Scholastic has been a staple at schools for over a century with its stable of educational publications, and it is now looking ahead to how it sells online by naming its first chief digital officer.

The company, founded by a Pennsylvania publisher in 1920, has also made an imprint on pop culture outside of school with popular children’s titles like Clifford the Big Red Dog and The Baby-Sitters Club. Still, like all publishers, Scholastic Corporation has had to adapt to the digital world.

Scholastic ranks No. 100 in the Top 1000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the largest North American online retailers. There, Digital Commerce 360 categorizes it as a Specialty retailer. Digital Commerce 360 projects Scholastic’s online sales in 2024 will reach $934.50 million.

Scholastic web sales by year

Scholastic’s first chief digital officer: Stacey Jaffe

Stacey Jaffe, chief digital officer at Scholastic | Image credit: Scholastic

The company is now taking another step in the digital direction by creating a chief digital officer position, which will be filled by company veteran Stacey Jaffe. Jaffe has been at Scholastic since 2018, serving as senior vice president of data and digital strategy, overseeing data and analytics as well as digital marketing and ecommerce, product, and UX/UI.  She will retain those portfolios. Before Scholastic, Jaffe headed up the digital efforts of Teach for America.

Jaffe will report directly to Peter Warnick, president and chief executive officer at Scholastic.

“Here’s a great example of how Scholastic can build its leadership and capabilities from within, acknowledging impressive achievements such as Stacey’s in her area of digital expertise,” Warnick said.

Jaffe’s background

Jaffe, meanwhile, credited Scholastic with fostering her love of reading when she was a child and hopes to apply digital technology to do the same for a new generation.

“My journey as an avid reader began with a Scholastic Book Clubs flyer in second grade when I first picked up ‘The Baby-Sitters Club,'” Jaffe said. “Since then, I have been passionate about advocating for children’s literacy.”

All of that has culminated in her new capacity at the publisher and retailer.

“Today, I am thrilled to step into a role that leverages digital strategy and embraces the evolution of data to meet the changing needs of consumers,” she said.

Significance for Scholastic

Industry watchers generally cheered Scholastic’s move.

“This move is essential for Scholastic Publishing,” said Simon Wharton, founder of ecommerce consultancy PushON. “A strong digital presence is crucial for any publisher looking to stay relevant and competitive.”

Dani Juardo, executive vice president of North America, sales and marketing at ecommerce platform VTEX, also praised Scholastic’s creation of Jaffe’s new role and how it will build upon its existing digital footprint.

“Scholastic has the opportunity to seamlessly connect its publications with shoppable interfaces, add multi-vendor capabilities, and enable readers to discover and purchase products directly through digital channels easily,” Juardo said. “By blending content with commerce, Scholastic can drive greater engagement and revenue through a cohesive, interactive digital experience.”

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