Future Stores 2024
June 03 - 05, 2024
JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE
Day 1: Transformative Store Experiences
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
On day one, you'll learn new strategies for creating engaging, story-centered store experiences. In addition, we'll also discuss creating a
frictionless transition from online to offline and how to equip the associate of the future.
7:10 am - 7:55 am
Registration & Breakfast In The Innovation Lab
Welcome to the kick of off the Future Stores Innovation Lab, which will serve as your “home base” for next two days. This is where you’ll enjoy bottomless coffee, soft drinks, cocktails and snacks; learn about the latest retail technology; and catch up with colleagues and peers!
7:55 am - 8:05 am
Welcome Remarks & Ice Breaker
Kristin Schoenstein -
Portfolio Director,
Future Stores
8:05 am - 8:20 am
Chairperson’s Opening Address
Scott Langdoc -
SVP and Practice Lead,
BRP
8:20 am - 8:45 am
Keynote: Ushering In A New Era At Starbucks Through Design Testing & Experimentation
John Boline -
VP Store Design,
Starbucks
Hear the latest about store design in this dynamic opening keynote session delivered by the Head of Store Development and Design at one of most innovative retailers – Starbucks.
8:45 am - 9:10 am
Keynote: Reimagining the Power of the Store Environment
Renee Henson -
Regional Vice President of Stores,
Kohl's
Today, retailers are faced with rapidly changing customer expectations of the in-store experience, along with growing challenges of operating physical stores. While focused on omni-channel growth, Kohl’s is doubling down on the importance of the physical store to ensure its millions of customers nationwide experience the seamless omni-channel shopping environment they crave. In this session, Jon will share an inside look at how Kohl’s is leveraging its fleet of 1,100 stores as a test-and-learn environment to quickly test new concepts while building a longer term road map to continually refresh and evolve the future store
Renee Henson
Regional Vice President of StoresKohl's
9:10 am - 9:35 am
Keynote Panel: Charting Your Retail Footprint Of The Future
Jeff Gaul -
SVP, Property Development & Real Estate,
SEPHORA
Brent Paulsen -
Managing Director, Head of Retail,
UNTUCKit
Megan Bates -
Senior Director, Real Estate,
Tapestry
Chris Delusky -
VP, Design & Construction,
Eataly
The store environment is undergoing a rapid transformation as consumer shopping preferences evolve. There is no clear path to purchase and the lines between digital and physical continue to blur. How are retailers thinking about their retail footprints given these new realities? Panelists will discuss:
• How are retailers testing short term leases and locations
• How are you selecting new locations (online sales, household income and other demos)
• Using online data to sell to a new market or as a predictor of success in a new market
• Analyzing adjacent retail
9:35 am - 10:25 am Mimosa Morning Networking Break In The Innovation Lab
Grab a tasty mimosa in the Innovation Lab and chat with all of the leading solution providers in the industry during our opening break.
9:35 am - 10:25 am Future Stores First Timers Meet-Up!
Are you a Future Stores newbie? Meet in the Social Lounge in the back of the Innovation Lab!
10:25 am - 10:50 am
Keynote: Beauty On Her Terms: Creating Memorable Omnichannel Experiences
Lauren Brindley -
Group VP, Beauty & Personal Care,
Walgreens
"The market is changing. Our business is changing. And as customer needs are changing, Walgreens is creating a differentiated beauty experience that will turn Walgreens into America’s most loved beauty destination by combining the best in global brands and trusted, expert care in a welcoming, accessible and inspirational atmosphere.”
10:50 am - 11:10 am
Fireside Chat: Employee Empowerment Is More Emotional Than Physical
Curtis Cambell -
Senior Marketing Manager,
Hughes
Lynn Loignon -
Former Director, Employee Communications,
Kohl's
Empowerment is more than just giving your employees the physical tools they need to do their job. Emotional tools, which include modern approaches towards communication, recognition and growth are essential in creating and maintaining employee satisfaction & loyalty – which have a direct impact on the customer experience. In this session, Lynn Loignon, Former Director Of Employee Communications at Kohl's and Curtis Campbell, Sr. Marketing Manager for Hughes will discuss efforts to enhance the employee experience.
11:10 am - 11:35 am
Keynote Panel: Your New Store Strategy: Creating More Experience Per Square Foot
Mark Voysey -
CEO & Yellow Jersey,
Roula.cc
Jennifer Leavitt -
VP, Marketing,
Bellevue Collection
Natalie Mackey -
CEO and Co-founder,
GlowConcept
Brenda Morris -
Board of Directors,
Boot Barn, Duluth Trading and Asarasi Water
As retailers compete mightily for store traffic, what is really drawing customers in? The answer lies in injecting more fun into an everyday shopping experience. Thinking about your target customer and their customer how are you:
• Defining what fun might mean for adults as well as for kids
• Identifying what your surprise and delight factor will be
• Thinking about strategic partnerships that would up the fun factor in your store
• Rethinking your product assortment and layout to accommodate experiential elements
• Educating executives on importance of in-store experiences given that profitability might be lower
• Proving the ROI of in-store experiences
11:35 am - 11:55 am
Keynote Case Study: Empowered Employees = Happy Employees. Just Ask Love’s
Jeff Carr -
CEO,
Inkling
Eric Roth -
Manager of Learning and Development,
Love's Travel Stops
How can you properly train and enable a distributed in-store workforce to improve the customer experience? For Love’s Travel Stops (Love’s), the answer lies in the company’s founding tenet: always do what’s right for your employees. By adopting a modern, mobile content solution for training and on-the-job reference materials, Love’s discovered how to arm over 20,000 workers for success.
Join Love’s Manager of Learning and Development, Eric Roth as he speaks with Inkling’s CEO Jeff Carr about how providing searchable on-the-job reference content via mobile is enabling employees to excel at their jobs and deliver better customer service. In this session, you will learn how:
•Love’s addressed the challenge of training a diverse group of distributed employees
•An initial adoption rate of 91% was achieved only two weeks after Love’s released mobile content to their stores
•Improved outcomes around employee turnover are anticipated, thanks to better employee engagement
•Marketing programs are executed properly by in-store employees due to increased awareness and knowledge
11:55 am - 12:20 pm
VC Panel: Mapping Out The Hottest Retail Investments
Scott Jacobson -
Managing Director,
Madrona Venture Group
Sonia Nagar -
Partner,
Pritzker Group Venture Capital
Damir Becirovic -
Principal,
Index Ventures
Robin Li -
Principal,
GGV Capital
Spencer Soper -
E-Commerce Reporter,
Bloomberg News
This is your chance to get a handle on the next big thing in retail and technology. Where are VC’s investing and why? Hear more about which trends they are bullish about and where they wish they had invested. Panelists will:
• Discussing what VC’s see as the next big trend in retail and technology
• Exploring the core factors VC’s consider when investing in retail—from top line growth to retention
• Examining why retail investing is less common and which retailers are getting the most VC attention in 2019 and why
12:20 pm - 1:10 pm
Retailer Only Roundtable Discussions Featuring Leading Innovators
James Greene -
Retail Industry Executive,
OKI Americas
Chris Taylor -
Founder & CEO,
Square Root
Chad Ramage -
Director Business Development,
Third Matter
Bill Fergus -
GM Local Solution,
Brand Networks
Allan Mostovoy -
Director, Business Planning and Process Improvement,
Walgreens
Join hosted roundtable discussions and get the opportunity to talk about your key challenges and hear how other retailers are overcoming them. Grab a glass of bubbly and use this time as a unique opportunity to dive into a niche topic of your choosing in an informal and intimate setting. Leave Future Stores with new ideas you can put into action as soon as you return to the office (retailer only).
1.Personalizing The Customer Experience To Generate Growth
Moderator: James Green, Retail Industry Executive, OKI Americas
2. Innovating Store Ops: A Discussion With Allan Mostovoy Of Walgreens
Moderators: Chris Taylor, Founder & CEO, Square Root, Allan Mostovoy, Director, Business Planning and Process Improvement, Walgreens
3. Injecting Flexibility and Engagement Into Retail
Moderator: Chad Ramage, Director Business Development, Third Matter
4. Harness Your Local Store Experiences To Build Customer Relationships In A Social Sharing World
Moderator: Bill Fergus, GM Local Solution, Brand Networks
5. Why Invest In AI And Predictive Analytics To Augment Store Operations? - The Reasons, Outcomes and Benefits
Moderator: Julie Hunt, Lead Product Strategist, Retail, Element AI
6. Crafting Shareable Moments: The Role of Social In Store
7. Loyalty Programs: Trends and Considerations To Drive Engagement
8. Fast Forward to Frictionless: Steps For Making The Payment Experience Easier
9. Winning With In-Store Events
10. Tackling Omni Channel Attribution Challenges
1:10 pm - 2:10 pm Lunch
2:10 pm - 2:25 pm Dessert in the Innovation Lab
1:10 pm - 2:25 pm Private Lunch hosted by Rapid Displays
1:10 pm - 2:25 pm Private Lunch
Concurrent track session begin. Please feel free to alternate between tracks to customize your experience.
Track A: Associate Transformation
2:25 pm - 2:35 pm Opening Remarks By The Conference Chair Ned Gammell - VP, North America, Concrete
Track B: Bridging the Online & Offline Experience
2:25 pm - 2:35 pm Opening Remarks By The Conference Chair Alex Otañez - COO, Shockoe
Track C: Retailer-Only Connections
2:25 pm - 3:45 pm Invite Only VP Retreat Andrea Wasserman - VP, Retail Experience, VerizonA closed door session featuring 15-20 of our most senior level retailers debating strategic ideas and sharing insights.
This is an invitation-only session. If you wish to participate or would like to nominate yourself or a colleague, please contact: lori.hawthorne@wbresearch.com.
Track D: Retailer Roundtable Track
2:25 pm - 3:00 pm Retailer Only Roundtable: The In-Store Pick Up OmniChannel Experience Steve Freeman - Director, Product Management, Macy's
2:35 pm - 3:00 pm Case Study Remix: Learning Reinvented: How Walmart Prepares Associates for the Retail of the Future
Tina Kurtz - Director, Walmart Academy Operations, WalmartIn 2016, Walmart launched Academies, reinventing how it trains its 1.4 million store associates. Now in its third year, Walmart plans to train 1 million associates this year alone using immersive experiences like virtual and augmented reality and mobile gaming in its 200 Academy locations and beyond. The success of the store academies has sparked a movement at Walmart, with more and more parts of the business investing in the model. Come to this session to learn from Tina Kurtz, Director of U.S. Academies, for insight on:
• How his team reimagined the training experience at Walmart for a workforce of 1.4 million.
• How Academies are using new technology to provide an immersive experience in a safe learning environment.
• How Academies have become a competitive advantage for Walmart.
2:35 pm - 3:00 pm Case Study: The Making Of A Levi’s Flagship
Jeffery Eggert-Peluso - VP, Global Store Design, Levi’sLevi’s largest ever flagship store opened in Times Square last year. Get a glimpse at the consumer journey for this unique store which includes Levi’s largest Tailor Shop, hyper local Levi’s products and a seamless mobile PoS experience.
2:25 pm - 3:45 pm Invite Only VP Retreat
Andrea Wasserman - VP, Retail Experience, VerizonA closed door session featuring 15-20 of our most senior level retailers debating strategic ideas and sharing insights.
This is an invitation-only session. If you wish to
participate or would like to nominate yourself or a
colleague, please contact:
Lori.hawthorne@wbresearch.com
2:25 pm - 3:00 pm Retailer Only Roundtable: The In-Store Pick Up OmniChannel Experience (Continued)
3:00 pm - 3:20 pm Retail Reinvention—An Associate-First Approach
Jordan Ekers - Co-Founder & Chief Customer Officer, Nudge Rewards April Sabral - Founder, President of Retailu.ca; Former VP of Global Retail Sales & Operations of DAVID's Tea, Retailu and DAVIDs TeaBrick and mortar isn’t dying, it’s evolving and leading retailers are personalizing the in-store experience to increase brand affinity and conversion. In this experience evolution, retailers cannot afford to ignore their single biggest asset for execution - their people. Demand for authentic brand experiences is only increasing, yet frontline associates still lack the support needed to meet the heightened expectations of today’s customers. Retailers that will make the biggest mark in 2019 are those who take an associate-first approach to retail reinvention.
In this session, learn how you can:
• Engage your frontline to deliver a consistent and exceptional customer experience
• Leverage technology to improve productivity and increase profitability
• Surface ideas from the field and scale best-practices across your locations
• Impact key metrics including same-store sales, retention, and NPS
April Sabral
Founder, President of Retailu.ca; Former VP of Global Retail Sales & Operations of DAVID's TeaRetailu and DAVIDs Tea
3:00 pm - 3:20 pm Mobility & Beyond: Engaging Associates in Today's Complex Retail Ecosystem
Martin Reynolds - VP, Solutions Executive, JDAThe retail world is changing at a rapid pace and the technology that helps you manage your workforce must keep up. Managers are required to make better decisions faster, and employees expect more from their workplace tools. Modern workforce management applications need to empower associates, enhance the employee experience, and support flexibility. This session will explore how leading organizations, like Starbucks, better engage their teams and equip associates to meet customers’ evolving needs in today’s complex retail environment. Join us to discuss:
• The evolving role of the store associate in an increasingly automated and digitized retail landscape
• The role mobility, automation and artificial intelligence play in engaging and empowering the workforce
• How Starbucks optimized their workforce strategy to increase employee satisfaction and productivity
2:25 pm - 3:45 pm Invite Only VP Retreat Continued
Andrea Wasserman - VP, Retail Experience, VerizonA closed door session featuring 15-20 of our most senior level retailers debating strategic ideas and sharing insights.
This is an invitation-only session. If you wish to
participate or would like to nominate yourself or a
colleague, please contact:
Lori.hawthorne@wbresearch.com
3:00 pm - 3:45 pm Retailer Roundtable Track: Localization—Going Local and Hyper Local
Mike Fogarty - CEO, Choice Market• Why is localization so important in today’s retail environment?
• What are the benefits of catering to a local demo with highly relevant brands and assortments
• The benefits of staying local and not chasing the national and international
3:20 pm - 3:45 pm Panel Discussion: The New Rules of Associate Engagement
Tara Maffeo - Director, Retail Operations, Field Engagement, SEPHORA Bob Paulsen - Co-founder & CEO, PlayerLync Austin Sandmeyer - Marketing Manager NA, Beekeeper Wendy Gentry - Director, Store Operations, Tillys
3:20 pm - 3:45 pm Panel Discussion: The Merging of Online & Offline To Deliver the Optimal Customer Experience
Jim Edgett - Head of Digital Ecosystem and Channels, GameStop Jaime Fabricant - Director, Store of The Future Innovation & Execution, PepsiCo Beverages, Pepsico Saurabh Malani - Director of Product Management, NarvarWhat does the online to offline eco system look like? And from the customer’s perspective, how is it all merging all together? Panelist will discuss:
• How can you continuously keep the two channels connected and working together?
• How are you using physical space in a new way with ecommerce. How are stores tying into web, apps, etc because your guest is everywhere
• With shopping shifting to online, what role does the store play now?
• How is this experience becoming more seamless?
• Ideas for connecting stores to ecommerce in an intuitive way (signage?)
• How are you using your online channels (app/online) to tell the world about your stores
Jaime Fabricant
Director, Store of The Future Innovation & Execution, PepsiCo BeveragesPepsico
2:25 pm - 3:45 pm Invite Only VP Retreat Continued
A closed door session featuring 15-20 of our most senior level retailers debating strategic ideas and sharing insights.
This is an invitation-only session. If you wish to
participate or would like to nominate yourself or a
colleague, please contact:
Lori.hawthorne@wbresearch.com
3:00 pm - 3:45 pm Retailer Roundtable Track: Localization—Going Local and Hyper Local
Mike Fogarty - CEO, Choice MarketEnjoy targeted group discussion focused on “Localization—Going Local and Hyper Local” facilitated by a senior executive at a top retail company. Topics covered include:
• Why is localization so important in today’s retail environment?
• What are the benefits of catering to a local demo with highly relevant brands and assortments
• The benefits of staying local and not chasing the national and international
3:45 pm - 4:25 pm Here’s The Scoop Networking Break In The Innovation Lab
Take a break and join us for a tasty ice cream treat in the innovation lab.
3:45 pm - 4:25 pm Runners Club Meet Up
Do you love to run? Whether you’re a marathoner or a 5K is more your speed, Meet fellow running enthusiasts at the lounge in the back of the innovation lab and plan out a time to go for a fun run around Seattle!
4:25 pm - 4:45 pm Fireside Chat: To BYOD or Not To BYOD: What Are The Pros and Cons?
Shari Rossow - VP, Retail Operations, Best Buy Steve Freeman - Director, Product Management, Macy'sThe BYOD debate is not over as retailers continue to go back and forth on the benefits and risks of associates using their own devices while at work. Hear how retailers are thinking about BYOD and their lessons learned along the way. Learn:
• What’s in it for the associate?
• How are you overcoming the objections internally?
• What are the perceived vs actual risks of allowing associates to process purchases containing customer data on their devices
• What are the results of BYOD implementation
• How are you ensuring that the device is being used for store functions and not distractions like personal social media accounts while maintaining the employees right to privacy
• How can you standardize the training given the wide range of smartphone devices
4:45 pm - 5:05 pm Your Store Associates Will Make Or Break Your In-Store Experience
Carrie Ask - Brand President, Mens Wearhouse & Moores, Tailored BrandsRetailers everywhere are investing valuable resources into the in Store Experience. But even the smartest Store Experience strategy will fall flat if retailers fail to factor in EX, or employee experience. That’s why it’s more important than ever for retailers to onboard effectively, communicate openly and regularly train associates to feel competent, rewarded and aligned to mission. Join Carrie Ask, brand president at Men's Wearhouse and Moore's,, as she draws from her her 30 years of experience with engaging and empowering store associates to deliver the best in-store experiences at leading retailers Levi’s, Nike & Target.
4:25 pm - 4:45 pm Case Study: Merging The Digital and Physical In Experiential Retail
Angela Gearhart - VP, Brand Experience, Sleep Number CorporationHear how Sleep Number is using retail and brand activations to enable an individualized and immersive customer experience.
Discuss:
• Techniques for bridging the digital and physical retail environments
• Measuring the ROI of these new customer experiences
• Build, buy, partner - tips for developing unique and personalized shopping experiences
• Lessons learned
4:45 pm - 4:55 pm Innovation Spotlight: Meet The Store Associate Of The Future
Oscar Sachs - CEO, SalesfloorMeet the Store Associate of the Future
Abstract: The role of store associates has evolved beyond the store. Associates are now a personalized outreach channel that differentiates the online shopping experience, and have become an important traffic driver for stores. Retailers are modernizing the role of store associates and empowering them with mobile technology that bridges the gap between online and offline service. This session will explore real-life examples from retailers who have successfully:
1. Leveraged store associates as a personalized marketing channel to increase online sales and drive traffic to stores
2. Created thousands of connections between customers and associates to build relationships at scale
3. Offered an omnichannel sales experience to solve the issues of showrooming
4:25 pm - 5:05 pm Audience Discussion: Out With The Old And In With The New: A Look At Store KPI’s
Jennifer Matanin - Director, Retail Operations, Cole HaanTraditional store metrics like contribution margin and individual P&Ls are quickly becoming irrelevant as they are mainly transaction based and stores are now focused on experiences and brand rather than strictly sales. Hear a leading retailer provide their thoughts around:
•Measuring success? How do you get past the traditional measures of success
•What are the new indicators? Is it Customer Lifetime Value?
•Determining the ROI for new tech in stores….is it about visitation to the store or the website, how do you determine the real return on investment?
4:25 pm - 5:05 pm Retailer Roundtable Session: Using AR To Engage Customers (For The Non-Techie)
Jennifer Leavitt - VP, Marketing, Bellevue Collection5:05 pm - 5:30 pm Case Study Remix: Embracing Technology To Improve the Member and Associate Experience At Sam’s Club
Martin Granstrom - Senior Director, Head of Design, Sam’s ClubMartin Granstrom, Senior Director and Head of Design at Sam’s Club will talk you through the Now App and how it is helping to ease check out lines with cashier-less payments and improve member-associate interactions.
5:05 pm - 5:30 pm Future Stores TONIGHT: Bringing the Omni Customer Journey Together
Michelle J Snyder - VP, Retail Marketing, Comcast Andrea Wasserman - VP, Retail Experience, VerizonAs the customer journey is getting increasingly complex, how can you ensure that your customer’s digital and physical journey is both seamless and enjoyable? Stores can no longer operate in siloes, they must focus on:
• Making strides to better connect the digital and the physical retail environment
• Using all data available to determine when and how to engage with customers
• Thinking strategically about the entire journey and eliminating customer pain points
• Creating ease for the customer at every single touch point
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Future Stores Coast to Coast Reception In The Innovation Lab
We’re celebrating the flavors of our favorite stops at our Coast to Coast Reception in our Innovation Lab! From to Seattle to Chicago, New Orleans to New England, we’re serving up the best foods and drinks these locations have to offer. Dig in and wind down with our exhibitors with a drink, or two!