Reshaping Retail Through Engagement

At the first annual RIS ENGAGE! 2014 conference, held October 8-10 at the Ritz Carlton in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, more than 50 retail executives from top retailers including Office Depot, Perry Ellis, and GameStop shared first-hand experiences, challenges, and solutions to shaping the new retail dynamic.
To begin the energy-filled conference, Candace Corlett, president and CIO of WSL Strategic Retail provided insights into how leading retailers are meeting the expectations of omnichannel shoppers in the era of store engagement, personalization and brand differentiation.

Diving into 360-degree customer engagement, Amy Aronoff Blumkin, CMO of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee explained the importance of breaking through the clutter to engage target customers to make the Super Bowl a success. She reflected on lessons learned that retailers could take away from the her experience.

GameStop’s Bill Graham, director of multi-channel integration, discussed how a combination of mobile apps, customer relationship management and preliminary learnings from location-based pilots in stores helped the retailer stay relevant with customers.

The cost of acquiring new customers has grown significantly over the years. Kim Lewis, CRM director for GolfSmith International shattered any myths of retailers needing a points program to build loyalty — every retailer can build a loyalty strategy with or without one. “Don’t lose sight of your goal,” says Lewis. “Just because there is some really cool new technology, doesn’t mean that it’s really good for your best customer.”

The future of innovative consumer engagement lies in the hands of wearable technology — at least that’s true for adidas. “Everyone in the company should be an innovator thinking 12-, 24-, 36-months down the road,” says Adidas innovation explorer Jon Werner. He shared the company’s experiments with NFC and beyond, and how to use signals and rhythms to create customized
engagement between the product and consumer.

RIS editorial director Joe Skorupa and EKN’s SVP of research Gaurav Pant took the stage for the live debut of the “First Annual RIS/EKN Customer Engagement Tech Trends Study” sharing that retailers are missing out on 10% of revenue by not being omnichannel, according to the report.

Reshaping the marketing mix for omnichannel shoppers, Vicki Cantrell, SVP of communities and executive director of Shop.org and NRF provided insights from the NRF’s “State of Retailing Online Study” and specific retailer examples. Cantrell took a look at how retailers can use digital methods to drive traffic to stores, measure results, and adopt successful marketing strategies that begin and end with the shopper.

To conclude the event, Sahir Anand, VP of research and principal analyst for EKN said retailers are undergoing a wave of transformation to ensure they understand this new style of consumerism and engage with the most important segment of shoppers.

Join RIS at its next event, 2015 Rock & Roll Retail, where retailers will rock the house at the Hard Rock CafÉ, Manhattan, NY on Monday, January 12, 2015 during the NRF Big Show.

For more information or for additional details on upcoming events, please visit www.risnews.com/events.

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A) Kevin Moffitt, VP of E-Commerce, Office Depot welcomes attendees to the event as Honorary Chair; B) Candace Corlett, president & CIO, WSL Strategic Retail delivers the opening keynote; C) Amy Aronoff Blumkin, CMO, NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee shares the impact of 360-degree customer engagement; D) Attendees network on an outdoor balcony during cocktail hour. E) Peter Krainik, founder & CEO, The CMO Club hosts a panel discussion with Peter Gold, CMO, Market America & Shop.com and Kevin Moffitt; F) Kim Lewis, CRM Director, Golfsmith International explains how to nurture loyalty without rewards; G) Jon Werner, innovation explorer, adidas Innovation Team dives into the possibilities of wearable tech; H) Attendees share thoughts during a networking break.