Beyond Inc., the parent of online retailers Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock and Zulily, announced Monday that Carlisha Robinson is the company’s new chief customer officer. Her new position is effective immediately.
Robinson joined the company in 2002 when it was Overstock.com. In a statement regarding Robinson’s new appointment, Marcus Lemonis, executive chairman of Beyond’s board of directors, also announced that the company launched the new Overstock site this week — a goal the company referenced in its latest earnings. The site was up on Tuesday. A company spokesperson told Retail Dive in an email that updates and changes to Overstock.com are expected to go live this week. The company’s previous leadership had moved to shut down the Overstock website. During a recent earnings call, Lemonis characterized that move as “a fatal mistake.”
Robinson is responsible for the end-to-end customer experience across the company’s brands, including e-commerce on mobile, web and desktop; customer service and the customer file; loyalty programs and leading the launches of Beyond+ new products and services, the company said Robinson is credited with a key role in guiding Overstock.com’s acquisition of the Bed Bath & Beyond brand, and the company’s transition to Beyond Inc. in 2023. She also supported Beyond’s $4.5 million acquisition of the Zulily brand earlier this month after that online retailer went out of business late last year.
“Carlisha’s intensity for the customer and vendor aligns with the tempo and tenor our company must have,” Lemonis said in a statement. “The launch of Overstock.com this week, the launch of Zulily.com in late Q2, and other significant partnership and brand launches we’re working on require the laser focus Carlisha brings to everything she touches.”
Robinson held leadership roles at IBM and Volusion, among other companies. She has more than 30 years of experience in information technology, intellectual property, e-commerce and customer experience and “a proven track record of driving product innovation and growth,” the company said.
Utah-based Beyond reported in February that its full-year net revenue fell 19% year over year to $1.6 billion from nearly $2 billion. The company reported a net loss of $307.8 million, compared to a $35.2 million loss year over year, and an operating loss of $118 million, compared to an operating income of $27 million.
Former CEO Jonathan Johnson, who had led Overstock since 2019, stepped down in November. Last month was the first time Beyond’s new leadership team – comprised of Lemonis, recently appointed Overstock CEO Dave Nielsen, Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Chandra Holt – were all in place. Around the same time, CFO Adrianne Lee took on expanded responsibilities and is now simultaneously serving as chief administrative officer.
