We’re officially one month away from gathering the most innovative retail executives in omnichannel strategy, ecommerce, digital marketing and store design in Chicago! Sure, the main days of the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo are May 11 and 12 at McCormick Place, but did you know that we have pre-conference activities taking place on May 10? And did you also know that by upgrading your Conference Pass to an All-Access Pass, you can access all of the awesome stuff we have planned? Read on to find out why it may be time for an upgrade…
Collaborative Workshops and Topical Deep Dives
Tired of attending events and not getting enough detailed information to take back to your team? Frustrated that you don’t have time to collaborate directly with like-minded individuals on pressing topics in a more intimate setting? We hear you! That’s why we’re offering up to 12 pre-conference workshops on specific topics for you to choose from. Starting at 2:00pm (local time), we’ll have a variety of 50-minute, hands-on workshops focused on hot topic areas such as: maximizing marketplace revenue, next-gen influencer strategies, turning data into IP, lessons from retail media giants, benefits of personalized color experiences and much more! To give you more details, let’s breakdown the workshop topics and expert speakers you can expect.
How a Remarkable Customer Experience Can Be Your Best Sales and Marketing Strategy
Let’s face it: Competition is tougher than ever these days. Competing on price is a loser’s game — just ask the two gas stations across the street from each other. And competing on product is getting harder and harder as almost everything is copyable — just ask your favorite ride-share company. So, what’s left? How can we stand out in a crowded marketplace that is constantly evolving?
In this fun and engaging workshop, customer experience coach and former Fortune 500 executive Dan Gingiss will teach you how customer experience can be your company’s ultimate differentiator, creating a competitive advantage that cannot be copied. You’ll learn how to identify the types of experiences consumers share most often (and why) and you’ll even create a five-step framework for creating shareable experiences for your business.
DTC Workshop: Craft Your New Growth Roadmap
As you might already know, the playbook for DTC growth isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every brand brings something unique to the table, whether it be through their mission, values, product lines, experiences or communities. In addition, digital now offers so many new channels and paths for expansion, creating a multitude of methods for businesses to expand and scale.
If you want to bring your DTC brand to the next level, now is your chance to get custom advice and guidance from one of the industry’s top growth marketing and branding experts. For this workshop, you’ll need to bring your questions, ideas and challenges to get practical advice from your peers and Rose Hamilton, a retail veteran and CEO of Compass Rose Ventures. You can expect to walk away with an actionable plan to help you reach your growth goals in 2022!
Next-Gen Influencer Strategy: From Digital Campaigns to Physical Experiences
While many brands are looking for ways to optimize their influencer partnerships across digital channels and campaigns, innovative brands are looking beyond these touch points and venturing back into the physical world. The future of social influence lies in physical experience design, what Michelle M. Collins, President of A Non-Agency calls “social experiential design,” where experience strategy and visual tactics must include social media influencer activation — from concept to execution.
During this workshop, she and Kyle Hjelmeseth, President of G&B Digital Management, will share ways to measure the impact and value of influencer involvement, how to establish local partnerships and more!
Turning Data into IP: How to Collect, Integrate and Analyze Data to Power More Integrated, Personalized Experiences
New privacy regulations and changes in the advertising landscape have created new urgency around data collection. Rather than relying on third-party cookies, brands and retailers are tasked with creating meaningful and mutually beneficial strategies and experiences that encourage consumers to openly share their data, preferences and behaviors.
During this workshop, FitForCommerce will provide a deep dive into new personalization requirements and offer best practices for using data more effectively to optimize customer experiences. Workshop participants can expect to learn ways to monitor shopping behaviors, map key customer journeys and more!
Maximize Marketplace Revenue: Listings, Operations, Strategy and Optimization
The world of marketplaces is expanding and evolving rapidly. That means it’s getting more competitive and complex, but this also brings loads of new opportunities! So, what are the keys to standing out and driving tangible results through Amazon and other marketplaces? Get ready to dig into marketplace strategy, how to improve your way of working, listings, fulfillment, and more.
For this workshop, led by Jordi Vermeer at ChannelEngine, you’ll need to come prepared with some background about your brand, products, and what your marketplace goals are, and you’ll certainly walk away with tailored insights and fresh takeaways for your team on how to increase your brand equity with a specialist marketplace, tactics to improve your performance, and tips for cross-border selling.
Building the Next Billion Dollar Ad Platform: Lessons from Retail Media Giants
In 2021, Amazon’s retail media platform generated a cool $31 billion. Trading on their close merchant relationships, and the pandemic-accelerated shift to online shopping, Amazon charted the course other retail giants are keen to follow. But retail media isn’t just a trend – it’s the future of advertising. With 60% of ad spend going digital by 2023, it’s time all retailers launched their own retail media platforms.
In this workshop, you’ll learn key insights into how to monetize your digital platform with retail media, use your brand’s first-party data to drive better results and why retail giants – like Walmart and Instacart – built their own retail media ad platforms instead of using an out-of-the-box solution. Led by Kevel, this workshop will give you the tools to launch the next billion-dollar ad platform.
Unlocking the Senses: Personalized Color Experiences
What is color? How can color be used as a sensory anchor in retail design? Is there a way to personalize color experiences? During this workshop, come ready to unlock new knowledge about the senses and design tech, as multi award-winning sensory designer and neuroscientist, Ari Peralta, shares more about recent discoveries and applications showcasing the power of personalized color in retail design.
Learn ways his team at mycoocoon, have leveraged color as data, to help brands like L’Oréal and Bloomingdales elevate customers’ moods, co-creating meaningful experiences that build upon customers pre-existing color memories. Ari will also provide a deep dive into new personalization strategies and cross-selling best practices for using color more effectively to optimize customer emotional connection.
Attention VIPs and Newbies!
If you’re a seasoned retail expert or new to the retail industry, we highly recommend attending the VIPs and Newbies reception on May 10 at 6pm (local time). All-Access Pass holders can network and enjoy some cocktails and snacks to kick off the event right! Connect with our speakers, exclusive partners and even top industry influencers to get your creative juices flowing ahead of an eventful few days.
Now that you have a better idea of what to expect on May 10, we hope you’ll take advantage of all the amazing content that will help you have a more tailored, meaningful experience at the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo. Join the party a day early by registering for an All-Access Pass! If you already have a Conference Pass, consider upgrading to gain access to all of the thought-provoking workshops we have planned so far! We can’t wait to see you all in Chicago very soon.
