Newcomers Reception - Miami Ballroom

If you’re new to Shop.org events or membership, join us after you’ve checked in at event registration. The newcomers reception is designed to help you get acclimated to the event by introducing you to veterans and board members who can help you make the most of your time with us. This is a great way to kick off the networking and to meet new people and you can continue right on into the opening reception and dinner immediately following this gathering.

  Networking Reception & Dinner - Expo Hall

Our famous annual opening reception now has a joint networking dinner! We know how much you like to network once you get onsite, so we’ve added on the dinner to help you have more time with your new connections or old buddies alike. Join us in the EXPO Hall to network with retailers and solution providers and explore the product offerings that our exhibitors are featuring.

Keynote: Avinash Kaushik, Author, Blogger, Analytics Evangelist
"Moving Beyond Faith Based Initiatives: Lower Risk, Innovate, Be Great"
Sun Ballroom AB

Innovation was in core pockets of the company, empowering a few people here or a team of folks over there. For the longest time Senior Decision Makers have used "faith based initiatives" to have an impact with their online efforts. Most failed, but in a booming economy that was not much of an issue. In a challenging economy the Web presents itself as the ultimate accountable channel and an opportunity to move beyond faith based initiatives to data driven insights.

In this session, Avinash Kaushik presents insights on how to create a data-driven organization through a mix of cultural approaches, destruction of some currently worshiped holy cows, tools, skills and mindsets. As business evolves along multiple dimensions in a very complex world, the goal is to create pervasive and self-sustaining innovation across our organizations – innovation that permeates all levels, works for groups of all sizes and is always on.

Networking Break - Expo Hall

Keynote: Alfred Lin, Chairman, COO, CFO, Zappos
"Building a Brand that Matters One Employee at a Time"
Sun Ballroom AB

In under ten years, Zappos.com has grown from an upstart into a business forecasted to generate $1 billion in gross merchandise sales in 2008.  Along with their financial success, Zappos.com is well known for building a unique office environment resulting in employee loyalty and unbridled enthusiasm.  Alfred will share the ingredients needed to build a brand, culture, and company that matters.  He will also discuss some of the lessons learned while building the business over the last ten years.  Bring your questions as we want this presentation to be informal and interactive!

The Multi-Channel Shift:  How Consumer Behavior Will Change In the Next Economic Recovery
Josh Leibowitz, Partner, McKinsey & Co. and Alex Tenessa, Associate Partner, McKinsey & Co.
Sun Ballroom AB

Beyond Ecommerce:  Disruptive Business Models for the Web 2.0 Consumer
Hung Le Hong, Research Vice President, Retail, Industry Advisory Services, Gartner Research
Sun Ballroom AB

The eCommerce Platform of the Future
Brian Walker, Senior Analyst, eCommerce, Forrester Research
Sally McKenzie, President, E-commerce Consulting
Sun Ballroom AB

As eCommerce continues to evolve, mature, and become the epicenter of a company’s relationship with consumers one of the most important decisions a retailer can make is selecting the right eCommerce platform to meet their business needs.  However, a new generation of eCommerce platforms may be right around the corner and retailers must begin preparing now for how these platforms may alter the entire eCommerce landscape. 

Join Brain Walker and Sally McKenzie in an interactive session as they discuss in detail what characteristics will be important to retailers five to ten years from now, and how decisions being made today will prepare you for the next generation of eCommerce technologies that will be vital to your success in the not so distant future. 

Come geared up with questions for this interactive session or email them in advance to content@shop.org.

Focused Ecommerce Investing:  Smartly Stretching Your E-commerce Dollars While Still Innovating for Differentiation  
Moderator:  Lauren Freedman, President, the e-tailing group, inc
Panelists: Peter Cobb, Co-Founder, Senior Vice President, eBags, Kevin Churchill, Director of Merchandising, Patagonia, Bradford Matson, Chief Marketing Officer, Bluefly, Inc.
Sun Ballroom AB

During tough economic times, savvy planning and prudent choices are necessary for profitability. From operations to merchandising innovations, IT and service, all suggest strategies that merchants must employ to succeed in today’s challenging economy. How can merchants streamline yet still innovate to evolve their ecommerce efforts?

How International Expansion Can Help Retailers in a Downturned EconomyModerator: Troy Brown, Retail Practice Leader, Demandware
Panelists: Michael Amar, Founder, AGORAD, Jake Bailey, Director of International Business, Overstock.com, Jim Okamura, Senior Partner, J.C Williams Group, and Michael Ross, Director, eCommera Limited
Sun Ballroom AB

During tough economic times, savvy planning and prudent choices are necessary for profitability. From operations to merchandising innovations, IT and service, all suggest strategies that merchants must employ to succeed in today’s challenging economy. How can merchants streamline yet still innovate to evolve their ecommerce efforts?

Are you already selling internationally?  Are you considering a strategic break into the international market even in this downturned economy? 

Troy Brown will moderate a session with experts in globalization and international expansion that will help you understand global expansion topics including: the must-know basics, operational complexities, demand generation, and planning market entry strategies specifically in Europe and Asia. So, whether you have just launched internationally or are simply considering this strategic initiative, these experts will give you different perspectives on just how a successful expansion plan can help US retailers succeed and thrive.

Presentations & Whitepapers from this session are now available for download.

Shop.org Innovation Contest - Sun Ballroom AB
Shop.org is conducting its first annual Innovation Contest where technology partners and service providers at Strategy and Innovation Forum are invited to submit their best ideas for what retailers should be doing to succeed in this economy and to prepare for future success. The five best ideas will be selected by the community of Shop.org retail members via online voting and will then be presented rapid-fire style at the end of Day 1 of the conference (February 3rd) by representatives of the companies who submitted the ideas. 

Reception and Dinner - Piazza/South Beach Pool (@ Gaylord Palms)

In order to let the solution providers have fun too, we moved this Tuesday night reception and dinner to the beautiful outdoor setting of the Gaylord Palms Resort grounds. Join us near the South Beach Pool and Piazza area, where we will have access to the pool and sand volleyball courts for some fun in sunny Florida. Be prepared to enjoy great food, drinks and most importantly networking!

Keynote: Bob Thacker, SVP, Marketing and Advertising, OfficeMax, Inc
"Chewing Gum and Bailing Wire.  Big Ideas with Little Budgets."
Sun Ballroom AB

With a long career in both retail and advertising, Bob Thacker has many stories to tell.  As a brand architect for Target and now OfficeMax, Bob will demonstrate how building loveable brands, often without big budgets, is truly possible.  In adverse times it’s an even greater challenge to find the true opportunities, but Bob has shown that it’s not impossible.  In fact, his mantra “Don’t make ads, make news!” has even greater meaning than ever before.

Prior to Bob Thacker's keynote address, Fiona Swerdlow will provide an update on Shop.org research to expect in 2009, including the State of Retailing Online, eHoliday, and several new offerings to help our members navigate the year ahead.  Brian Walker then will present the newly released 2009 Forrester Research online retail forecast.

The State of the Economy and Online Retailing:  The VC Perspective
Moderator: Brett Hurt, CEO & Co-Founder Bazaarvoice
Panelists: Tom Ball, Partner, Austin Ventures; Peter Fenton, Partner, Benchmark Capital; Jeremy Liew, Managing Director, Lightspeed; Satya Patel, Principal, Battery Ventures; Amanda Reed, Partner, Palomar Ventures; Cyriac Roeding, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Sun Ballroom AB

Innovation in a Downturned Economy:  Pure-play Retailer Case Studies
Moderator: John Squire, Chief Strategy Officer, Coremetrics
Panelists: Tomima Edmark, CEO and Founder, Andra Group and Marc Katz, CEO, CustomInk, LLC
Sun Ballroom AB

Vendor/Retailer Case Study Roundtables & Networking Break
Expo Hall
Join us in the EXPO Hall for a series of solution provider/retailer case studies. This will provide you with an additional opportunity to meet with our exhibitors and learn whether their solutions are a good fit to help you achieve your organizational goals.

Driving the Living Breathing Store:  Retailer Case Studies of Innovations in Delivering Dynamic Content 
Moderator: Kelly O’Neill, Director of Product Marketing, ATG Commerce
Panelists: Robert Myers, SVP of Platforms, New Media & Broadcast Technology, QVC.com and Ronit Weinberg, Director of E-business, Diane von Furstenberg
Sun Ballroom AB

Today’s retail website needs to be a dynamic, responsive, and ever-changing entity.  The 21st century consumer has high expectations of customization and has little patience for a site that does not easily and instantly meet the customer’s needs.   This challenge may seem daunting, but it is crucial for any retailer who wants to increase conversion, foster loyalty, and drive sales in this increasingly competitive environment.  Kelly O'Neill from ATG will take an in depth look at two retailers who are facing this challenge head-on and being creative in delivering real-time dynamic content that engage shoppers and produce results.  Each retailer will show how content is being delivered, discuss the thought process involved in producing this content, and share the results that have occurred since implementing these innovations. 

Leveraging Your Most Valuable Asset: Creative Ways That Retailers Can Make Consumer Information Actionable
Moderator: Nick Pahade, President, gsi interactive, GSI Commerce
Panelists: Jennie Carlson, Internet Marketing Manager, Levi's Brand, Levi Strauss & Co. and Sam Taylor, CEO, Oriental Trading Company, Inc.
Sun Ballroom AB

In today’s uncertain economic climate, retailers are being challenged to do more with less. Often, our most valuable asset – consumer data — is at best under utilized and at worst overlooked as a resource for making meaningful and actionable decisions.

This panel of retailers will discuss how they’ve proactively integrated consumer information — from a variety of sources — into effective strategies for engaging consumers, driving purchases and fostering loyalty.   You’ll walk away from this session understanding: how usability studies can facilitate informed decision making about website design, navigation and promotional offers; how to leverage online consumer behaviors to better target your message; and how to interpret and leverage online consumer survey data to increase conversion and, ultimately, consumer loyalty.

We are confident that retailers attending Shop.org events will acquire valuable strategies and tactics to improve their online and multichannel retail business. If not, let us know and we'll refund your registration fee.