Guitar Center Company brings in omnichannel retail technology veteran Erick Smith as Director, E-commerce

Guitar Center Company, a retailer of musical instruments, accessories, and lessons, has appointed Erick Smith as Director, E-commerce.

In a LinkedIn post, it said: "Erick brings over 15 years of experience in omnichannel retail and technology architecture with a knack for creating innovative solutions that enhance the customer experience. He looks forward to bringing his passion for e-commerce to the band, saying “I’m excited to work with a team that carries a strong sense of belonging and values teamwork."

RELEX

Guitar Center has chosen RELEX Solutions to strengthen its allocation and store replenishment planning processes.

Its tech will support Guitar Center’s network of more than 300 stores and multiple distribution centres across North America, with the aim of enabling improved product availability while reducing inventory levels across 7,000+ SKUs. 

By leveraging RELEX for AI driven replenishment capabilities, Guitar Center aims to improve product availability, ensuring the right products are accessible in all stores.  This initiative addresses challenges with previous disparate systems that led to excess inventory and stockouts, enabling Guitar Center to align their inventory more effectively with customer demand. 

The RELEX platform will provide real-time visibility into inventory levels, allowing for more accurate and timely store replenishment decisions. This will help minimise stockouts and overstock situations, ensuring that customers can always find the products they need. Additionally, the automation of replenishment processes will free up staff to focus on more strategic tasks.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

E-commerce will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.