5 Sessions I’m Looking Forward To At Shop.org Los Angeles 2017

For the first time, I’ll be attending Shop.org Sep 25-27, the NRF’s annual opportunity to connect with thousands of digital retail's brightest minds and see what's next in commerce and technology.

The sessions and technologies at this Retail Digital Summit will share new tactics that can take marketing, branding, social, mobile and conversion to a whole new level.

As a retail expert for some of the best brands in the world, I’m known as the people guy. In a world of increasing technology, I strive to maintain and enhance the humanity of the retail experience.

So for me, this conference is how to see what smart retailers are doing to stay human.

Five sessions I’m looking forward to are:

The keynote with Marc Lore head of Walmart ecommerce Act Like A Startup No Matter Your Size. With the recent acquisitions of Bonobos and Jet, he’s bound to be sharing how he is focusing his team to drive innovations like associate delivery, how voice and VR dramatically are changing the customer value proposition by leveraging omnichannel capabilities, and how he has radically expanded Walmart's online assortment.

The breakout Innovating The Customer Experience featuring CVS Chief Digital Officer Brian Tilzer and others to discuss the question: How do you engage increasingly digital customers in meaningful ways? Everyone seems interested in creating rich customer relationships that leverage in-store and online experiences in new ways. The key is how, exactly, to do that in a way that goes further than beacons and pings.

The Women Rule keynote features four CEOs sharing their stories and how they developed their entrepreneurial brands. Women are telling their stories more and more giving hope to others looking to breakout in a mostly man’s world.

The second day keynote Your Mini Retail MBA features Scott Galloway Professor of Marketing from NYU and Founder of L2.  He's to show how the traditional rules of business don't apply to the Big Four ($2.3 trillion combined - Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google) and identify ways that brands and companies can fight back. Many are concerned with how much power these four will have over getting your message out – or not – to your customers. Looking for hope here.

Also in that session, one of Fast Company’s 100 most creative people, Adam Grant bestselling author of Originals, explores how we can all get better at recognizing and championing new ideas; how to overcome fear and doubt; and how to build cultures that welcome diverse perspectives and honest feedback. He reveals why late entrants typically beat first movers; why friendly managers end up being the least supportive; how devil’s advocates often backfire but contrarian opinions are useful even when they’re wrong; and how the values that help organizations prosper early on, are the same that thwart their growth later.

No matter if you’re a brick and mortar retailer, etailer or omnichannel business, it is obvious the dialogue is how to do more, reach further and grow your sales.

Take a look at the agenda here and let me know what you’re looking forward to hearing in Los Angeles Sept 25-27 at the Convention Center.

You can still join me and a few thousand others by going to their home page here.