FITA INSIGHTS

The Apparel Insiders’ Guide to Shoptalk 2019

Fit Analytics

Jul 3, 2019

4 min read

This year’s Shoptalk is set to be the largest retail gathering of the year as more than 8400 attendees from over 3000 companies descend on Las Vegas for an exciting week of insight and opportunity.

With all that action going on, attendees from apparel brands and retailers need to plan their schedules carefully. Follow our simple three-step guide below to narrow down your options and be sure of a successful conference.

And don’t forget to visit us at booth #2423 to test-drive Fit Finder and see how data-driven solutions such as Fit Connect can help you deliver effective personalization while protecting margins.

1. Get Set Up for Success With the Shoptalk App

Though this year’s full event agenda is packed full of useful information, it also weighs in at a hefty 120+ pages of information. With that in mind, taking advantage of Shoptalk’s excellent mobile apps is very much the way to go when lining up your onsite schedule:

Download Shoptalk 2019 App for iOS

Download Shoptalk 2019 App for Android

You’ll need your event ticket to access the app. Once it’s fully loaded on your phone, you’ll have everything you need to make the most of this year’s event including handy venue maps, the full agenda and speaker list, and easy messaging options to help with networking.

2. Make the Most of the Main Stage

This year’s crop of keynote speakers is packed full of famous retail names and there’s a very healthy percentage of apparel brands and retailers represented.

A small selection of Shoptalk 2019 keynote speakers.

Apparel insiders visiting Shoptalk 2019 should clear space in their schedules for these three main stage keynotes in particular:

Sunday (5:05 – 5:25pm): Eric Nordstrom is interviewed by Courtney Regan of CNBC.
Monday (1:15 – 1:35pm): Helena Foulkes (CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company) takes center stage to tee up the afternoon sessions.
Monday (4.50 – 5.10pm): Close out your day by catching
Gap Inc. President and CEO Art Peck’s afternoon keynote in the General Session Room.

In addition to the highlight sessions above, there’s also a range of track keynotes taking place daily throughout the event so be sure to consult the full agenda for more info.

3. Dive Into Detail With Tracks and Topics

Each day is split into carefully curated tracks to help you easily find individual talks which match your current areas of focus. Here’s our take on the must-see talks from across all tracks for those working in apparel and footwear.

Day 1: Shoptalk 2019 kicks off with a series of excellent talks on the changing nature of today’s retail and consumer landscape. The Digital Transformation of Traditional Retailers and Brands (Track Room 2 | 1:45 – 2:25pm) and Changing Retail Formats and Footprints (Track Room 1 | 3:15 – 3:55pm) sessions look the pick of the bunch.
Day 2: Monday sees the general focus shift to globalization and branding themes and topics. A combination of Creating Brands for Today’s Consumer(Track Room 4 | 8:30 – 9:10am) and Data-Driven Retail: Personalization, Privacy and More (Track Room 2 | 3:35 – 4:15pm) is a great way to bookend your day.
Day 3: E-commerce and Omnichannel take center stage on Tuesday. The morning session on Next Generation Omnichannel Businesses (Track Room 2 | 10:00 – 10:40am) offers insight from notable apparel brands on both sides of the Atlantic. After lunch, the Engaging Customers through Next Generation Mobile Experiences (Track Room 1 | 2:50 – 3:30pm) session is not to be missed.
Day 4: There’s still plenty on offer as things wind down for the final day including a topic that’s very close to our hearts: Top AI Use Cases in Retail(Track Room 3 | 10:50 – 11:50am) looks set to be a great closing session.