February 27 - March 01, 2012
JW Marriott Desert Springs, Palm Desert, CA

Conference Day 2 - Profitable And Customized Growth Strategies

Wednesday, February 29th

7.15 Registration & Networking Breakfast Inside The Solution Zone
Registration & Networking Breakfast Inside The Solution Zone
7.55 Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Robert Cell, CEO, MyBuys
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Robert Cell

Robert Cell
CEO, MyBuys

Robert Cell is an expert in retail, advertising, and consumer products. He is a long time veteran of e-commerce and has consistently strived to provide a better shopping experience for each and every shopper. Cell was previously COO at Blue Martini Software and under his leadership the company’s market capitalization tripled, license revenue doubled, and net results increased by $40M. Prior to Blu [read more]
8.10 Keynote Session: The Next Phase Of Multi-Channel: Organizing And Executing Customer Driven Strategies
Kirit Sarvaiya, Head of Enterprise Multichannel Product Management, Marketing Systems, Guitar Center
Steve Zapf, EVP Multi-channel Marketing Operations, Guitar Center
Innovative multi-channel retailer Guitar Center is strategically fending against online-only retailers by using their distinguishing strength- their knowledgeable, musician salespeople. In August 2011, Guitar Center launched Store Microsites, one for each of its 220+ nationwide stores, featuring rich profiles for each store associate, and enabled customers to make a personal connection with a store-based expert during the consideration phase before ever stepping into a retail store. Presented will be data to show the effect this company culture-changing undertaking has had in combating online-only retailers.
  • Store Microsites turning the $2B company into an amalgamation of local musical instrument shops
  • Encourage entrepreneurship from Local Store Managers
  • Strengthen customer-sales associate connection
  • Open the doors wide to new, brand unaware customers
  • Serve online customers what they wanted from their local brick-and-mortar retailer – local store inventory and gear recommendations
Kirit Sarvaiya

Kirit Sarvaiya
Head of Enterprise Multichannel Product Management, Marketing Systems, Guitar Center

Kirit Sarvaiya heads Enterprise Multichannel Product Management for the marketing systems used at Guitar Center, Inc., encompassing the Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, Music & Arts, Woodwind & Brasswind, and other brands. He has been instrumental in launching Guitar Center’s innovative cross-channel efforts such as Store Microsites that ease the multichannel exper [read more]
Steve Zapf

Steve Zapf
EVP Multi-channel Marketing Operations, Guitar Center

Steve Zapf has served as the EVP of Multi-Channel Management for the Guitar Center since 2006. He is also the EVP, Sales and Marketing for the Direct to Consumer division, responsible for GuitarCenter direct, Music and Arts direct, Musician’s Friend, Music123, and Woodwind Brasswind. Previously he was the Founder & President of Music 123, a direct to consumer musical instrument ret [read more]
8.45 Keynote Session: A Perspective On Growing Successfully In Difficult Times
Brian Beitler, EVP/CMO, David's Bridal
David Bridal’s EVP and Chief Marketing Officer outlines the simple yet effective customer insights, leadership principles, and priorities applied to achieve strong growth (both topline and bottom line) during the recession and beyond. During this information keynote session, Brian answers the following question: Do you think a bride would plunk down $1000 for a wedding dress they’ve never tried on? He shares how the digital era has transformed their industry and how they have capitalized on that transformation to fuel growth, especially during this difficult economic period. He’s confident that the ideas shared will be immediately translatable to your teams and organizations.
  • Identifying the best platform for optimal migration
  • Selecting appropriate vendors for an overhaul
  • Orientating your team internally and setting realistic expectations to accomplish remainder engineering projects
  • Setting a proper dashboard for milestones to ensure efficient time management and accomplishing deliverables
Brian Beitler

Brian Beitler
EVP/CMO, David's Bridal

Brian Beitler is Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of David's Bridal the nation's leading bridal retailer. For more than 15 years and across several brands he's been challenging conventional wisdom, pushing brands to think differently about how they engage and earn loyalty from their customers. He is driven by the belief that the key to success is listening to your customers per [read more]
9:20 Keynote Session: Paypal Executive Presentation
Elena Krasnoperova, Sr Director Mobile Business Operations, Paypal
eBay is the world's largest online marketplace, connecting buyers and sellers worldwide. Through PayPal, individuals and businesses quickly, easily, and securely send and receive online payments. GSI facilitates ecommerce, multichannel retailing, and digital marketing for global enterprises. We reach millions through specialized marketplaces such as StubHub and eBay classifieds sites.
Elena Krasnoperova

Elena Krasnoperova
Sr Director Mobile Business Operations, Paypal

Elena Krasnoperova is senior director of PayPal Mobile Business Operations. She leads global strategy, analytics, and business operations for all of PayPal’s mobile products and new mobile initiatives.Krasnoperova began her business career as a management consultant for the Boston Consulting Group, where she helped large technology and financial services companies accelerate growth, launch new pro [read more]
9.55 15-Minute Quick Refreshment Break
15-Minute Quick Refreshment Break
10.10 KEYNOTE EVP/SVP/Head of eCommerce Panel Discussion: eCommerce: Strategic Growth Within The Multi-Channel Organization
Gareth Gaston, SVP Global eCommerce, Wyndham Hotel Group
Jill Braff, EVP Digital Commerce, HSN
Mark Simpson, Founder and President, Maxymiser
Mike Ritter, VP WW eCommerce, Hewlett-Packard
Scott Huddleston, SVP Sales and Multi-channel Marketing, Harry and David
eCommerce continues to be a shining star in retail. Understanding the value of this channel within the greater sales mix in order to allocate resources and budget appropriately remains a daunting task. eTail brings together heads of eCommerce strategy to discuss growth sustainment, the evolution of eCommerce within their organizations, structuring and KPIs to unveil the true potential of this channel.
  • What strategic role does eCommerce play within your multichannel organization?
  • What role can it play aside from driving incremental revenue? Is it mainly focused on broadening your product assortment?
  • What is your overall customer service and merchandising strategy cross-channel? What role does eCommerce play there?
  • How is the role of eCommerce evolving?
  • How is eCommerce becoming a key strategic part of your multi-channel business?
  • In terms of tracking and reporting, who gets credit across channels for the sale?
  • What KPIs are you using for multi-channel?

Gareth Gaston
SVP Global eCommerce, Wyndham Hotel Group

Jill Braff
EVP Digital Commerce, HSN

A leader in the digital retail industry for more than a decade, Jill Braff was appointed Executive Vice President of Digital Commerce for HSN in February, 2011. In this position, Ms. Braff oversees the multichannel retailer’s e-commerce, mobile and social media platforms and leads the company’s e-commerce, digital marketing, merchandising and advanced services teams. In addition, she manages the d [read more]
Mark Simpson

Mark Simpson
Founder and President, Maxymiser

A career long evangelist of online businesses, Mark is the commercial founder of Maxymiser and introduced its revolutionary Conversion Management platform to the market in 2006. Prior to Maxymiser, Mark headed up online marketing and business development for Travelport, focusing in particular on the acquisition and integration of ebookers, Octopus Travel, Hotel Club and RatesToGo. Latterly Mark he [read more]

Mike Ritter
VP WW eCommerce, Hewlett-Packard

Scott Huddleston
SVP Sales and Multi-channel Marketing, Harry and David

Scott Huddleston is the Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Harry & David. In his current role, Scott oversees Online Marketing, Catalog and B2B efforts with the goal of retaining and acquiring new customers, focusing on growth and profitability. Scott is passionate around continuous improvement driven by testing, data and analysis balanced by a consisten [read more]
10.45 A Better Commerce System: Delivering Business Benefit Through A Comprehensive Commerce Platform
Zach Nelson, President and CEO, Netsuite
Commerce is no longer about a single isolated transaction with a customer. Increasingly companies are expected to deliver a unified experience across mobile, table, social and traditional computerbased shopping. Layer in the complexity of marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay and physical retail and presenting a cohesive customer experience becomes difficult, if not impossible when working from siloed business systems. The increase in channels, sites and devices has led to an increase in complexity for your business and more hours spent on lower value maintenance and integration tasks. Layer in multiple brands and international commerce and many organizations are near the breaking point. In this session NetSuite’s executives will discuss how an integrated commerce solution can streamline your customer service and fulfillment, connecting all your commerce (web, tablet, mobile, social, retail) and provide a unified and more profitable customer experience across all channels. By looking at commerce as an integrated part of the organization rather than a standalone channel, retailers and branded manufacturers can quickly recognize significant improvements in service, more efficient fulfillment and positive ROI in a fraction of the time required from traditional siloed implementations. Viewing your business holistically enables new insights, results in better decisions and increased customer loyalty.
10701_006_Zach_Nelson

Zach Nelson
President and CEO, Netsuite

Zach Nelson has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the high-tech industry, where he has held a variety of executive positions spanning marketing, sales, product development and business strategy with leading companies such as Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and McAfee/Network Associates. Nelson has been CEO of NetSuite since 2002. One of top 10 visionary CEOs in the Silicon Valley, Nelson le [read more]
11.20 Guest Speaker Spotlight Keynote Session:Optimizing Your Business For The Era Of Agile Commerce
Brian Walker, Vice President & Principal Analyst, Forrester
Multi-channel commerce is dead. Customers no longer interact with companies by channel. Instead, they’re interacting interchangeably through a multitude of digitally enabled touchpoints, which range from stores, call centers, websites, and mobile to emerging interactions like social commerce, tablets, cars, and even appliances. The customer is now at the center. Delivering contextual, relevant and consistent content, commerce, and service is critical to delivering on a new set of consumers’ expectations. In this session, Forrester Principal Analyst Brian Walker explores how organizations can optimize their business in the era of Agile Commerce.
  • Grasp how consumer expectations and behaviors are shifting, fundamentally changing existing channel-centric commerce approaches
  • Gather an understanding of how consumer and business technology capabilities are shifting to disrupt existing markets and operational approaches
  • Learn the ways that businesses are adapting their organizational approaches to increase speed-to-market and adapt to the era of agile commerce
  • Recognize that technology will play a critical role in enablingbusinesses in the era of agile commerce
Brian Walker

Brian Walker
Vice President & Principal Analyst, Forrester

Brian serves eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals and specializes in how businesses can best use technology to drive results. Brian is a leading worldwide expert in eCommerce platforms, multichannel commerce and marketing technology, and mobile commerce. Brian has experience with a wide range of eBusiness technologies, ranging from eCommerce platforms and software-as-a-servic [read more]
11.55 Networking And Pre-Lunch Break Inside The Solution Zone
Join your fellow retailers in the Solution Zone for your chance to play the BRAND NEW eTail QR CODE GAME! Enter to win fantastic prizes.