FORWARD TOGETHER

Featured Sessions

Tuesday
January 12
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

Consumer behavior: Making sense of the aftermath of uncertainty

The only thing we know for certain is that our customers are uncertain. Preliminary research shows that the collective consumer sentiment is shifting weekly and we are struggling as a society with our level of precautionary measures, our patience for staying at home and our fear of contracting the virus. We want to reverse the clock and go back to what was "normal" but that's not an option right now. And all of this is affecting how we shop, where we shop and what we are shopping for.
Tuesday
January 12
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

Remapping the customer experience: A reinvention imperative

As consumers return to physical stores, how can retailers build end-to-end transactional experiences that users will find comfortable and safe? Some like Verizon-- a veritable lifeline for consumers-- began recreating the minute COVID-19 hit; others like Suitsupply had more time to shape the next normal. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but priorities are remarkably similar: Meet customers where they want to shop, build out digital solutions so that consumers can stay connected even when they can't physically engage and embrace a frictionless experience.
Tuesday
January 12
1:45 pm–2:15 pm

Economic outlook: Truths and consequences

Chief Global Economist Ira Kalish will explore a multitude of economic factors weighing on the 2021 economy and how those influences are reshaping consumers’ shopping behavior. Kalish will be Joined by Janey Whiteside, Walmart’s  Executive Vice President and first Chief Customer Officer. The two will discuss meeting today’s shopper where they’re at, potential business disruptions in the near term and how 2021 is likely to unfold at retail stores across the nation.

Tuesday
January 12
1:45 pm–2:15 pm

How Google is helping retailers transform the shopping journey

In this session, Carrie Tharp, VP of Retail and Consumer at Google Cloud, and Vicki Cantrell, CEO and Founder of Vendors in Partnership will discuss key trends of today's consumers and how Google is helping retailers accommodate a digital-first customer journey. You'll hear insights about recent consumer behavior changes-- and what might stick-- in addition to conversations around digital transformation and how retailers are paving a path forward for success in 2021. Join us for a thoughtful and transparent conversation about today's retail landscape.

Wednesday
January 13
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

Social responsibility initiatives at The Home Depot and Ulta Beauty build authentic relationships

Social movements taking place around the world are causing (and in some cases "forcing") retailers to reflect on what they stand for. Being a socially responsible company is no longer a point of distinction, it’s the expectation among stakeholders-- customers, employees and capital investors. This timely discussion is call to action to respond authentically to opportunities with collaborative solutions.

Wednesday
January 13
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

The great compression

Is this the next Great Depression or is this The Great Compression? Ecommerce was 15 percent of all commerce prior to the pandemic. It then soared to close to 50 percent. Where will it land? Does it matter? Probably not. The Great Compression is our new reality: During the short span of a few months, consumer's buying behavior fundamentally shifted. Physical retail stores are now forced to think less about the "experience" and more about how to get consumers to transact.
Wednesday
January 13
1:45 pm–2:15 pm

How independent retailers will drive the revitalization of cities and communities in 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of the global retail industry. Independent businesses that strategically leaned on technology, including advanced analytics and omnichannel sales strategies, not only survived the challenges of 2020 but led the reinvention of retail, transformed customer service and overhauled the brick-and-mortar experience.
Wednesday
January 13
1:45 pm–2:15 pm

Tomorrow's consumer: Understanding the new normal of cultural and behavioral transformation

So much has changed in such a short period of time since the early part of 2020. Disruptions from a global pandemic and social justice continue to shape a new social contract with citizens world-wide. This session will look at results from a new global study of more than 500 variables mapped across 17 countries examining cultural and behavioral paths that impact society, business and retail strategy.
Thursday
January 14
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

Technologies bridging the e-tail-retail gap

The pandemic and rapid growth of e-commerce has put pressure on brick and mortars to reinvent their purpose while digital has needed to quickly develop creative ways to bring new shopping experiences to consumers. We'll explore how live commerce is helping retailers meet the moment. 

Curated in partnership with:

Thursday
January 14
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

Workplace wellness: Managing mental health in an age of uncertainty

The world seems overwhelming right now... because it is. Before the pandemic, our nation was already in the middle of a mental health crisis; the pandemic has only made that more urgent. We'll speak with experts who are helping retail companies navigate difficult conversations, understand the nuances of managing depression and stress, and develop a range of coping mechanisms. In addition, we'll explore the importance of making a business case to invest more aggressively in employee mental health.  
Thursday
January 14
1:45 pm–2:15 pm

Change, made simple: How retailers adapt in a shifting environment

An industry already in flux, retail faced seismic disruption in 2020. Ready or not, consumers and retailers had to make the leap to digital like never before. But the story isn’t about COVID-19—it’s about change. Because that’s the only constant. Join NCR’s David Wilkinson, President & GM of NCR Retail, for a fireside Q&A with Becca Coggins, Senior Partner at McKinsey to discover the technologies giving retailers the agility to adapt.
Thursday
January 14
1:45 pm–2:15 pm

Luxury goes digital: Understand how Alibaba and Moschino are driving new innovations

The global luxury industry has been hard hit by the pandemic but luxury brands like Moschino are seizing the opportunity to forge new digital innovations and tap areas of growth in China. As recovery from the pandemic continues in China, luxury brands are embracing new ways to engage with the Chinese luxury consumer no matter where they are. Hear from Alibaba and Moschino on how they are partnering to design unforgettable and elevated luxury shopping experiences.
Tuesday
January 19
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

How sustainability is changing the retail landscape

In this era of responsible retail, we talk to two world-class retailers, H&M & IKEA, which have always held sustainability at the forefront of their business agendas. As these brands continue to innovate to improve their environmental footprint, reinventing operational models and rewarding consumers for their sustainable efforts, we discuss the initiatives they are championing for the year ahead, both at a local and international level.
Tuesday
January 19
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

Retail’s hard reset: How cataclysmic events accelerate trends, transformation and innovation

The future success of retail depends on imagining and building for the new world-- and having the courage to accept what’s gone forever. GDR's Kate Ancketill will explore future scenarios for retail and models that meet those future needs, along with the trends that she believes will accelerate post-pandemic: the challenge to globalization, the de-leveraging of physical retail and the implications of the increasingly smart city. 
Tuesday
January 19
1:45 pm–2:15 pm

Is your last-mile strategy up to the challenge?

With e-commerce experiencing a historic surge in demand, the pressure is on for logistics operations and the focus on the last mile is garnering more attention than ever. For companies to prevail, they need to reshape the state of their last-mile strategies. This means increasing supply chain visibility, leveraging new technologies and reinventing logistics ecosystems. In this discussion, experts shed light on ways companies are meeting the moment and the emergence of micro distribution hubs and services. 

Curated in partnership with:

Tuesday
January 19
1:45 pm–2:15 pm

Pivoting with purpose: Lessons from DTC brands

When the pandemic hit, preserving economic viability was crucial, but it wasn't the whole story. Overnight, businesses once defined by their model pivoted to new strategies aligned with their values. Red Antler's co-founder and Chief Brand Officer, Emily Heyward will share how she coached brands that were on the cusp of launching in March 2020 to plot a new trajectory.
Thursday
January 21
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

Making moments that matter: How Hershey led with insights to meet the changing needs of consumers

The CPG industry epitomizes the speed and shifting demands of the modern marketplace across a wide spectrum of consumer touchpoints, while the extreme turbulence of the past year adds more complexity to navigating such rapidly changing tides. In this session, Hershey's SVP and Chief Growth Officer Kristen Riggs will speak with RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Nik Modi to discuss key lessons learned about the amplifications and hard-reset changes in consumer behavior since the tumult of the past nine months.
Thursday
January 21
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

Tech innovation: What consumers want and where retailers should invest

Tech advances create unprecedented change across consumer-facing industries. In this session, Euromonitor International provides a holistic view of retail tech adoption. Identify the consumer preferences influencing shopping behavior and the factors pushing industry innovation to pinpoint where retailers should make their tech investments. This session will reveal the tech investments that will best align with consumer expectations in the coming years.

Thursday
January 21
1:45 pm–2:15 pm

Pursuing rapid digital transformation in response to market adversity

The COVID-19 outbreak challenged retail organizations to deal with restrictions, temporary store closures and decline in overall consumer demand. Under such duress, companies forced themselves to pivot and rethink their priorities around organizational structure, processes, innovation initiatives, and a digital transformation roadmap. The resulting output has created a number of new cultural elements, and a start-up's faster, leaner risk-taking approach to speed-to-market.
Thursday
January 21
1:45 pm–2:15 pm

Technologies shaping the store of 2025

Retailers have reimagined the use of the physical store leveraging technologies that not only enable them to inform and provide new levels of convenience to customers but also effectively measure the impact of in-store initiatives. By unlocking the power of in-store tech solutions, brands have the ability to drive customer loyalty and engagement, and heighten brand experience like never before.

Friday
January 22
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

Brands leading influencer marketing in 2021

The course of events in 2020 has had a dramatic impact on how brands have gone to market, none more so than through influencer marketing. With customers questioning the authenticity and ethnic representation of brand ambassadors and brands challenging the ROI on this investment, this session provides insight from businesses who have put influencer marketing at their core of their marketing operations. NA-KD is a fast growing Scandinavian fashion brand, whose phenomenal success has been built on its influencer marketing based data modelling.
Friday
January 22
12:00 pm–12:30 pm

From creator trends to inspired purchases - Inspiring a new purchase journey

As consumer shopping preferences have shifted significantly to online purchasing due to COVID-19, many brands and retailers struggle to bring the magic of the shopping experience through to the final transaction. What new role can creators and merchants play in the ecommerce purchase journey to deliver the inspiration shoppers find online and drive a premium shopping experience? Join Pinterest’s SVP of Engineering, Jeremy King, in conversation with Aya Kanai, Pinterest's Head of Content and Editorial Partnerships, for a candid conversation about influencing inspired purchases in our new world.
Friday
January 22
1:00 pm–1:30 pm

Fashion's digital transformation

New digital platforms are having a dramatic impact on how consumers buy and engage with their favorite fashion brands. Now more than ever, the imperative to hang out where customers live is driving forward-thinking digital strategies from brands both large and small. In this session, Facebook, JD.com and True Fit discuss how their fashion brand clients are transforming their businesses to serve the digital consumer.
Friday
January 22
1:00 pm–1:30 pm

The innovation playbook: Driving technological and innovative change within an enterprise

In a drastically and quickly changing retail environment, it's more important today than ever for retailers to lean into innovation in order to be adaptable and remain competitive. Driving technological and innovative change within an enterprise requires smartly designed teams equipped with effective processes and buy-in from leadership. It also requires an investment in research and development to identify new business opportunities and develop new products and initiatives.