Jack Aaronson is the CEO of The Aaronson Group. The Aaronson Group focuses on customer conversion, retention and loyalty for both single and multi-channel companies. As a corporate lecturer, Jack travels around teaching best practices in user experience, personalization, loyalty programs and multi-channel marketing. Jack writes the ROI Marketing column for ClickZ.com, as well as his own newsletter. He has appeared as a subject-matter expert on CBS Sunday Morning News (for a segment on loyalty programs), and has been interviewed by every major trade publication as well as the New York Times and Chicago Tribune. The Aaronson Group's clients include a who's-who of online brands and multi-channel companies, including one of the country’s largest sportswear brands, Yves Saint Laurent, Marriott, SkyMall, Fingerhut, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Hello Direct, ShopNBC, AirTran, Merrill Lynch, American Airlines and more.

Session:  Doctor Is In -- Conversion, Retention, and the Multi-Channel Experience

back to top

Tamara Adlin - Founder and Principal - Adlin, Inc.

Tamara Adlin is the founder and principal of adlin, inc., a customer experience consulting company located in Seattle , WA , and the co-author of The Persona Lifecycle: Keeping People in Mind Throughout Product Design. Tamara helps large companies and startups understand who their customers are and how to build great experiences that are great for both customers and business. Prior to starting her own company, she managed the customer experience team at Amazon Services, creating ecommerce solutions for online and mulitchannel retailers, and Amazon.com, where she was a Senior Customer Experience Specialist consulting with teams across the company to invent and improve user experiences. Earlier in her career, Tamara led teams and designed interfaces for Web applications at Attenex, Akamai, INTERVU, and Netpodium. Tamara has led workshops and been invited to speak all over the world on personas and other user-centered design methods.

Session:  Doctor Is In -- End-to-End Customer Experience

back to top

Amy Africa has been in the forefront of web usability studies, web design improvement, and successful e-commerce for 15 years. Amy is the author of the book: What Makes People Click: How To Increase Your E-Sales NOW! and has been widely published in industry magazines, blogs and e-zines. An engaging, entertaining speaker, she has been featured at web conferences in 80 countries around the globe. Her depth of knowledge, backed by intensive field testing and web user studies, has earned her the reputation of a voice to be heard on Internet topics ranging from site improvement, traffic building and SEO to analytics and email marketing. 

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 3:30-4:30pm -- So You Think Your Site Can Dance? SEO vs. Branding and Conversion

back to top

Michaël is a serial entrepreneur of the online industry since 1995. After creating a web agency (European Electronic Commerce),  Michaël raised 3 million USD in 2000 to create a B2C shopping portal, which became a European advertising network (DAOODA). In 2005, he co-founded AGORAD, which, in only two years, became the first independent media agency in the French market.

His clients include the top European ecommerce players such as Yves Rocher, Intermarche, and 3 Suisses (Otto Group). MichaëI sold his companies in Nov 07 to referencement.com group  (French public company) for 14 million USD. Michael AMAR is now based in Palo Alto with the double purpose of helping European companies in their innovation process and US retailers to enter the European market.

Session: Doctor is In - European Expansion Strategy

back to top

As the Vice President of Internet Marketing, Anne leads the online marketing initiatives for two of the nation’s premier direct marketing brands: Harry & David and Wolferman’s. She is responsible for charting the strategic direction of e-commerce in support of multi-channel business growth objectives; and oversees email marketing, online advertising, search engine marketing, online customer experience and business development. 

Prior to joining Harry & David in 2001, Anne was the Director of Oxygen.com.  She holds a BFA in Documentary Film Production from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 1:15-2:30pm -- Increasing your Inbox ROI:  7 Ways to Boost Email Marketing Results

back to top

 Larry Becker is VP and Principal, Website Effectiveness at the Rimm-Kaufman Group, an online agency providing paid search services and website consulting for leading online retailers. Becker is recognized for skills in site usability and conversion. Prior to joining RKG, Becker worked at Crutchfield Corporation as VP, E-commerce. Under Becker's leadership, the site became a category leader and  received "best of the web" recognition from Time.com, Forbes, Bizrate and many others. Becker speaks and writes for multiple industry events and publications and has lectured on website effectiveness at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and McIntire School of Commerce.

Session: Doctor Is In -- Usability and Conversion

back to top

Jason Billingsley is a Co-founder & VP Innovation at Elastic Path Software where is responsible for exploring new ecommerce technologies and methods for online retail. As principal ecommerce analyst, he consults with some of the largest and most successful online retailers in the world – most recently managing online strategy for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games online store. Jason has authored industry research such as "The Ecommerce Checkout Report", hosts a monthly ecommerce webinar series, and oversees the most subscribed ecommerce blog on the internet - Get Elastic. He is a regular speaker at retail industry events such as Shop.org, Online Market World, and eTail. An online marketer for well over a decade, Jason has been quoted in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Internet Retailer, BtoB Magazine, Apparel magazine, and Multi-Channel Merchant.
 
In 2005, he was a co-recipient of the Canadian Youth Business Foundation's National Best Business award, and helped land Elastic Path Software on Profit Magazine's Hot 50. Jason is a recipient of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award and holds a BBA in Entrepreneurial Leadership. He resides in Vancouver with his wife Amy.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 3:45-4:45pm -- Is There A Role for Social Media in Modern Retailing?

back to top

Austin first conceived of the value of linking old and new email addresses over a decade ago, when he was trying to locate an old friend. He was the driving force behind the original design and development of FreshAddress’s patented Email Change of Address (ECOA) technology. Prior to FreshAddress, Austin also won national recognition for his innovative technical work with the UN and the Carnegie Foundation.

Austin is an active member of the Direct Marketing Association’s Committee for Environmental & Social Responsibility, Chairperson of the List Growth & Engagement Committee for the Email Experience Council, Board Member for Program Advisory Committees for the DMA’s DMDays and NCDM conferences, a frequent content contributor to industry publications, and a highly-regarded presenter at national industry events and conferences.

The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation recently named Austin a “Rising Star,” an award bestowed on four individuals under 40 across the country who have demonstrated strong leadership skills, a track record of outstanding results, and a solid reputation for "giving back" through direct marketing education.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 3:30-4:30pm -- Avoiding the Dreaded Unsubscribe: Tricks and Tips from the Email Experts

back to top

Angela Caltagirone is currently the Director of eMarketing & Acquisition and eMail at Williams-Sonoma Inc. leading a team working with each of Williams-Sonoma Inc.’s six brands (Williams-Sonoma, Williams-Sonoma Home, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBTeen, west elm).  Angela has over 16 years of multifaceted, industry-leading experience in Direct Marketing including retention & acquisition, database development & management, and multi-channel customer growth, strategy, & analytics.  In the last 8 years Angela has also led strategic initiatives developing strong expertise in eMarketing – email, paid search, natural search etc.  Angela has extensive experience in initiating and managing the implementation of cross-functional strategic marketing initiatives.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 1:15-2:30pm -- Increasing your Inbox ROI:  7 Ways to Boost Email Marketing Results

back to top

Joe Chung is co-founder and CEO of Allurent, the software company powering superior online shopping.  Chung applies his extensive experience as an e-commerce pioneer and successful software entrepreneur to Allurent’s vision of a new and richly engaging Internet experience that makes online shopping easier, more compelling and fun.  Chung speaks extensively at industry events, including Shop.org, Luxury Interactive, and eTail.  In addition, his writings are frequently published, including by E-Commerce Times, CRM Magazine, and RIS News, among others, and he is the author of the whitepaper, “Shopping 3.0” (June 2007).  Prior to Allurent, Chung co-founded Art Technology Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARTG), serving as Chairman and CTO from 1991 to 2001. Chung led ATG’s growth into a publicly-traded enterprise software company with over 1,200 employees and annual revenues exceeding $160 million. He holds BS and MS degrees in Computer Science from MIT.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Emerging Retail Technologies

back to top

Peter is Co-founder and Senior Vice President of eBags.com, the leading online retailer of luggage, handbags, backpacks, and business cases. eBags.com, which launched March 1999 and features over 35,000 products from 500 brands, has sold over 7.4 million bags. During his tenure, Peter has been responsible for marketing, merchandising, and International. Peter was named 2003 Colorado Marketer of the Year by the American Marketing Association. He received his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Session: Big Ideas - Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-1:30pm -- It's All About the Individual:  A Case Study

back to top

Matt Corey is the Vice President of Marketing for Golfsmith International, a multi-channel golf and tennis retailer based in Austin, Texas, where he is responsible for managing the company’s multi-channel marketing strategies, Internet and call center operations and visual merchandising.  Prior to joining Golfsmith in the fall of 2004, Matt was the VP of Marketing and E-Commerce for The Bombay Company, a home furnishings and accessories company based in Fort Worth, Texas.  Matt has also worked for The Home Depot where he helped lead the company’s nationwide e-commerce launch, and BellSouth where he managed marketing and product development strategies for the company’s New Media Ventures division.

Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in business from Georgia Tech.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 3:45-4:45pm -- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Seriously!)

back to top

Sam Decker is a recognized expert in eCommerce, word of mouth, and direct marketing. A frequent speaker at marketing and eCommerce events and author of an award-winning marketing blog (www.deckermarketing.com), Decker brings 14 years of marketing and online retailing experience to Bazaarvoice. As Chief Marketing Officer Decker is responsible for leading Bazaarvoice corporate marketing, PR and product strategy.

Before joining Bazaarvoice, Decker spent seven years of leadership at Dell, Inc. in marketing, eBusiness, CRM, and customer-centricity. From 1999-2003, he led Dell's consumer web site, building Dell.com into the largest consumer eCommerce web site at $3.5B in annual sales, and established global best practices in merchandising, analytics, product management, and operations. Sam pioneered Dell's customer-centricity strategy and customer segmentation using Six Sigma methodology. Later he directed marketing for Dell's $1B+ installed-based marketing division, responsible for eBusiness, marketing communications and brand management. Before Dell, Decker spent over six years leading marketing at B2C and B2B startups and is recognized as a pioneer in online community building. Prior to that, he consulted with companies such as Apple, Claris, Adobe and Borland to help them develop word-of-mouth and installed-based marketing strategies. Decker has authored two books on word of mouth and guerilla marketing, serves on the Board of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, is President of Austin Texchange, and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Web Analytics Association. Decker holds a BS in Business Marketing Management from California Polytechnic University. Sam is originally from the California Bay Area, but the great barbecue, lakes, and friendly people make Austin his home. Away from work, Sam spends time with his top three priorities: his wife, son, and daughter. Sam aspires to one day enjoy an impressive collection of unused technology, get his money's worth out of Netflix, tap into a growing stack of unopened business books, and share ideas on his blog once in a while for how to lead, live and market in a world where customers do the talking.

Session: Wednesday, September  17, 1:15-2:30pm -- 24+ Specific Things You Can Do To Make More Money Next Week

back to top

Jay Dettling is a Senior Vice President with Acquity Group and has more than sixteen years of management and technology consulting experience within insurance, financial services, manufacturing, and retail industries. Jay helps his clients evaluate and apply technology to achieve operational efficiencies, communicate and market themselves, and conduct online commerce.

Session: Doctor Is In -- Multi-channel Strategy

back to top

Allan Dick began researching and implementing SEO/SEM techniques when he joined Vintage Tub and Bath as General Manager in January 2001. Since then, Vintage Tub and Bath (www.vintagetub.com) has increased gross revenues 1,700% and is now a leading supplier of reproduction bathroom fixtures. Mr. Dick regularly speaks at Search Engine Strategies and Shop.org meetings and has been quoted in Wired, Internet Marketing Report, and Business Week among other publications. As the Chair of Regional Meetings for Shop.org, Mr. Dick organizes quarterly networking events for ecommerce executives in eight US Cities.

Prior to joining Vintage Tub and Bath, Mr. Dick was a sales manager for five years at a new car dealership and a stockbroker for three years. He has a B.A. from Washington & Lee University and graduated from Outward Bound alpine mountaineering school.

Session: Wednesday, September  17, 1:15-2:30pm -- 24+ Specific Things You Can Do To Make More Money Next Week

back to top

As CEO of NearbyNow, Inc., Scott brings over 14 years of experience in developing new Internet technologies to strengthen retailer connections with customers. At E.piphany, Inc., his product management team developed data mining and marketing technology to help retailers such as Charles Schwab, Microsoft, and Godiva better target and grow their customers. Later he joined the founding team of Loudcloud (now Opsware: OPSW) to operate and manage some of the largest e-commerce sites in the world for companies like Nike, Fannie Mae, Univision, and USA Today. At Avolent, he helped develop e-billing software to streamline customer interactions for companies such as Dell, Office Depot, and Xerox. He also founded 4charity.com (sold to Innovaware) to develop technology to assist non-profit companies in online fundraising. Scott is on the Board of Advisors for Reactrix and Coverity.
 
Scott holds a B.S. from the University of Oregon, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Emerging Retail Technologies

back to top

Brian Elliott is CEO of Alibris, a leading online retailer of used, new and hard-to-find books and service provider to thousands of independent bookstores.  Alibris brings together more than 50 million books, music and movie items from a worldwide network of over 10,000 independent sellers.  Brian joined Alibris in 1999 as Vice President of Business Development, where he built Alibris' relationships with Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Chapters/Indigo, eBay and others.  Alibris today provides its sellers with access to tens of millions of customers through over a dozen key partnerships with North America's leading media retailers, thousands of academic libraries and a rapidly growing Web site (www.alibris.com).

Prior to Alibris, Brian was a consultant and manager with the Boston Consulting Group for over six years.  His practice focused on the intersection of consumer products and retailing with technology, helping companies create and execute growth strategies and partnerships, including e-commerce opportunities.  Brian has also worked for the Technology and Operations Management faculty at the Harvard Business school, and is a graduate of Northwestern University and Harvard Business School.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 1:15-2:30pm -- Escaping Analytics Hell:  A Strategy for Marketing Channel Attribution

back to top

Marwan is the founder and CEO of eBillme, and has been the driving force behind the company's strategic vision and partnerships.

Prior to founding eBillme, Marwan was Director of Business Development at Nokia, where he focused on large-scale eCommerce infrastructure, mobile payments and content delivery. Before joining Nokia, Marwan acted as product and solution manager at Vienna Systems, a startup that was eventually acquired by Nokia.

Marwan is respected as an expert in alternative payments, articulating the evolving dynamics of the industry with major publications including: Internet Retailer, Forbes, Business Week, American Banker, Associated Press, CNN Radio and eCommerce Times.

Session: Big Ideas - Tuesday, September 16

back to top

In 1994, Lauren Freedman leveraged her 15 year retail and catalog career and passion for merchandising to found the e-tailing group, inc. The firm’s mission was, and continues to be, providing strategic and e-commerce solutions to online merchants as well as businesses targeting that market.

An extensive client list has included Fortune 500s and start-ups. From involvement with the initial launch of sites like Toys “R” Us, The Vitamin Shoppe and Kodak to specific initiatives for clients including Scholastic, J.Jill, Orbitz, USA Today, CTW and MSN, her role becomes Strategist, Merchant, Facilitator, Educator and Spokesperson.

As a veteran and visionary within both the Retailing and the Internet industries, Freedman is a frequent resource to the trade and business press and her speaking engagements have spanned the globe. Freedman most recently completed her first book, It’s Just Shopping, which provides a comprehensive; behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of multi_channel selling. The book served as the basis for her foray into teaching at Chicago’s Roosevelt University, where she was nominated for Most Valuable Teacher award in 2003.

Session: Doctor Is In -- Merchandising for Conversion

back to top

Todd Friesen is considered by many to be an SEO pioneer. He entered the SEO world in 1998 and has since worked with top-name clients like Sharper Image, Nike, Neiman Marcus and Accor Hotels North America on natural search optimization. He is an expert in search engine marketing, a former administrator at Webmasterworld, and former moderator for Search Engine Watch. He is co-host of the popular SEO Rockstars on WebmasterRadio.FM, as well as a regular speaker at Search Engine Strategies, WebmasterWorld Pubcon, SMX and other conferences including Shop.org. He has also a regular contributor to OMMA Magazine and regularly posts on his own blog at www.oilman.ca.

Todd works with new and established companies to optimize existing sites and help architect new ones to achieve optimal natural search engine rankings. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary and currently resides in Gig Harbor WA.

Session: Wednesday, September  17, 1:15-2:30pm -- 24+ Specific Things You Can Do To Make More Money Next Week

back to top

As Email Marketing Manager at Overstock.com, Robert is responsible for managing the email marketing team.  Since joining the company in 2007, Robert has worked primarily on improving the customer experience and deliverability with the email program.  From 1999 to 2005 Robert served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 1:15-2:30pm -- Increasing your Inbox ROI:  7 Ways to Boost Email Marketing Results

back to top

Sheldon Gilbert is the founder and CEO of Proclivity Systems, the leading provider of solutions that give marketers and merchandisers insight and foresight into on-line consumer behavior.  Coined the creator of a platform that “can predict the future,” Sheldon provides the overall vision for Proclivity, directs sales efforts and applies his technological expertise to leading product development.

Previously, Sheldon held the position of Director of Business Intelligence and Data Mining Services at Bluefly.com, Inc., a leading high-fashion apparel retailer. During his tenure with Bluefly.com, Sheldon developed, launched and managed its business intelligence division.

Session: Wednesday, September  17, 1:15-2:30pm -- 24+ Specific Things You Can Do To Make More Money Next Week

back to top

Pinny Gniwisch started his adult life in Rabbinical College of Canada and graduated from Sydney University with a masters in Jewish law. Always appreciating a challenge, in 1995 he moved into his family jewelry business and spearheaded sales in the United States by securing business engagements with leading retailers such as Macys and Sears.
 
In 1999 he went on to found ice.com where he has taken the reins of marketing and been responsible for developing strategic alliances with a variety of distinguished Internet companies. Since it's inception, ice.com has risen in the ranks of successful online retailers, quickly reaching into the top 50 most profitable online retailers and the #1 trafficked jewelry website.
 
Pinny has consulted for such distinguished companies as Best Buy, Target and Victoria Secret on cutting edge internet marketing and merchandising. He has spoken for shop.org, etail, internet retailer and other major Internet industry events on vital online retailing topics ranging from search marketing, email marketing, personas, affiliate marketing, fraud, site design, blogs and customer retention.

Sessions: Wednesday, September  17, 1:15-2:30pm -- 24+ Specific Things You Can Do To Make More Money Next Week AND Wednesday, September 17, 3:45-4:45pm --The A-Ha Moment.  Creative Out-of-the Box Marketing Concepts by Retailers

back to top

Andrea Gulli is an E-commerce executive with ten years of online experience.  Andrea is Vice-President of E-Commerce at New York & Company ($1 Billion annual sales, 600 stores), where she launched E-commerce in 2006.  Andrea is experienced in conceptualizing, launching and growing ecommerce businesses rapidly, proficiently and profitably. Andrea has extensive experience in strategic, marketing, project management, operational and production aspects of online business. Also significant experience in launching and expanding retail private label and loyalty programs from a marketing, customer service and operations perspective.

Prior to New York & Company, Andrea was Operating Vice President of E-Commerce at J. Jill, where she lauched the e-commerce business in 1999.

Andrea has both an MBA & BA from University of Delaware, her home state.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Selecting the Right Solution Provider for your Retail Operations

back to top

Suzanne Hader, founder and principal at 400twin, brings years of experience with luxury brand marketing and research to the table, gleaned from her long relationship with cosmetics institution Estée Lauder working with brands like Clinique, Bobbi Brown, and Darphin. Prior to Lauder, she was an early addition to upstarts Eve.com and Viant. She is known for her remarkable insights on upscale brands in the fashion, beauty, travel and real estate industries and her deep understanding of the luxury audience. Her comprehensive knowledge of this space springs from her direct experience marketing brands on both the client and agency sides, further informed by her constant dialogue with business and marketing leaders across industries and academia. Suzanne’s ability to see the whole picture enables her to anticipate challenges and identify opportunities to help shape the luxury customer experience. An engaging and popular public speaker, Suzanne is also highly regarded for her game-changing workshop content and roundtable facilitation skills.

Session: Doctor Is In -- Marketing and Merchandising for the Aspirational Customer

back to top

As Senior Vice President of Change Management at Overstock.com, Jacob co-manages buying, merchandising operations, velocity, IT, and skunkworks. Prior to this, Jacob was the SVP of Online Marketing, where he was responsible for online marketing and customer acquisition activities since 2003. Since joining Overstock.com in 2000, Jacob has performed various roles across the organization, including project management, business development, marketing, and merchandising.

Prior to joining Overstock.com, Jacob worked for Professional Marketing International, where he consulted individuals and businesses on how to build and market web sites online.

Jacob received a bachelor's degree in business management from Brigham Young University and a masters of business administration with an emphasis in information systems from the University of Utah.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 3:45-4:45pm --The A-Ha Moment.  Creative Out-of-the Box Marketing Concepts by Retailers

back to top

Brett is the Founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice, where he is responsible for guiding the company's strategy and overseeing day-to-day operations. Brett is a seasoned executive widely recognized throughout the online industry for turning groundbreaking ideas into leading businesses.

Brett has extensive experience in the online marketing arena, especially as it pertains to the eCommerce industry. He founded Coremetrics in February 1999 after spending 10 years developing Internet-based software. Brett helped grow Coremetrics into the leading marketing analytics solution for the eCommerce industry, servicing more than 1,000 clients today. Forrester Research eventually rated Coremetrics #1 in the industry. Prior to Coremetrics, Brett was the founder and CEO of Hurt Technology Consulting and BodyMatrix, an online retailer of sports nutrition products, which he sold. Before that, he was a consultant at Deloitte Consulting and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Brett has more than 15 years of Internet programming experience and has developed multiple software applications, including Internet marketing analysis solutions, eCommerce platforms, Web-based classroom management applications, virtual communities, multiplayer online games, and Bulletin Board System (BBS) software. He started programming when he was seven years old, launched a BBS on a 110-baud modem when he was ten, and created one of the first Internet-based multiplayer games in 1990. Brett holds an MBA in High-Tech Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BBA in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas at Austin.

Brett is serving his second term on the Board of Directors of Shop.org.  He also serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Wharton School and served as a Board of Advisors member to the non-profit Web Analytics Association. Brett actively advises several early-stage technology companies. He is an inventor (US Patent #7,050,989) and a regular speaker at various industry events and universities.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 3:45-4:45pm -- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Seriously!)

back to top

With a decade of experience in eCommerce, Alison Jeske has worked in customer acquisition, retention and customer service aspects for online retailers.  She was an early adopter of online shopping, planning almost her entire wedding in 2000 with vendors who had a web presence. She remains a passionate online shopper.
 
Alison is currently Director of Product Management for drugstore.com, inc., where she is responsible for defining site strategy, and implementing new site features to deliver an exceptional personalized shopping experience on the drugstore.com and Beauty.com web stores.

Prior to joining drugstore.com Jeske was a senior member of the eCommerce team at Cingular and AT&T Wireless. She has been a senior IT manager at Arthur Andersen, and in the banking industry. Jeske graduated Cum Laude from Seattle Pacific University with a degree in computer science.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 3:30-4:30pm -- Analyzing The Customer Experience

back to top

When Google wanted to explain online marketing to the top retailers in the United States (including Wal-Mart, Costo, Sears and Sephora), they brought Mitch Joel to the Googleplex in Mountain View, California. Marketing Magazine dubbed him the, “Rock Star of Digital Marketing” and in 2006 he was named one of the most influential authorities on Blog Marketing in the world. Mitch Joel is President of Twist Image – an award-winning Digital Marketing agency. He is a marketing and communications visionary, interactive expert, community leader, Blogger and Podcaster. He is also a passionate entrepreneur and speaker who connects with people worldwide by sharing his marketing insights on digital marketing and personal branding.

Joel is a Board Member for both the Canadian Marketing Association and the Interactive Advertising Bureau Canada. He is an executive for the National Advertising Benevolent of Quebec and an instructor of the CMA eMarketing professional certificate course.

He is presently writing his first book, Six Pixels of Separation. 

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Social Media and The Reluctant Retailer

back to top

George Jones became President and Chief Executive Officer of Borders Group, Inc., in July 2006.  Borders Group is a $4.1 billion global retailer of books, music and movies with more than 1,100 stores worldwide.  

Prior to joining Borders, Jones was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Saks Department Store Group, a post he took on in 2001.  At the time, the group had sales of $3.8 billion and included 240 department stores in 24 states under various brand names including Carson Pirie Scott and Parisian. At Saks, Jones led the development and implementation of a strategic plan focused on differentiating the company’s stores and merchandise assortments from competitors. He personally led a turnaround of the Parisian division, which was the subject of a case study by the Harvard Business School. Late in his tenure at Saks, Jones, who also served on the company’s Board of Directors, played a lead role in advocating and handling the sale of the Department Store Group, a move that was part of the company’s long-term strategic plan for growth.

A significant part of Jones’ retail career was his time at Target, which is the nation’s second largest discount chain and an undisputed brand leader. His career there spanned seven years from 1984 through 1991.  Jones served as Executive Vice President-Store Operations where he was responsible for all of the company’s stores with over 100,000 associates.  Throughout his tenure, Jones played a key role in the development of Target’s innovative merchandising, store operations and customer service strategies, which effectively differentiated Target from its competitors and ultimately helped lead the brand to icon status.  Before taking on the Executive Vice President role at Target, he also held positions there as Senior Vice President-Merchandising and Vice President-Ready to Wear.

Prior to joining Target, Jones also held key management positions with other retailers including Diamond’s Department Stores (a division of Dayton-Hudson Corporation and Dillard’s Department Stores).

Jones serves on the Board of Directors for the National Retail Federation (NRF), the GRAMMY Foundation, and Detroit Renaissance.

Session: KEYNOTE - Tuesday, September 16, 8:45-10:00am -- Cross-Channel Breakthrough: How Borders is putting it all together to elevate the customer experience

back to top

As president and founder of Top Draw and Epiar, Ken Jurina has more than fifteen years of experience in traditional advertising and Internet marketing. In 1993, he founded Top Draw which has become a leading advertising, graphic design, and web development firm in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

In 2002, Ken co-founded Epiar, an Internet marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) company that has pioneered techniques merging web development technology with online marketing strategies to drive qualified traffic and sales. As president of Epiar, Ken oversees the company's growth and helps drive the marketing strategies and creative tactics that are delivering better lead generation and client retention for Epiar clients. In addition to leading the Epiar team, Ken’s role at Epiar comprises senior-level client counsel, strategic marketing, and creative direction.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Natural Search Tactics for the Retailer

back to top

As Vice President of Search for Netconcepts, Brian Klais oversees one of the leading natural search marketing practices devoted to helping retailers, brands, and media portals optimize their natural search performance

Brian has authored seminal works on natural search marketing including State of Search Marketing 1.0, published and sold by Catalog Age Magazine in 2002. Brian is a frequently published author and contributor to publications like Multichannel Merchant (formerly Catalog Age), MarketingProfs.com, the American Marketing Association's MarketingPower.com and Opt-In News, and a presenter at DMA conferences such as ACCM (formerly ACC), DMA06, DMA05, and DM Days.

Under his leadership, Netconcepts has become one of the leading voices for search engine ready e-commerce listing clients such as REI, Kohls, HSN, Cabela's, Northern Tool, Verizon Superpages, AOL, as well as agency partners such as Performics.

Prior to joining Netconcepts, Brian was founder and president of Novelon.com, a pioneer in electronic publishing and web-based book environments.

Session: Wednesday, September  17, 1:15-2:30pm -- 24+ Specific Things You Can Do To Make More Money Next Week

back to top

Mitch Kramer is a consultant, analyst, and writer specializing in ecommerce and customer service. His work covers requirements gathering and analysis, high-level design, technology selection, and deployment of systems for organizations like yours. His approach balances your customers’ needs for doing business easily and effectively with your objectives for marketing, merchandising, and service/support. Mitch’s consulting services, and his evaluation frameworks and framework-based product evaluation reports speed, simplify, and reduce the risk in ecommerce and customer service selection and deployment processes.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Selecting the Right Solution Provider for your Retail Operations

back to top

John Lazarchic brings 20 years of retail experience, including 18 years in the Pet Industry, to his position as Vice President of E-Commerce for PETCO Animal Supplies.  John joined PETCO in 2000, with their acquisition of Petopia.com where he was the Director of E-Commerce during Petopia's initial launch onto the Internet.  In his current role, John is responsible for all aspects of PETCO's E-Commerce Site, including Site Design and Functionality, Merchandising, Marketing, and Business Development.  In addition to the E-Commerce responsibilities, John is leading the company's pilot program to include commerce-based kiosks in their retail stores.
 
Prior to joining the Internet Boom in 1999, John worked for both Petland and Superpetz as Director of IS, where he was responsible Point of Sale, Accounting and Distribution Systems, including the selection and implementation of new platforms.  Before switching to the world of Information Systems, John also work for Docktors Pet Centers and Petsmart on the Store Operations side of the business.  This experience in both Brick and Mortar Operations and Information Systems has allowed him to bring a broad, well-rounded perspective to the online pet category.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 1:15-2:30pm -- Escaping Analytics Hell:  A Strategy for Marketing Channel Attribution

back to top

Toby Lenk is President of Gap Inc. Direct.  In this role, he is responsible for the direction and management of the company's e-commerce websites: Gap Online, Banana Republic Online and Old Navy Online, as well as the online footwear retailer, Piperlime.  Lenk also oversees Gap Inc.’s private label credit card program, as well as the company’s corporate sales division.

Prior to joining Gap Inc. in 2003, Lenk served as CEO of GameFly, the leading online video game subscription service he co-founded in 2002.  Previously, Lenk was CEO of eToys, a pioneering e-commerce business he founded in 1997. Before founding eToys, Lenk served as Vice President of Corporate Strategic Planning for The Walt Disney Company.

An animal lover, Lenk supports the ASPCA and other humane societies.  He also lends his time and support to community improvement projects such as Save the Bay, as well as the Gap Foundation’s Adopt-a-Family and Community Corps at Home programs. 

Lenk earned a B.A. in economics and government from Bowdoin College in Maine and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Session: KEYNOTE - Wednesday, September 17, 11:00am-12:00pm -- Enhancing the Customers' Shopping Experience through Innovation

back to top

As a Senior Analyst at JupiterResearch, John Lovett produces research on web site technologies and operations. He focuses on the technology stack assembled by site operators to deliver, manage and improve their public facing Web properties. Specific areas of coverage include: web analytics, site search, web content management, commerce platforms, performance management, recommendation engines, multivariate testing and optimization technologies.

Lovett’s research coverage requires him to evaluate vendor capabilities and market strategies, which enables him to educate clients to action. This combination of vendor insight and client-side consulting provide him a unique perspective that ensures he is in tune with the pulse of evolving digital marketplace. An accomplished public speaker and noted analyst, Lovett draws on over a decade of experience in Internet technology and research.

Sessions: Wednesday, September 17, 1:15-2:30pm -- Escaping Analytics Hell:  A Strategy for Marketing Channel Attribution AND Wednesday, September 17, 3:45-4:45pm --High-Tech for Digital Retailers: How to Measure What Matters

back to top

As vice president of hosted and consumer solutions, Doug Mack provides leadership for the software services and consumer offerings of Adobe’s Creative Solutions Business Unit. Key products in his group include Adobe® Scene7®, Adobe® Photoshop® Elements, Adobe Premiere® Elements and the new Photoshop® Express and Premiere® Express software-as-a-service (SaaS) consumer solutions.

Mack’s eCommerce expertise and insight into customer experience trends give him a unique perspective on customer engagement strategies across all touch points. He is an active commentator on such issues as SaaS marketing and pricing strategies, new customer interaction models and online brand experience management.

Prior to joining Adobe, Mack co-founded and was CEO of Scene7, provider of the leading on-demand rich media platform for eCommerce Web sites such as QVC, Otto UK and Lands’ End, which was acquired by Adobe in May 2007. Mack previously co-founded and led GoodHome.com, an award-winning online home design site and the predecessor to Scene7. Prior to Goodhome.com, Mack served as executive vice president of the Broderbund Home Division of Mattel. He also held strategy and business positions at McKinsey & Company and General Electric.

Sessions: Tuesday, September 16, 3:30-4:30pm -- Merchandising Trends in 2008 AND Wednesday, September 17, 1:15-2:30pm -- Remixed - The Customer Experience  

back to top

Ian McAnerin is a well known expert in international search marketing, and the founder and CEO of McAnerin International Inc. He  is a moderator for several search related forums, and is widely published both online and in print. He has authored several popular SEO related tools and has a patent pending for a search related geolocation technology.

He was the founder and first president of the Search Marketing Association of North America, and has special interest in SEO legal issues due to his legal background. He is the host for the China Search Marketing Tour, and is a member of SEMPO, serving on the International, Asia, Canada, Latin America, and Ethics committees within SEMPO. He is both a certified Google AdWords Professional and a Yahoo Search Marketing Ambassador, and is a member of the ACM SIGIR - the Special Interest Group for Information Retrieval, the organization for scientific studies regarding search technology.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Natural Search Tactics for the Retailer

back to top

Sally McKenzie is a retail and online industry veteran with over 20 years of leadership success spanning brick & mortar, catalog and e-commerce channels.  Her extensive experience covers merchandising, marketing, product development, web site operations and strategic planning functions.
   
After beginning her career as a merchandise buyer for several brick and mortar retailers, Sally built an extensive 12 year career at Eddie Bauer, serving last as the company’s Vice President of E-commerce.  In this role, she was responsible for the strategic direction, growth initiatives and all operational aspects of Eddie Bauer's industry leading apparel web site. During her tenure, she was twice honored with the company’s “Best of Bauer” award for innovation and profitable performance.

She then moved to the social networking space at Classmates.com , first serving as Vice President of Merchandising for New Business, then moving to Senior Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Planning, where she was responsible for brand positioning, customer acquisition and retention, customer care, and site design. Following Classmates, Sally moved to Expedia, where she first served at Sr. Vice President of Merchandising and Retail Operations, and later as Sr. Vice President and General Manager of Expedia.com, with P&L accountability for the company’s $9 billion online business.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 3:30-4:30pm -- Merchandising Trends in 2008

back to top

Sonia Meisenheimer has nearly 10 years of experience in developing online marketing solutions for both enterprise-level companies and venture-funded start-ups. She has worked with the likes of Microsoft's MSN, Expedia.com, Ticketmaster.com, Cranium Games and Cendant Corporate Travel Services (Orbitz for Business/Travelport).

Most recently, Sonia built the monetization and email strategies for venture-funded PayScale.com, a compensation data site with more than 1.5MM visitors per month. She continues to work with some of the top online content and SEO and interactive design talent in the industry to create efficient user-centered Web sites with online marketing strategies that engage and convert.

Session: Doctor Is In -- 1:1 Site Slams: Focus on Trafic Strategy with Sonia M

back to top

Adam Michelson serves as the Director of Ecommerce at Optaros, Inc., an international consulting and systems integration firm that assembles online shopping solutions that deliver superior business performance.  Adam works with clients to leverage Next Generation Internet technologies for ecommerce re-platforming, new online retail concepts, and multi-channel efforts.  A leading authority on ecommerce, he speaks often at industry events and is a published author in trade and national publications.

Session: Doctor Is In -- How to Monetize Web 2.0

back to top

Paul Miller is a consultant, assisting a variety of companies in the Internet retail industry. He was formerly senior vice president, direct commerce for Sears Holdings Corp., responsible for online and catalog. Prior to joining Sears, Paul was vice president of e-commerce for Williams-Sonoma for six years. Paul has been instrumental in driving the online channel as well as driving the web into other channels.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 3:45-4:45pm -- Is There A Role for Social Media in Modern Retailing?

back to top

Stephanie Miller is Global Markets Catalyst for Return Path, the email performance company.  She educates email marketers on response and deliverability best practices. She is a fierce advocate for subscribers - and works to empower email marketers everywhere to create great subscriber experiences that engage a response, build relationships and increase revenue from the channel.
 
Stephanie has nearly 20 years of marketing, publishing and consulting experience building and managing integrated direct marketing programs.  An online marketing pioneer, she was the first publisher of The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition. She held executive-level marketing positions with Hotmail and RealNetworks before working for six years as a marketing consultant in Silicon Valley. 
 
She is also the co-author of Sign Me Up! A Marketer¹s Guide to Creating Email Newsletters that Build Relationships and Boost Sales.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 1:15-2:30pm -- Increasing your Inbox ROI:  7 Ways to Boost Email Marketing Results

back to top

Jeff Molander provides executive-level guidance on digital marketing and media to multi-channel retailers, entrepreneurs, investment firms and marketing services companies.  Business leaders use his advice to justify investing in online media and customer acquisition strategies.  Molander is co-author of the book, Paying for Performance and helped found digital marketing services company, DoubleclickPerformics; today a division of Google. He is slated to release Ignorance Economy, an insider’s exposé on digital advertising and media economics later in 2008. Molander is a business blogger (eConsultancy, ThoughtShapers.com and JeffMolander.com), sought-after public speaker, podcaster (www.payingforperformance.com) and Webinar host.

Session: Wednesday, September  17, 1:15-2:30pm -- 24+ Specific Things You Can Do To Make More Money Next Week

 back to top

Jeanniey Mullen is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Zinio, the global leader for digital publishing products and services. She holds the same position for VIV Magazine, the first fully interactive and all digital lifestyle magazine for women. An accomplished veteran in the email and online marketing world, Jeanniey is recognized as a pioneer and visionary, advocating for, and driving change that redefines the impact of various marketing channels. Prior to Zinio and VIV, Jeanniey was the Senior Partner, and Global Executive Director of the Email Marketing and Digital Dialogue Practice at OgilvyOne Worldwide. In 2005, Jeanniey founded the Email Experience Council, and currently maintains her role as it’s Executive Director.
 
A digital entrepreneur, Jeanniey founded and ran her own interactive agency as well an online entertainment marketing company in the early 2000’s. Prior to that, Jeanniey started the first agency-run email marketing division at Grey Direct. Before being lured into the agency world, Jeanniey held a number of roles at JCPenney, spanning an eight year period.

Jeanniey is known as one of the most well respected voices in the world of email, digital publishing and online consumer brand awareness. Jeanniey is a columnist for ClickZ, has published numerous white papers and best practice guides, has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times numerous times. She is a frequent keynote speaker on these topics for organizations like ClickZ, DMA, Shop.org and DPAC.

Jeanniey is currently working on her first book: Email Marketing, An Hour A Day due out this Fall through Wiley Publishing.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 3:30-4:30pm -- Avoiding the Dreaded Unsubscribe: Tricks and Tips from the Email Experts

back to top

Sucharita is a senior analyst on Forrester’s Consumer Markets team where she focuses primarily on eCommerce, consumer behavior and trends in the online shopping space, technology developments that affect the online commerce industry and vendors that facilitate online marketing and merchandising.

Prior to Forrester, Sucharita was the director of marketing at Saks Fifth Avenue, where she managed the customer acquisition, retention and market research efforts for the $2 billion luxury retailer’s online channel.  Prior to Saks, she held management positions at Toys R Us, where she was a merchant in the Babies R Us division and a store manager in one of the company’s largest toy stores, and at the Walt Disney Company, where she developed and managed marketing plans for new business initiatives including the Disney Stores, the Disney Cruise Line and Club Disney.  Additionally, she was involved in the expansion of Cap Cities/ABC properties, specifically ESPN Zone, ESPN Magazine and the Go.com network. She was a member of the founding team at Babystyle, the multimillion dollar, multichannel retailer of maternity and baby products headquartered in Los Angeles.  She has authored two non-fiction books and has contributed to Business Week Online. 

Sucharita holds a BA in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Session: KEYNOTE - Wednesday, September 17, 9:00-10:15am -- The State of Retailing Online

back to top

In her role as senior vice president, marketing and product, Elaine O’Gorman is responsible for both the delivery of exceptional products to Silverpop’s clients and the creation of compelling go-to-market strategies that attract quality customers to those products. She also directs the careful cultivation of the company’s thought capital leadership, which is vital to maximizing Silverpop customer success.

Having worked for companies such as Kraft Foods and American Airlines, O'Gorman brings a tremendous background of marketing and channel development experience to Silverpop. Of her 11 years with Fortune 100 companies, O'Gorman most recently managed Web-site content and email marketing for American Airlines’ multi-billion dollar Web site, building one of the world's largest email marketing programs.

O'Gorman was a 2007 finalist for the Technology Association of Georgia’s “Woman of The Year in Technology” and is a past board member of the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association. She is a Certified Managerial Accountant and a Certified Project Manager (PMP). She holds a bachelor's of science degree in economics from the Wharton School and a master's in business administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Session: Big Ideas - Tuesday, September 16

back to top

Eric T. Peterson, CEO and Principal Consultant at Web Analytics Demsytified, has worked in web analytics since the late 1990's in a variety of roles including practitioner, consultant, and analyst for several market-leading companies.  He is the author of three best-selling books on the subject, Web Analytics Demystified, Web Site Measurement Hacks, and The Big Book of Key Performance Indicators, as well as one of the most popular web analytics bloggers at www.webanalyticsdemystified.com.  Mr. Peterson has committed much of his life to the betterment of the web analytics community, so much so that Jim Sterne, President and co-founder of the Web Analytics Association says "Eric's leadership in the industry in unparalleled, his devotion to the community is legendary and his years of experience translate immediately into strategic and tactical competitive advantage for everybody who works with him. 

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 3:45-4:45pm -- High-Tech for Digital Retailers: How to Measure What Matters

back to top

Brian Platter is General Manager of Home Delivery for Peet’s Coffee & Tea Inc, a specialty coffee roaster and marketer of fresh, deep-roasted whole bean coffee for home and office.  He joined the company in 2005 and is responsible for managing Peet’s online, call center and catalog business as well as supporting multi-channel marketing initiatives.  Prior to Peet’s, Platter served as the Vice President of Product Management at Coremetrics Inc, the leading web analytics provider for online retailers.  As the 6th employee of Digital Impact, Platter served as Digital Impact’s Director of Client Services and Vice President of Product Management from 1998 to 2000.  Prior to 1998, Platter led product development efforts at Hewlett-Packard Company and consulting engagements at Gemini Management Consulting.

Platter earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado, and an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.  Platter serves on the San Francisco regional advisory board for Shop.org.

Session: Wednesday, September  17, 1:15-2:30pm -- 24+ Specific Things You Can Do To Make More Money Next Week

back to top

Danielle Savin is a leading multi-channel marketer with over 15 years experience in catalog, eCommerce and brick & mortar. She has launched numerous sites and redesigns for brands or consumer companies who are vertical and/or multi-channel in nature. These brands include California Style, Monterey Bay Clothing Company, Frederick's of Hollywood, Principal Secret for Guthy Renker, Hyperseal Inc., and Playboy Enterprises.

Danielle has also implemented multi-channel marketing programs for a number of business-to-consumer companies that are diverse in their target demographics. She is well-versed in SEO, SEM, affiliate and email marketing as well as traditional direct and brand marketing. She knows that many marketers struggle where to use their dollars to come up with the best marketing strategy that produces an optimal ROAS, create loyalty and stay true to the brand.

She is well-informed with new emerging marketing applications as well as the importance of customer service and satisfaction. Danielle Savin also has several years traditional brand marketing experience which include Mail Boxes Etc, Scrips Memorial Hospital, Samuel Goldwyn Films and Playboy Enterprises.

Session: Doctor Is In -- Creative & Product Presentation

back to top

Jenny Schlueter is the Global Online Search Manager at Dell, Inc., leading the organic & site search operations organization worldwide for Dell.com.  With a combination of tactical projects and SEO awareness, organic traffic and revenue has grown significantly to Dell.com globally with minimal investment.  Jenny has strong experience in online operations including ecommerce business management, global content production and Dell.com evolution.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Natural Search Tactics for the Retailer

back to top

Rob Schmults was formerly Vice President, Sporting Goods Business Management at GSI Commerce. In that role, Rob oversaw the teams responsible for the online stores of partners such as Major League Baseball, NASCAR, Reebok, The Sports Authority, and Timberland. He works closely with these and other partners to support their expansion into new opportunities including customized product, paper catalogs, and multi-channel commerce. 

Prior to joining GSI, Rob ran the retail practice of Fort Point Partners, a leading e-commerce consulting and systems integration boutique whose clients included J.Crew, Martha Stewart, and Restoration Hardware. He also worked for McKinsey & Co. advising retail and media clients on e-commerce strategy, both in the US and Europe. Rob’s initiation into the Internet took place in 1994, when he joined internet software pioneer Worlds Inc. Rob received his BA from Yale, M.Phil from Cambridge, and MBA from Harvard.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Emerging Retail Technologies

back to top

David "Selly" Selinger first garnered international recognition as an expert in the field of eCommerce data analytics and personalization with his groundbreaking work leading the research and development arm of Amazon's Data Mining and Personalization team. In that role, David increased the Amazon's annual profit by over $50 million (25% of US profit, 2003) setting the industry standard for recommendation services.

David has decades of experience, from developing the first Javascript-powered ad delivery system for Flycast—the same technology used by Google AdSense, DoubleClick and Overture—to leading Overstock's personalization efforts as Vice President of Software Development and Data Mining. David also cofounded Redfin, a venture backed, industry-leading real estate search/brokerage company.

David holds a broad collection of awards and standing patents in customer segmentation, analytics and data mining, including over a dozen pioneered at richrelevance. David's accolades also include the coveted PC Magazine Editor's Choice Award (won for 2Roam Wireless, acquired by Air2Web).

David received his BS in Computer Science from Stanford University.

Session: Big Ideas - Tuesday, September 16

back to top

Jay Shaffer is VP, Worldwide Sales & Marketing at PowerReviews, where he is responsible for creating awareness and adoption of the company’s customer review solution throughout the global online retail community. He is leveraging his unique merchant perspective and proven track record of success in building successful retail campaigns to spearhead PowerReviews’ successful international expansion.

Jay is frequently a featured speaker at national online retail conferences, and is well known as a champion for online consumers and "chief customer advocate" because of his customer-centric approach to online retail. Previously, Jay was VP of Marketing for Directly Home and VP of Customer Experience for Wine.com. He also served at Ofoto, Inc. as their Director of Customer Acquisition. Jay is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 3:30-4:30pm -- Analyzing The Customer Experience

back to top

Meyar Sheik, CEO & Co-founder of Certona Corporation is a seasoned software industry executive with over 20 years of experience.  Since 2000, Meyar has been an early web analytics pioneer working with some of the largest sites on the Internet such as ESPN, Fox, Sony, Best Buy, Disney, CBS and many other leading brands, in the areas of web analytics, personalization and real-time content optimization. 

Prior to co-founding Certona in 2004, Meyar was the CMO and COO of web analytics leader, WebSideStory (now part of Omniture).  For the past four years, Meyar and the team of predictive analytics experts have been focused on applying Certona’s innovative, real-time behavioral targeting, optimization and adaptive personalization technologies to generate more revenue and higher conversion rates for online retailers and other multi-channel businesses. 

Session: Big Ideas - Tuesday, September 16

back to top

Brian Smith is the co-founder of SingleFeed, an affordable, self-service data feed management, submission, and optimization company for merchants looking to succeed on the shopping comparison engines. Brian Smith also covers the shopping comparison engine industry as an independent analyst with ComparisonEngines.com.

Prior to SingleFeed and ComparisonEngines.com, Brian held internet marketing and business development positions at Cendant, TheStreet.com, and VarsityGroup. He has consulted for fast growing start-ups such as MyFamily (Ancestry.com), LogoWorks, and FierceMarkets, advising these companies on search engine optimization, affiliate program management, and pay-per-click marketing.

Brian graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Economics. He also studied improvisation and sketch comedy at the Second City Conservatory and is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG).

Session: Wednesday, September  17, 1:15-2:30pm -- 24+ Specific Things You Can Do To Make More Money Next Week

back to top

Stephan M. Spencer, M.Sc., is Founder and President of Netconcepts, a leading natural search marketing firm. Clients include Home Shopping Network, AOL, Verizon SuperPages.com, Discovery Channel, and REI, to name a few.

Stephan is an author of the upcoming O'Reilly book "The Art of SEO" with co-authors Rand Fishkin and Jessie Stricchiola, due out at the end of the year. Stephan is also a frequent speaker at Internet conferences around the globe (including Berlin, London, Toronto, Santiago, Auckland, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and places in between). He is a Senior Contributor to MarketingProfs.com and to Practical Ecommerce, a monthly columnist on Search Engine Land, and he’s contributed to Multichannel Merchant, DM News, Catalog Age, Catalog Success, Building Online Business, Unlimited, and NZ Marketing magazine among others. He is co-author of the analyst report "The State of Search Engine Marketing 1.0 - New Strategies for Successful Cataloging" published by Catalog Age.

Stephan is an avid blogger, blogging on the Searchlight Blog (part of the CNET Blog Network), the Shop.org Blog, Natural Search Blog, BusinessBlogConsulting.com, MarketingProfs Daily Fix, Changes For Good, Google, I Suggest... and of course his own personal blog Stephan Spencer’s Scatterings.

Sessions: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Natural Search Tactics for the Retailer AND Tuesday, September 16, 3:30-4:30pm -- So You Think Your Site Can Dance? SEO vs. Branding and Conversion

back to top

Carol Steinberg is the Vice President of Davidsbridal.com, the nation's leading bridal retailer, based outside of Philadelphia, PA.  Carol leads the team responsible for creating superior online customer experiences by focusing on website usability, online marketing (email, search and media), community and social networking, and web analytics.  Prior to joining David's Bridal in September 2006, Carol spent 12 years at QVC in various technology and internet roles.  In her last position, as Director of Online Marketing, she helped the ecommerce business reach it's first billion dollar year in 2006. Carol holds a B.S. in Accounting from Ithaca College and an M.B.A. from Temple University.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Selecting the Right Solution Provider for your Retail Operations

back to top

Don Tapscott is an internationally renowned authority on the strategic value and impact of information technology. He consistently identifies and explains the next business imperatives and defines the business models and strategies that the new imperatives require. He has authored or coauthored eleven widely read books on technology and business.

His most recent book—Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything—is an international bestseller, has appeared on the New York Times and BusinessWeek bestseller lists, and has been translated into 19 languages. Based on the largest investigation of strategic IT in business ever conducted, Wikinomics explains how businesses can tap the full potential of the emerging networked economy and its self-organized,
mass-participatory communities.

Don is Chief Executive of New Paradigm and an Adjunct Professor of Management at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

Session: KEYNOTE - Tuesday, September 16, 10:45-11:45am -- Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Retail and Marketing

back to top

Beth has over 23 years of experience in business planning, product development, and brand marketing with multi-channel businesses in the retail, financial services, and media industries. She is a Senior Consulting Director with Creative Good. Creative Good has been helping clients improve their business through listening to their customers for over 10 years. Creative Good has run more than 300 consulting projects with companies in retail from startups like SmartBargains to larger more established players like PetSmart and Victoria's Secret. These companies and many more have had conversion rates rise, page views increased and call center inquiries decreased through their work with Creative Good. Creative Good also runs the private executive leadership forum known as the Councils where Dexecutives (from CEOs to managers and directors) help their non-competing peers build better, more customer-centric companies.

Prior to coming to Creative Good, Beth worked in senior roles at CBS MarketWatch, AOL's Digital City and advised clients like Target Corporation, Limited Too, and Wells Fargo, and others, on their strategic online initiatives.

Session: Doctor Is In - Web’s Best Practices

back to top

Ray Tofolo is Bare Escentuals’ Director of Consumer and Portal Technologies.  In this role, he is responsible for architecting and implementing systems to support global CRM, ecommerce, infomercial, catalog, call center and customer service operations. 

For over 17 years, he has applied technology to business challenges, with a focus on direct-to-consumer and emerging technologies.  He has led numerous multi-national and multi-channel initiatives by developing and executing global technology strategies – from back-end customer data management and order fulfillment through the front-end user interface design, development and digital marketing campaign management.

Ray started his career in Price Waterhouse addressing large clients’ efforts to implement ERP systems and streamline business processes.  Seeking a more hands-on role in technical execution, he worked with various software providers and eventually moved to industry. Ray holds a degree in Business and Finance from Pepperdine University.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Selecting the Right Solution Provider for your Retail Operations

back to top

Sarah is a Stanford University (BS) graduate in Quantitative Economics and launched her career at Boston Consulting Group. She completed her formal education at Stanford Business School in 1999. Seeing a trend for the resurgence of high end crafts, she founded eKnitting.com by pulling together angel funding. From this venture, she was enticed to work for the national brand Gymboree where she merchandised and marketed the company's Janie and Jack website. Today, Sarah is responsible for leading Bare Escentuals' ecommerce growth and online marketing efforts. Bare Escentuals products are sold online at www.bareescentuals.com, in company-owned Bare Escentuals retail boutiques, on QVC and through TV infomercial, mail order, select specialty retailers like Sephora, Ulta and Nordstrom, plus high-end spas and international channels.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Selecting the Right Solution Provider for your Retail Operations

back to top

Brian serves eBusiness, Channel & Product Management professionals. He researches the effect that technology advancements, operational needs, and changing consumer behaviors have on the online retail industry. Brian has specific expertise in B2C and B2B eBusiness within retail and online travel, and his interests focus on multichannel strategies, user experience design, and technology solutions that facilitate the interactions between consumers, retailers, and brands. Brian has experience with a wide range of eCommerce technologies, ranging from platforms and software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings to analytics, rich imaging, search, online marketing tools, and content management, among others.

Brian is a seasoned Internet and eCommerce leader with extensive experience working with a wide range of commerce platforms and related technologies, such as rich media, analytics, email-marketing, search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), content management, digital asset management, dynamic content delivery, and content syndication.

Brian has more than 11 years of experience in eCommerce and online marketing, serving senior roles for large, established online retailers and Web marketers such as Amazon.com, Classmates Online, Inc., Eddie Bauer, Expedia.com, and The Spiegel Group and providing solutions for the online retailers and Web marketers while at Amazon Enterprise Solutions and his own firm. Additionally Brian presided over a start-up company, Swallowtail Solutions, focused on innovative eCommerce solutions for emerging retailers. Brian's roles span both business and technology leadership, from Web marketing, online merchandising, product management, solution architecture, customer experience design, and technology leadership. 

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Emerging Retail Technologies

back to top

Ronit Weinberg serves as the Director of E-business for designer Diane von Furstenberg ("DVF"), where she is responsible for all aspects of strategic planning, management, operations and search marketing for the DVF's E-business division. Prior to the E-business position Mrs. Weinberg served as Director of Retail for DVF, where she is responsible for all aspects of strategic planning, management, and operations for the DVF retail stores, DVF's e-commerce division, and DVF's retail department store business. Mrs. Weinberg also oversaw the development of the redesigned DVF.com website, which resulted in a 300% increase in sales, and supervised all aspects of the relationship between DVF and Amazon and the current platform provider ATG. Prior to joining DVF, Mrs. Weinberg was the Global Strategic Business Planning Manager for Marc Jacobs Inc. from March 2000 until March 2004 and was one of the primary architects of the launch of the Marc by Marc Jacobs collection. Mrs. Weinberg's retail and wholesale experience also includes merchandise planning for the women's and men's divisions of Tommy Hilfiger, where she was promoted to Director of Retail Planning and Analysis for Hilfiger's upscale women's line in 1999. Prior to joining Tommy Hilfiger, Mrs. Weinberg was a Merchandise Buyer and Department Planner in a number of women's departments at Saks Fifth Avenue and an Assistant Buyer at Burdines in Miami, Florida.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Selecting the Right Solution Provider for your Retail Operations

back to top

Doug Williams is the Director of Marketing for Lane Bryant Catalog, a division of Charming Shoppes, Inc. He is responsible for the strategic planning and execution of catalog and ecommerce marketing for the brand, a leading merchant of plus size women’s apparel. Previously he directed a variety of catalog and online marketing functions at Sierra Trading Post, a multichannel merchant of closeout and overstock name brand clothing and outdoor gear.

Session: Wednesday, September 17, 1:15-2:30pm -- Increasing your Inbox ROI:  7 Ways to Boost Email Marketing Results

back to top

Bernardine Wu is the CEO of FitForCommerce, an industry resource and consultancy helping online businesses benchmark to best practices and select best-fit technology solutions. Bernardine founded FitForCommerce after years of operational and strategic success in helping online retailers design and re-launch competitive webstores as president and COO at Venda, an on-demand eCommerce platform provider. Retail clients included: Lands' End, Neiman Marcus, Crabtree & Evelyn, UnderArmour, Pokemon and DoItYourself.com. Bernardine has extensive business development, finance, technology and eCommerce experience rooted in Wall Street and a successful history working in the technology industry as a consultant for Accenture. Bernardine also serves on the board of directors of SiteAcuity which provides online marketing, sales and contact center technology.

Session: Doctor Is In -- Rapid Site Eval: Making sure you've prioritized the Must Have and Should Have features to improve your eCommerce site!

back to top

Though diminutive in stature, Denise possesses a commanding voice in the digital marketing industry that warrants a listen. A 25 year marketing veteran, she has spent the last 15 years of her career focusing on the emerging digital landscape, cultivating a focus on ecommerce and retail. She and her team have more than a decade of experience guiding industry leading retailers to capture the measurable value of the interactive medium to advance their businesses with a proven record of innovation focused on results. In her role as president and CSO of NetPlus Marketing, Inc., a top 50 full-service digital marketing agency, she has emerged as a dynamic figure among industry leaders who are paving the way for the new marketing and corporate dynamics that will drive business in the decades to come.

Session: Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-2:15pm -- Emerging Retail Technologies

back to top