The 2023 Agenda

The role of data in creating a cohesive and enjoyable customer experience has never been more important. Brands and retailers have a wealth of options when it comes to collecting and acting on data, whether to personalize individual shopper journeys or create seamless omnichannel paths to purchase. In this session, three executives will share recent initiatives that have leveraged data to create superlative customer experiences, including how they moved the needle around acquisition, retention, sales and more.

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In an era of vast economic and industry challenges and opportunities, fostering an environment that simultaneously nurtures employees and challenges them to excel has never been more crucial. Creating a culture that will engage and align workers at all levels, fostering empathy, resilience, collaboration and creativity, is essential when building a high-performance organization. In this panel discussion, three C-level leaders will share how they are building and maintaining a culture of excellence.

The only thing certain about today's economy is uncertainty. News articles say a recession is looming, yet retail sales remain elevated versus the prior year. Massive corporate layoffs are taking place in tech and other industries, but retailers can't hire enough workers to keep their stores or warehouses running smoothly. This session will feature new, unbiased research into the state of the economy and how consumers and businesses are navigating it. Our three presentations will address: an overview of the current economic situation; luxury shopping and consumer behavior in today's economic climate; and shifting investments in retail technologies, including fallout from SVB's collapse.

In a series of fast-paced, strictly timed three-minute presentations, 12 early-stage startups will share how their innovative technologies are addressing important challenges in retail. The judges and audience will rate each pitch, and the top six startups will progress to Round 2. Here, the “Shark Reef” judges will ask each founder/CEO pointed questions about their solutions. The judges and audience will again rate each finalist, with a Judges’ Choice and Audience Choice Winner announced at the end of the session.

"Convenience" today means different things to different people--it can sometimes refer to speed, but more broadly it relates to anticipating and meeting a consumer's needs in a way that makes their life easier or more pleasant. Convenient offerings have never been more plentiful, as companies tout easy purchase processes, faster pickup and delivery times, and ready-to-use products as key differentiators. In this Track Keynote, a C-level leader from a leading delivery platform will share how his organization is leveraging new technologies and offerings to meet ever-changing consumer expectations around convenience, as well as what shifts in convenience mean for the industry.

"Convenience" today means different things to different people--it can sometimes refer to speed, but more broadly it relates to anticipating and meeting a consumer's needs in a way that makes their life easier or more pleasant. Convenient offerings have never been more plentiful, as companies tout easy purchase processes, faster pickup and delivery times, and ready-to-use products as key differentiators. This session will feature insights from two retail leaders about how to leverage new technologies and offerings to meet ever-changing consumer expectations around convenience, as well as what shifts in convenience mean for their industries.

Retailers are steadily moving beyond "omnichannel" into a world where shopping journeys move fluidly across physical stores and websites, social media, marketplaces and more. Internal strategic alignment balanced with a relentless focus on providing customer value is key to ensuring successful omnichannel experiences. In this Track Keynote, the executive driving the omnichannel transformation of a major home improvement retailer will share her strategies and tactics.

Retailers are steadily moving beyond "omnichannel" into a world where shopping journeys move fluidly across physical stores and websites, social media, marketplaces and more. Internal strategic alignment balanced with a relentless focus on providing customer value is key to ensuring successful omnichannel experiences. This session will feature a conversation with two business leaders discussing the strategies, technologies and data-focused initiatives that their organizations have implemented to reinvent themselves for the omnichannel world, and beyond.

The past eight months have seen big cuts in the valuations of formerly high-flying startups, forcing a focus on operational efficiency and profitability. Established retailers and brands have faced increased scrutiny and skepticism of their financial performance, too. This session features three outspoken investors who will share their views on retail today. Shoptalk's gamified rapid-fire format will ensure the session covers a lot of ground, offering a frank and unfiltered primer on what success looks like in a challenging time.

In a series of fast-paced, strictly timed three-minute presentations, 12 early-stage startups will share how their innovative technologies are addressing important challenges in retail. The judges and audience will rate each pitch, and the top six startups will progress to Round 2. Here, the “Shark Reef” judges will ask each founder/CEO pointed questions about their solutions. The judges and audience will again rate each finalist, with a Judges’ Choice and Audience Choice Winner announced at the end of the session.

The U.S. secondhand market is anticipated to double by 2026, reaching $82 billion as consumers gravitate towards recommerce to save money and address growing concerns about waste. In addition to resale, businesses are offering product repairs, creating new items from recycled materials, and more to promote the circular economy. This session will feature a series of interviews with three industry leaders discussing the demand side of these offerings, as well as the benefits and challenges of each model.

Despite high-profile equality efforts across the industry, the retail world remains far from achieving gender parity in the C-suite and at all levels of management. Too many workplaces have yet to undertake the deep self-examination required to create a culture where all women feel valued and supported, are provided the same opportunities to grow their careers, and are treated and compensated fairly. In this panel discussion, brand and retail executives will share the concrete ways they are empowering women across their organizations, and how they're preparing them to take on and succeed at leadership roles.

Over the next four days, Shoptalk's stages will feature a myriad of great retailers, brands, tech solutions, consultants and more speaking about how they are adapting to these fast-changing retail times. This Track Keynote will set the scene by featuring two senior leaders who will share their tactics for surfing the wave of continuous change that defines retail today, and their thoughts on future-proofing their businesses for whatever may come next.

In a series of fast-paced, strictly timed three-minute presentations, 12 early-stage startups will share how their innovative technologies are addressing important challenges in retail. The judges and audience will rate each pitch, and the top six startups will progress to Round 2. Here, the “Shark Reef” judges will ask each founder/CEO pointed questions about their solutions. The judges and audience will again rate each finalist, with a Judges’ Choice and Audience Choice Winner announced at the end of the session.

In 2024, U.S. consumers are expected to spend more time watching digital video than traditional TV for the first time. As consumer attention shifts and traditional TV ads become less effective, this massive inflection point is driving brands and retailers to spend more on digital video and accelerate efforts to integrate shopping. This session will feature three retail and brand leaders taking diverse approaches to shoppable video, including livestreaming and on demand, and via connected devices or on social channels. It will help attendees evaluate today's many options for engaging viewers and driving conversions.

As the industry continues to be impacted by labor shortages, retailers and brands are adopting new approaches to management and investing in technologies and capabilities that empower and increase the productivity of their store associates. They are also redesigning teams to create new roles that are more fulfilling–for example, by having store associates also support digital sales and social media content generation. In this Track Keynote, retail executives will share honest insights into how they're transforming their store workforces with new roles and capabilities that are streamlining workflows, boosting collaboration, driving customer engagement and increasing labor retention.

The past year has refocused attention on efficiency as the key to retail success. In a series of interviews, retail leaders will discuss specific technologies that moved the needle for them in terms of reducing costs, increasing productivity or otherwise measurably improving their operations.

Retail innovation today is sparked by many different drivers, and no one country or market can claim a monopoly on exciting new ideas. This session will feature two presentations of new research looking at specific innovations from across the global retail landscape. The insights presented will help companies in the audience keep pace with our fast-changing industry and prepare for what's to come.

The $340 billion global marketing technology market has been hugely challenged by new controls on consumer data imposed by both governments and browser and operating system makers. This session will feature four marketing solutions that have risen to that challenge, delivering innovative approaches to creativity, relevancy and accountability, with measurable impacts for clients. Each company’s Founder/CEO will present their solution, followed by a group discussion on how customer expectations make tailored, personalized shopping experiences an imperative.

Headless ecommerce is often billed as the future of digital retail, enabling greater speed and flexibility than all-in-one platforms. However, replatforming to a headless solution brings complexity as well. This session will dive into the strategic and tactical imperatives for successfully going headless. It will feature an expert sharing a tactical framework for a headless ecommerce implementation, followed by a conversation with a retail executive who managed a headless commerce deployment.

Consumers shopping in stores today seek two contrasting types of experiences. Sometimes they wish to be inspired--to discover new products they love, at a leisurely pace--while at other times they want or need to enter, purchase and leave as quickly and easily as possible. In a series of presentations and a panel discussion, three companies will discuss how they are effectively striking the balance between providing both inspiration and ease in their stores, by designing new store formats, experiences and services to cater to these divergent paths.

Advances in AI and automation are helping retailers unlock efficiencies and deliver a better customer experience while enabling workers to do more fulfilling tasks. In this session, we'll hear from executives at leading companies that have deployed innovative automation solutions in stores, warehouses, the back office or elsewhere, exploring what they've learned from these initiatives.

Retail innovation today can come from anywhere, with groundbreaking innovations and new trends taking off around the world. In this session, retail leaders will discuss their latest innovations, and compare and contrast how retail is evolving in their markets and regions.

Retailers and brands face constant pressure to improve their data capabilities and to deliver consumers more tailored, relevant service, both online and in stores. However, data resources often remain underutilized, and personalization is superficial or misses the mark. This session will kick off with a presentation from a senior leader at Google. It will then segue to a 20-minute panel conversation featuring three innovative technology solutions that unlock new capabilities around data and personalization. Attendees will come away with new perspectives on how companies can maximize the value of their data.

Very few companies solve their technology challenges entirely in-house. Digital complexity, the rapid pace of change and high build costs prompt most retailers and brands to work with multiple vendors to enable omnichannel shopping and delivery. Building a tech stack challenges companies to integrate different vendors, and make bets on the longevity of any given solution. In this interactive session, an industry expert will present tactics for evaluating technology companies from a capability and profitability perspective. The presentation will be followed by a conversation with a retail leader on how to make these partnerships beneficial for both parties.

The past few years have seen a fundamental shift in AI capabilities and adoption, with brands and retailers leveraging AI-based tools across the entire business, from marketing to supply chain to the back office. Meanwhile, new foundation models transcend data analysis and inference, performing creative tasks like generating text and images and holding human-like conversations. In a series of interviews, this session will feature three executives speaking about how they are applying leading-edge AI and machine learning in specific areas of their business. They will highlight the ways AI is adding value, while also pointing out things companies must keep in mind to maximize their returns on their data infrastructure investments.

Retailers and brands are tapping into a dizzying array of tools and platforms that allow consumers to transact anytime and anyplace. These include taking voice technology beyond shopping list creation to actual purchase completion; adding transactional capabilities so consumers can buy on apps like Instagram and Pinterest; and interacting with customers on platforms like Twitch. Virtually any digital channel can now support a "buy" button, decreasing friction but increasing complexity. In a series of case study interviews, retail and brand leaders will share examples of how they leverage partnerships, data and the most relevant technologies and channels to enable seamless and consistent "commerce everywhere" experiences.

Over 90 percent of companies have some kind of loyalty program. And yet, in an era of ubiquitous points and rewards schemes, companies may find they don't suffice to keep fickle customers coming back, particularly in economically uncertain times. This panel will look at creative approaches to loyalty, including highly personalized programs and non-traditional incentives and rewards, to highlight new tactics that can help take loyalty to the next level.

The role of stores has transformed over the past few years. While they continue to serve as points of inspiration for shoppers, they play many other increasingly important roles as well–for example supporting ecommerce fulfillment. This session will feature senior executives at two leading global companies sharing how their respective organizations are reinventing their store experience and physical presence to keep up with changing customer desires and expectations in different markets around the world, as well as the role that technology plays in this transformation.

The ecommerce giants' promises of fast, free shipping have set customer expectations for order delivery incredibly high. Fortunately, technology solutions exist to help level the field. This session will feature technologies that optimize fulfillment, delivery and the last mile. Each company's Founder/CEO will present their technology solution, followed by a panel discussion on how retailers can optimize their processes to ensure they continue to meet consumer expectations for fast and efficient delivery.

Experiential marketing today encompasses in-store promotions, event activations and even digital offerings. Approaches to planning, executing and especially measuring experiential efforts have evolved tremendously, with smart technologies and omnichannel behaviors bringing precise accountability to real-world experiences. This interactive session will feature an agency expert who will share a framework for thinking about experiential in relation to other parts of the marketing arsenal. A conversation with a marketing leader will bring the concepts to life with tangible, real-world examples of experiential today.

Companies today have vast and growing data repositories, and many have also invested in analytics tools to convert that data into useful insights. However, firms sometimes find themselves challenged on the human capabilities side, as they need to ensure that employees have access to, and training to use, the data resources that will help them work effectively and productively. This Track Keynote will examine how a leading retailer is enabling its employees to unlock the full value of their data resources.

Companies today have vast and growing data repositories, and many have also invested in analytics tools to convert that data into useful insights. However, firms sometimes find themselves challenged on the human capabilities side, as they need to ensure that employees have access to, and training to use, the data resources that will help them work effectively and productively. This session will examine how companies are enabling their employees to unlock the full value of their data resources.

Rising digital commerce adoption and explosive technology advancements have propelled ecommerce offerings to new heights. From innovative mobile offerings to investments in authentication, retailers have rolled out a myriad of offerings to improve the online shopping experience. In a series of case studies, leaders will share specific ecommerce innovations they have implemented and will deliver honest insights into which of them have actually moved the needle.

Buy Now, Pay Later programs, contactless payments and automated checkout are just a few of the many payment and checkout offerings seeing increased rollout and adoption as shoppers press for convenience and choice in how they make purchases online and in-store. In this session, three executives will discuss their strategies around payments and checkout, and the technological and operational innovations they are deploying to help increase speed, efficiency and ultimately customer satisfaction.

Tremendous disruptions in global supply chains continue to generate delayed shipments, higher costs and a host of other complex logistical challenges. As a result, retailers are investing to make their supply chains more flexible and adaptable as they grapple with reduced shipping capacity, logistical bottlenecks and hard-to-predict swings in consumer demand. In this Track Keynote, a retail supply chain executive will share the technologies and strategies enabling resilient supply chains.

Tremendous disruptions in global supply chains continue to generate delayed shipments, higher costs and a host of other complex logistical challenges. As a result, suppliers and retailers are investing to make their supply chains more flexible and adaptable as they grapple with limited availability and increased cost of raw materials, reduced shipping capacity, logistical bottlenecks and hard-to-predict swings in consumer demand. In this panel discussion, executives will share the technologies and strategies that are enabling resilient supply chains.

Positive post-purchase experiences are vital in cementing loyalty and repeat purchases, and companies are taking necessary steps to improve this part of the shopper journey by adopting conversational AI, launching new loyalty programs and offering more seamless resale and returns of purchased goods. This session will feature four companies that are helping retailers and brands better support, reward and engage recent customers and brand loyalists. Each company's Founder/CEO will briefly introduce their technology, followed by a panel discussion on how enhanced post-purchase experiences and the right customer engagement can grow customer lifetime value.

Digital marketing investments skyrocketed due to enhanced targeting and measurement, with both capabilities driven by cookies and other identifiers tracking visitors across online properties. The long-expected, finally arriving decline of the cookie, combined with Apple and Google increasingly limiting data sharing on smartphones, is transforming digital marketing, and driving massive shifts of ad dollars. This workshop will focus on new (and sometimes old) ways marketers are measuring effectiveness. A leading analyst will share best practices, then have a conversation with a retail marketing executive.

Virtual goods and immersive digital experiences define the still emerging worlds of Web 3 and the metaverse. Despite a pullback in exploring these emerging spaces following their rapid rise, the retailers and brands launching initiatives with NFTs and virtual goods, augmented and virtual reality, or within gaming platforms are gaining invaluable learnings and insights on the technologies and offerings that have potential to engage consumers long term. This session will feature conversations with three executives who will share exciting examples of how their businesses are adapting to the next digital frontier, and what these learnings mean for the future.

Helping time-crunched customers find products they want, online and in-store, is vital to retail success. Equally important is anticipating unexpected needs or wants, and helping the shopper discover something they weren't looking for, but fall in love with. In this session, we'll hear from leaders who are reimagining product discovery through smarter search, AI-based recommendations and more, and the impact these initiatives have had on sales and customer satisfaction.

Brands continue to rethink their wholesale and direct-to-consumer strategies. Advances in commerce platforms and supply chain and fulfillment technologies have made it easier for DTC businesses to succeed, while providing them with rich consumer data. However, operating and scaling a DTC business remains challenging, and for most companies success requires finding an optimal balance between wholesale and DTC. This session will feature a discussion with brand leaders talking about how they're finding that balance, and where they see their DTC and wholesale businesses in the future.

In 2023, discussions of supply chain chaos are passé. Leading brands and retailers have already rethought their supply chains and are investing in the skillsets, technologies and partnerships that enable them to get materials and products where they need to go, both downstream and upstream. In this session, we'll hear from three senior executives about managing a complex global supply chain; strategically leveraging returns; and more, all to stand out from competitors and grow their businesses.

This session shines a spotlight on innovative technologies focused on sustainability. Reducing waste, improving efficiency and protecting the planet are all business imperatives, and technology will play a vital role in realizing each of them. We'll feature four Founders/CEOs who will briefly present their technology, followed by a panel discussion on how companies can best plan, implement and measure initiatives to improve sustainability.

If data is the oil of the digital economy, recent privacy-focused shifts by browser and operating system makers have sparked an energy crisis. Companies are rethinking data resources and capabilities, including paying close attention to "zero-party data," the data people voluntarily share with retailers and brands. This interactive workshop will offer a primer on zero-party data and how companies are weaving it into their larger data strategies. An expert will share best practices, and a brand executive will bring the topic to life in a conversation including real-world examples from their work.

Forward-thinking retailers have started to talk about "unified retail" in place of omnichannel, in order to underscore that distinct, siloed online and offline channels do not align with how people shop or buy. Consumers today use over five touchpoints, on average, before making a purchase decision, and do not have patience to begin a journey from scratch when they switch. In this session, two senior leaders will speak to how their companies are making the leap beyond omnichannel to unified retail.

Marketplaces have become an important sales channel, offering brands a third option between wholesale and DTC. As new tools make it easier for retailers to stand up these capabilities, any site or app can potentially become a marketplace. This proliferation presents a broad array of opportunities, but also introduces challenges for brands in terms of selecting the right partners; determining whether to sell through each partner via wholesale, on their marketplace or both; and evaluating sales and profitability implications across channels. This panel discussion will feature executives from a brand, a retailer and a marketplace, who will discuss how these intermediaries are evolving, and how they see business opportunities changing as a result.

Becoming a more sustainable business is often viewed as a cost driver, adding overhead that either pushes up product prices or eats into the bottom line. However, it doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. In this panel discussion, three retail and brand executives will share examples of how technology and other investments have improved their companies' sustainability efforts while also making their supply chains more efficient, and vice versa.

The questions of what inventory to order, in what quantity, and how much to charge for it remain critical to retail business success. Fortunately, new technologies bring unprecedented analytical capabilities to inform the answers. This session will feature the Founders/CEOs of four innovative tech solutions helping with pricing and merchandising. They will briefly introduce their solutions, followed by a moderated conversation on how merchants can best leverage technology to augment their expertise.

This workshop will offer concrete insights into the tactics and strategies companies are leveraging to unlock the value of their data, while maintaining control, security and customers' trust. An industry expert will discuss approaches to data monetization today, and solutions for extracting, cleaning and anonymizing data as needed; they'll also share approaches to negotiating a fair value for data. Following this presentation, a retail executive will discuss their approach to unlocking the value of their data, and the evaluation process behind their strategy.

In a moment of unprecedented change, it's imperative that leaders make time to think about the technologies and strategies that will position them for success in the long term, even as they have to focus on an unending series of short-term challenges. In these fireside chats, two C-level leaders will share their views on the biggest challenges and opportunities in retail today and how they are preparing their organizations to thrive in a fast-moving and ever-changing industry.

Personalization is table stakes in ecommerce today: nearly three-quarters of consumers expect personalized experiences from the brands and retailers they shop. More challenging is extending personalization across all customer touchpoints, digital and in-store, and leveraging the right data sets and sophisticated solutions that account for consumers' stated preferences and actual behaviors--ideally, in real-time. This panel discussion will feature industry leaders discussing personalization technologies and tactics that enable relevant, engaging shopping experiences.

Like all parts of the retail industry, the merchandising function is adapting to a world where everything changes faster, and where unpredictability is the norm. Merchandising professionals have improved data quality, yielding better awareness of everything from inventory location to shifting demand. They are also evolving their relationships with brands and manufacturers, shifting expectations for existing ones and diversifying with new partners as well. This session will feature interviews with three executives talking about ways they are making their merchandising capabilities more agile and adaptable.

Cost savings and convenience are top of mind for retailers seeking to optimize their fulfillment, delivery and returns offerings. Consumers, too, are increasingly looking for more cost-effective fulfillment options, as the economic climate causes them to reevaluate the value of speed vs price. This session will feature presentations from three companies that are leveraging technologies and partnerships to provide fulfillment, delivery and returns options that give consumers the convenient shopping experience they want and preserves, or even increases, margins.

The past several years have driven home the critical role that store associates play in a retailer's success. The need to hire and manage frontline workers, and give them new skills, is creating opportunities for innovative technology solutions. Moreover, as the role of associates evolves, innovative technology solutions exist to help them make store experiences more personalized, relevant, efficient and pleasant for customers. This session will feature four technologies that help with hiring and managing associates, and augmenting their capabilities. The Founders/CEOs will briefly present their solutions, then engage in a discussion about opportunities for associates in an omnichannel retail world.

Today's beauty consumer is more selective and better educated than ever before. Shoppers are choosing products based on how they make them feel or the benefits they provide to their skin and health as much as (if not more than) how they make them look. Purchases are likely to be inspired by a viral TikTok rather than a glossy magazine ad, and the industry is moving faster than ever to embrace these trends and update products. This session will feature a conversation about today's beauty consumer, and how the industry is introducing new products, partnerships and digital capabilities to cater to their changing needs.

In this fast-paced session, three industry experts will share their unique and unfiltered perspectives on a list of nine trending retail technologies in a game-show style format. They will debate technologies ranging from next-generation AI to in-store robotics to innovations that support personalization and measurement in a cookie-free world. The audience will come away with both the pros and the cons of some of today's -- and tomorrow's -- hottest and most exciting technologies.

The retail media opportunity is massive and growing. Retail media networks are expected to generate over $52 billion in 2023, as a growing list of retailers launch and scale these offerings to boost their ecommerce profitability. Meanwhile, retail media offerings have evolved from simple search result tags and diversified in terms of ad types, placements, personalization and more. This session will examine the latest and upcoming innovations in retail media, touching on topics including navigating a fragmented retail media landscape and choosing partners and solutions that will most help brands achieve their goals.

Brands have grown accustomed to incorporating purpose into their businesses and brand stories by giving back to their communities or otherwise improving the world. Meanwhile, political developments have pushed corporations into far more tempestuous political waters. Brands find themselves in an environment where implementing policies and speaking out on issues some customers expect and demand inevitably alienates others. This session will feature a presentation by a leading expert on navigating today's landscape of purpose, politics and activism. We'll also hear from three executives on how they make these difficult decisions on when to act and speak out.

Web 3 technologies have existing and potential applications within and between businesses, to improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of supply chains. Companies are already using blockchain for supply chain visibility, and are utilizing computer vision, augmented reality and connected IoT devices to create “digital twins,” virtual copies of stores or other retail infrastructure. This Shoptalk Original Content presentation will feature new insights from Coresight Research, including a brand new framework on the opportunities to utilize Web 3 technologies in your supply chain.

In today’s fast-paced retail environment, launching an innovative business model is both a challenge and an imperative for new brands. To scale, emerging brands need to be savvy about utilizing first-party data, social platforms, and digital offerings to connect with customers and reach new audiences. In this Track Keynote, the co-founder of an ecommerce-first fashion company will share how her business scaled globally using new models of production and engagement.

Technology is making digital shopping more inspirational and immersive, and at the same time more convenient, as friction is driven out of the process. This session will feature technologies that enhance online shopping ease and convenience. The Founders/CEOs will briefly present their solutions, then engage in a discussion about opportunities for retailers and brands as shoppers can find items and complete purchases quicker and more easily.

The personal luxury goods market is expected to reach as high as $369 billion by 2025, despite concerns over consumer spending in the face of inflation and other headwinds. To succeed, luxury brands are offering enhanced in-store experiences, embracing new technologies, and participating in emerging social spaces like the metaverse and gaming. This session will feature a conversation with brand and retail leaders about today’s luxury consumer and how the industry is evolving to meet their needs.

Brands today are only partially defined by the companies that own them. In an era of fast-changing and far-reaching social media, brands are also defined by their customers. Building a modern brand therefore requires more of a conversation than a one-way, mass-media, broadcast strategy. Successful brands can create communities of fans, while at the same time empowering individuals to feel like they have a unique relationship with the brand. Through a presentation with an industry expert and a panel with three practitioners, this session will examine what it takes to build a modern brand identity, including the tools and tactics executives use to create and maintain their brands.

This new, dynamic Shoptalk session format will feature an executive from Newell Brands, which recently launched a new version of its iconic Mr. Coffee brand: the Mr. Coffee Iced Coffee Maker. Three agency executives will present how they would approach strategies and tactics for building awareness of the new product quickly and cost effectively, as if they were responding to an RFP. They'll be ready for some tough questions from the prospective client and the audience as they discuss best (and worst) practices for launching product innovations in a fast-changing retail world.

The competition to recruit and retain top tech talent has become fierce in recent years. Organizations are placing a premium on digital know-how as strong technology capabilities and offerings become table stakes in retail. This session will address how companies identify and recruit the best talent, as well as how they retain high-performing team members.

It's estimated that there are 50 million creators of amateur or professional content. The creator economy is starting to move from social channels to other platforms and media, and creators themselves are evolving to embrace diverse approaches to storytelling, creativity and entrepreneurship. In this session, an industry expert will share new insights and perspectives on the creator economy, followed by a conversation among three business leaders who have worked successfully with creators about what they learned from their initiatives.

This new, dynamic Shoptalk session format will feature an executive from Hot Topic, discussing the company’s BoxLunch brand. BoxLunch is a civic-minded, pop-culture-focused retailer founded by HotTopic in 2015. Today, the company sees an opportunity to drive its awareness and ecommerce growth to the next level. Three agency executives will present ideas for new ways to do top-of-funnel, awareness-driving marketing, as if they were responding to an RFP live onstage. They'll be ready for some tough questions from the prospective client and the audience as they discuss best (and worst) practices for building awareness and sales growth for an emerging omnichannel retailer.

As ecommerce grows to a larger chunk of retailers’ sales, they’re increasingly looking to new revenue streams and adjacent industries to boost revenue and fund their investments. A growing number of retail organizations are building in-house solutions that power consumer insights, media and marketing, and fulfillment and delivery, which can be sold to other retailers. They’re also expanding into financial services, healthcare and other adjacent industries. This session will start with a presentation providing a framework for finding and pursuing untapped growth opportunities. The presentation will be followed by a conversation with retail and brand executives leading their companies' new business ventures.

Challenging economic times always force companies to rethink their marketing and advertising plans, and push for greater accountability to make budgets stretch further and work harder. Consumers' increasingly omnichannel shopping and media journeys unlock more options for companies, but also create challenges when it comes to identifying those campaigns, platforms and messages that are outperforming. In this must-attend session, an industry expert will present new insights on omnichannel marketing tactics. The presentation will be followed by a discussion among three executives working at the leading-edge of omnichannel marketing, who will share how they are planning, executing and measuring successful campaigns.

Shoptalk 2023 featured insights and inspiration from 275 speakers covering today's most seismic retail shifts. This session will feature members of the Shoptalk content team who will highlight the critical takeaways from the conference, underscoring key findings and trends that attendees can bring back to their organizations.

Although challenging economic times may tempt executives to decelerate innovation, that behavior is extremely risky to their long-term success. Rather, as the world becomes less predictable, embracing change and innovation are more vital than ever. This session will explore ways retailers and brands approach innovation today, ranging from groundbreaking partnerships to innovation labs to innovation teams within individual business units. This session will feature brands and retailers who are taking bold steps to identify, test and scale technologies and business models for both the short- and long-term.