RetailConnections OmniChannel Engagement & Analytics Forum will deliver insights and in-depth exchange on what retailers are doing to sharpen business and technology strategies and practices and capture greater share of wallet

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (March 19, 2013) — When it comes to a seamless cross-channel experience, the retail store is by far the biggest barrier to delivering on shopper expectations.

Creating alignment in digital channels alone is “relatively easy.” In stores, however, it’s slow, expensive, and very difficult to execute, said Nikki Baird, Managing Partner, RSR Research.

Baird will deliver one of the major presentations at the RetailConnections OmniChannel Engagement and Analytics Forum at the Marriott Downtown in NYC July 23. Baird will examine the ways that retailers and brands are looking to bring the store more in line with the digital customer experience.

In addition to leading edge store experience examples, Nikki will provide a glimpse of the future store impact on social and mobile channels, as well as what retailers and brands need to do now to position for a more localized digital experience in the store.

The store role in the digitized age is just one of several major areas that will be examined in-depth at the forum. Other areas include strategies for engaging customers across channels, leveraging advanced analytical tools to identify best profit opportunities, sales commission alignment and more. The forum program will involve diverse areas of the enterprise, including ecommerce, digital, merchandising, marketing, technology, stores, operations and finance.

The forum is designed by retailers for retailers and will feature a packed day of retailer presentations and panel discussions, themed discussion groups, working luncheon, reception and networking breaks and intense exchange throughout.

Registration is open now at www.retailconnections.com. The program will deliver exceptional ROI for time invested and is open to all senior retail business and technology leaders heading-up and/or engaged in taking omnichannel to the next level.

For more information, contact Marc Millstein (914) 620-5947 or visit our web site. For sponsorship opportunities, contact LuAnn Hallberg, (814) 516-4965.

RETAILCONNECTIONS serves senior retail executives by hosting events that provide exceptional learning and networking. We believe the value of establishing new business relationships in person far outweighs other forms of communication. In this era when knowledge from all retail departments is intertwined, events that bring together top-level management from every function area deliver the greatest business insights.

Merchandise Assortment Optimization Key to Reinvigorating Retail Profits

RSR’s Paula Rosenblum to discuss merchandising optimization challenges and opportunities at Miami Summit

MIAMI, Dec 18, 2012 – Amid concerns about underperforming inventory, retailers are seeking out new methods to optimize product assortment, merchandising and inventory management.

Advances in demand forecasting and customer analytics are providing growing numbers of retailers with increasingly effective solutions to manage inventory across the enterprise – from placing orders and distributing product to merchandising in-store and online.

Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner, Retail Systems Research, is the latest industry leader to join the roster of the sixth annual RetailConnections Business Executive Summit, Feb. 24-26, in Miami.

Rosenblum will discuss business opportunities and challenges retailers face in areas including merchandising operations and assortment optimization as well as how best performers separate themselves from competitors.

This topic meshes well with other confirmed presentations on issues such as customer engagement, loyalty, advanced analytics and agile enterprise, private label, insights on shopper behavior, staffing excellence, future economic landscape, omnichannel marketing and hottest industry topics.

The Summit has also been refreshed in terms of format and flow to supercharge exchange and learning between all attendees – presenters and audience alike – throughout the frank and high level day-and-a-half retail executive gathering.

Keynote and panel presenters include:

• Steve Light, Group VP, Merchandise Operations, Meijer
• Adam Holyk, Group VP, Insights & Analytics, Walgreens
• Tiffany Tocco, VP, Marketing, The Bon-Ton Stores
• Serge Azadian, VP, IT, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company
• Elliott Sogol, PhD, Group Manager, Professional Services, Target
• Girisha Chandraraj, EVP, Marketing & Sales, Blick Art Materials
• Deanna Steele, VP, IT Applications, Express
• Stephen Jackson, CIO, Harry Rosen
• Claire Quinn, Group Director, Category Advisory Services, Shopper Insights, Coca-  Cola
• Lonnie Lawton, CFO, Helzberg Diamonds Shops
• Bryan Tatoff, CFO, Danier Leather
• Richard Hastings, Macro Strategist, Global Hunter Securities LLC
• Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner, Retail Systems Research
• Lisa Kranc, (just retired) SVP, Marketing Customer Satisfaction, AutoZone
• Butch Jagoda, VP of IT, Helzberg Diamonds Shops
• Phil Cutter, CIO, Danier Leather

The Summit is a dynamic brain trust, with general sessions, themed group discussions, luncheon roundtables and networking inspiring in-depth exchange and learning. The Summit is open to some 90-100 retailer executives and 150 attendees in total.

Sponsors signed on for the Summit include Axis Communications, CrossView, 4R Systems, Epson, Hybris Software, JustEnough Software, Pitney Bowes, Predictix, Reflexis Systems and Scopix.

For more information about the Summit, or to attend, go to www.retailconnections.com  and click on the Summit 2013 banner, or contact marc@retailconnections.com. For sponsorship information, contact luann@retailconnections.com.

RETAILCONNECTIONS serves senior retail executives by hosting events that provide exceptional learning and networking. We believe the value of establishing new business relationships in person far outweighs other forms of communication. In this era when knowledge from all retail departments is intertwined, events that bring together top-level management from every function area deliver the greatest business insights.

Seeking Superior Shopper Experience?Look No Further Than the White Coat

Target’s Sogol to reveal the right scripts to engage customers

In RetailConnections Feb. 25 keynote, Meijer Group VP Steve Light will outline framework for capturing new customers and locking in loyalty

MIAMI, Nov. 6, 2012 — Brand-building is everybody’s business with opportunities to shine across all operational areas from marketing and merchandising to logistics, e-commerce, store ops, finance and IT.

And in the realm of private label brands, business is booming. Sales of store brands grew 3.9% while national brands rose just 0.6% in a year’s time, according to The Nielsen Company’s latest figures. Among those attuned to private label’s potential is Steve Light, Group Vice President, Merchandising Operations at Meijer, the big box behemoth with an estimated $16 billion in annual revenues.

Light will share insights on leveraging innovative strategies to propel private label growth and secure customer allegiance for the long term at the RetailConnections Business Executive Summit, Feb. 24-26, 2013, in Miami. In his keynote, “Taking Private Label Brands to the Next Level: The Role of Innovation as a Foundation for Growth,” Light will outline the forces shaping private label programs including globalization, trends in sourcing and the new frontier of digital media and e-commerce.

As Meijer and other retailers are well aware, private labels are outperforming national brands on key growth metrics, reaching record-breaking levels in both dollars and units sold. And price is becoming a rapidly diminishing consideration for consumers, even as the economy shows signs of recovery. Savvy retailers are investing in existing brands and building new product families to seize this rich opportunity.

Just this week, Walgreen launched its own line of “green” household goods under the Ology name as a way to differentiate itself from competitors. The first wave of 24 baby and personal care items, light bulbs, cleaning and paper products will hit more than 7,900 stores this week. Another two dozen Ology products are due out this spring from Walgreen.

RetailConnections Summit presenters include
Stephen Jackson, CIO, Harry Rosen
Steve Light, Group VP, Merchandising Operations, Meijer
Adam Holyk, DVP, Loyalty & Insights, Walgreen
Deanna Steele, VP, IT Applications, Express
Lisa Kranc, SVP, Marketing, AutoZone
Girisha Chandraraj, EVP, Marketing & Sales, Blick Art Materials
Lonnie Lawton, CFO, Helzberg Diamonds Shops
Butch Jagoda, VP of IT, Helzberg Diamonds Shops
Bryan Tatoff, CFO, Danier Leather
Phil Cutter, CIO, Danier Leather
Richard Hastings, Macro Strategist, Global Hunter Securities LLC

Registration for the RetailConnections Business Executive Summit Feb. 24-26, 2013, is open to qualified retail executives and registration via www.retailconnections.com. Discount rates at the Turnberry Isle Hotel & Resort are available for a limited time, after which point reservations will be accommodated on an as-available basis. Sign up now for this once-a-year senior leadership Summit.

For more information, contact Denise Power, (773) 573-3939 denise@retailconnections.com or Marc Millstein (914) 620-5947 marc@retailconnections.com or visit our web site. For sponsorship opportunities, contact LuAnn Hallberg, (814) 516-4965 luann@retailconnections.com.

RetailConnections serves senior retail executives by hosting events that provide exceptional learning and networking. We believe the value of establishing new business relationships in person far outweighs other forms of communication. In this era when knowledge from all retail departments is intertwined, events that bring together top-level management from every function area deliver the greatest business insights.

MIAMI, Oct. 9, 2012 — A multifaceted clienteling system pioneered by menswear retailer Harry Rosen exploits digital, mobile, imagery, e-learning and multichannel to amplify customer loyalty while igniting sales associates’ productivity via portfolio management and friendly, in-house competition.

Early results of the advanced initiative will be shared at the RetailConnections Business Executive Summit Feb. 24-26, 2013, in Miami. “Stephen Jackson, chief information officer of Harry Rosen, shared some details with us and I was just knocked out,” said Marc Millstein, president of RetailConnections. “This sophisticated CRM program incorporates all the ‘wish list’ items of retailers seeking to optimize omnichannel and the customer experience.”

Jackson is among a powerful roster of Summit presenters that also includes senior executives from Meijer, Hudson Group, AutoZone, Walgreen and more.

Harry Rosen’s clienteling initiative incorporates a unique blend of customer-facing tools that invite shoppers to engage with sales associates who know their wardrobe needs, style preferences, budgets and what their closets contain (and lack). Likewise, an arsenal of tools, such as “e-pics” and a companywide image gallery, enable Harrry Rosen salespeople to send clients photos of suggested ensembles to keep the dialogue going between store visits.

At the Summit, Jackson will divulge enhancements that have been made to their CRM program that won the Gold Sales Effectiveness Award in Gartner and 1to1 Media’s 2012 CRM Excellence Awards.

Behind the scenes, the CRM program features sales productivity tools that enable associates to track their own sales, conversion rates and other metrics to benchmark against top performers in the company. “We are trying to train them in portfolio management,” said Jackson.

“We are also trying to ignite that competitive spirit among associates, comparing them to the next guy up,” said Jackson. “If you have a $750,000 guy, [we’re] showing him what the million-dollar guy is doing — perhaps he is contacting 80% of his client base and you are contacting only 68% of your client base.” Harry Rosen offers e-learning as a method for sales associates to ramp up areas in need of improvement.

RetailConnections Summit presenters include: 

Steve Light, Group VP, Merchandise Operations, Meijer
Adam Holyk, DVP, Loyalty & Insights, Walgreen
Stephen Jackson, CIO, Harry Rosen
Gary Macrae, SVP, CIO, Hudson Group
Deanna Steele, VP, IT Applications, Express
Lisa Kranc, SVP, Marketing, AutoZone
Dan Smith, former CIO, Hudson’s Bay Company
Richard Hastings, Macro Strategist, Global Hunter Securities LLC

Registration for the RetailConnections Business Executive Summit Feb. 24-26, 2013, is open to qualified retail executives and registration via www.retailconnections.com. Discount rates for accommodations at Turnberry Isle Hotel & Resort are available for a limited time, after which rooms at the hotel will be on an as-available basis. Sign up now for this once-a-year senior leadership Summit.

For more information, contact Denise Power, (773) 573-3939 denise@retailconnections.com or Marc Millstein (914) 620-5947 marc@retailconnections.com or visit our web site. For sponsorship opportunities, contact LuAnn Hallberg, (814) 516-4965 luann@retailconnections.com.

RetailConnections serves senior retail executives by hosting events that provide exceptional learning and networking. We believe the value of establishing new business relationships in person far outweighs other forms of communication. In this era when knowledge from all retail departments is intertwined, events that bring together top-level management from every function area deliver the greatest business insights.