With a jam-packed
agenda that includes Store Tours at Hudson Yards and insights from 50+ retail experts,
the 2019 Retail Innovation Conference, May 6-8 in NYC, is almost here. Execs from top brands including
Macy’s, Wayfair, Brooks Brothers, Walmart and Lowe’s
are on tap to speak, granting attendees a front row seat to learn about
game-changing technologies and tactics driving success across all touch points.
The RTP edit team shares what they are most
looking forward to about the event.
Grab your ticket today!
Adam Blair, Editor: There are many things I’m
looking forward to at #RIC19 — including an agenda chock-full of fascinating
presentations and the chance to catch up with old friends — but I’m most
eagerly anticipating the Hudson
Yards Store Tours that will take place Monday afternoon, May 6. I
always learn a ton during these tours, and it’s great to see the cutting edge
of retail innovation in a real-world setting. In particular, I’m interested in
visiting lululemon, especially since they are widening their focus
to men’s apparel; b8ta, to get the inside scoop on how they gather data about
every aspect of the browsing/shopping experience; and Neiman Marcus, because of their reputation for both
showmanship and high quality. And because my fellow “tourists” will be
sharp-eyed retail executives, they are sure to ask a lot of provocative
questions.
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Glenn Taylor, Senior
Editor: The CEO Exchange panel has me intrigued for two reasons. One, I
spoke with the moderator, b8ta CEO
Vibhu Norby, last year about the
company’s business model and its work with traditional retailers, so I’m
looking forward to the topics and discussion points he’ll bring to the table.
Two, I admit that I’m unfamiliar with the other companies on the panel: 3DEN, Batch
and Iris Nova. Seeing fresh faces that
are unafraid of developing outside-the-box brick-and-mortar strategies is
always a good thing, and I personally am excited to get a more in-depth look at
how each company has introduced its own quirks into physical retailing. And I
hope the rest of the audience takes inspiration from the chat, especially
considering it will be the closing panel of the event.
Bryan Wassel,
Associate Editor: The most interesting panel for me is, Why Loyalty Programs Aren’t Working And How
Shinola Used Customer Insights To Create A Non-Traditional ‘Loyalty’ Strategy.
Loyalty is a very, very vast topic (as demonstrated by our top
10 list on the subject), and shoppers are constantly bombarded by emails,
push notifications and social media outreach from every retailer they’ve ever
interacted with. I’m curious to learn how a successful program like Shinola’s
has managed to cut through the chaff and actually grab people’s attention, and
how that was translated into an actual sales lift as opposed to nebulous brand
awareness. It’s one of those subjects that everyone talks about but few people
actually seem to understand, so I think this discussion represents an excellent
opportunity to showcase innovation being used to solve an age-old problem.
