Keynotes: 2018 Path to Purchase Summit

Tuesday, March 13, 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

Beyond No Brand's Land: Building Brand Belief

We live in challenging times. Trust in institutions sits at an all-time low, while expectations for brands have never been higher. Brands that can figure out how to navigate this reality have a huge opportunity in front of them. Drawing from Edelman’s “Trust Barometer” and “Earned Brand” studies, Jamie Kieffer will share insight on what it takes for brands to win – and avoid the dreaded “No Brand’s Land.” Attendees will:

Discover the power of belief-driven buyers.
Explore the key factors that drive brand belief.
Learn what brands need to do to win.

Tuesday, March 13, 8:45 AM - 9:30 AM

Building Shopper Loyalty: Forget Discounts, Create Experiences

For the last decade, retailers have created CRM-based loyalty programs to understand and build relationships with shoppers, primarily through special offers and personalized discounts. That’s no longer enough. Today, building loyalty is all about creating an enhanced shopper experience that adds value not only price.

Adam Holyk will discuss how Walgreens is using data, analytics and insights to create compelling differentiation – in-store, online and through merchandise, services and trained experts. Wendy Liebmann will share new “How America Shops” research that defines what shoppers demand from retailers if they are to be loyal, and where customer experience fits in today’s new retail world. Attendees will:

Learn what shopper loyalty really means.
Discover how to combine data with experience to create a compelling brand proposition.
Understand how to use personalization to create activities that are meaningful to shoppers.
Explore how to differentiate in the shift between physical and digital shopping.

Tuesday, March 13, 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

BuzzFeed's Tasty and the Science Behind Modern, Massive Growth

What do an investigative news organization, exploding watermelons, “Sliders 4 Ways” and more than 9 billion monthly content views have in common? All are part of BuzzFeed, the global media, entertainment and technology company that covers breaking news, produces original posts and videos, and creates shareable content on everything from politics and business to DIY and those addicting Tasty recipe videos – all while paving the way for the future of digital media.

With more choice than ever, brands must stop expecting users to be loyal to brands and start being loyal to their users. In this session, attendees will learn about the business behind Tasty, BuzzFeed’s global social food network, including how, in just two years, it grew into the biggest franchise on Facebook and one of the largest food channels on YouTube. Tasty, known globally for popularizing the overhead cam recipe video, has entered hundreds of millions of peoples’ home kitchens through their accessible, consumer-oriented point of view. Attendees will:

Hear BuzzFeed’s consumer-first growth strategy and how Tasty grew in the middle of a crowded, competitive environment.
Learn the history and future of this disruptive digital force as it expands beyond the mobile experience and into kitchens and retail stores.
Understand Tasty's ability to be a full funnel solution for brands to drive in-store activation.

Wednesday, March 14, 7:45 AM - 8:45 AM

How Digital Disruption Has Changed the Path to Market

Today’s consumer is more demanding than ever before. And, in the “new world” of retail, the emergence of personalized technology, on-demand services, social media and ever-changing trends means meeting the needs of consumers has become more challenging than ever before. In order to keep up with demand, retailers need to discover innovation quickly in order to compete. Hear first hand from leading retail category buyers about how discovery has changed for them and understand their unique methodologies to keep up with today's retail landscape. In this session you will:

Learn how retailers are leveraging new technology to discover and source emerging and on-trend products at scale.
Explore the role of today's category buyer with insight into current buyer trends, behavior and habits.

Wednesday, March 14, 8:45 AM - 9:15 AM

The Three Kings - Focusing on What's Most Important

Change is constant in our world. Technology capabilities, artificial intelligence and new service offerings have added to the speed of change. New experiences are raising the bar and disruptive business models are transforming entire industries.

Meijer has been a consistent leader in the space of digital shopping and innovation by focusing on what’s most important: customers, convenience and content – the “three kings.” Hear how the “three kings” are shaping Meijer's go-to-market strategy by keeping these fundamental tenets front and center:

Superior and seamless customer experiences, whether shopping at one of the more than 230 brick-and-mortar locations or through the retailer’s digital and e-commerce enhancements.
Convenience, including making shopping easier through curbside pickup or home delivery along with helping save customers time by offering express checkout and a wide variety of in-store services.
Content, as curating content for customers adds value to their shopping experience; Meijer works with numerous brands to providehealth attributes, recipes, custom coupons, and more.

Wednesday, March 14, 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM

Moonshot Thinking: Are You Ready, Willing & (most importantly) Able?

Prepare to get a little uncomfortable and think big. A "moonshot" project exists somewhere between the audacious and pure science fiction. The goal is 10X improvement -- not 10% -- because, as the saying goes, "A 10% improvement just means you're doing the same thing as everybody else. You might not fail spectacularly, but you won't succeed wildly either."

Moonshot Thinking can enable a company to disrupt its industry and truly beat the competition. It focuses your thinking, motivates your team and helps attract the best talent. And it is beyond critical for anyone operating in today's retail environment. Consider: