16 - 17 June, 2010
Le Méridien Piccadilly, London, UK

Retail Innovations in eCommerce Day 1

June 16, London, UK

7:15 - Registration, Networking & Breakfast
Registration, Networking & Breakfast
7:15 - Registration, Networking & Breakfast

Breakfast Focus Group

Continuing Your Growth Path By Focusing Your Business For EfficiencyThankfully there’s been some more positive news since Q4 of 2009 but the retail environment remains tough. With budgets being tight, we need to make the right choices and focus on improving our existing resources and activities.
  • Assessing the best way to structure and run your online operation
    • Where should online sit organizationally to reach full potential?
  • Examining the ways and means to control and direct your business
    • What do you need to do to grow? (Category depth, width, international growth, inventory control, site optimisation)
    • Ways to achieve economy of scale
    • How to choose your strategic direction
  • Focusing your efforts on areas proven to deliver cost efficiencies
  • Embracing the right growth, operational excellence and innovation initiatives for your company

Limited To 25 Attendees. You can request to participate by contacting the conference director, Carina Kuhl, at carina.kuhl@wbresearch.com, all online retail brands are welcome.

8:15 - Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
No session description available.
8:30 - Keynote Panel - Pouncing On Opportunities In The Current Retail Marketplace
Andrew Ground, Chief Commercial Officer, LoveFilm UK
Andy Leaver, VP of International, BazaarVoice
Stephen Robertson, Director General, British Retail Consortium
Nicole Vanderbilt, CEO, mydeco.com
As CEOs continue to carefully watch and scrutinize all areas of their businesses, driving profitability and incremental revenue are essential to success in today’s economy. We have asked our group of innovative CEOs and MDs to share their growth strategies for the next twelve months. What can we do today to develop our businesses?
  • What strategies are making you successful?
  • What pressures do you face in terms of competing on price, value and/or brand – and how to deal with these?
  • Where are you investing your R&D resources and how?
  • What industries have an advantage in this environment? What are the advantages and opportunities available for you in your particular industry?
  • What opportunities are you exploring to capitalise on in the future?
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Andrew Ground
Chief Commercial Officer, LoveFilm UK

Andrew Ground is Chief Commercial Officer of LOVEFiLM International, where he looks after acquisition and retention of customers and buying of DVDs across 5 European markets. Before LOVEFiLM he worked at rapidly growing subscription business Homeserve where he was Marketing Director and Managing Director, having held a number of senior marketing roles in Sainsbury's including Brand Marketing Direc [read more]
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Andy Leaver
VP of International, BazaarVoice

Andy manages Bazaarvoice’s international expansion. He’s responsible for growing our international footprint, with current offices in London, Paris and Singapore. Andy comes to Bazaarvoice with nearly two decades of experience building out EMEA operations for technology leaders. Most recently he led the EMEA team for two years at SuccessFactors, where his team won over 350 customers. Prior to Succ [read more]
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Stephen Robertson
Director General, British Retail Consortium

Stephen's career has spanned 14 years on the boards of major UK retailers building on earlier management roles with Mars Inc, Unilever and Alberto-Culver. Stephen served for seven years on the board of B&Q plc before leading the acquisition of Screwfix Direct which he then chaired steering it through a period of strong growth. He went on to become Director of Communications at Kingfisher plc a [read more]
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Nicole Vanderbilt
CEO, mydeco.com

Nicole joined as CEO of innovative homewares aggregator, mydeco.com, in December 2009. She is the former international VP of Bebo and head of industry marketing at Google EMEA for Europe and India. She started her career at Jupiter Research and American Express Europe. As a respected senior figure in the social media and online marketing arena, Nicole Vanderbilt will use her experience to enhance [read more]
9:00 - Game Changers: Time To Refurbish The Online Store For Revenue Growth
Soren Mills, former Vice President and Head of Global Ecommerce Walmart International, Former Walmart International
Creative retailers who explore new ecommerce models have – by far – seen the biggest growth this past year. Think of members only, private sales, online auctions, long tale/category killer micro sites, m-commerce, deal-a-day, community-based aggregators, digital products and rental formats. Just like brick and mortar stores, online stores are refurbishing to keep up with their now social media- and personalization-crazed customers. Consumers have taken control; mass marketing is costly and dying, replaced by a mass of niches. The Internet is the perfect personalized communication tool and it is the perfect direct sales channel as well. Soren shares his perspective on how retailers need to adapt to avoid fossilisation and embrace innovation for growth.
  • Game changers: Assessing new ecommerce formats and their keys to success
    • What attracts customers and what keeps them coming back?
    • What are the weaknesses and how can you take them down?
  • Exploring ways to respond and adapt your own business model
  • Continuing to balance your capabilities and customer expectations
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Soren Mills
former Vice President and Head of Global Ecommerce Walmart International, Former Walmart International

Most recently Soren served as Vice-President & Corporate Officer, leading the Global eCommerce business unit for Wal-Mart International, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He designed and launched this business unit 3 years ago with the mission of developing Wal-Mart's ecommerce presence outside of the US. This business unit achieved significant milestones in launching Wal-Mart's first Global [read more]
9:30 - How Trust Indicators can Improve Online Conversions
Tim Callan, Vice President of Product Marketing, VeriSign
In an environment marred by tightened spending and an increased sensitivity to online scams, online retailers must think beyond the standard tactics to convince site visitors to buy. One such online retailer, 1-800-Flowers, recognized the importance of consumer trust in their customers' buying decisions and by taking steps to increase site security and provide a trusted experience, significantly increased their customer conversion rates. According to a study conducted by Synovate/GMI, over half of Internet users today avoid buying online because they are afraid their financial information might be stolen, and 49% of those who express concern about their information security do not make online purchases at all. This presentation summarizes the latest ways for businesses to demonstrate their trustworthiness to potential customers and increase their competitiveness in the marketplace
  • Best practices to turn more visitors into buyers
  • A first-hand account by 1-800-Flowers.com of their experiences and results
  • A discussion of the different technologies underlying security trust indicators and what they actually mean with regard to online security
  • A starter guide to trust indicators that every e-commerce site should be aware of
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Tim Callan
Vice President of Product Marketing, VeriSign

10:05 - Networking & Refreshment Break – Inside The Solution Zone Gain Retail Innovations
Networking & Refreshment Break – Inside The Solution Zone
10:45 - Look Back At 2000, Reflect On 2010, Predict To 2020
Steve Robinson, CEO, M and M Direct
Steve Robinson is currently the CEO of M and M Direct and formerly the CEO of Tesco Direct and finance director at Argos. As the eTail program goes to press, M and M Direct sales rose 21% in the ten weeks to January 3 with Internet orders up 30% to more than 800,000 (comprising 2.7 million items). The company has a turnover of just under £100 million and is currently entering the German market to drive further expansion. As M and M Direct’s driving force towards the £150 turnover mark and given his extensive multi-channel and e-retailing credentials, we asked Steve to look back, reflect and predict.
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Steve Robinson
CEO, M and M Direct

Steve became a chartered accountant in 1995, leading him to Analyst roles at Kingfisher and Superdrug, where he rose rapidly through the ranks, becoming Group Chief Analyst and Head of Strategy for General Merchandise. In 2001, after six years at Kingfisher, he joined catalogue and retail outlet Argos as Finance Director. In 2005 Steve joined Tesco to front their Tesco Direct business. As CEO he t [read more]
11:15 - A Guide to Optimize your Online Payment Strategy and Grow International Sales
Marianne Salmans, Business Development Manager EMEA - Retail, GlobalCollect
A Guide to Optimize your Online Payment Strategy and Grow International Sales
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Marianne Salmans
Business Development Manager EMEA - Retail, GlobalCollect


11:50 - Panel - Online Merchandising: Creating The Right Online Experience Through Innovative Technologies
Meera Bhatia, Sr. Director, Global Product Planning, Hotels.com, Expedia Inc.
Alex Bloemendal, Manager Front-End & Services, Bol
Liane Dietrich, Managing Director, Linkshare UK
Pinny Gniwisch, Founder & EVP Marketing, Ice.com & Diamond.com
Julien Shirley, Head of Digital Marketing, Figleaves.com
Technologies that improve the brand experience and assist the sale can ensure customers complete the purchase. How do you decide which enhancements are needed for the user experience? Our panelists, serving very different audiences and industry segments, advise you on how to turn a visitor into a customer when they visit your website.
  • Determining the product information needed to expedite the sale
  • Features and functionalities that get customers through the desired process easily and efficiently
    • Demonstrating how these features and functionalities correspond to an early positive purchase or registration decision
  • Creating rich shopping environments that assist in the sale
  • Processes needed to provide customers the information they seek swiftly so they buy or register today (versus leaving it for later – which may never come)
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Meera Bhatia
Sr. Director, Global Product Planning, Hotels.com, Expedia Inc.

Meera Bhatia joined the Hotels.com global team as Senior Director of Product Planning in January 2010. In this role Bhatia is responsible for overseeing the full product planning function of Hotels.com on a global scale working with her team to create the product roadmap strategy on an annual basis and managing the development of new and enhanced products for Hotels.com’s many global sites (curren [read more]
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Alex Bloemendal
Manager Front-End & Services, Bol

Alex Bloemendal is manager Front-End & Services at bol.com, the leading books, entertainment and electronics e-tailer in The Netherlands. Before he joined bol.com in February 2007, he was ad-interim manager and consulted online activities at retailers such as Bijenkorf.nl and Hema.nl. Alex started his online career 11 years ago as an internet project manager at AGENCY.COM. Alex recently finish [read more]
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Liane Dietrich
Managing Director, Linkshare UK

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Pinny Gniwisch
Founder & EVP Marketing, Ice.com & Diamond.com

Pinny Gniwisch started his adult life in Rabbinical College of Canada and graduated from Sydney University with masters in Jewish law In 1999 he went on to found ice.com where he has taken the reins of marketing and been responsible for developing strategic alliances with a variety of distinguished Internet companies. Since its inception, ice.com has risen in the ranks of successful online retaile [read more]
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Julien Shirley
Head of Digital Marketing, Figleaves.com

Having previously been Head of Ecommerce for major players in both the Travel and Fashion Retail industries, Julien has recently moved to Figleaves.com Figleaves.com is the ultimate online destination for lingerie, underwear, loungewear, clothing, swimwear, nightwear and shapewear, and recently launched a cute collection for children and a great new edit of menswear too. Each season they launch th [read more]
12:25 - Lunch For All Attendees
Lunch For All Attendees
3:35 - Networking & Refreshment Break
Networking & Refreshment Break - Inside The Solution Zone
Conversion Clinics – We have invited a leading conversion specialist to review your website. Take home some practical tips you can implement immediately on how to improve your conversion rates.
5:45 - Chairperson’s Closing Remarks
Chairperson’s Closing Remarks
5:50 - eTail Party For All Attendees
eTail Europe Party For All Attendees