eBay India CMO Kashyap Vadapalli quits to join Pepperfry

Vadapalli joined eBay India as director of marketing and business development in 2008 and later became the CMO of the company.

eBay India's chief marketing officer Kashyap Vadapalli has resigned from the company to join lifestyle e-commerce marketplace, Pepperfry.com as CMO and head of new business.

Vadapalli joined eBay in 2008 as director of marketing and business development, before which he has had stints at Google India and Tata Interactive Systems in marketing and business development roles. Kashyap began his career in 1997 with Cadbury.

Pepperfry is an entrepreneurial venture by former eBay India country head Ambareesh Murty, to whom Vadapalli reported in eBay India. The venture raised US$5 million in Series A funding from Norwest Venture Partners in December, 2011.

At Pepperfry, Vadapalli will lead the marketing and new business teams and will oversee all aspects of marketing including branding, digital, social media and corporate communications. He will also lead the development of new category and business segments for Pepperfry.

Speaking to afaqs! about his immediate priorities at Pepperfry, Vadapalli says that the company's marketing efforts will be focused towards implementing initiatives which will accelerate its already fast paced expansion. "Additionally we will also focus on tapping new businesses that drive virality and community building amongst our target shoppers," he says.

Outlining Pepperfry's marketing strategy, Vadapalli says that it shall continue to focus on the internet-savvy millennial consumers (those born in the 1980s and after) through various digital channels. "We already enjoy a significant mindshare in the online shopping space, especially for our focus categories of home and lifestyle amongst our main target group of consumers aged 25 years and above. While we will devise and launch 360-degree campaigns to build our brand as per the strategic needs of the business, online marketing will be the foundation of our marketing strategy,"

he adds.

In an official communication, Murty says that Kashyap's business acumen and strategic insights will be extremely valuable to Pepperfry's journey in becoming India's No. 1 home and lifestyle e-retailer.