Q1 is always a whirlwind for the retail space. Once New Year’s Day is behind us, analysts and industry experts get busy analyzing holiday sales results to set their predictions for the year ahead. Simultaneously, retail executives and practitioners ramp up their travel plans, venturing to major events like the NRF Big Show and Shoptalk, to generate buzz around their major plans and priorities.
All this content and conversation creates a swirl of discourse that feels so overwhelming and robust, it’s difficult to make sense of what matters for your business. That, in essence, is why Retail TouchPoints (RTP) created Retail Trendcaster: a new digital event series designed to aggregate and streamline how you get the trend-based insights you need in order to refine and optimize your plans for the year ahead.
Retail Trendcaster is a research- and editorial-led event, with the RTP editorial team kicking things off with a quick-hit discussion on the tech they think will be hot — and not — in 2025. From agentic AI to dynamic pricing and commerce media, there are myriad technologies aimed at driving efficiencies and optimizing revenue opportunities. We’ll break down which has the most long-term potential, citing industry data and case study examples to make our case.
Other industry experts will join us March 17-19 to explore the following topics:
Connected Retail 2025: New Realities, Unexpected Implications
In 2024, we saw value take center stage. The volatile inflationary environment meant consumers spent more on household essentials and groceries. In turn, they were more savvy (even thrifty) while shopping for discretionary goods. CI&T’s latest Connected Retail Survey explores whether these behaviors will continue through 2025, and the true impact price has on where and how consumers shop.
Melissa Minkow, CI&T’s Global Director of Retail Strategy, will join me to discuss the key findings, include:
- The evolution of the browsing and buying journey, including the evolved role of search engines and social platforms;
- How trust (or lack thereof) impacts whether consumers engage with retailers online and using mobile apps; and
- Whether dynamic pricing, gamification and other tactics actually influence buying decisions.
Click here to register for the CI&T session.
Q1 Insights and 2025 Trends: What Omnichannel Retailers Need to Know
It’s been five years since the start of the pandemic, which means industry experts like Placer.ai are exploring which trends truly had long-term ripple effects on consumer behaviors. With instant access to rich location data, Ethan Chernofsky, SVP of Marketing at Placer.ai, will analyze — and in some cases debunk — headline-dominating trends.
Chernofsky will offer tactical insights on:
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- How return-to-office mandates will impact retail traffic;
- Why consumers are gravitating to shopping malls again;
- What the omnichannel “halo effect” means for brands as they plot their store expansion plans; and
- How brands and retailers should develop their brick-and-mortar strategy, including format, product mix and more.
Click here to register for the Placer.ai session.
Mastering Hybrid Shopping in the Social Commerce Era
The U.S. ban of TikTok was short-lived (at least for now), but it still caused a ruckus among retailers and consumers alike. This response reaffirmed the impact TikTok has had on the way we browse, buy and connect with brands.
Other platforms like Instagram are rolling out new commerce capabilities to keep pace, and retailers are realizing that if they want to reach and resonate with consumers, especially in new markets, they need a social commerce strategy. But such a strategy encompasses far more than content; It also requires backend systems that support seamless browsing and buying of products.
Aleesa Daley of Shopify and Pete Olanday of Vertex will break down the key requirements for friction-free social commerce, including tax calculation. If you want to maximize efficiency and drive growth through social channels, this tactical session is for you.
Click here to register for the Shopify and Vertex session.
Personalization in Retail: Creating Content-Driven Customer Experiences That Convert
We all know that personalization is a requirement for creating exceptional customer experiences. But how can brands and retailers create these experiences, using compelling content and creative, at scale?
During this fireside chat with Irina Botea and Gabriel Dillon of Contentful, attendees will learn:
- Data-driven personalization strategies to engage shoppers at every touch point;
- How to tailor content for peak shopping events like Black Friday and other holiday sales;
- Success stories from top retail brands like Ruggable and Ace & Tate; and
- The role AI plays in shaping the future of retail personalization.
Click here to register for the Contentful session.
