Big !dea Sessions are sponsored 30min sessions that will take place in the EXPO hall. Companies will be offering retailer case studies, newly released innovations and best practices seminars during these sessions. For more information on sponsoring a Big !dea Session please contact Stacy Cornell at cornells@shop.org.

Big Idea Session Sponsor:

Merchandising Matters. Consumer Research and Gaiam Case Study on Personalization
Robert Cell, CEO, MyBuys and Jason Marshall, VP/GM, Gaiam Direct

This session will cover tips and tricks for how to implement personalization on the Web and across email based on a 1,000 consumer survey conducted by the e-tailing group.  Robert Cell, CEO MyBuys will share smart merchandising ideas and will review how and where shoppers want to see personalized recommendations.  Jason Marshall, VP/GM of Gaiam Direct, will walk through a case study of how they are using personalization to increase revenue, conversion and customer loyalty.

Big Idea Session Sponsor:

How Will the Credit Card Bill Impact eCommerce?
Marwan Forzley, President and CEO, eBillme

May/09 President Obama signed the CreditCardholders’ Bill of RightsAct., which will have an impact on eCommerce. This bill will impact credit issuance, the Under 21 demographic, and the issuance/use of gift-cards.

Join eBillme’s BigIDEA’s session discussing the credit-card bill, and the implications for eTailers. Find out what retailers need to implement at the checkout, to prepare for this new legislation and consumer payment preferences. This bill will come into effect Feb.2010, is your website ready?

Big Idea Session Sponsor:

Preparing for the Holiday Hurricane – Indentifying Trends
Ed Hoffman, VP of Worldwide Field Operations, SLI Systems

Seasons are changing, holidays are coming – what should you do now? When times change, so does the demand for certain products. Identifying trends by understanding what your customers are searching for is critical. Join us in a discussion on how you can identify changes in customer expectations of your site using analytics from your site search, how to respond and how to improve the customer experience.

Big Idea Session Sponsor:

How to Improve Sales By Maximizing Consumer ConfidenceTim Callan, VP Product Marketing, VeriSign and Vibhav Prasad, Vice President, Web Marketing & Merchandising, 1-800-flowers.com

For online businesses like 1-800-flowers.com, earning and maintaining trust is paramount at every stage of the customer experience.  The effectiveness of online security indicators in increasing customer trust and therefore improving online business is well-demonstrated.  However, as consumers grow in sophistication, they have begun to evaluate online businesses for more than just security indicators, which are themselves of varying degrees of efficacy.  This presentation will summarize the latest ways for businesses to demonstrate their trustworthiness to potential customers, as well as discuss how 1-800-flowers.com addresses the issues of security and trust for customers to their Web site. 

Big Idea Session Sponsor:

Email Habits of Top Online Retailers
Loren McDonald, VP of Industry Relations, Silverpop

A recent study conducted by Silverpop showcases the best practices and common mistakes of top online retailers.  Are retailers successfully engaging their customers in a dialog? Has the current economic slowdown led to a risky increase in frequency? Do customers now have better choices at opt-in? The study results will provide answers to these questions and more.

Big Idea Session Sponsor:  

Personalized Product Recommendations:  Identifying Quick Wins and Quantifying the Value
Julian Chu, Head of eCommerce, PUMA North America and Meyar Sheik, CEO and Co-founder, Certona

With guest speaker Julian Chu, Head of eCommerce, PUMA North America, this session will demonstrate best practices for personalized product recommendation including the critical success factors, quantifying the value of recommendations with A/B testing & analytics, and quick wins for the 2009 holiday season.  Retailers will learn how to:

* Increase AOV and sales
* Implement quick wins for 2009 and beyond
* Quantify the value of recommendations with A/B testing and analytics

Big Idea Session Sponsor:

How to cover your catalog with videos in 24 hours?
Dr. Melody King, VP Marketing and Sales, Treepodia

With their ability to display products in action, videos are a perfect addition to any ecommerce site.  Video engages shoppers, enhances the user experience and increases sales. According to eMarketer, the main obstacle preventing retailers from using this incredible tool is the high cost of video production.  But cost doesn’t have to be a problem.

Treepodia’s unique automatic video production technology converts your product images, marketing texts and merchandizing rules into high converting videos. Come see how.

Big Idea Session Sponsor: 

Women in their Digital Domain: Digital paths to filling the shopping cart
Tom Kersten, Retail Industry Director, Microsoft Advertising, Microsoft

Technology has transformed everyone’s lives.  Women have been impacted by the digital revolution and it is having a strong effect on their shopping behavior.  Using the recent research by Microsoft Advertising and Mindshare, I will discuss how Women’s interests, behavior and actions are shaped in the digital domain.

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

Contact Stacy Cornell at cornells@shop.org or call 434.326.5740. 
Download the prospectus, including current sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities.

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