2020 was an unpredictable year, but what does 2021 hold? Walmart CMO, William White will take us through how customer behavior evolved out of 2020 and what will stick through 2021. We'll also discuss how to reach the average consumer in our "new normal".

Free People, a bohemian apparel and lifestyle brand under the URBN portfolio, has over 200 locations throughout the US and Canada, in addition to an e-commerce website—and knows how important it is to have a comprehensive omnichannel marketing strategy. This session will explore how Free People uses text message marketing to deliver relevant content—including geo-targeted messages—that engages consumers and drives conversions, allowing the brand to build a loyal customer base both online and offline.

In this session, Krista Bourne, svp of consumer sales and operations at Verizon will take us through how the brand was able to quickly pivot to touchless retail at the beginning of the pandemic and how this trend has helped the brand rethink how it approaches its retail presence.

Retailers continue to manage and adapt to the lingering effects of the global pandemic, and are now beginning to plan for a “new normal” world. The radical shifts in consumer needs and behavior have brought more individuals onto digital shopping platforms than ever before – creating an immense opportunity for merchants large and small. And while the new revenue potential has been good for merchants, it also opens up increased risk and a need for increased digital safety measures. PayPal’s Marcy Campbell and Eileen Bennett talk strategies for engaging these customers, protecting against new risks, and the next phase of evolution for in-store and omnichannel shopping.

While renting furniture isn’t a totally new concept, the business model is stale and hasn’t been adapted to meet the needs and wants of today’s consumer— until now. Feather’s key marketing goal is to dispel the myths around furniture rental and communicate what makes it such a compelling concept to a new wave of consumers who care about value, experience and sustainability. In this session, Jinal Shah will discuss the challenges of changing consumer behavior through the lens of companies who have come before.

Anxious purchases and newfound hobbies. Dramatic increases in online shopping across the generations. So much athleisure. 2020 was a year of constant upheaval as consumer habits changed overnight. So, as more Americans are vaccinated each day, what will getting back to normal look like in the retail industry? What will stay changed, perhaps for the better? Who is the disrupted consumer and what do they value? How will those values inform the evolution of the retail experience? Join AI-driven marketing expert Ericka Podesta McCoy, Resonate CMO, to learn how to connect with a disrupted retail consumer on a level that goes deeper than loyalty programs and curbside pick-up.

In 2020 the spirits industry faced a huge shift with the closure of bars and restaurants around the world. This caused a seismic shift in consumer purchase behavior – with spirit e-commerce partners like Drizly and Instacart seeing sales up by 300-500%. The premium spirits category had always been slow to sell via e-commerce, but the growth and activity expected to build in e-commerce in over two years took only two weeks. In this session, Martin De Dreuille from Grey Goose will take us through how his team was able to adapt to this shift and what lessons they are continuing to learn moving forward.

eCommerce marketplaces provide invaluable marketing and advertising opportunities. But not all retailer goals are the same and not all marketplaces are created equal. Join Scott Kelliher, Head of Brand Partnerships and Advertising as he breaks down how the right channel and ad solutions mix can help drive sales at the highest efficiency.

In its early days, Casper relied on subway ads, nap mobiles and other experimental marketing tactics to get millennials on board with its mattress-in-a-box concept. Today, Casper now sells a wide range of sleep-related products across its own stores, as well as through those of its retail partners. In this session, hear from Casper CMO Lisa Pillette about how the company is developing a branding and marketing strategy to fuel its next phase of growth as a national brand.

It’s been a crazy year for Ocean Spray. The company went viral on TikTok in the middle of a pandemic. But the brand, known for its cranberry juice, is so much more than a 30-second clip. In this session CEO Tom Hayes walks us through the last year and how the company is launching new products while staying true to its cooperative business model.

Brian Spencer of Kroger Precision Marketing shares how the brand is engaged in TV streaming advertising and partnered with Roku on a data program to achieve their marketing goals.

In this session, StoreBound CEO Evan Dash will take us through how his team has been able to win the hearts of new consumers first on Instagram, and now on TikTok and how the brand has found growth within niche social media communities. We'll hear about how the brand has been able to expand upon the success and attention of that one of their tentpole products has created.

With a focus on combining online and offline information, this session will dive into why Lucky Brand and others across the industry are placing customer data at the center of their tech ecosystem. Learn what business goals are supporting this strategy plus key insights gained as brands are looking to engage customers, new and old, in a post-pandemic world.

It’s hardly a secret that consumer purchasing behavior is shifting from traditional brick-and-mortar to digital channels at a rapid rate. But despite the importance of an in-store experience in the highly competitive footwear market, iconic shoemaker Crocs has doubled down on digital on its journey to sustainable, profitable growth, relying on a strategic mix of analytics and trends to propel consumer engagement and create lasting, emotional connections in a meaningful way. During this session, Crocs svp and chief digital officer Adam Michaels will discuss: why Crocs’ early adoption of a digitally-led route to market differentiates the brand in the footwear space; how a mix of owned, e-tail and third-party marketplace channels allow Crocs to drive relevance for the brand in key markets around the world; how Crocs leverages e-commerce technology to differentiate its product offering to better understand its consumers and drive engagement with the brand; and what Crocs’ established digital presence means for the brand as consumers continue to adopt the simplicity and ease of online shopping.

Customers have been migrating from in-store to online for the last decade but last year we have seen an unprecedented acceleration of this trend due to Covid. Retailers are continuing to figure out how to bring the in-store experience to eCommerce and deliver the kind of personalized, high-touch service that keeps customers coming back. We'll discuss the ways that innovative brands like Crate and Barrel and Warby Parker are transforming their service operations to thrive in this new era.

Every brand is looking for new and fun ways to connect with customers. But some have a few out-of-the-box tricks. Putting Hot Pockets on Twitch? Why not. In this session, Nestlé USA’s head of digital strategy and innovation Orchid Bertelsen will go through how the company has reinvigorated brand engagement with the help of conversational AI and experimental social channels.

As artificial intelligence continues to weave its way into eCommerce, companies are already using chat-bots to automate tasks around the digital customer experience. However, it will be critical to find a balance between human interaction and automation. To develop loyal, repeat customers, online businesses need to personalize their interactions with each customer and offer many different ways for customer’s to contact customer service to reach their needs as quickly as possible.

Last year, with few people traveling, Merrell shifted its focus from national campaigns to local ones through activations with local retailers, gyms, and micro-influencers popular in the region. McGuire will talk through how a national brand can embed itself into a smaller community, and how marketers can produce dozens of unique, geographically targeted campaigns on a large scale.