Dive Brief:
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Purple Innovation Inc., the company behind the Purple Mattress, has hired Patrice Varni to serve as its chief marketing and digital officer, the company announced Friday.
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Most recently the chief marketing officer and president of Dermstore, Varni has over 25 years of digital and brand transformation experience. Varni held various roles with companies such as Levi's, The Walt Disney Company, Tempur Sealy Brands and Arhaus Furniture, according to the press release.
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Varni will be responsible for Purple's marketing, customer experience, eCommerce, and product development. Purple CEO Joe Megibow said in a statement that Varni will help to "further define our marketing and product efforts and engage a broader audience in the Purple brand story."
Dive Insight:
Purple joins Cole Haan and Target in hiring new executives to oversee the company's digital marketing strategies. In previous roles, Varni has helped brands to grow their direct-to-consumer and wholesale sales as well as strengthening their digital presence, per the announcement.
"It's a privilege to join a talented and accomplished team and continue to expand Purple's growth, using data, consumer insights and innovative products to engage more people in the Purple story and deliver comfort that truly makes life better," Varni said in a statement.
As Varni steps in to enhance Purple's marketing strategy, the mattress company has enjoyed a COVID-19 pandemic-induced sales spike.
The company's first quarter sales increased by 52.3% to $186.4 million, up from $122.4 million in Q1 2020, according to the company's quarterly earnings report. Purple's direct-to-consumer revenue jumped 54.8% and wholesale revenue increased 47.6%.
The mattress brand attributed the growth to all of its product lines across direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels. Casper, another DTC mattress brand, also saw a revenue bump amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, it's not clear whether pandemic-driven trends in the home space will persist in a post-pandemic world.
