Shop.org Forum to highlight e-tail opportunities
January 19, 2009
WASHINGTON — At Shop.org's Strategy & Innovation Forum this February, experts and guest speakers will discuss how retailers can use economic downturns as a way to grow, even in adverse times. Shop.org will present how online and multichannel retailers can use these opportunities to innovate and find creative ways to optimize their assets.
As part of the line up during the Strategy & Innovation Forum, Feb. 2-4, 2009 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, attendees will hear from industry experts about getting ahead of the competition when the opportunity presents itself and how to survive an economic downturn. Sessions include:
Keynote - Building a Brand That Matters One Employee at a Time
Tuesday, 2/3/09, 10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Zappos.com's chief operating and financial officer Alfred Lin will share the ingredients needed to build a brand, culture, and a company that matters. He will also discuss some of the lessons learned while building the business over the last ten years.
Speaker: Alfred Lin, Chief Operating Officer and Financial Officer, Zappos.com
The Multi-Channel Shift: How Consumer Behavior Will Change In the Next Economic Recovery
Tuesday, 2/3/09, 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Panelists will discuss and suggest a handful of imperatives for companies looking for advice about growth over the next year.
Speakers: Josh Leibowitz, Partner, McKinsey & Co.; Alex Tenessa, Associate Partner, McKinsey & Co.
How International Expansion Can Help Retailers in a Downturned Economy
Tuesday, 2/3/09, 3:50 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.
The experts on this panel will discuss globalization and international expansion that will help guests understand global expansion topics including must-know basics, operational complexities, demand generation, and planning market interest strategies specifically in Europe and Asia.
Moderator: Troy Brown, Retail Practice Leader, Demandware
Speakers: Michael Amar, Founder, AGORAD; Jake Bailey, Director of International Business, Overstock.com; Jim Okamura, Senior Partner, J.C Williams Group; Michael Ross, Director, eCommera Limited
Focused Ecommerce Investing: Smartly Stretching Your E-commerce Dollars While Still Innovating for Differentiation
Tuesday, 2/3/09, 5:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Experts on this panel will discuss operations and IT methods to help retailers profit through challenging economic times.
Moderator: Lauren Freedman, President, The E-Tail Group
Panelists: Peter Cobb, Co-Founder, Senior Vice President, eBags; Kevin Churchill, Director of Merchandising, Patagonia; Bradford Matson, Chief Marketing Officer, Bluefly, Inc.
Keynote - "Chewing Gum and Bailing Wire. Big Ideas with Little Budgets"
Wednesday, 2/4/09, 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Guests will hear from OfficeMax's senior vice president of marketing and advertising Bob Thacker on how to build loveable brands without big budgets.
Innovation in a Downturned Economy: Pure-play Retailer Case Studies
Wednesday, 2/4/09, 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Industry veteran John Squire of Coremetrics will talk to the CEO and founder of Andra Group about the surprising ways they're positioning themselves to vault over their competitors through innovative and unexpected programs they're putting in place today.
Moderator: John Squire, Chief Strategy Officer, Coremetrics
Speaker: Tomima Edmark, CEO and Founder, Andra Group
Driving the Living, Breathing Store: Retailer Case Studies of Innovations in Delivering Dynamic Content
Wednesday, 2/4/09, 2:45 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
This session will take an in-depth look at retailers who are facing the challenge of delivering real-time dynamic content that engages shoppers and produces results. Each retailer will show how content is being delivered, discuss the thought process involved in producing this content, and share the results that have occurred since implementing these innovations.
Moderator: Kelly O'Neill, Director of Product Marketing, ATG Commerce
Panelist: Ronit Weinberg, Director of E-business, Diane von Furstenberg