Main Day Three: Embrace Emerging Technology and New Retail Concepts Thursday, June 21, 2018

Hear from Co-Founder and CXO Shilpa Shah as she walks you through their store strategy and the decision to include physical retail from the outset.  They are dedicated to the mission of fewer, better things - and as a vertically integrated brand they are able to create a cohesive, distinctive vision that supports that mission whether you are interacting on web, in-store, via their catalog etc.

As a 100+ year brand, Hallmark continues to reimagine its retail role and relationship with consumers. Hallmark and its retail store network, Hallmark Gold Crown stores, are finding fresh, relevant ways to inspire, affirm and make it easy for consumers to engage and connect with others. By embracing technology and connecting digital to stores, Hallmark is engaging consumers, ensuring it’s easy for them to shop whenever, wherever, and however they want. In two short years, Hallmark has moved from little to no omni-channel integration to a fully integrated experience for shoppers – connecting them with innovative, relevant products, letting them:

•Browse and shop online

•Buy online and pick up in a nearby store

•Ship products directly to their home

•Shop in inspiring retail stores with engaging products and displays that help them meet their relationship needs

Retailers are inundated with new technology and a constant pressure to reinvent the retail environment. Chasing the next bright and shiny object can often lead to wasted dollars and a friction-filled customer experience. In this revealing session, find out how retailers are wading through the options and determining concepts that work for their brand and their shopper. 

Learn:

•Which new technologies (front and back of house) to investigate and what you should ignore (for now)

•How to quickly test the viability of a new feature with your customer base

•Getting buy-in and funding for R&D and innovation 

•How to scale up or down to fit your current needs

Retailers need better ways to engage their shoppers at the right time and place. With the majority of sales still being generated in the brick-and-mortar channel, there is a massive need and opportunity to increase engagement and attract in-market shoppers into the storefront. Advancements in mobile location targeting solutions have made it possible to identify actual shoppers when they are actively shopping and engage these consumers with right-time, omni-channel messaging that has proven to increase conversions.

•Learn how mobile devices have transformed today's shopping experience and how brands must adjust to the sophisticated omnichannel consumer.

•How to identify in-market purchase intent through location targeting solutions and ways to use this intelligence to maximize conversions through personalized messaging.

•Case learning sharing how advancements in mobile targeting solutions have increased conversions and engagement in the automotive and retail industry.

Pop-up retail is a great way for pure plays to explore physical retail and for existing brands to test out new markets and store concepts without interfering with existing stores.

Panelists will explore:

•How to develop an effective pop-up strategy for your brand 

•The benefits of a pop-up environment as a testing ground for future store concepts 

•Lessons learned and important considerations before you get started 

With the National Retail Federation forecasting retail sales to experience an over 4% increase in 2018, it’s time to let the industry’s apocalyptic panic subside and start looking ahead by investing in the future of retail. Join Matt Talbot, CEO & Co-Founder of GoSpotCheck, and Jesse Wielgan, Senior Manager Retail Operations of Best Buy Canada, as they discuss the future of the industry and how retail is experiencing a revolution, not extinction. These business partners will share stories of success and failure they’ve experienced while adapting to new industry trends, and explain why investment in cutting edge, personalized technology is the only way to truly understand your operational systems and make business decisions that result in real impact.

Devices in our home, car and pocket have more computing power and capabilities than ever before.  These technology enhancements were created to bring joy, efficiency and automation into consumers’ lives.  Are consumers taking full advantage of what’s possible?  How can retail experiences accelerate adoption?

•What’s the typical retail consumer journey?

•Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good.

•What can we learn from non-tech retailers?