Agenda

Tuesday, July 16

8:30am9:15am

The state of commerce: Key trends and future predictions

8:30am9:15am
Palos Verdes Ballroom
The retail industry has undergone significant changes in recent years, with the rise of e-commerce, mobile commerce, and social commerce disrupting traditional retail models. In this session, Publicis Chief Commerce Officer, Jason “Retailgeek” Goldbe ...
9:15am9:45am

Consumer trends 2025 and beyond: Consumer insights inform valuable strategies for retailers

9:15am9:45am
Palos Verdes Ballroom
Know your consumers and stay ahead of lifestyle and purchasing shifts with unrivaled insight into the way they’ll think, feel and behave for years to come. Join American Express’s SVP, Global Analytics, Data & Marketing, Jacob King and a senior r ...
10:30am11:00am

The evolution of customer engagement with GenAI

10:30am11:00am
Palos Verdes Ballroom
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping retailers’ relationships with their customers, delivering personalized experiences at scale and driving growth. Deepen your understanding of the role of GenAI across the customer engagement lifecycle and its ...
12:45pm1:15pm

AI leadership and strategies in retail

12:45pm1:15pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom
The rapid advancements in AI technology over the past two years are leading to growth in potential AI use cases for retailers, supporting a variety of business functions. These new capabilities create tremendous opportunities to improve customer enga ...
Christian Beckner

Christian Beckner

Vice President, Retail Technology & Cybersecurity
National Retail Federation
1:15pm1:45pm

The role of strategic investing in guiding innovation and getting retailers into the investment game

1:15pm1:45pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom
This panel discusses the recent trend in strategic investing wherein retailers invest in start-up businesses. It answers questions, such as: why is it that large retailers from Walmart to Dollar General and Kroger are making investments in start-ups ...
Ram Rampalli

Ram Rampalli

Vice President, New Ventures & Growth
Walmart Global Tech
3:15pm3:45pm

Reaching consumers in a fragmented ecosystem: A conversation with Sur La Table VP & GM of Ecommerce, Rachel Frederick

3:15pm3:45pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom
One of the keys to great customer service is a seamless order-to-delivery experience. Find out how Sur La Table is successfully unlocking in-store inventory and reaching customers outside of its ecosystem while navigating the trade-offs between speed ...
3:45pm4:15pm

The Shrinking Divide between technology, digital, and marketing leaders

3:45pm4:15pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom
A notable leadership transformation is underway as information technology, digital/ecommerce, and marketing teams find themselves working together more closely, and in some respects now have overlapping roles and responsibilities. Leaders across thes ...

Wednesday, July 17

8:30am9:00am

Looking toward a post-app future: How empathic AI agents will take real-world action on consumers’ behalf

8:30am9:00am
Palos Verdes Ballroom
Business futurist Kate Ancketill will explore the impact of AI agents on tomorrow's consumers and how their changing behavior will impact all retail channels. She'll describe scenarios to help retailers envisage pathways to adaptation in a fast-chang ...
9:00am9:30am

AI revolution at Walmart: Navigating the present and future of conversational tech in retail transformation

9:00am9:30am
Palos Verdes Ballroom
For years—long before it came to dominate the headlines—Walmart has been on a journey to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence. Today, AI is embedded across Walmart’s business—from how it flows its inventory across its network so it’s closer t ...
Desi Gosby

Desi Gosby

Vice President, Emerging Technology
Walmart Global Tech
11:00am11:30am

Too Many Chiefs? How overlapping C-suite roles & functions are undermining productivity, transformation, & profitability

11:00am11:30am
Palos Verdes Ballroom
A new study reveals the detrimental impacts on organizations and employees from overlapping C-Suite roles, departments, and functions. Lack of clarity in responsibilities and decision-making authority are causing alarming levels of frustration and ha ...
11:30am12:00pm

Social commerce trends and predictions

11:30am12:00pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom
In the near-term future, social commerce envisions the seamless integration of shopping within social media platforms, employing advanced AI for personalized recommendations and interactive experiences. Social commerce is evolving into a dynamic spac ...
Poonam Goyal

Poonam Goyal

Sr Ecommerce & Retail Analyst
Bloomberg Intelligence
1:00pm1:30pm

Balancing innovation and ethics: Navigating responsible AI in retail

1:00pm1:30pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom
Retail is undergoing a transformative shift driven by AI and Data. In this session we will review how ethical AI lays the foundation for successfully navigating this shift, and juxtapose that with our predictions for the coming holiday season.
Kathy Baxter

Kathy Baxter

Principal Architect, Ethical AI Practice
Salesforce
1:30pm2:00pm

Supercharging unified commerce

1:30pm2:00pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom
The future of unified commerce will evolve through advanced technology, integrating AI, IoT, and data analytics for deeper customer insights and personalized experiences. Learn how the next generation of unified commerce promises to redefine shopping ...