AGENDA

What you can expect at the 2009 Online Merchandising Workshop
Check back here frequently for agenda updates, or join the Shop.org email list to hear about deadlines, confirmed speakers and new sessions. 

Opening Reception
at the Bay Terrace

Keynote: Elizabeth Peaslee, Senior Consulting Director, Creative Good, Inc.
"Creativity and Constraints"
(Commodore AB)

Great companies take tough times and turn them into opportunities by being creative in the face of constraints.  Creative Good’s senior retail consultant, Elizabeth Peaslee, will talk about how you can exercise your imagination to create new, better, and sometimes unexpected customer experiences that can translate into business improvements in any economic environment.

Networking Break - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD)

Keynote: Mark McWeeny, EVP/GM, Retail-Convergence, Ruelala & SmartBargains
“How to Create Rich, Compelling, Customer Experiences for Challenging Times and Beyond”
(Commodore AB)

Today’s economic conditions are forcing many retailers to pull back on spending and innovation.  While this may seem like a natural reaction, it can create a self-fulfilling cycle of failure.

Come hear how to make smart investments both large and small by listening to the customer.  Mark will share his insights on how Retail Convergence is building new business opportunities for Ruelala and SmartBargains in this retail climate.

Merchandising by the Numbers: An Analytical Approach to Managing E-Commerce Sites
Speakers: Josh Friedman, Dell.com Consumer E-Commerce – North America, Dell, Inc. and Derek Mellencamp, Consumer Online Marketing – North America, Dell, Inc.
(Commodore AB)

This session will examine how the multi-billion dollar Dell.com consumer web-site launches, measures, and optimizes all aspects of the site.  The analytical framework by which Dell holds each  piece of content, offer, product, and path accountable for their respective KPI’s will be shared.  In addition, Josh and Derek will review the testing and optimization programs that have driven ROI growth across Dell's digital marketing vehicles.

Lunch - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD)

Optimize On-Site Search to Increase Conversion, Customer Satisfaction and Drive Merchandising Strategy
Moderator: Chris Wilson, VP, E-commerce, L.L. Bean, Inc.
Retailer Panelists: Kim Gnatt, VP, E-Commerce, FootSmart.com, Jay Greenberg, Director, eCommerce, Spencer's and Dan Seligson, SVP Direct and Product Management, PartStore.com
(Commodore AB)

In the new economy where online retailers are expected to do more with less, on-site search optimization is a top priority.  Often overlooked and underutilized, on-site search is one of the best ways to merchandise products, support marketing campaigns, improve customer satisfaction and inevitably increase conversion.   Most importantly it can be a true window into what your customers are searching for on your site, and possibly not finding which is costing you sales.

Join our panel of retailers as they share how they have developed and optimized their on-site search and what they do with the information that they collect from on-site search that helps their business grow in the future.

Taming the Pricing and Promotions Monster
Moderator: Lauren Freedman, President, the e-tailing group, inc.
Retailer Panelists: Ted Hong, Chief Marketing Officer, Fandango, Lori Kahn, Director of E-Commerce and Category Marketing, Philosophy, Inc., and Ben Viscon, Online Merchandising Manager, REI
(Commodore AB)

During tough economic times retailers often look to lower prices and aggressive promotions as the savior.  However, offering the lowest price or a margin busting promotion is not a reality for many retailers and not necessarily the best strategy.  Retailers need to find creative ways to assign value besides simply the lowest price that will drive engagement, loyalty, and conversion.  As protecting margins is paramount to profitability this panel will explore alternative ways to protect your brand and your margin by addressing some of the following questions:

• What are some of the most creative promotions that protect margins and drive consumer activity?
• Will consumers ever pay full price?
• What do consumers value besides simply the lowest price?
• What is the role of free shipping and can it be turned on and off cost-effectively, or is it a necessity in today’s world?
• Is it a sound strategy to provide your best customers the price/promotion advantage?
• What are the risks and rewards of promoting today and taking it away tomorrow?

A Smarter Approach To AOV:  Navigating the New World of Optimized Merchandising
Moderator: John Squire, Chief Strategy Officer, Coremetrics, Inc.
Retailer Panelists: Tom Davis, Director of Ecommerce, Tommy Hilfiger and Rob Schmults, Chief Marketing Officer, Smart Destinations
(Commodore AB)

As the cost and effort to attract new customers is climbing for online marketers, enticing existing customers to spend more has become a top priority. Even slight increases in your average order value (AOV) is commonly perceived to be the difference in having an optimized online merchandising program.   However, during a recession increasing AOV can be extremely challenging as many consumers have a fixed budget and merchandisers may need to look beyond AOV to increase their profitability.  Learn from our panel of retail industry experts as they share what specific tactics they have put in place to increase AOV, but also what other metrics you should be examining and efforts you should take to make your online merchandising all it can be.  Your bottom line will thank you.

ROUNDTABLES - Click here for a full list of topics
(Commodore AB)

Reception and Dinner
at the Poolside Marina Terrace

Keynote: Scott Savitz, CEO, Shoebuy.com
"Customer Focused Merchandising:  Succeeding in Challenging Times"
(Commodore AB)

With consumer spending down and the retail industry reeling from the effects of the current recession, there is still hope for the industry as a small number of companies, specifically in the online retail space, are quietly weathering the economic storm – and not just surviving, but thriving through a customer-centric approach to building the business.

In an environment that offers tough challenges – and will ultimately change the retail landscape – what are the strategies successful companies can employ to grow and create greater customer loyalty and business performance in a down market? 

In this session, Scott Savitz, founder and CEO of IAC’s Boston-based Shoebuy.com will share his vision and core philosophy for winning in a recession.  Scott, who is now steering his company to continued success through a second economic downturn (Shoebuy.com first went profitable in 2001 during the .com implosion), will offer insights on how Shoebuy.com has retained and in fact grown its customer base in this market and how a focus on customer service, interaction, feedback and analytics has helped to find new opportunities to optimize and direct his company successfully in a difficult spending environment.

Networking Break - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD)

Shopping Cart/Check-out Optimization - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Moderator: Patti Freeman Evans, Vice President, Research Director, Forrester Research
Retailer Panelists: Peter Cobb, Co-founder and Senior Vice President, eBags.com and Theresa McMullan, Vice President, Marketing, SkyMall, Inc.
(Commodore AB)

According to the 2008 State of Retailing Online Merchandising Report, 80% of retailers reported they were going to focus on the shopping cart and checkout pages of their sites over the last year.  With the national average of retail shopping cart conversion hovering around two percent, a focus on increasing customer conversion rates and decreasing shopping cart abandonment is a must.

Whether it involves making guest checkout a priority, putting together a strategy for abandoned carts, or moving to a one page checkout process - more retailers than ever have been testing, tweaking, and completely overhauling their shopping carts.

Join us as we tap into the minds of two leading retailers that have been working to optimize their checkout process over the last year and find out what kinds of changes they have made and the impact it has already had on their business.

Developing Content to Increase Conversion and Super Charge Your Online Merchandising
Moderator: Jon Wuebben, President & CEO, Telegent Media, LLC & Custom Copywriting
Retailer Panelists: Brian Kalma, Director of User Experience, Zappos.com and Jamey Maki, Director of eCommerce & Online Experience, Golfsmith International
(Commodore AB)

Is your conversion rate where you want it to be?  Is your online merchandising truly optimized?  In this interactive case study-based session, Jon Wuebben of Telegent Media will lead you through the process of developing robust content that will move your prospects from visitors to purchasers.  Jon will review 10 “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of online content and look at two retailers who are doing it right.  Come prepared as Jon will also take your questions and provide live reviews of your content for quick feedback.

Lunch & Vendor Retailer Case Studies - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD)