NG Retail Summit
On 8-10 April 2019 at the wonderful Omni Interlocken, Denver in Colorado the US edition of our NG Retail Summit will bring together senior retail decision-makers and business leaders from across North America to discuss current industry challenges – and how best to tackle them.
The summit focuses on key topics such as: The future of Retail; omnichannel power & eCommerce explosion .
From case studies that lift the lid on operations inside best-in-class organisations, to workshops and collaborative sessions that focus on real challenges and future technology innovations, to one-to-one meetings with industry peers offering practical advice tailored to your specific needs, the summit provides you with everything you need to implement your key projects more effectively.
I think what makes the summit stand out is the quality of speakers and the attendees.
An invaluable experience. Already recommended to my colleagues!
Exceptionally well run. Great topics, conversations and people – and real opportunities to work with some of the businesses attending the event.
Engaging people and topics throughout. And a stunning setting!
Our Approach
Every GDS Summit has one stated aim: to help attending executives implement their key projects more effectively. We do this by developing an in-depth understanding of those executives' project needs, the business outcomes they want to achieve, and the challenges they face in terms of hitting those goals.
Who Attends
Attendees Include
6 Challenges in Retail
- To rethink the role of stores. To identify new shopping experiences that can’t be found online.
- To make digital a core part of the store experience. And use it to engage and empower all staff, from warehouse to store.
- To gather meaningful customer data and use it to achieve long-term shopper loyalty.
- To improve inventory visibility and forecasting. To get the right product to the right place at the right time. As efficiently as possible.
- To explore and test ecommerce and online customer experience strategies, but still make money.
- To differentiate. To compete.
Summit Schedule
Grab your name badge, say hello, activate the onsite app and prepare to leave the office behind for two-and-a-half days of networking, learning and intelligence gathering.
What? When? How? Where? Join our Master of Ceremonies for a brief welcome and orientation session, where we’ll explain your itinerary for the next few days.
Why you should care: Consumers want their shopping experience to be fun, unique, personalized and above all convenient. Customer convenience equals increased sales. The retail industry is expected to change more by 2020 than it has in the past 50 years. GenZ will soon be the largest consumers across the globe. They will have the ability to shop across channels like no one before them. They will be able to compare the best price points and at the same time ensure that the retailer stands for something meaningful. Retailers need to implement the latest technologies & optimize all selling opportunities & channels. Reports show that over 70% of consumers would be more loyal towards brands that incorporate AR as part of their journey. Business wire expects the kiosk market to be worth $73 billion by 2020 and the global retail automation market is expected to reach $275 billion. There is growing demand for time saving devices as well as enhanced & efficient retail services all aiming to help deliver a superior shopping experience.
Key questions to cover: How to build a personalized experience of your customers’ browsing/buying journey through wearable data. Strengthen brand loyalty and improve customer experience through AR/VR. Custom created worlds, 3D experiences & VR commerce. GDPR and data access. Self-service technology delivering interactive experiences. Cut operating and transaction costs: increase sales and loyalty: Countering the challenges of the interactive kiosk market. Retailers looking to overcome errors: AI, chatbots & robotic process automation. Automated checkout and machine learning. IOT solutions that will revolutionize the retail industry
Why you should care: Omni-channel is transforming retail and dramatically changing the way retailers define and use their brick-and-mortar store which is still the face of the brand. Physical stores do offer benefits to customers that are impossible in an online-only setting which can allow for a deeper connection with consumers. Pairing that with the right omni-channel retail strategy will increase digital engagement & increase online and in-store spending. By the end of 2020, 81% of retailers will deploy unified commerce platforms, to support commerce across the enterprise’s stores, mobile users and the web, according to a survey by Boston Retail Partners.
Key questions to cover: Buy online/pickup in store strategy/fulfillment centers. Investing in experimental marketing with a shift toward an experience centric model. Face recognition, pay technology and investing in; beacons, RFID, self-checkout, biometric security, digital signage & same day delivery. What is your influencer strategy? Utilizing micro-moments to improve customer experience, build customer trust and create brand awareness. Building the store of the future: re-model/re-purpose.
Why you should care: The growth of global ecommerce is astounding. According to Statista, it is expected to hit $4.5 trillion by 2020 and is growing in the US at a rate of 15% each year. Smartphone shopping has grown and many have claimed that mobile is becoming their main shopping tool. Social media and mobile are the key drivers of e-commerce development moving forward.
Key questions to cover: Optimizing performance and user experience of your ecommerce site & mobile. Real-time engagement & live chat: challenges and opportunities of 24/7/365 customer service augmented reality driving cashless transactions. Online conversations through personalization. Blockchain technologies deployed in the right manner can help solve the problem of connecting merchants to their consumers. How do you engage in blockchain while protecting your consumer at the same time? Strategies for expedited delivery. Cryptobased payment options and the latest development in widespread digital currency adoption in the retail space. Voice is one of the leading drivers of innovation in the e-commerce space and not just mobile. Bitcoin, what are the challenges and concerns to consider? Should you accept bitcoin payments? What is the future of bitcoin?
Time to kick off your heels, loosen those ties and get to know your fellow summit attendees. Relax, drinks are on us.
From independent thinkers to technology pioneers to execs from some of the world’s most progressive companies, our keynote speakers are handpicked to provide you with the insight you need to inspire your next business decision.
As a leader that has helped to shape and drive this transformation of customer experience, Ali will talk about the importance of organic approach to CX innovation and shaping the transformation process as a part of a wider society.
- How do we introduce new technology to ensure acceptance?
- Creating digital experiences and products to make consumer interactions more fun and more efficient: how do we engage, educate and entertain?
- Leading the AI-enhanced world: looking out for and shaping customer needs
The most important meal of the day. Get yourself set for a productive day by joining us for coffee, croissants and more.
With the brand and retail landscape changing daily, there’s never been a more crucial time to ask yourself if what you’re doing today is having the impact you want tomorrow.
In terms of branding, leading with purpose is undeniably proving successful – in affinity, engagement and in sales. Today’s consumers want to align with and support brands that stand for something greater than the offering. And let’s be clear: retail is not dead. In many cases, retail experiences are lacking special-ness, which then make them a commoditization, and ultimately forgettable. But it’s this hard truth that gives today’s brands the biggest opportunity to change their retail game.
Latitude, a retail brand and experience design agency, is helping brands succeed in some of the most competitive and crowded sectors and across audience segments. Their expertise and advice will boldly challenge the actions you’re taking today and have you asking yourself how you can elevate your game from transactional to meaningful.
Gone are the days of having to make a special trip to buy something. There’s not too much left in the world that you can’t have delivered straight to your door from the comfort of your home. For brick and mortar retailers, this can be a scary world if customers only view you as a “house of many brands” rather than a unique, “branded house.” To make matters worse (or opportunistic), many people join loyalty programs only to wonder what providing their information and purchase history really gets them. As the intrinsic value of “things” decreases, the criticality of filling that void with experiences increases. This presents a unique opportunity for those retailers that are willing to invest in truly knowing and servicing their customers. How do you leverage the information customers give you, and what is the ultimate store experience, so that you are among the successful retailers with a database full of brand ambassadors rather than transactional customers?
Key Takeaways:
- Identify the main tools to enhance customer touchpoints, incorporating the evolution of technology in customer experiences and leveraging their own unique opportunities.
- Options that create, deliver and measure customer experiences effectively and in a timely manner.
- Companies with multi-channel customer insights also have a formula to transform customers into brand advocates.
The internet has created more competition and an overabundance of choice for the consumer. For marketers, this has weakened our ability to maintain relationships between brand and customers, forcing a race to the bottom over price and convenience. The net result is diminished long-term value for both the brand and the customer. Loyalty is harder than ever to earn and to keep. This entertaining and interactive session will explore how to leverage real-time, data-driven cross channel communications to improve your customer relationships, and ultimately, customer loyalty.
Key Takeaways:
- Learn how to individualize communications at scale
- Identify tactics to leverage real-time data to communicate with customers on their terms
- Understand the importance of a mutualistic relationship with your customers where you ask more from them
• Global eCommerce leader with 15 years of experience leading digital transformation for Fortune 100 companies including Mondelez and Kimberley Clark, where he had a proven track record for accelerating eCommerce transformation for brands such as Oreo, Trident, and Kleenex.
• Currently, Oskar is the VP, eCommerce Acceleration for Kellogg’s, responsible for futureproofing global company growth via eCommerce and digital business innovation for some of the iconic breakfast and snacks brands, including Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Special K, Pringles, Pop-Tarts, Cheez-It and Kashi.
Details to follow.
Fareway Stores, Inc. is a growing Midwest meat & grocery company with locations in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Fareway holds family values in the highest regard, demonstrating integrity, fairness, and honesty in relationships with customers, employees, vendors, and suppliers.
With a strong reputation for economic value and tradition, Fareway is still considering whether to adopt all of the newer technology-based consumer capabilities that many other grocery chains have recently implemented. Our company faces the challenge of keeping our brand fresh and responsive to changes in shopping behavior while still remaining true to the brand experience our customers expect and appreciate.
Worked up an appetite? Recharge those batteries with our buffet-style lunch, and prepare to meet the afternoon head-on.
Details to follow.
We will be covering how communication at AEO has been changed through the implementation My Work and how the manager has been given back time in their day to remain on the sales floor and put their customer first.
Key Takeaways:
- ROI of implementing My Work V16.
- Benefits of opening up lines of communication across all levels of field associates
- Moving into the 21st century with mobility!
Details to follow.
Details to follow
Time for some fun; you’ve earned it. Join us for our second night’s dinner and entertainment. Details to follow.
The most important meal of the day. Get yourself set for a productive day by joining us for coffee, croissants and more.
Details to follow.
Detail to follow
Creating an in-store experience that will incorporate digital, social media and personalized activation to inspire client participation. Using all your tools to create a true brand experience that your customer can participate both in-store and digitally. Using the experience to drive your customer into the store and also to your digital platforms.
Key Takeaways:
- Creating the experience that is right for your customer
- Driving business through digital and in-store
- Creating a circle effect – Digital to In-Store – In-Store to Digital – Digital to In-Store
Details to follow
In this session, we will begin by reviewing 5 factors that represent dramatic changes in modern day Customer Behaviour. With this as our foundation, we will then discuss the approach that today’s brands must take to be relevant and breakthrough. Generally speaking, we juxtapose the historical actions of “traditional brands” versus the modern day philosophies of “human brands”. With a focus on the fashion retail sector, the above analysis leads to a framework that presents a subjective hypothesis to the current state of retail disruption. Finally, through a high level review of a couple “brand stories”, we then point to Customer Obsession serving as the beginning point to counteracting said disruption.
What have been the most interesting discussion points over the last few days? What are the key takeaways? Are there any immediate actions to be implemented? And what further questions have emerged?
Worked up an appetite? Recharge those batteries with our buffet-style lunch before you head home.
Summit Location
Our events take place at some of the most prestigious venues in the world. Five-star accommodation, dining and amenities make attending one of our summits both business and pleasure. Being productive has never been so much fun.
Latest Case Study
Senior executives love our summits because of the unparalleled opportunity to meet people with ideas on how to move their key projects forward. But don’t just take our word for it…
To discuss how GDS Summits can help you solve your project challenges contact us on: 0117 921 4000 or email sayhello@gdsgroup.com.