Succeeding in the Age of Amazon
Half Day Symposium || Monday, March 12, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Location: Utopia A
The headlines are undeniable: Amazon is upending the marketplace. Retailers and CPGs cannot afford to mull their strategies as Amazon and shoppers remain focused on increasingly easy and exciting shopping opportunities.
The new world order of speed and satisfaction is forcing companies to recommit to their reason for being and create experiences that will draw shoppers to their stores and sites for unique interactions with products and services. Amazon is the ultimate reminder that brands and retailers must carve out strategies that are as unique as their businesses in order to drive growth and success.
This half-day symposium offers an opportunity to tap into critical elements of succeeding in an age of Amazon.
Speaker Line-up Includes:
Start with Your Reason for Being
Amazon has upended the market for retailers and CPG manufacturers alike. Walgreens, both a retailer and manufacturer, is doubly challenged by the changing way people shop. Luke Rauch, Walgreens’ senior director, U.S. insights, believes that anchoring strategies to what a company and brand stand for results in more meaningful innovation and solid growth. With in-store experiences, curated assortments and personalized services, Rauch demonstrates viable ways to succeed in the age of Amazon. During this presentation attendees will:
- Learn how to focus on their unique “reason for being.”
- Discover how data can help define meaningful “value” for their brand/company.
- Thrive beyond the Amazon experience with what makes sense for their brand/company.
Luke Rauch
Sr. Director, US Insights
Insider Tips to Crushing It on Amazon: Strategies, Tactics and Analytics to Unlock the Code
As the largest online retailer in the world, Amazon has become a bigger part of the online and omnichannel strategy for brand manufacturers of all sizes. Its constant innovations, multiple platforms and diverse marketplaces require e-commerce teams to design Amazon-specific playbooks and analytics programs to drive business results. There are ways to leverage Amazon’s first-party data to accomplish best-in-class strategies and measure results. This session will share strategies, best practices and measurement of AMS and other Amazon promotion and media opportunities. It will take a look at designing and executing an Amazon-specific build-drive-earn strategy, optimizing performance across Amazon’s various platforms and marketplaces, and utilizing analytics to improve performance and drive business results. Attendees will:
- Learn how to build the perfect PDP.
- Discover keys to winning in search.
- Explore how to deliver sensational ROI with AMS and AAP.
Danny Silverman
CMO
Melissa Burdick
Co-Founder & CEO
How to Defy E-Commerce Price Gravity
While pricing is always at the sole discretion of the retailer, there is still constant and real pressure on brands in today's ever-commoditizing marketplace. With e-commerce price transparency and price matching, aggressive retail promoting, private labels and small startup brands, third-party marketplace sellers and retail arbitrage, as well as new value-centric disruptive e-commerce models like Dollar Shave Club, brands can’t sit idle and let e-commerce price gravity control their destiny. Attendees will:
- Learn what e-commerce price gravity is, how is it happening, and what you can/should do to defy it.
- Learn about MRP Policy (vs. MAP Policy) and iMRP Policy, including monitoring and strict/uniform enforcement.
- Discover preventative actions to avoid unnecessary triggers.
- Acquire creative product and promotional strategies to avoid triggers, yet still effectively drive business growth.
Chris Perry
Sr. Director, E-Commerce
How to Be the Best Amazon Partner
The top question we get from brands is, “how do we best partner with Amazon?” The answer — which involves data, algorithms, strange philosophies and robots — might surprise you! The best way to Amazon’s algorithmic heart is to understand the philosophy and the data … and how to make it work for your brand. Attendees will:
- Learn the keys to success on Amazon.
- Explore common mistakes most brands are making.
- Discover how to take your business to the next level.
Andrea Leigh
VP, Client Services
Creating an Amazon-Ready Toolbox
This presentation will review the day's highlights with tips for creating — and curating — your own assortment of tools to compete in the Amazon-dominant marketplace of the future. Attendees will:
- Learn how to reinforce their "reason for being" and demonstrate it best as a "single source of truth."
- Discover methods for ensuring your SSOT is not only Amazon-compliant, but also Amazon-friendly. Winning through Amazon means winning the search game and succeeding with marketing.
- Explore pricing it right in an e-commerce world; defying e-commerce price gravity with creative product and promotional strategies.
- Get tips for working with — but not being owned by — Amazon.
Scot Wingo
President & CEO
