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 | 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. | | TUESDAY - JULY 14 |  | 7:45a -
8:30a | Breakfast - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD) | | | 8:30a -
9:30a | 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. | | 9:30a -
10:15a | Networking Break - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD) | sponsored by
 | | 10:15a -
11:00a | 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. | | 11:15a -
12:00p | 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. | | 12:00p -
1:00p | Lunch - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD) | | | 1:00p -
2:00p | 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. | | 2:15p -
3:15p | 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?
| | 3:15p -
4:00p | Networking Break - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD) | sponsored by
| | 4:00p -
5:00p | 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. | | 5:00p -
5:30p | ROUNDTABLES - Click here for a full list of topics
(Commodore AB) | | 7:00p -
9:30p | Reception and Dinner
at the Poolside Marina Terrace | reception sponsored by
 | dinner sponsored by
 | | | back to top | | | WEDNESDAY - JULY 15 | | 7:45a -
8:30a | Breakfast - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD) | | | 8:30a -
9:30a | 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. | | 9:30a -
10:15a | Networking Break - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD) | sponsored by
| | 10:15a -
11:15a | 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. | | 11:30a -
12:15p | 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. | | 12:15p -
1:15p | Lunch & Vendor Retailer Case Studies - Expo Hall
(Commodore CD) 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. Click here for the full list of topics and speakers for these roundtables. | | | back to top | |
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GENERAL QUESTIONS
What's the schedule for the Online Merchandising Workshop?
The Shop.org Online Merchandising Workshop kicks off with a reception on Monday evening (July 13) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort, San Diego, CA. Workshop sessions will take place on Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15. Please review the full agenda. What's the schedule for the Online Merchandising Workshop?
The Shop.org Online Merchandising Workshop kicks off with a reception on Monday evening (July 13) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort, San Diego, CA. Workshop sessions will take place on Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15. Please review the full agenda. How much does it cost to attend?
See the pricing grid for event registration fees. Shop.org retail members can claim one free pass up until July 13. Additional passes can be purchased at the prevailing rate depending upon your company type and membership level. How do I get to the Loews Coronado Bay Resort?
Who attends the Online Merchandising Workshop?
The Workshop is one of 2 workshop events, attracting Internet and multichannel retail leaders from all sorts of companies - large and small. To keep the event the event is limited to 300 attendees.
How can my company sponsor or exhibit at the Workshop?
Contact Stacy Cornell at cornells@shop.org or 434.326.5740 if you would like more information on how to sponsor a Shop.org event. What do I wear?
Business and business casual attire are both acceptable for the event.
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CONTENT QUESTIONS
Maybe you’ve wondered how we come up with the content for our events…or perhaps you’ve been thinking that you should get up on stage to share your know-how with your eCommerce colleagues. For anyone who is interested in the process of how we at Shop.org go about finding topics and speakers for our events, here is a FAQ that might help.
How does Shop.org choose the topics for its presentations?
We ask a lot of questions! We talk to Shop.org members, we work with the Shop.org Content Committee, we read industry publications, we even send out online surveys to our members. We try hard to deliver content that helps you do a better job, no matter what you do in the world of e-commerce. Presentations can range from keynotes meant to inspire and challenge all of us in this industry, to very practical, tactical discussions with practitioners who have learned from their years in e-commerce and who share their experience and advice. We even have retailer case studies where they show in detail innovations and features on their web site that have directly improved their business. If there is a topic you’d like us include in an upcoming Shop.org event, don’t hesitate to email or call Artemis Ebneyousef, Content Manager at ebneyousefa@shop.org or 202 626-8118. How does Shop.org choose its speakers?
We are fortunate to know many experienced and accomplished e-commerce professionals, many of whom are extraordinarily generous with their time. We often reach out to these folks to help us: either to brainstorm about content or to actually participate in an event as a speaker. But we learn about great speakers from Shop.org members, from our Board of Directors, and from attending events in other industries. We try hard to find speakers from within the Shop.org membership—both our retail and associate members—because we know how many talented folks are part of Shop.org.
Is there a formal process for submitting an idea for a session or for proposing a speaker?
We have no formal process, and we no longer do calls for speakers/presentations. If you have an idea for content you’d like to see presented at an event, the best way to let us know about it is to send us an email. When you email us, please let us know about the topic you are interested in, and whether you, yourself, would like to be a speaker. If you are with a PR firm and want to find a speaking opportunity for a client, please be sure to include the following in your email:
- Your name and contact information
- The name and brief bio of your client
- The topic or topics your client can speak about
We will reply to all inquiries as quickly as possible, and we will let you know whether or not we are able to use your suggestions in an upcoming Shop.org event. Please be patient as sometimes there is a long wait between when you submit a topic and when we can find the perfect fit for the session at a Shop.org event.
Who can speak at a Shop.org event?
We draw from a wide range of professionals to speak at our events. Though we love having our members speak, we also tap into the wider business community and invite CEO’s, authors, academics, analysts, and others. If we think that someone has something to say to our community—something that will instruct, challenge, inspire, or encourage—we will try to get that person to speak for us.
Do you have to be a retailer to speak at a Shop.org event?
Anyone who can help teach, encourage, and inform our membership can speak at our events. Retailers have a lot to say about their experiences and can be great speakers. But our associate members have a lot to share, too. They are often subject matter experts with years of expertise, and they can provide insights and advice that many of our attendees find invaluable. Many of these associate members have also worked in retail at some point in their careers, making them doubly qualified to be effective presenters.
How does Shop.org ensure that speakers don’t use their presentations to make a sales pitch?
We work with all of our speakers ahead of time, reviewing their presentations and talking to them about what they will say. We gather audience feedback after every presentation, and we sit in the audience for every session. If we hear a pitch, or if an audience member feels that the presenter was “selling,” we would be extremely reluctant to ask the speaker back again.
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REGISTRATION QUESTIONS
How do I register?
What are the onsite registration hours?
Registration will take place at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort. Registration hours will be posted closer to the date of the Workshop.
What are the Registration Policies?
- This registration category applies to current Shop.org RETAIL members in good standing. A Shop.org member in good standing is defined as a company whose membership has not expired before July 13, 2009.
- Shop.org 2009 Online Merchandising Workshop registration will not be processed without FULL PAYMENT.
- Badges and credentials will be available for pick up onsite at the registration area during hours of operation. Please print your e-confirmation and bring it onsite to expedite this process. Be prepared to show identification in order to pick up your badge and credentials.
- Transfer or substitution of a pass to a colleague from the SAME RETAIL MEMBER COMPANY as the original pass holder can be made online through the link provided in your e-confirmation. Registrations and badges cannot be shared among attendees and transfers and substitutions cannot be made once a pass holder has checked into the event. This includes the reception and dinner events. To request a transfer or substitution, send an email by July 6, 2009 to ShopJuly09@compusystems.com.
What are the Cancellation/Refund Policies?
- July 6, 2009 CANCELLATION DEADLINE: To receive a full refund, cancellation requests must be received at ShopJuly09@compusystems.com no later than July 6, 2009.
- IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR FREE PASS HOLDERS: Persons who register for a FREE PASS but do not sign in onsite, transfer or cancel their registration will be assessed a $325 “no show” fee to help offset costs incurred by Shop.org based on expected attendance. All other attendees who were charged for registration but do not sign in, transfer or cancel their registration prior to the above deadline will not receive a refund.
- Registrants are responsible for their hotel and travel accommodations.
- Registration will be accepted onsite if space is available.
Can I register onsite?
Yes, but we recommend that you register in advance to take advantage of discounted rates and to ensure that you secure a seat. Our events do fill up quickly. Where/when can I pick up my badge?
Badges will be available for pick up onsite at the designated registration area during hours of operation. Please print your e-confirmation and bring it onsite to expedite this process. Your e-confirmation has a barcode which allows us to pull up your registration information more quickly onsite. Be prepared to show some form of identification in order to pick up your badge and credentials.
How can I get a receipt for my registration?
Upon completion of registration, a confirmation letter is sent to the email address provided by the registrant. If you have not received an e-confirmation, please call 708.486.0709 or email ShopJuly09@compusystems.com. What if I can't attend after I have registered for the event?
For anyone who is unable to attend and cannot transfer your pass, then a written cancellation notice to ShopJuly09@compusystems.com required. A full refund will be issued for cancellation notices sent prior to the July 6th cancellation deadline.
Anyone who registered for a free full conference pass and cannot attend will need to cancel or transfer their pass to a co-worker prior to the event date. If you cannot attend and do not cancel formally, in writing to ShopJuly09@compusystems.com prior to July 6th, or transfer your pass, you will not receive a refund. For Shop.org retail Members who receive a free pass and do not transfer or cancel in time, you will be assessed a $325 no-show fee. |
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HOW TO TRANSFER YOUR PASS
Any attendee who wishes to transfer a pass, must follow this procedure:
- A transfer may be completed online by clicking "Direct Modify Link" within the body of the original registrant's emailed confirmation letter.
- If the transfer must take place onsite, then the substitute registrant should bring the e-confirmation issued to the original registrant.
- Transfers and substitutions cannot be made once the pass holder has checked in to the event or sub-event.
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