The 2023 Agenda

The role of data in creating a cohesive and enjoyable customer experience has never been more important. Brands and retailers have a wealth of options when it comes to collecting and acting on data, whether to personalise individual shopper journeys or create seamless omnichannel paths to purchase. In this session, three brand and retailer executives will share recent initiatives that have leveraged data to create exceptional customer experiences, including how they moved the needle around acquisition, retention, sales and more.

Merchandising has become an increasingly complex discipline. Consumers today want to discover new, innovative products while still being able to find the brands they know and love. To meet their needs, retailers are expanding their private label offerings, securing exclusive products shoppers can’t find elsewhere, and leveraging data and insights to ensure they have the right selection and quantity of brand products consumers desire. In this session, three retail leaders will share how their merchandising practices are evolving in stores and online to meet consumers’ changing needs.

The only thing certain about today's economy is uncertainty. News articles say a global recession is looming, inflation is nearing or touching new records, and corporate layoffs are taking place in tech and other industries--yet retailers can't hire enough workers to keep their stores or warehouses running smoothly. In this session, two leading consultants will present unbiased research into the state of the economy, helping attendees cut through conflicting reports of boom and bust.

In a series of fast-paced, strictly timed three-minute presentations, 10 early-stage startups will share how their innovative technologies are addressing important challenges in retail. The judges and audience will rate each pitch, and the top six startups will progress to Round 2. Here, our panel of judges will ask each founder/CEO pointed questions about their solutions. The judges and audience will again rate each finalist, with a Judges’ Choice and Audience Choice Winner announced at the end of the session.

The European secondhand market is anticipated to reach staggering new heights in the coming years, as consumers gravitate towards recommerce to save money and address growing concerns about waste. In addition to resale, businesses are offering product repairs, creating new items from recycled materials, and more to promote the circular economy. This session will feature a series of interviews with three industry leaders discussing the demand side of these offerings, as well as the benefits and challenges of each model.

Shoppers are more inclined to abandon their online shopping journey if they are unable to find the products they want, making seamless search and product discovery an imperative. This session will feature leaders leveraging AI-powered predictive search and product recommendations, computer vision and more to help consumers more easily find the products they desire, recommend suitable substitutes, and surface new, relevant products to increase their basket size.

Inflation, geopolitical tensions and other economic headwinds have contributed to big cuts in the valuations of formerly high-flying startups, forcing a focus on operational efficiency and profitability. Established retailers and brands have faced increased scrutiny and skepticism of their financial performance amid these conditions, too. This session will feature three outspoken investors who will share their views on retail today. Shoptalk's gamified rapid-fire format will ensure the session covers a lot of ground, offering a frank and unfiltered primer on what success looks like in a challenging time.

As the world's largest generation, Gen Z has rightfully captured the attention of most retailers and brands. This digitally-native group is financially conscious, values sustainability and authenticity, and is eager to shop on new platforms and channels. In this session, three industry leaders will share how they are engaging with and developing products and offerings for Gen Z shoppers.

Over three days, Shoptalk's stages will feature a myriad of great retailers, brands, tech solutions, consultants and more speaking about how they are adapting to these fast-changing retail times. This Track Keynote will set the scene by featuring two senior leaders who will share their tactics for surfing the wave of continuous change that defines retail today, and their thoughts on future-proofing their businesses for whatever may come next.

Although challenging economic times may tempt executives to decelerate innovation, that behavior is extremely risky to their long-term success. Rather, as the world becomes less predictable, embracing change and innovation are more vital than ever. This session will explore ways retailers and brands approach innovation today, ranging from groundbreaking partnerships to innovation labs to innovation teams within individual business units. This session will feature brands and retailers who are taking bold steps to identify, test and scale technologies and business models for both the short- and long-term.

Forward-thinking retailers and brands have started to talk about "unified retail" in place of omnichannel, in order to underscore that distinct, siloed online and offline channels do not align with how people shop or buy. Consumers today use over five touchpoints, on average, before making a purchase decision, and do not have patience to begin a journey from scratch when they switch. In this Track Keynote, one senior executive will speak to how their company is making the leap beyond omnichannel to unified retail.

Forward-thinking retailers and brands have started to talk about "unified retail" in place of omnichannel, in order to underscore that distinct, siloed online and offline channels do not align with how people shop or buy. Consumers today use over five touchpoints, on average, before making a purchase decision, and do not have patience to begin a journey from scratch when they switch. In this session, two senior leaders will speak to how their companies are making the leap beyond omnichannel to unified retail.

In a moment of unprecedented change, it's imperative that grocery and FMCG leaders make time to think about the technologies and strategies that will position them for success in the long term, even as they have to focus on an unending series of short-term challenges. In this Track Keynote, two C-level leaders will share their views on the biggest challenges and opportunities in grocery and FMCG today and how they are preparing their organisations to thrive in a fast-moving and ever-changing industry.

Cross-border ecommerce represents over a quarter of European online sales. Yet challenges related to language, localisation, culture, supply chain, and in some cases, currency, remain when selling across borders inside or outside the Eurozone. In this session, three industry leaders will share how they are successfully leveraging marketplaces, localised direct-to-consumer offerings and more to successfully sell across borders amid economic and political turbulence.

Despite broad declines in startup funding across Europe and an increased focus on profitability from VC firms, European retail tech startups continue to innovate and provide solutions to existing and emerging industry challenges. From new innovations in payments, such as B2B Buy Now Pay Later solutions, to technologies that are enabling social commerce, Europe is a hotbed of retail technology innovation. This panel discussion will feature three prominent VC investors who will share their views on retail technology innovation today, offering a candid perspective on the most exciting emerging opportunities and their outlook on the funding landscape.

The past few years have seen a fundamental shift in AI capabilities and adoption, with brands and retailers leveraging AI-based tools across the entire business, from marketing to supply chain to the back office. Meanwhile, new foundation models transcend data analysis and inference, performing creative tasks like generating text and images and holding human-like conversations. This Track Keynote will feature a retail leader speaking to how they are applying leading-edge AI and machine learning in specific areas of their business. They will highlight the ways AI is adding value, while also pointing out things companies must keep in mind to maximise their returns on their data infrastructure investments.

The past few years have seen a fundamental shift in AI capabilities and adoption, with brands and retailers leveraging AI-based tools across the entire business, from marketing to supply chain to the back office. Meanwhile, new foundation models transcend data analysis and inference, performing creative tasks like generating text and images and holding human-like conversations. This panel session will feature three retail leaders speaking to how they are applying leading-edge AI and machine learning in specific areas of their business. They will highlight the ways AI is adding value, while also pointing out things companies must keep in mind to maximise their returns on their data infrastructure investments.

Today’s consumers seek convenience in every aspect of their shopping journey. Innovative startups are responding to this demand by pioneering new store formats and on-demand delivery options that meet consumer needs, while leading convenience store retailers are rolling out new technologies and capabilities to prepare for the future. In this session, leaders from startups and established businesses will discuss how they’re bringing the next generation of convenience offerings to market that satisfy consumer demand for convenience.

Companies today have vast and growing data repositories, and many have also invested in analytics tools to convert that data into useful insights. However, firms sometimes find themselves challenged on the human capabilities side, as they need to ensure that employees have access to, and training to use, the data resources that will help them work effectively and productively. This session will examine how companies are enabling their employees to unlock the full value of their data resources.

Eliminating food waste, creating more sustainable products and packaging, and reducing carbon emissions are all business and consumer imperatives. Although economic headwinds can challenge companies' commitment to making choices that promote a healthier planet, the industry can't afford to dial back its efforts. This session will feature interviews with leaders from grocery retailers and FMCG brands that are implementing sustainability initiatives across their business that are delivering real results.

The opportunity around digital collectibles, apparel and other virtual goods is real and growing, even as valuations of NFTs have proven volatile. Brands today have unique opportunities to expand product lines, sell digital versions of real goods, and reach customers in novel and creative ways. In this panel discussion, three brands will share the strategy behind their virtual goods forays, and lessons they have learned.

Retailers and brands are investing in solutions that enhance the physical retail experience. These include consumer-facing technologies that engage and satisfy consumers and operational tools that optimise how stores are run and the management of associates. In this session, four founders and CEOs will deliver presentations on solutions found on the shop floor, at checkout and behind the scenes in stores. The presentations will be followed by a panel conversation on how technology can make physical stores more efficient and engaging for consumers.

Retailers are steadily moving beyond "omnichannel" into a world where shopping journeys move fluidly across physical stores and websites, social media, marketplaces and more. Internal strategic alignment balanced with a relentless focus on providing customer value is key to ensuring successful omnichannel experiences. This session will feature a panel of three leaders who will discuss the key strategies, technologies and data-focused initiatives that their organisations have implemented to reinvent themselves for the omnichannel world, and beyond.

Retail media is expected to be an almost €25 billion business in Europe by 2026. As consumers shift more of their spending online, retailers seek new revenue streams and brand advertisers look for new ways to track customers ahead of changes to third-party cookie policies. In this panel conversation, retail and brand leaders will discuss how they're approaching this new model, including how FMCGs are evaluating these offerings on criteria including their reach, customer base and capabilities. They'll also share insights into how brands can fund these investments and generate the most ROI.

Retail media is expected to be an almost €25 billion business in Europe by 2026. As consumers shift more of their spending online, retailers seek new revenue streams and brand advertisers look for new ways to track customers ahead of changes to third-party cookie policies. In this panel conversation, retail and brand leaders will discuss how they're approaching this new model, including how FMCGs are evaluating these offerings on criteria including their reach, customer base and capabilities. They'll also share insights into how brands can fund these investments and generate the most ROI.

While the past year has seen much attention focused on the consumer-facing aspects of the metaverse, 3D and other metaverse-enabling technologies also have exciting applications within enterprises. For example, companies have an opportunity to use blockchain for supply chain visibility, or to create realistic simulations known as "digital twins" for stores or other retail infrastructure. Featuring brand new data and insights from Coresight Research, this Shoptalk Original Content presentation will explore applications of metaverse tech for non-customer-facing purposes, offering visionary perspectives on the value brands and retailers stand to unlock. The presentation will be followed by a conversation with brand and retail leaders who are implementing these cutting-edge technologies.

Much like consumers want to shop with companies who are making the world a better place, retail employees want to be part of organizations that are leading with purpose. In this Track Keynote, we’ll hear from an executive at a European retailer that’s leading the industry in this space. She’ll discuss her company’s latest initiatives to champion equality and promote mental wellbeing and the role they play in recruiting and retaining top retail talent.

The competition to recruit and retain top tech talent has become fierce in recent years. Organisations are placing a premium on digital capabilities as strong technology capabilities and offerings become table stakes in retail, but they are faced with the challenge of finding the right team members in a tight labour market with shifting workplace needs. This session will address how companies identify and recruit the best talent,  as well as how they retain high-performing team members.

A range of automation technologies promise to remove costs from retailers' operating models while also making them more efficient. Solutions range from operating automated warehouses or microfulfilment centres, to implementing camera-based technologies that automate the checkout process, to using drones or autonomous vehicles to make deliveries. In this session, three grocery leaders will share the diverse approaches they are taking to enabling automation across the businesses and the results they're seeing.

The European video streaming market is anticipated to grow by 18% annually by 2030, as consumers spend more time watching digital video than traditional TV for the first time. This massive inflection point is helping drive interest from brands and retailers in integrating shopping into digital video. This session will feature three retail and brand leaders taking diverse approaches to shoppable video, including livestreaming and on demand, and via connected devices or on social channels. It will help attendees evaluate today's many options for engaging viewers and driving conversions.

Today's consumers expect marketing recommendations and communications that are tailored to their interests. In this session, four tech founders and CEOs will present their solutions and how they're helping businesses meet these consumer expectations. The presentations will be followed by a group discussion on how retailers and brands improve their marketing and drive personalisation throughout the consumer journey, from awareness to discovery to post-purchase.

As the industry continues to be impacted by labour shortages, retailers and brands are adopting new approaches to management and investing in technologies and capabilities that empower and increase the productivity of their store associates, in both front of house and back of house. They are also redesigning teams to create new roles that are more fulfiling–for example, by having store associates also support digital sales and social media content generation. In this panel discussion, retail executives will share honest insights into how they're transforming their store workforces with new roles and capabilities that are streamlining workflows, boosting collaboration, driving customer engagement and increasing labour retention.

Nearly every aspect of brand-retailer relationships is being reshaped. The rise of retail media networks and the increasing importance of first-party data are sparking new conversations around marketing and customer relationships; new routes to market and alternative sales partners are disrupting established dynamics; and product innovations and on-shelf availability are impacting what products retailers sell. In this panel discussion, retail and brand leaders will discuss how their relationships with one another are changing and how they're adapting to this new world.

Startup and established brands continue to rethink their wholesale and direct-to-consumer strategies. Advances in commerce platforms and supply chain and fulfilment technologies have made it easier for DTC businesses to succeed, while providing them with rich consumer data. However, operating and scaling a DTC business remains challenging, and for most companies success requires finding an optimal balance between wholesale and DTC. This session will feature a panel with three brand leaders talking about how they're finding that balance, how embracing DTC has changed their wholesale relationships and where they see their DTC business in the future.

As retailers and brands implement new technologies to improve their online offerings, it can result in a complex web of solutions and processes that are challenging to connect and manage efficiently. In this session, an industry analyst will share tactics for simplifying the ecommerce tech stack. The presentation will be followed by a conversation with a retail or brand leader that’s successfully completed this work to work more efficiently and innovate at pace.

Consumers shopping in stores today seek two contrasting types of experiences. Sometimes they wish to be inspired--to discover new products they love, at a leisurely pace--while at other times they want or need to enter, purchase and leave as quickly and easily as possible. In a series of presentations and a panel discussion, leaders from three companies will discuss how they are effectively striking the balance between providing both inspiration and ease in stores by designing new store formats, experiences and services, and by implementing new technologies to cater to these divergent paths.

With a seemingly never-ending array of technology solutions that promise to solve the grocery industry's challenges, it can be hard to determine which investments to make. In this high-energy panel discussion, three grocery experts will debate the merits of online and in-store grocery technologies, from livestream shopping to the metaverse and aisle-roaming inventory robots to microfulfilment centres. They'll offer their take on technologies providing clear value to grocery shoppers and retailers, and others that should be more cautiously considered.

Brands have grown accustomed to incorporating purpose into their businesses and brand stories by giving back to their communities or otherwise improving the world. Consumers too expect businesses to take a stand on issues that are important to them, and increasingly choose to shop with brands whose values align with their own. In this session, three brand leaders will share how their companies are defining and living by their brand purpose, as well as how they’re engaging shoppers who identify with their shared mission.

Social media platforms are quickly evolving from content venues to commerce venues, introducing new tools that allow consumers to discover, research and complete their purchases without leaving their platform. Yet even as the average global consumer spends over two hours a day on social media, these offerings have yet to take off with consumers outside of China. In this session, an industry expert will share their outlook on the social commerce market, including the role that newer offerings like livestream shopping and the metaverse will play. The presentation will be followed by a conversation with a retail or brand leader succeeding in this space.

Retailers and brands are introducing new payments and checkout options to meet heightened consumer expectations for speed and convenience. One-click checkout, the enablement of crypto payments, Buy Now Pay Later and automated checkout are just a handful of new offerings being introduced online and in stores. In this session, industry leaders will discuss how these and other payments and checkout offerings can lead to increased basket sizes, more shopping visits, and ultimately remove friction from the shopping experience.

Selling directly to consumers provides a number of strategic advantages to FMCG brands, who’ve historically relied on their retail partners to get their products in shoppers’ hands. While running a DTC business allows brands to gain insights into who their end consumers are–and market to them directly–it is also rife with challenges. In this session, three brand leaders will share case studies on how they are solving challenges related to packaging, logistics and demand generation to successfully sell DTC, as well as how their direct business fits into their overall strategy.

Squeezing even small savings from fulfilment and delivery costs can make or break online order profitability. Consumers, too, are increasingly looking for more cost-effective fulfilment options, as the economic climate causes them to reevaluate the value of speed vs price when seeking convenience. This Track Keynote will feature insights from a senior retail leader whose business is leveraging technologies and partnerships to provide fulfilment, pickup and delivery options that strike the right balance between getting shoppers what they want, when and where they want it, and preserving, or even increasing, the margin on an order.

Squeezing even small savings from fulfilment and delivery costs can make or break online order profitability. Consumers, too, are increasingly looking for more cost-effective fulfilment options, as the economic climate causes them to reevaluate the value of speed vs price when seeking convenience. This session will feature insights from two retail and brand leaders that are leveraging technologies and partnerships to provide fulfilment, pickup and delivery options that strike the right balance between getting shoppers what they want, when and where they want it, and preserving, or even increasing, the margin on an order.

If data is the oil of the digital economy, recent privacy-focused shifts by browser and operating system makers have sparked an energy crisis. Companies are rethinking data resources and capabilities, including paying close attention to "zero-party data," the data people voluntarily share with retailers and brands. This interactive workshop will offer a primer on zero-party data and how companies are weaving it into their larger data strategies. An expert will share best practices, and a retail or brand executive will bring the topic to life in a conversation including real-world examples from their work.

Retail innovation can come from anywhere, with groundbreaking technologies and new trends taking off in markets from China to the U.S. From autonomous stores to payment innovations to new shopping capabilities, companies everywhere are rapidly implementing technologies to cater to changing consumer preferences and deliver products faster and more conveniently. In this session, retail leaders from outside of Europe will discuss their latest innovations, and compare and contrast how retail is evolving in their markets.

To quickly boost their digital capabilities and grow their online businesses, many grocery retailers and FMCG brands are teaming up with technology companies, food delivery apps and their marketplaces. But with a plethora of solution providers and partners to choose from, it can be difficult to determine when it's right to work with a partner versus building a capability in-house, and which partner to choose. In this session, three retail and brand leaders will share how they've decided which partners to work with and how they're making the most of these relationships.

Tremendous disruptions in global supply chains continue to generate delayed shipments, higher costs and a host of other complex logistical challenges. As a result, suppliers and retailers are investing to make their supply chains more flexible and adaptable as they grapple with limited availability and increased cost of raw materials, reduced shipping capacity, logistical bottlenecks and hard-to-predict swings in consumer demand. In this panel discussion, executives will share the technologies and strategies that are enabling resilient supply chains.

Shoptalk Europe 2023 featured insights and inspiration from over 175 speakers covering today's most seismic retail shifts. This session will feature members of the Shoptalk Content team who will highlight the critical takeaways from the show, underscoring key findings and trends that attendees can bring back to their organisations.