Theatres and Content Themes 2022

Humans are more connected than ever – and with new technologies we’re connecting in ways we never have before. In a world of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) – and just reality – it can be hard to keep up with the changing technologies. In addition, the rise of the metaverse, nfts and new kinds of commerce can feel overwhelming. It’s time for a crash-course – attendees will walk away from these sessions with increased knowledge of new technologies and strategies. Deep-dive into disruptive new tech and trends such as gaming and commerce, social platforms, live commerce & shopping experiences, AR, voice and more.

The global pandemic transformed the lives of consumers across the globe – and it is more important than ever to understand what the future consumer values, what it will take to serve them and how your business needs to adapt. These sessions will focus on what’s coming in commerce, from new technologies to understanding how to design your business around how people want to live and work, not just what they want to buy. From consumer trends including sustainability and social issues to the shifting priorities of how consumers want to interact with brands – this track will focus on consumer trends and how to identify what your future customer needs.

The global eCommerce marketing is expected to total $5.55 trillion in 2022. A growth engine for brands and retailers, a global strategy is no longer a luxury but a necessity. This track will help you launch and or tackle the next growth-stage of your strategy. How do you begin? Which products and services are in demand in key markets? How should my business reach a global customer? From translation to financial currency considerations to payment options – learn how to determine priorities and make the right investment in your global growth.

As consumers continue to flock online, fulfilment strategies and tools must adjust and change to meet the growing market demand. With global supply chain issues and labor shortages impacting the industry – it is important for retailers and brands to continually assess the customer experience in order to meet demand, labor and scalability. From AR systems, to new fulfilment methods like BOPIS and curbside, to outsourcing verses in house solutions – this track will demonstrate how delivery and fulfilment is crucial to the success of a retailer or brand.

Customer transactions are happening across a rising number of platforms and devices and 45% of consumers say they prefer more fulfillment options when shopping online (Forrester) including curbside and in-store click and collect. Learn how headless commerce and screen-agnostic strategies can help drive digital transformation in your business and allow you to more easily tap into new channels like voice, text, mobile, marketplaces and more. Attendees will leave these sessions with strategies to help them better compete with giant e-commerce players and help provide their customers a stronger commerce experience across every channel.

The customer journey doesn’t begin at the first click on your product and it doesn’t end at checkout. Learn from leading brands and retailers how to ensure the entire journey stays customer-centered from product discovery to feedback. Owning the customer relationship and all aspects of communication across touchpoints are crucial as brands battle it out for consumers’ attention and loyalty. If you’re not delivering a flawless experience, someone else will. We’ll discuss every step of the process including payment options, trust and security, optimizing customer service, new payment and checkout innovations and building loyalty and advocacy.

In Forrester’s August 2021 CMO Pulse Survey, 41% of marketing executives say improving their ability to innovate is a marketing priority for 2022. The marketing ingenuity that rose quickly during the pandemic will continue to increase with new channels, strategies and agility required. Dive into some of the trends that are expected to revolutionize marketing in the future – including new social networks, retail media buying, shoppable ads, voice commerce, gaming and the rise of the metaverse. Additionally, we’ll look at how the creator economy, and the meteoric rise of platforms like TikTok, have changed content marketing – and uncover the strategies to help you leverage the creator economy to meet your marketing goals.

80% of shoppers are more likely to buy from a company that offers personalized experiences (Epsilon) but managing the vast volume of customer data and preferences can be challenging. These sessions will provide attendees with strategies and skills to help ensure your business is not just delivering what your customer wants, but creating an individual experience for every consumer to help them achieve their goals in interacting with your business. Sessions will address understanding your audience, using data to inform strategies without become paralyzed by analysis, segmentation & targeting and safely and securely managing customer data. Learn how to responsibly use data, protect your customers privacy and adapt your data collection strategies while maintaining growth.

As customers demand more personalisation, stronger privacy and seamless communication – intelligent tools and technologies are required to help marketers accomplish these heavy goals. Automation, machine learning and AI are key in helping marketing departments do more with less, and this track will help you analyze your marketing stack and determine how to scale up for growth. From programmatic advertising to digital marketing platforms to privacy and customer data use, hear from the brands and solution providers who are creating winning strategies and optimizing marketing technology to reach new customer and serve current customers.

Keep up-to-date with the latest eCommerce industry insights in this theatre run by IMRG - The UK's eCommerce Association. Topics will include:

✓ Top tips for optimising the checkout

✓ Enhancing your site search optimisation strategy

✓ A Black Friday 2022 Preview

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