Concurrent Sessions

 

Urban Outfitters' Cross-Channel Evolution

Speaker: Ken McKinney, Director of Distribution, Urban Outfitters  

Urban Outfitters' ability to understand their customers and connect with them on an emotional level is the reason for their success. The reason for this success is that their brands- Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People - are both compelling and distinct. Each brand chooses a particular customer segment, and once chosen, sets out to create sustainable points of distinction with that segment. The company's goal is to offer a product assortment and an environment so compelling and distinctive that the customer feels an empathetic connection to the brand and is persuaded to buy. As the company has expanded into new markets and become a true cross-channel enterprise, they have relied on improvements to their supply chain to ensure they are able to deliver on their brand promise. During this session, Urban Outfitters will share how they continue to transform their supply chain as the company evolves.

Unifying your Brand across Channels Can Help Increase Consumer Share of Wallet

Speaker: Jim Huser, Chief Information Officer, Guthy-Renker

With the number of channels through which consumers interact with retailers expanding in-store, online, catalog/call center, kiosk, special order, TV, mobile, etc. consumers expect a more unified experience regardless of the type of channel or the number of channels accessed. In this session, Jim Huser, CIO at Guthy-Renker, will detail the company's plan and milestones achieved in delivering a unified brand across its 20 brands and 30 geographies. Gunthy-Renker, one of the world's largest direct response television companies, sells through broadcast television, cable and satellite, as well as internet, telemarketing, direct mail and retail channels. By delivering a unified brand, Guthy-Renker increases customer loyalty and share of wallet by giving customers choices in how they receive and pay for the order and work with customer service.

Concurrent Sessions

* Creating an "Emotional Brand" Across Channels

Speaker: Shawn Dennis, Senior Vice President of Marketing, American Girl

 

American Girl, Inc., wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., the world's leading toy company, has devoted its entire business to celebrating the potential of girls ages 3 to 12. American Girl encourages girls to dream, to grow, to aspire, to create, and to imagine through a wide range of engaging and insightful books, age-appropriate and educational products, and unforgettable experiences. American Girl senior vice president of marketing Shawn Dennis will address how American Girl has earned the loyal following of millions of girls and the praise and trust of parents and educators. Dennis will provide insights into how to create "an emotional brand" across channels, creating brand advocacy with consumers, which, in the case of American Girl, has helped deliver a year of growth despite the current retail slump.

General "Super Session"

Part I: Gen buY: Why Tweens, Teens, and 20-Somethings Buy, and How They're Revolutionizing the Way We All Shop

Part II: Gen buY Focus Group

 

 

Presenters & Focus Group Facilitators: Jayne O'Donnell, Business Reporter, USA Today; Kit Yarrow, Ph.D., Consumer Psychologist and Professor of Psychology and Marketing, Golden Gate University
Focus Group Participants will come from the USC Marshall School of Business Undergraduate Program

What retailer wouldn't want to get inside the brain of its best shoppers? This session delivers just that with a look inside the psychology, lifestyle and behavior patterns of Gen-Y or Millennial shoppers. This is a highly coveted demographic to retailers, and one that foreshadows important changes that are fast-emerging in the retail environment. O'Donnell and Yarrow share insights they are preparing for a book on the subject scheduled to be published in spring 2009.

MySpace or Facebook? E-mail or text messaging? Target or Nordstrom? Sidekick or iPhone? These questions and many more will be answered in a fast-paced interactive session facilitated by O'Donnell and Yarrow with 8 college-age students. Building on the success of last-year's session, which attendees lauded as the wow-factor of the conference, we expand the demographic reach of the panelists and tap into deeper transformational currents.