- Mar 27, 2017
Updated: Feb 17, 2021
Last week, Karoline (Smartzer Founder and CEO) and Miles (Head of Business Development) headed to Las Vegas to attend Shoptalk 2017.
Shoptalk is one of the largest and most exciting global retail and e-commerce events with over 5,000 attendees and over 2,000 companies in attendance this year. The event provided the opportunity to learn and share ideas about the changing consumer shopping experience. Emphasis was placed on the use of technology and changes in the ideal shopping experience from the perspective of both consumer preferences and their expectations.
We made the most of the opportunity to network with some incredible retail experts and maximised on the wide array of talks which were scheduled. With over 330 speakers at this year’s Shoptalk, there were so many innovative companies and inspirational people represented. We were kept busy attending as many talks as possible!
It was great to hear talks given by individuals representing Smartzer clients such as Kohl’s and Halston. We enjoyed hearing Kevin Mansell (Chairman, CEO and President at Kohl’s) discussing the importance of technology at Kohl’s. Kevin explained the variety of ways that the $2bn Kohl’s has invested in technology over the past 2 years. He described how it has been used to enhance the consumer experience online and in store, as well as in streamlining supply chain processes. It was great to hear how our interactive video commerce technology has aided in improving the consumer experience at Kohl’s.
We also heard Suzanne Hader (CMO at Halston) talking in a panel alongside Jim Squires of Instagram and Brian Monahan of Pinterest, discussing the future of social commerce and the importance of influencers as the core to social marketing.
Especially pertinent to Smartzer was Mindy Grossman’s (CEO and Director at HSN, Inc.) talk about a runway made shoppable last season, and how this can be advanced next season. This certainly got us thinking about how our interactive technology could be used! In a similar vein to this was Uri Minkoff’s (Co-Founder and CEO at Rebecca Minkoff) discussion of the necessity for retailers to be flexible and adaptable to changes in the retail world. Specifically, in relation to streamlining and optimising the consumer experience.
Calvin McDonald (President and CEO at Sephora Americas) also emphasised the importance of innovation in engaging, educating and exciting clients in developing the consumer experience. One way that Sephora is doing this is in their new Classes for Confidence: Brave Beauty in the Face of Cancer programme, driven by the Sephora concept of Teach-Inspire-Play.
Another highlight included hearing the multi-talented Lionel Ritchie sharing not only his elegant homewares line Lionel Ritchie Home, but also his story about how he had pursued his dream despite his parents hoping he would train as a doctor or lawyer instead.
Beyond attending these (and many more!) interesting, educational and inspiring talks, we also took the chance to catch up with existing Smartzer clients as well as the New York Fashion Tech Lab and Plug and Play. To do so in such an exciting environment made for some brilliant conversations.
Smartzer would like to say a massive thank you to Shoptalk for such a fantastic three days in a beautiful location learning about the evolution of retail and the consumer experience and for the opportunity to share our concept and connect with incredible new people.
We’ve left Las Vegas with a spring in our step, some exciting new ideas and eagerly anticipating Shoptalk Europe in Copenhagen later this year!
- Mar 13, 2017
Updated: Jun 1, 2021
On the 8th and 9th of March, Smartzer attended the 23rd annual Retail Week Live at the O2 in London.
Run by the UK-based website and data service Retail Week, this annual event brings together world-leaders in retail to share compelling content via speeches, interviews, workshops and boardroom discussions.
We had the opportunity to chat to some very experienced and skilled retail experts from our stand showcasing Smartzer's tag video platform. Feedback on our interactive video technology was brilliant, and it was exciting to share our concept with world-leaders in retail and to hear their thoughts on the future of interactive videos.
We had also been selected to pitch our unique technology at LaunchPad (read more about LaunchPad in our previous blog post or on the Retail Week Live website).
We gave a short pitch and welcomed some interesting questions from members of the audience. The audience seemed especially interested in how we have been able to create such a simple interface which is so user-friendly, and it was great to hear that our video ecommerce technology is viewed in this way.
Retail Week Live was also a fantastic opportunity to hear some very distinguished speakers. We especially enjoyed speeches from Alex Baldock, Chief Executive at Shop Direct; Mike Coupe, Group Chief Executive at Sainsbury’s; and Terry Von Bibra, Group General Manager of Alibaba.
Alex had some interesting insights into pure play online retail which he shared. Specifically, the role that imagery and video will play in ensuring the success of this business method in the future. Mike also discussed the role that digital ventures and e-commerce will play in the future of Sainsbury’s following the acquisition of Argos. One business goal over the next three years is the incorporation of 250 Argos Digital Stores in Sainsbury’s outlets and the role of technology will be key in achieving this. Terry provided some comparisons between the Europe/US and China with regards to consumer behaviour, with the focus in China being the small mobile screen, rather than laptops and tablets. We were treated to an interactive runway show experience and some incredible virtual reality in-store experiences.
What was so exciting about these talks was the emphasis placed on the role of technology in the future of three massive brands. Especially with regards to e-commerce and the potentialities held by interactive video which is where our expertise here at Smartzer lies. It was great to discuss how brands can utilise their video content through out in-house technology to engage customers and drive sales. We are confident that more and more brands will move into this sphere and embrace the many benefits from using interactive video content marketing.
Thank you to Retail Week for such a stimulating and inspiring two days!
- Mar 3, 2017
Updated: Feb 17, 2021
On the 8th and 9th of March, Smartzer will be attending and pitching at the 23rd annual Retail Week Live at The O2 in London.
Run by the UK-based website and data service Retail Week, this annual event brings together world-leaders in retail to share compelling content via speeches, interviews, workshops and boardroom discussions.
One of the five stages at Retail Week Live, Launchpad, is entirely dedicated to bringing together startups and retail experts. It’s here that Smartzer will be pitching to a panel of influential judges and audience. We’re so excited to have the opportunity to share our ideas about how brands can utilise their interactive video content to engage their customers and drive sales. We really believe that our in-house technology is the ideal way for brands to embrace technology and incorporate it into their existing, often underutilised, promotional content.
Not only will we be pitching at Retail Week Live, but we will also be running a stand at Demo Pod 28. We’re really keen to make the most of the opportunity to speak to industry experts on an individual basis, hear their thoughts on our concept and show them some examples of our recent shoppable video projects. Even better, some of the brands we’ve worked with before, such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, QVC and Whistles, will also be attending. We’re looking forward to hopefully catching up with them.