The 2024 Programme

Registration

Chair’s welcome address

Retail Showcase Panel: Retail is about more than eCommerce - the emergence of 'blended' omnichannel experience

Retail is about more than selling products online. It’s an industry focused on delivering exceptional customer experience via all shopping channels - a seamless connection between online and offline, digital, and physical. With the right pillar processes in place, retailers can shape an infinite combination of sales channels, fulfilment methods and buyer behaviours into a cohesive retail experience - leading to long-term business profitability.

• Creating efficiencies and seamless experiences from in-store to online - continually evolving your omnichannel offering
• Why merchandising can be pivotal to satisfying omnichannel shoppers
• The challenges of planning and innovating at the same time - what to change and how to prioritise
• Keeping pace of rapidly changing customer expectations around omnichannel experiences
• Listening to the needs of your customers and working to accommodate a changing retail landscape
• Consideration of different ways of selling - B2C, B2B, D2C

Retail Insights Panel: Achieving a seamless omnichannel customer journey through digital transformation

More than ever retailers are focused on their digital transformation and creating a single view of its customers across all channels, all with the aim of improving customer engagement.

• Embracing digital transformation for a unified view of the customer
• How can existing technologies can be expanded to improve and engage consumers across the retail journey
• How to digitally capture all customer touchpoints across all platforms
• Leveraging data to drive digital customer engagement and payment innovation
• Why digital storytelling and experience is so important for luxury retail

Morning coffee and networking break

Retail Spotlight Panel: Cutting edge technology - transforming the retail industry through digital innovation

With digital transformation not about to finish any time soon, retail have a new AI transformation era already starting. AI has begun to revolutionise the way consumers shop but many retailers are reluctant to adopt it. This session will explore the latest advancements, trends, and potential applications of AI across retail and how it can help organisations thrive in the coming years.

• An overview of the latest transformative technologies in retail
• How to build a future plan with technology that’s ever changing
• Using AI and machine learning to derive detailed customer insight
• Using ChatGPT in retail eCommerce effectively
• How can digital workforce scheduling enable an efficient and effective omnichannel business

Retail Mega Panel: Transforming retail through online marketplaces - understanding and obtaining the right tools for the right market

The continued rise of marketplaces or selling online seems to have no limits, especially with consumer preferences changing over this last year. It is now an important part of omnichannel retail, providing an additional channel to market and sell retail products. This session will provide an overview of marketplace strategy with a focus on the challenges retailers are facing as they expand into this new selling channel.

• What are the priorities to make the right marketplace investment decisions?
• Role of marketplaces in helping both the smaller and larger retailer
• Understanding how marketplaces can be an actor of change within the field of sustainability
• The adoption of marketplaces on brands - the impact on what it delivers for consumers
• How are consumers shopping on marketplaces in different retail sectors?

Lunch and networking break

Retail Keynote Address: How Rituals are engaging the High Street shopper - now and in the future

As a prelude to our insightful panel, our afternoon keynote address from Rituals will look at the current challenges facing the High Street retailers and their own unique approach to ensuring its future.

• What role does the D2C business play after the experience of the pandemic - will customers order more online in the long run?
• How do you integrate mindfulness, self-care and wellbeing into the customer experience, both in-store and online?
• How do you retain customers over the longer term?

Retail Showcase Panel: Future of the High Street - exploring the retail concept of the in-store experience

With rising inflation continuing to squeeze consumer spending and shopping habits increasingly shifting online, the future of traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ stores in the contemporary retail landscape has become increasingly uncertain. This session will explore how the store of the future will go beyond retail and be a hybrid, flexible, experiential space that keeps local communities coming back for more.

• Can retail deliver on ‘stores fit the future’
• Retail spaces to inspire your customers - now and for the future
• The use of immersive experiential activations for a unique and creative retail environment
• The role of the ‘flagship store’
• The importance of the physical retail experience in engaging shoppers

Afternoon coffee and networking break

Retail Insights Panel: Loyalty and breaking the CX ceiling - a new equation of customer satisfaction

The role of CX as a driver of change in redefining brand loyalty and reducing customer acquisition costs is never more paramount, especially in an economic downturn. This session will discuss what are the benefits to retail of interacting with customers and solutions to build a positive CX.

• How is the cost-of-living crisis impacting retailers and their customers?
• Creating CX principles and ecosystem using virtual and physical attributes
• What is a true blueprint for loyalty and engagement success?
• Engaging consumers by building loyalty - the importance of a branded experience

Retail Fireside Chat: Innovation and learnings for the future of retail - how startups and scaleups are defying the odds

• What makes for a long term, sustainable and successful retail business?
• Enabling business growth through self-reflection
• Challenging brands and what it takes to be a successful one
• The use of powerful influencer marketing strategy
• Know your customer base - the niche effect of mono brands and why specialise
• Getting the fundamentals right - securing intellectual property to ensure business success

Chairs’ closing summary