Dive Brief:
- Mondelez is launching a direct-to-consumer e-commerce gifting site under its Oreo cookie brand in time for the holidays, according to a news release.
- The site, gifts.oreo.com, enables consumers to purchase holiday-themed tins containing White Fudge Covered Oreos.
- Shoppers can send Oreo tins to recipients without knowing their physical address. Instead, the gifter provides the recipient's email address or mobile phone number, which Oreo contacts so the recipient can "open" his or her gift and confirm shipping details.
Dive Insight:
The gifting site is part of Mondelez's expansion of its global e-commerce efforts. The company announced last year that it aims to increase revenue to at least $1 billion by 2020. Such initiatives have included "buy now" buttons in shoppable ads, adding a respected consumer goods e-commerce leader to its board and, most recently, a partnership with Alibaba, which hosts a "store" for Mondelez to sell its products on the Tmall.com platform.
During last year's holiday season, Mondelez launched its Oreo Colorfilled offer, where consumers could customize Oreo packaging for more personalized gifts. The effort was well received, and daily shopping deals site Zulily signed on as a partner to promote the holiday gift idea with free shipping.
This time around, Mondelez seems to be focusing less on the personalizable aspect of the gift and more on providing convenience for the gift giver and recipient alike. Convenience is a key driver for online holiday shopping and the snack industry as a whole.
"We're piloting a more flexible, agile supply chain model that will allow us to have a more direct interaction with shoppers during a time of year when they're increasingly turning to online sources to research gift ideas and complete purchases," Neil Ackerman, global director of eCommerce at Mondelez, said in a statement.
That supply chain agility is key for a successful e-commerce strategy, yet it remains a significant challenge for many food and beverage manufacturers. Mondelez's sales continued to decline for the 12th straight quarter as of the company's latest earnings report. But between the company's intensified focus on e-commerce and investments in R&D facilities, top-line growth could soon return.