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Alan Wizemann, the Target executive who leads product teams for its website and apps, is leaving the company, multiple sources told Re/code. Wizemann announced the move to his team earlier today, these people said. It’s not clear if he has another job lined up.
A Target rep declined to comment.
Wizemann started working with Target in late 2012 as a consultant, when he helped overhaul the team building the Cartwheel coupon app, which has generated more than $1 billion in sales for Target. He went on to become vice president of product for Target.com and mobile last year, where he reported to Target.com President Jason Goldberger.
Under Goldberger and Wizemann’s watch, Target has been making strides in its uphill battle against Amazon and Walmart in e-commerce. Digital sales grew 37.8 percent in the first quarter, fueled in part by the retailer’s decision to cut its free-shipping minimum in half, from $50 to $25, and to ship more goods from stores to cut down on delivery times. Target still has a way to go to close the gap between itself and its two bigger competitors. Digital sales composed just 2.8 percent of total revenue in the first quarter.
Wizemann is an entrepreneur at heart, having founded several startups before he joined Target. He also lives full time in Portland, Ore., and traveled regularly to Target’s Minneapolis headquarters. Those two factors help explain why several sources were not shocked by the news. The best known of Wizemann’s startups was the most recent: Portland-based ShopIgniter, which helped brands set up and manage storefronts on Facebook. It sold last year to Mixpo, an advertising technology firm.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
