2027 Programme

Name: Retail Marketing Summit
Start: 2027-02-11T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Cavendish Conference Centre

08.45 - 09.15	Registration
09.15 - 09.25 Loading profile...	Chair’s welcome and Scene-Setting Why retail marketing now sits firmly on the commercial growth agenda — and why the goal is not simply more activity, but better customer outcomes, measurable value and sustainable brand growth. Giles Smith, Independent Digital Product & Technology Advisor Loading profile...
09.25 - 10.05	Opening keynote: State of the Nation for Retail Marketing What is keeping retail marketing leaders awake as budgets and customer expectations move in opposite directions? Where is spend being protected, where is it being challenged, and how should marketers defend investment with evidence? How are changing customer behaviours and AI-led discovery altering how customers find, compare and choose brands? How should retailers balance brand building with short-term sales pressure? What does the board now expect marketing to prove — and what evidence genuinely changes the conversation?
10.05 - 10.55	Growth Under Pressure - Proving Marketing Value When Every Pound is Challenged What does the board actually want from marketing reporting, and which measures have the most credibility with Finance? How do retailers prove incremental value beyond reach, clicks and other vanity metrics? Where does marketing mix modelling help, and where does it still fall short for fast-moving retail decisions? How are teams balancing performance, brand and promotional spend when budgets are squeezed? What should retail marketers stop measuring — and what should they start measuring instead? How do teams protect long-term brand health when trading is under pressure? Case-study question: what changed in the plan, what did it cost, and what commercial result followed?
10.55 - 11.20	Morning coffee and networking break
11.20 - 12.10	Retail Media and Commerce Media - Turning Customer Attention Into Measurable Growth Is retail media primarily a marketing channel, a commercial revenue stream, a customer-data strategy — or all three? How do retailers prove incrementality to brands and internal stakeholders? What role should first-party data, loyalty data and clean-room approaches play? How do retailers keep retail media connected to the wider customer journey, CRM and brand strategy? How can retailers monetise customer attention without weakening customer trust? What will AI and agentic commerce mean for media planning, discovery and the value of attention? Case-study question: what did the retailer test, what changed in customer behaviour, and what was the measurable commercial outcome?
12.10 - 13.00	CRM, Loyalty and Personalisation - Winning The Customer Back Without Bribing Them Back What does loyalty mean when customers are under pressure and quicker to switch? Are retailers over-relying on discounts to drive repeat purchase? How can CRM teams use first-party data without overwhelming customers? Where does personalisation genuinely help, and where does it start to feel intrusive? How should marketers measure customer lifetime value properly? How do retailers connect stores, ecommerce, app and service communications into one customer relationship? How is customer behaviour changing — including how people discover brands and products through AI-led search?
13:00 - 14:00	Lunch and networking break
14.00 - 14.50	AI In Retail Marketing - From Hype to Useful, Governed, Measurable Work Where is AI saving marketing teams time today, and where is it creating more work? How are retailers using AI for content versioning, creative testing, product copy, insight and workflow? How do retailers move from pilots to operational AI with measurable ROI? What data, taxonomy, content and asset foundations need to be in place before AI can deliver? What does good governance look like, and how do teams protect brand tone of voice and customer trust? How do marketers avoid creating more content than customers actually want? What skills and change-management investment do teams need next? Research-led case-study angle: multiple examples around one topic rather than one isolated AI case study.
15:10 - 16:00	Social, Influencer and Creator Commerce -Turning Attention Into Revenue How do retail brands turn social attention into commercial results? What does good influencer and creator measurement look like? Where do affiliate, partnerships and creator commerce sit in the overall marketing plan? How are retailers using TikTok Shop, live formats and community-led content? How do brands manage contracts, risk, brand safety and accountability? How should social and performance teams work together rather than operating as separate channels? Case-study question: what happened from content or creator activation through to measurable revenue?
14:50 - 15:10	Afternoon coffee and networking break
16.00 - 16.50	Brand, Trust and Customer Experience - Staying Relevant in a Value-Conscious Market How do retailers build distinctiveness when everyone is shouting value? How do marketing teams protect trust through pricing, service and customer communications? Is customer experience now one of the most powerful marketing channels? How should marketers respond when service, stock or delivery issues affect brand trust? How do retailers connect the online customer journey with physical retail and in-store experience? Is bricks-and-mortar becoming a stronger part of the customer relationship — and what does marketing need to do differently as a result? How do retailers communicate honestly without falling into purpose fatigue? What wider economic or political pressures are changing consumer spend, and how should marketers respond?
16:50 – 17:00	Chair’s Closing Summary: Key Actions to Take Back to the Business A concise 30, 60 and 90-day action plan drawn from the day.