Marks & Spencer hires digital product chief to boost omnichannel strengths

Krista Nordlund, at present chief product officer at US digital rental marketplace RentPath, will join Marks & Spencer in the new role at the start of January with a brief to drive enhancements to the retailer’s app and website.

The appointment comes following a consumer shift online accelerated by the Covid pandemic and M&S’s adoption of a digital-first approach spearheaded by its MS2 division, which has the license to think and act like a pureplay.

Nordlund will play a pivotal part in M&S chief digital and data officer Jeremy Pee’s team, where she will have “business-wide responsibility for accelerating M&S’ digital product capabilities to improve [customer] experiences through all digital touchpoints including the M&S App and M&S.com”.

Taking digital to the next level

M&S’s digital focus has drawn more online shoppers and helped it increase the number of active app users by 50% this year.

Nordlund also brings product experience from businesses including USA Today, Expedia and US Airways. 

Pee said: “Online and mobile increasingly represent how more of our customers are choosing to shop with us today so it’s vital we deliver fast, easy and personalised experiences for our customers every time, and Krista’s experience will play a huge part in helping us build our digital capabilities as we shape the future of M&S.”

Nordlund said: “It’s a great time to be joining M&S as the business builds its omnichannel offering, and I see a huge opportunity to support the next phase of our transformation by taking the digital experiences we offer customers to the next level.”