Giftcards.com hires a SkyMall executive

Jay Scannell, the former chief operating officer for SkyMall Inc., has taken the same job with GiftCards.com.

SkyMall is No. 214 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide and sells to consumers flying on domestic flights in the United States.

GiftCards.com, which began selling on the web in 1999 under the name Directcertificates.com, enables online shoppers to buy—and to customize and personalize—digital and physical prepaid debit and gift cards, some of which can be redeemed with retailers.

Scannell, who has spoken at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition , joined SkyMall in 1998 as a business analyst.  As SkyMall’s chief operating officer, he managed the retailer’s daily operations, including the company’s catalog and e-commerce operations.

In April, SkyMall was bought by Bookspan, a direct-to-consumer media distributor that is owned by Direct Brands Inc. Direct Brands did not disclose the purchase price. SkyMall in 2011 had sales of $76.6 million, according to the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.

"We're excited to add Jay's history of experience and success to our current group of industry experts," says GiftCards.com CEO Jason Wolfe.  "He will make a great addition to the team at GiftCards.com."