Maven of the Month: An Interview with Allie Hahn

Allie Hahn, Director of Digital Design at Ulta Beauty, builds digital experiences with intention. In this Q&A, she shares why Ulta Beauty’s Year in Review keeps leveling up, how agility guides her approach to digital retail, and why automation helps protect time for creative thinking. From building personalization that lasts beyond a single send to turning first-party data into experiences guests love, Allie is focused on raising the bar without losing sight of the customer at the center of it all.

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What campaign are you most excited to work on this year?

Our Year in Review is always a highlight, and this year’s 2025 Year-in-Beauty edition takes it to the next level. We’ve introduced more complexity with additional data points for deeper personalization and exciting brand collaborations. Each year, we challenge ourselves to make it better than the last—and I truly believe we delivered. This year also features a fun social sharing component designed to drive guest engagement. If you haven’t seen yours yet, check it out!

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What is your greatest marketing superpower?

My greatest marketing superpowers are agility and adaptability—they truly go hand in hand. In digital retail, the ability to pivot quickly without getting overwhelmed by rapid changes is essential. I joke that I thrive on the holiday chaos of e-commerce, but it’s true! Adaptability also extends beyond business needs to include technology and platforms. As a best-in-class retailer, staying up to date on trends and tech is critical to continuously innovate, evolve and deliver personalized experiences for our guests. I’m always exploring new opportunities and ideas for my team to push boundaries and elevate what we do.

What's your greatest efficiency hack for working smarter not harder?

Automating and templating any time-consuming manual work you can. If it lends itself to a template or automation, do it! This frees up valuable time for the creative, strategic work you want to do.

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How do you get the most out of a partnership with a company like Movable Ink?

I focus on planning and developing use cases that extend beyond one-time promotional sends. By incorporating personalized elements into email headers, footers, templates, triggers and automations, we create dynamic experiences that remain active for longer. This approach maximizes value across both email and mobile channels.

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What advice would you give to marketers who are looking to utilize real-time, data-driven personalization across their campaigns but are unsure where to start?

Start by exploring all the first-party data your brand already has. Next, review your website to identify existing APIs and how they can integrate with Movable Ink. From there, brainstorm with your team and generate as many ideas as possible, sky is the limit. I like to categorize them into quick wins and longer-term, high-effort initiatives. This helps prioritize what will deliver the most impact for your team and the business, and gives you a clear roadmap to start executing.

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Want to hear from more Movable Mavens? Check out the interviews below!