, enhance service delivery, and scale DI’s tech-driven insights platform across regions.

Led engagement for Walmart’s Customer Insights and Strategy team, managed a cross-functional team, and built trust with senior stakeholders. Drove adoption of NIQ tools, improved satisfaction metrics, and delivered insights that influenced retail execution and long-term planning.

• Coached, developed, and motivated a high-performing team, enabling the delivery of actionable insights across Walmart’s key business units.
• Strengthened client relationships and stakeholder engagement, resulting in a 40% increase in NPS and satisfaction scores.
• Drove $2.1M in revenue growth by identifying upsell opportunities and co-developing enhanced analytics tools.
• Collaborated with departmental leaders to establish organizational goals, strategic plans, and key objectives, securing a successful contract renewal.

Championed the Spirits category strategy for Walmart, leveraging data to fuel growth, optimize modular execution, and strengthen Diageo’s in-store presence. Translated insights into shelf-ready strategies, and developed BI tools that improved pricing accuracy, mod planning, and reporting efficiency.

• Increased PODs by 49% by leveraging syndicated data sources to analyze market trends and optimize assortment.
• Developed strategies for new product launches, assortment optimization, pricing, and promotional activities, resulting in a 7.6% increase in sales and +1.6 bps in share across Super Premium.
• Built automated BI tools for pricing, modular planning, and performance reporting, improving collaboration with merchants and internal teams.

Built a brand from the ground up, including logo design, brand identity, and go-to-market strategy. Oversaw brand development, social media strategy, and market research to drive engagement, inform innovation, and build a strong retail presence.

• Collaborated with stakeholders to define project scope, objectives and deliverables.
• Utilized competitive benchmarking and social listening to identify white space, shape messaging, develop social media strategy, and guide content and innovation planning which increased in brand awareness by 87% and engagement by 67%
• Identified and pitched new product concepts to retail partners after attending the NYC Food Show, aligning with emerging trends and consumer preferences

Delivered shopper-driven insights to support category growth and drive strategic decisions for key retail partners. Integrated panel, POS, and primary research to inform assortment, pricing, and in-store execution. Collaborated cross-functionally with Category Management, Sales, and third-party vendors to influence customer strategies with data-backed recommendations.

• Identified and filled customer-specific knowledge gaps through custom qualitative and quantitative research, aligning insight initiatives with retailer objectives.
• Informed retailer-specific strategies using shopper segmentation, price sensitivity, and category trigger data across channels and usage occasions.
• Synthesized internal and external data to guide store placement, shelving, and assortment recommendations, improving category execution and engagement.

Managed pricing and performance analytics for 32K items across Walmart and Sam's Club, driving strategic insights, and optimizing retail execution. Translated data from multiple syndicated sources into actionable recommendations to support sales, merchandising, and supply chain collaboration.

• Oversaw pricing strategy and cost changes across the Adult Beverage department, aligning with retailer KPIs and vendor constraints.
• Leveraged tools including IRI, VIP, Retail Link, and Spectra to inform category insights, promotional planning, and pricing compliance.
• Partnered with Walmart, field sales, and distributors to resolve pricing, OOS, new item setup, and allocation issues, improving speed-to-shelf, and item accuracy.

Directed pricing strategy for 21 categories in Walmart’s $9.6B pharmacy and OTC department. Partnered cross-functionally to drive price leadership, improve margin performance, and reinvest in strategic pricing decisions.

• Created and implemented multi-tiered, trait-based retail strategies, delivering improved margins and driving incremental profit across key categories.
• Implemented automated systems for tracking product prices across multiple channels, ensuring compliance with state laws and regulations.
• Led and developed a team of pricing analysts, fostering strategic execution and cross-functional alignment.

Managed assortment strategy and purchasing decisions for the $330M wine category. Leveraged shopper data, pricing trends, and supplier relationships to optimize the mix, improve financial performance, and expand category reach.

• Analyzed pricing, inventory, and sales velocity to forecast demand and inform merchandising decisions that improved shelf productivity.
• Collaborated with sourcing, marketing, and product development teams to launch control and private label brands, attracting new customer segments, and expanding margin.
• Utilized Retail Link and economic indicators to align strategy with evolving shopper behaviors and wine market trends.

Managed high-performing team responsible for financial transactions and vendor relationships within Walmart’s corporate finance operations. Focused on improving process accuracy, cross-functional communication, and compliance.

• Recruited, trained, and developed a team of six analysts, driving consistent execution and alignment with corporate finance goals.
• Partnered with procurement and vendor management teams to resolve invoice discrepancies and streamline payment processes, improving turnaround time and vendor satisfaction.
• Implemented process improvements that enhanced accuracy, reduced manual errors, and supported scalable operations during a period of rapid growth.