Annual Summit 2011 Agenda

Keynote - Ray Kurzweil
Leading Inventor, Thought Leader, Author & Futurist

The Impact of Technological Innovation on Consumer Behavior and Retail As We Know It

Ray Kurzweil has been described as "the restless genius" by the Wall Street Journal, and "the ultimate thinking machine" by Forbes. Inc. magazine ranked him #8 among entrepreneurs in the United States, calling him the "rightful heir to Thomas Edison."  PBS has included Ray as one of 16 "revolutionaries who made America." 

 

In his keynote presentation, Mr. Kurzweil will present a program for innovation, how to foster it in your organization, and how to bring inventions to market. He will explain how near and long term technology trends are accelerating opportunities for innovation and will connect this to ways to anticipate the next technology and marketing wave.

Keynote - Mick McCormick
EVP, Global Sales & Marketing, Columbia Sportswear Company

Gear up for Growth: Innovation in the Outdoor Industry

 

A couple of years ago, Columbia came to the realization that innovation across the entire outdoor category had stagnated.  Brands were relying on commoditized product technologies, which limited their competitiveness, as well as product choice for retailers and customers. 

 

Mick McCormick will reflect on this challenge and how Columbia responded by launching a company-wide multi-year plan focused on innovation; an effort that not only changed the direction of the company, but sent a wake-up call to the entire industry. Mick will highlight the central role that the company’s digital efforts have played in this transformation.

Keynote - Bill Bass
President of Direct, Charming Shoppes

5 Lessons in 15 Years of Cross-Channel Retailing

Since beginning at Forrester Research in 1996, Shop.org Board of Directors member Bill Bass has been a pioneer in digital retail. Through his experience at Lands’ End, Sears, Fair Indigo and now the President of Direct at Charming Shoppes, Bill has been on the front lines of every "bubble" and "bust" that has occurred in the industry. Bill will reflect on his past experiences and current role to outline the five most important lessons he has learned on how to succeed in cross-channel retail. Bill will offer observations on how to optimize performance across all channels to drive profitability, how new technology fads are not always the cure for what ails you, and the easiest ways to convert shoppers into customers both in stores and online.

Keynote - Sucharita Mulpuru, VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research &
Ben Fischman, Chairman & CEO, Rue La La

 

Digital Retail Q&A with Forrester Research

Join Sucharita Mulpuru, Vice President and Principal Analyst for Forrester Research, as she sits down with a leading retailer to discuss the impact of social media on customer engagement and sales and more.

Keynote - Stephanie Tilenius, VP of Commerce, Google

Google Insights on Local, Mobile, and Payments

Technology has developed to the point that we can now use it to enhance the retail experience at all points of the shopping experience, not just during an online transaction. Join us as Google, Vice President of Commerce and former eBay executive, Stephanie Tilenius joins us to answer the following questions:

• Where is Google placing its bets? Why? Stephanie will walk through why we think Local, Mobile, and Payments are important themes this year.
• How can retailers take a lead with cross-channel shoppers, even if they're not investing in this area yet?
• What technologies will be taking off in the next few years, and how can retailers stay on top of these trends?

Keynote - Phil Terry
CEO, Creative Good

Live Labs with Phil Terry

For the first time ever at the Shop.org Annual Summit, Phil Terry and the Creative Good team will bring in actual customers to navigate some of the newest digital technologies and analyze whether they are truly focused on the customer. In recent conversations with the presidents of leading retailers, Phil has been talking about how new mobile technologies and social media innovations are making this moment similar to the early days of the web. No one knows the rules of the road. But, observing customers and learning from their behavior can be a great guide to strategy and design. And true to Phil's customer- centric philosophy, instead of delivering a regular keynote speech, Phil will bring in customers and run live labs on retailers' mobile and social apps and websites. The audience will be able to experience the power of observing customers and see for themselves whether these new technologies are working. Phil will also add his own critiques of these new technologies and provide specific feedback on how they can improve to be more profitable and customer-centric.