Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
The Retail Evolution Summit is an educational gathering of marketers, designers, technologists and digital innovation leaders from key fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands AND if you have anything to do with the retail sector in terms of digital marketing, retail design or information technology, then this event, being held in San Francisco Feb. 17-19 should be on your calendar.
For those who are involved in creating or implementing interactive store experiences and the OmniChannel journey, this is a tremendous opportunity to meet, hear and interact with industry thought leaders and share insights on the future of retail.
The interactive forum on Wednesday, Feb. 18, and Thursday, Feb. 19. combines an exciting speaker lineup of retail design thought leaders, among them: Lee Peterson, David Kepron, and Todd Hale. A welcome reception is being held the evening of Feb. 17.
Attendees will also have plenty of time for sharing successes and networking by participating roundtable discussions focusing on the OmniChannel journey, store design, consumer behavior, retail analytics and more.
Kepron, creative director – Brand Experience Studio at Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, will be the keynote speaker on Wednesday. Having heard him speak at DSE ONE during New York Digital Signage Week, we can personally vouch that your head will be swimming with ideas by the time he has finished talking. He draws on more than 20 years of experience in the retail industry as an architect, artist, and educator and embraces a broad view of what makes great shopping experiences. He sees the customer as the most important part of the production line, and the primary function of all retail design is about ‘selling’ by weaving the customer’s innate physical and emotional responses to the environment with the brand story.
Hale, retail insights thought leader and former senior vice-president, consumer and shopper insights with Nielsen, will be the spotlight speaker on Thursday, talking about the shopper of today and tomorrow. He will call on his over 36 years of experience in the consumer research industry to share his insights on consumer shopping, buying and media consumption behaviors and attitudes to provide manufacturers and retailers with strategic visions to facilitate brand, category and retail sales growth.
Peterson, executive vice-president of brand, strategy and design at WD Partners will give the closing keynote and there’s no way you’ll want to get away early and miss this. He brings an innovative approach to strategic assessment and brand development by understanding cultural trends, consumer demographics, and buying behavior across multiple industries, and believes stores must perform for the retailers, as well as the consumers. The Internet has been a windfall for retailers with respect to advertising, marketing and communication. However, the second edge of this sword has been the emerging of online mega retailers like Amazon and their rapid-fire upselling, nearly instantaneous purchase ability and almost immediate possession. That last point coupled with the touch and feel aspect of possession is the hook that brick and mortar retailers have been hanging their existence on.
Additional speakers and roundtable topics will be announced soon.
You can register here (discounted rates are available for verified retailers.)
Conference location is the Hilton San Francisco Financial District Hotel. (You may even want to spend a couple of extra days to enjoy the sights and great food of San Francisco.)
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