Over the course of Shoptalk Spring’s three days, we conducted a series of interviews with experts from Mars United Commerce and Saatchi & Saatchi X to get their perspectives on the key themes heard from the stage and show floor. Here’s what they told us.
Amy Andrews
President
Mars United
Shoptalk Spring made it clear that retail media is still the hottest topic in commerce marketing. And the need to create physical and digital experiences that drive brand performance by first resonating with shoppers was the dominant talk track on the event’s New Market stage.
In a panel discussion led by Mars United president Amy Andrews, Sam’s Club’s Harvey Ma, Nordstrom’s Aaron Dunford, and Paypal’s Jenna Griffith suggested that consumer sentiment might be just as important a metric for effective retail media as ROAS. Amy provides more key takeaways from the session here:
Casey Lissau
Executive Creative Director
Saatchi & Saatchi X
The convergence of the digital and physical retail environments was a major theme at Shoptalk Spring as brands and retailers seek to create the content and “experiences” that will truly impact shopper behavior. The concept was notablly mentioned in conversations around the extension of retail media into the store, but the need to improve the overall brick-and-mortar experience to drive shopper loyalty was also championed by executives from such diverse retailers as Sam’s Club and Gap, Inc.
Here, Casey Lissau offers his perspective on key takeaways from the event.
Andy Murray
Founder & Executive Chairman
Saatchi & Saatchi X
“Everything Old is New Again” was another common theme as retailers outlined strategies for transforming loyalty programs through personalized communication, seamless experiences, and rewards that don’t include discounts. (A meet and greet with Bero founder and actor Tom Holland, anyone?)
In this video, Andy Murray explains why he’s pleased to see the industry moving beyond the hype of retail media and artificial intelligence to develop actionable strategies that can optimize both opportunities for the benefit of shoppers, brands, and retailers.
Michele Roney
EVP-Retailer CX
Mars United
Brick-and-mortar retail was alive and well at the event: health supplement maker AG1 has tripled its sales to $600 million in the last three years as a pure-play direct-to-consumer business, yet the company will soon move into traditional retail channels, CEO Kat Cole noted; 90% of trendy travel gear marketer BÉIS’s $300 million in revenue is DTC, but retail partnerships are “critically important” to the brand’s growth, according to CEO Adeela Hussain Johnson.
Here, Michele Roney discusses another reason why the physical store is still vital: to provide shoppers with the “magic” of a tangible experience, especially in categories like beauty and toys.
