CHAIR: Neil Saunders, Managing Director, GLOBALDATA RETAIL

CHAIR: Alex Meisl, Co Founder, GREYHAIRWORKS

A smaller, more intimate stage to foster deep discussion and innovation

Keri Taub, Vice President, Strategy, BLOOMINGDALES

Interviewed by: Neil Saunders, Managing Director, GLOBALDATA RETAIL

In today’s world, the social commentary can make or break a brand. Harnessing the power of the conversation in an authentic, inspirational and relatable way (AIR ™) can seem overwhelming but it is possible. Enjoy this session to learn how today’s best brands are putting the customer in control in a way you might not have considered, by leveraging the voices of the employees.

20 MINUTE KEYNOTE

Jeanniey Walden, Chief Marketing Officer, ELT Team member, RITE AID

This workshop will explore the areas expected to have a profound impact on the future of e-commerce. Stuart Harrison, SVP Strategy for Adam&EveDDB and Gregory Grudzinski, Digital Commerce Lead and author of the report will present key findings from the report along with real-world examples of how these trends are playing out in the market today.

Gregory Grudzinski, Digital Commerce Lead, WARC

Stu Harrison, Executive Strategy Director, ADAM&EVE DDB NEW YORK

The commerce consumer is here and ready to engage at the point of inspiration. In this session, we will explore the potential of commerce media and content in today’s commerce economy. Learn technology and advertising strategies for e-commerce that can be leveraged by any brand. Join this panel of leading experts as they share their vision for shoppable experiences to build stronger customer connections and powerful data signals for marketing.

20 MINUTE PANEL

Amie Owen, Global Chief Growth Officer, KINESSO COMMERCE

Nick Morgan, Founder & CEO, VUDOO

Scott Lux, Executive Vice President Global Ecommerce and Technology, ESPRIT

20 MINUTE KEYNOTE

Discover the right content-tech mix that drives engagement, learn how digital store content differs across channels, and the key to authenticity through the customers

William Cladek, SVP of Revenue, FIREWORK

How to create hybridized, unified customer experiences by merging online and offline retail?

What technologies are retailers using to create seamless instore and online experiences?

What role does the landlord play?

30 MINUTE PANEL

Chad Lundeen, VP, Real Estate, SAATVA

Devin Gilmartin, CEO, THE CANVAS GLOBAL

Bill Carrig, President & COO, LITTLE WORDS PROJECT

MODERATOR: Rebekah Kondrat, Founder and Managing Partner, REKON RETAIL

What platforms are seeing most returns in the North American market? 

How to leverage social selling to drive business growth? 

What are the pitfalls of social selling? And what can brands do to avoid them?

30 MINUTE PANEL

Marisa Runyon, Head of Creative Content, SHEIN

Carolann McKay, Director of Social Commerce, WALMART

Tory Bergmann, Senior Social Media Marketing Manager, RING CONCIERGE

MODERATOR: LaToya Shambo, CEO, BLACK GIRL DIGITAL

Retail is at a crossroads. From new technological platforms to AI and from innovative business models to a new consumer mindset, brands and retailers have a clear option. Aim for an Onlife strategy through a framework that redefines retail and leads to continued wins.

Thomai Serdari, Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing,
NYU STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

In this talk, Adam Pearce will explain the key problems with post purchase email flows, and show specific examples of how to ensure that your post purchase flow reduces customer service issues and maximises repeat sales. Expect clear examples and practical changes you can make as soon as you leave the event.

20 MIN KEYNOTE

Adam Pearce, Co-founder & CEO, BLEND COMMERCE

In today’s competitive landscape, many businesses struggle with high customer acquisition costs (CAC) and low customer lifetime value (LTV), leading to a profitless (or less profits) growth cycle. We’ll explore how companies can shift from profitless to profipoly (profits monopoly) by re-engineering retention strategies. We’ll dive into breakthrough concepts like AI Twins for better customer understanding to enable hyper-personalised engagement and Email Apps (Epps) that transform emails into powerful conversion channels. By focusing on retention over acquisition with cutting-edge technology, businesses can build lifelong customer relationships and multi-maximize every customer’s LTV, reduce AdWaste, and drive exponential forever profitable growth.

20 MINUTE KEYNOTE

Rajesh Jain, Founder, NETCORE

20 MINUTE KEYNOTE

Sourabh Sharma, CMO, PRINT ALL OVER ME & CMO, HISTOIRES DE PARFUMS

Today, our digital connections are often overshadowing the face-to-face, meaningful personal connections. Our connections can be numbered in the hundreds, thousands, even millions on social networks, yet this does not translate into emotional, meaningful connections with people. We’re in an era that the World Health Organization has called a “loneliness epidemic”.

Little Words Project has been addressing this very issue for ten years, building connections with people (to themselves and to others) online and offline through words – with beaded bracelets as the vehicle to build community. The retail industry has a unique challenge and opportunity to help create this true connection.

20 MINUTE KEYNOTE

Adriana Carrig, CEO & Founder, LITTLE WORDS PROJECT

Is your store secretly pushing customers away? Join us for a dynamic Retail Rehab workshop to diagnose and cure the hidden toxins harming your customer experience.

We’ll speed-date through 7 toxic store types, like:

• “The Narcissist”: The brand is all about me, me, me (never the customer)
• “The Ghoster”: Promises big, delivers nothing, and is nowhere to be found
• …plus 5 more revealed in the session!

Drawing from Sandy’s retail visits to 100+ experiences, you’ll:

• Uncover common issues using the Toxic Store Type framework
• Master 5 key strategies for a “Blissful Retail Recovery”
• Apply your insights in a quick-fire challenge

Walk away with practical tips to turn your store into a shopper magnet. Ideal for retail and brand leaders looking for fresh, fun ideas to elevate their customer experience!

Sandy Hernandez,
Founder, CEO and Chief Inspiration Officer,
THE RETAIL MUSE

Businesses are grappling with shrinking profit margins in an increasingly challenging economic landscape. In this session, NetElixir’s Founder and CEO, Udayan Bose, will share how generative AI can be the solution to this margin meltdown.

Learn how digital marketers can leverage AI to streamline operations, enhance creativity, and shift from traditional tactics to innovative strategies that preserve profitability. Attendees will also get an exclusive look at NetElixir’s AI-powered platform, LXRInsights, designed to help businesses engage high-value customers and maintain a competitive edge.

20 MINUTE KEYNOTE

Udayan Bose, Founder & CEO, NETELIXIR

OOH continues to grow YOY as more and more brands turn to the channel with top-of-funnel marketing taking more of a priority in their media mix. Join us for a fireside chat with Brian Rappaport of Quan & Kaitlyn Wood of PrizePicks to hear how the brand has leaned into OOH as they’ve taken the daily fantasy sports landscape by storm – through smart strategic placements & contextual messaging.

Brian Rappaport, CEO, QUAN MEDIA GROUP

Kaitlyn Wood, Senior Director Offline Marketing, PRIZEPICKS

How can digital first, net-native brands utilise retail partnerships for discovery?
How are brands coming out of profitability crisis?
What role do delivery aggregators play?

40 MINUTE PANEL

Kristin Knapp, Chief Digital Officer, FRERE

Curan Mehra, Founder & CEO, HAYDEN PRODUCTS

Oren Halperin, VP eCommerce & Merchandising, AJ MADSON

Michael Peroutka, Head of Brand & Agency Partnerships, GOPUFF

MODERATOR: Poonam Goyal, Sector Head & Senior Research Retail Analyst, BLOOMBERG

Strategies for building brand identity and engaging audiences in a saturated channel (i.e. partnerships and collaborations across platforms, Fake Out-of-Home (FOOH) advertising)

Where is influencer marketing currently and where is it headed?

Impact of AI on the collaboration with creative and social media agencies 

Challenges around IP, authenticity, preventing deep fakes and unintended bias

40 MINUTE PANEL

Alisa Gowing, Head of Social Media, LYRA HEALTH

Ashley Parrish, Senior Vice President of Commerce, TODAY, NBC News, CNBC 

Sabrina Cherubini, SVP Brand & Digital, HANKY PANKY

Sourabh Sharma, CMO, PRINT ALL OVER ME  & CMO, HISTOIRES DE PARFUMS 

Mark Stern, Head of US & Senior Account Director, PROMOVERITAS

MODERATOR: Steve Wheen, CEO, WE ARE DISTILLERY

How to bring that community magic to your brand’s digital business model.

In this session, you will:

Learn why community-centric digital business models create the most value

How, as an established brand or retailer you can bring community to your digital business model (social commerce being a key lever)

Leave the room with one concrete idea related to your business, ready for testing

Sophie Frères, Co-Founder & CEO, LiSA SOCIAL COMMERCE

Resale is one of the standout areas of growth in retail. In this discussion with one of the pioneers in resale – thredUP founder and CEO, James Reinhart – we look at what’s powering the category, the challenges of making resale work financially, understanding consumer preferences, and how mainstream retailers are adapting their business models to accommodate secondhand. We also take a peek into the future looking at how resale is evolving and how new technologies like AI are changing both operations and customer experience.

20 MINUTE KEYNOTE

James Reinhart, CEO, THREDUP

Neil Saunders, Managing Director, GLOBALDATA RETAIL

AI has become a game-changer for brands looking to build and scale global movements. By leveraging AI’s advanced data analytics and predictive capabilities, brands have the ability to collect real-time feedback from customers, transform their digital strategies, and boost customer engagement. Join Jonathan Yaffe, CEO & Co-Founder of AnyRoad, and Patrick Lowe, Head of Partnerships at LaLiga North America, as they discuss how brands can harness the power of AI to forge global connections and elevate customer experiences. 

20 MIN KEYNOTE

Patrick Lowe, Head of Brand Partnerships, LA LIGA NORTH AMERICA

Jonathan Yaffe, CEO, ANYROAD

What circular business model (repair, rental, resale) offers the biggest commercial opportunity for brands?

How can brands and retailers incrementally facilitate a shift to a more circular pattern in consumption without alienating consumers and losing revenue?

What part can technology play in this?

How to make it work commercially and make it operational?

40 MIN PANEL

Shraysi Tandon, Co-Founder/CEO, KIDSY

Kirsty Keoghan, Global GM of Fashion/Apparel, EBAY

Terry Boyle, CEO, TROVE

MODERATOR: Thomaï Serdari, Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing, NYU STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Why create one new fan when you can build generations of enthusiasts?Immersive, participatory, and story-rich, experiences and brand homes are key for driving emotional engagement and building loyalty. Every sense is engaged as guests see, touch, feel, and smell the subject, product, or place. Join BRC Chief Creative Officer, Christian Lachel for a conversation on how brands can use sensory storytelling to build greater brand affinity, increase sales, and the transformation of casual consumers into passionate brand advocates.

20 MINUTE KEYNOTE

Christian Lachel, Chief Creative Officer, BRC IMAGINATION ARTS

Joanna Hobday, CEO, BRITE MANAGEMENT

In an era where consumers expect more from the brands they engage with and crave authenticity, it’s essential for businesses to connect with their customers on a human level. RetailWire’s CEO, Dominick Miserandino offers insights into what retailers can learn from the power of a personal brand. This session will explore strategies for building communities and networks, fostering authentic relationships, and inspiring innovative approaches to your business. Dominick’s relatable stories will give you strategies to deepen connections with both customers and team members and transform the way you think about brand building.

Dominick Miserandino, CEO, RETAILWIRE

How is technology used to create a connection with the customer and improve customer experience?

Looking at use cases of AI to achieve production efficiencies, drive revenue opportunities, and create hyperpersonalized experiences 

Predicting consumer behaviour through the use of AI and machine learning

30 MINUTE PANEL

Omer Iqbal, SVP – Digital and Technology, SHISEIDO

Jessica Lachs, Global Head of Analytics & Data Science, DOORDASH

Ranjan Roy, VP of Strategy, ADORE ME

Yang Lu, SVP, Global Commerce and Customer Engagement Solutions (Coach, Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman), TAPESTRY

Pratik Bhadra, CEO – North America, NETCORE 

MODERATOR: Adam Blair, Editor, RETAIL TOUCHPOINTS

No other practice has shifted so fundamentally in marketing as that of a social media manager. What started as a simple community role, has now morphed into a hybrid expertise requiring creative thinking and strategy in equal parts. What’s more, social media has become the new mass channel but with wildly different rules of engagement. For brands, it means much less control and predictability from a media and campaign reach standpoint. Brands and legacy agencies alike haven’t caught up, applying outdated approaches to an ecosystem that refuses to abide by them. In this session, the co-hosts of the social media and culture podcast, House of Content, break down the common challenges brands and agencies phase, setting three commandments to live by on organic social:

Social media isn’t free media, scoping for production and reach.

Trends do not make a social strategy, brand platforms are still needed.

Creator-led means you need to let creators lead.

With over a decade of experience unlocking the power of social for Fortune 500 companies like Behr Paint, Sephora, and Burger King, Janni, Christine, and Melissa are ready to shake up social as we know it.

30 MINUTE PANEL

Janni Widerholm, Head of Social & Podcast Host, HOUSE OF CONTENT

Melissa Kontu, Podcast Host & Social Creative Lead, HOUSE OF CONTENT

Christine Göös, Podcast Host & Sr. Director of Marketing, HOUSE OF CONTENT