WHO’S WHO I N E - CO M M E R C E
PROMOTION IN MOTION
KRISTINA MORELLO Director of E-Commerce Kristina Morello spent 17 years at Colgate-Palmolive progressing through the commercial organization and loving all of the experiences and opportunities it offered. Her last two roles there were in shopper marketing on the club team and in customer development on the Amazon team. It was exciting for her to be on the fast-paced Amazon team, where she said she learned something new every day. Morello decided to leave Colgate-Palmolive and New York City the day of the December 2017 Port Authority bomb scare. It was time to take her CPG knowledge to a smaller, fast-growing company closer to home. She was thrilled to find Promotion in Motion, a manufacturer of high-quality snacks and confections.
Q
What are your job duties?
MORELLO: To build the
foundation for long-term, profitable e-commerce growth. Also, to educate the organization and lead them along on the e-commerce journey. Since e-commerce is such a fluid space, it is critical that all functions – including sales, marketing, supply chain and finance – are moving in sync.
Q
How does your organization promote digital innovation? MORELLO: Having Millennials and Gen Z as part of our target audience requires us to be digitally savvy. Our leadership encourages a test and learn environment focused on trying new ways to reach and engage our shoppers and consumers. We reserve a portion of our annual plan for digital innovation and require our team to stay current on the latest best practices in the ever-changing digital media world. For example, we have
Photo submitted by Kristina Morello
partnered with gaming platform Twitch to integrate content for our recently launched Original Gummi FunMix brand, which targets a Gen Z and young Millennial audience. We also emphasized Welch’s Fruit
RECENT ACHIEVEMENT MORELLO: One of my first priorities was to develop “ePacks” comprised of large quantities of related varieties. These packs can help drive e-commerce consumption without interfering with our strong and growing brick-and-mortar business. Our ability to bring them to market quickly was a testament to the cross-functional collaboration that you can accomplish in an agile environment. The packs were created from the lens of the consumer and incorporated the philosophy to “surprise and delight.” The team worked together to identify the appropriate pack sizes and varieties based on consumer preference. The ePacks were designed to capture shipping efficiencies. Also, the Welch’s Fruit Snacks ePacks included an opening to ensure easy access to the pouches from the pantry shelf. The creative included the brand voice and a review generation request to gather consumer feedback.
December 2019
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Snacks’ upbeat and positive personality by making our own Pandora mixtape to drive brand awareness and engagement.
Q
Where do you see e-commerce headed in the next few years? MORELLO: Although brickand-mortar will always have a role and the retail environment will continue to change, directto-consumer is the future of e-commerce. I have been surprised by my own migration and acceptance of DTC native brands. Owning that customer experience allows companies to focus on building the brand equity that will elevate the shopping experience beyond price. — Charlie Menchaca
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