Kraft Heinz is a global industry leader known for its innovative strategies in emerging markets. One of the people behind that innovation is Cory Onell, executive vice president and chief omnichannel sales and Asian emerging markets officer.
Onell joins Retail Gets Real to talk about his career journey, how Kraft Heinz adapts omnichannel strategies in different global markets, and how customers are shopping today.
The omnichannel approach
Omnichannel strategy, which aims to provide a consistent customer experience across all channels and touchpoints, is essential in today’s retail landscape. But how can a company provide a consistent experience across many different global markets?
“Everything starts with what we call ‘perfect go to market.’ It's about identifying the space where you want to play,” Onell says. “We've built a repeatable model where we go in and we say, ‘What are the right stores?’ And then, ’What's the right model in terms of how we want to call on them,’ meaning what distributors, what type of sales organization do we need?”
The next piece is creating the right portfolio. For Kraft Heinz, it typically entails identifying a “local jewel” brand in addition to seeking to expand into global brands. That could mean, for example, educating consumers on how to incorporate Heinz ketchup or mayonnaise into their meals.
“A lot of times in emerging markets, it's really about driving penetration of the category,” Onell says. “We drive that penetration through education. If we drive category penetration as the global leader, we'll obviously benefit from that in a big way.”
“Families are managing their cash flow to maximize the value of the food that they put on their table."
What consumers are looking for
In addition to convenience and a connected shopping experience, consumers are also seeking value more than ever — and retailers must adapt to the demand.
“Families are managing their cash flow to maximize the value of the food that they put on their table,” Onell says. “We see them doing new things like increasing the number of shopping trips, shopping multiple stores or channels like dollar and club to look for deals. And also having different buying patterns — buying bigger sizes at the beginning of the month when there's more money available, to buying smaller sizes at the end of the month to stretch that dollar. So, we've had to adjust as a CPG company.”
Cory Onell’s best career advice
Onell has had a long and successful career. For people just starting out in their careers, he shares an important piece of advice, which he imparted to his own son recently.
“You're going to have three stages in your career — one where you're an individual contributor, one where you’re first leading people, and one where you're leading larger teams,” Onell says.
“In each one of those stages, make sure that you pick a moment to lap yourself. As you get closer to the top of the pyramid, there's less and less jobs and the stakes are bigger. So just pick those moments where you're going to spend a little bit more time and get that extra learning.”
Episode chapters
Hear how retail’s most fascinating leaders got started in the industry and special insights on today’s landscape.
(00:01:46) Cory Onell’s career journey
- His background working for leading CPG companies
- Onell’s new role at Kraft Heinz
- How he manages his schedule working with Asian markets
(00:05:06) The omnichannel approach in emerging markets
- Building a repeatable model
- Driving penetration of the category through education
- How customers are shopping in his markets
(00:09:46) Kraft Heinz’s online presence
- Thinking about the perfect store and the perfect screen
- The evolution of the retail industry with online shopping
- Scaling online strategies globally
(00:13:28) The essential impact of the food industry
- How Onell got into the food industry
- How food brings people purpose
(00:15:27) Onell’s approach to leadership
- The four leadership principles Onell lives by
(00:18:15) Finding work-life balance
- What work-life balance means to Onell
- Modeling work-life balance for others
(00:22:38) Onell’s career advice
- The best advice he’s received
- The advice he gave to his son
Resources:
- kraftheinzcompany.com
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- Find more episodes at retailgetsreal.com
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