JCPenney names former Neiman Marcus exec as chief customer officer

US department store chain JCPenney has appointed Katie Mullen to the role of chief customer officer, expanding her previous role of chief digital officer at the group.

While Mullen will continue to oversee e-commerce strategy and omnichannel development, her new role comes with an added emphasis on customer marketing, engagement and analytics, among other elements.

In particular, she has been tasked with delivering an end-to-end integrated shopping experience, as JCPenney continues to explore how to deepen loyalty with existing and new customers.

In a release, Marc Rosen, chief executive officer of JCPenney, said: “A core part of JCPenney overarching transformation strategy and our shift back to the basics has been a relentless focus on our customer’s needs.

“There are encouraging signs that we’re on the right track. We’ve seen an uptick in customers returning to shop with us – an increase in customer frequency for the first time in five years – and they’re spending more.”

Prior to joining JCPenney, Mullen served as chief digital officer at Neiman Marcus Group, where she led the company’s e-commerce business and oversaw the performance marketing team responsible for product and category management.

On her new role at JCPenney, she said: “I’m looking forward to continuing to improve how JCPenney reaches and serves America’s diverse working families.

“In our efforts to restore relevance with customers, we’ve sought to better meet their style, product and shopping preferences while also making our stores more reflective of the communities around us. I’m excited to work alongside our JCPenney leadership team to continue engaging customers in ways that matter most to them.”