RTP Editors Preview Retail TouchPoints Live! @ RetailX
In partnership with the brand new RetailX event (the co-location of IRCE, GlobalShop and RFID Journal Live! Retail), Retail TouchPoints is hosting Retail TouchPoints Live! @ RetailX for the first time June 25-26 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event includes three content tracks focusing on the next gen store, omnichannel optimization and digital transformation, and is designed to create a forum addressing the convergence of physical and digital shopping experiences.
Speakers from retailers such as BJ’s Wholesale Club, Under Armour, Hibbett Sports, Moosejaw and Adore Me will share the stage with analysts from BRP Consulting, HighStreet Collective and A.T. Kearney, among many others. The RTP editors share which sessions they’re most looking forward to at Retail TouchPoints Live!
Adam Blair, Editor: Surveying the session offerings for the debut of Retail TouchPoints Live! in Chicago next week is a bit like reading a restaurant menu when you’ve got the munchies: everything looks so good. But I’ll force myself to choose two tasty items: Driving A Decent Specialty Approach At the World’s Largest Retailer (While Still Remaining Well-Coiffed), with Moosejaw’s Dan Pingree revealing how the often edgy outdoors retailer is (hopefully) keeping its identity within an e-Commerce structure known for selling commodity-type consumables, a.k.a. Walmart.com. Given the recent absorption of Jet.com into Walmart, the session is quite topical. I’m also looking forward to Delivering A Consistent Customer Experience In A Complex Environment with Todd Sasala of Cedar Fair Entertainment. The ability to delight visitors in an amusement park’s multiple locations and situations sounds like it will be a great object lesson for retailers trying to create engaged, relevant customer journeys in increasingly experiential stores.
Glenn Taylor, Senior Editor: Being stuck in that middle ground of not being cheap enough while also not being differentiated enough is a harsh pit that no retailer wants to fall into. When it comes to those that do compete on price, even that is no longer enough to win the wallets of consumers. Many retailers seeking to compete on price are competing on just that factor, so I’m definitely curious to see what the session titled Breaking The Chains Of Price & Convenience With Omnichannel Experience has to offer. I think of companies like TJX and Dollar General that have done so well under their business models, simply because they offer things that can be found elsewhere — but for much lower prices. I wonder if other retailers can make headway in these verticals with the takeaways from this session. In the case of pricing and convenience, breaking conventions and making your own rules can often be a major risk, especially from a profitability standpoint, so I’d love to see where retailers can possibly mitigate that risk.
Bryan Wassel, Associate Editor: While Amazon Go has certainly generated a lot of buzz and a few other companies have launched their own takes on the format, the cashierless store has yet to take off. I’m not sure if this is a matter of cost, technology, or other factors, but I feel like the Will Cashierless Stores Dominate New Spaces? session has the right team of experts to shed some light on this trend and discuss what the future holds. Scan-and-go technology is not without its downsides, and new, previously unconsidered problems may crop up as more stores appear, but there will be unforeseen benefits as well. Innovators from companies like Third Haus and Innowi have a good grasp on what’s possible and likely in the future of retail; this should add some grounding in the realistically possible to this discussion of what is yet to come. The panel also will discuss best practices for designing the checkout experience itself, which will practical info for retailers that are just starting to explore these concepts.