Buy.com hires a 15-year e-commerce veteran as chief marketing officer

Bernard Luthi

Buy.com has hired Bernard Luthi as chief marketing officer for the online marketplace. Luthi’s 15 years of e-commerce experience includes executive positions at Newegg.com and PC Mall Inc.

Buy.com is No. 32 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide. PC Mall is No. 52 and Newegg is No. 12.

At Buy.com, Luthi will oversee web site experience, advertising, BuyTV, public relations and promotions. He also will work  on corporate branding with Buy.com parent company Rakuten, which bought Buy.com in 2010 for $250 million.

"Bernard's knowledge of online retailing and channel product marketing will be a huge asset to Buy.com, as we work to increase our value to product vendors and marketplace sellers, while continuing to build loyalty among our diverse customer-base," says Neel Grover, Buy.com CEO and president. "With our plans for increasing growth under our parent company Rakuten, his deep experience and marketing acumen will give us a strong competitive advantage."

Luthi started at Newegg in December 2006 as vice president for marketing and merchandising, ascending to senior vice president with oversight also of web management and customer service. Between June 2004 and December 2006, he worked as PC Mall’s vice president of marketing and category management, according to his LinkedIn account. Before that, he was director of product marketing for technology distributor and logistics firm Ingram Micro.