eTail Palm Springs 2025
February 24 - 27, 2025
JW Marriott Desert Springs, Palm Springs, CA
Transform EMAIL + RETENTION Summit
February 24, 2020
Focusing On Email, Retention And CRM Best Practices
This Retailer Only summit focuses entirely on email, retention and CRM best practices. Move the needle with creative strategies that keep customers in the loop with your products. Increase your open rates. Inform, entertain, and increase AOV with content emails. We’ll only talk email during this day, so you leave with not only tons of notes, but tangible ways to solve your challenges. As a bonus we have roundtables designed to get you talking with your peers.
7:20 am - 7:50 am
Networking Breakfast & Registration
Time to fuel up for a great day of in-depth learning on how to continue to optimize your eMail & retention strategies.
7:50 am - 8:00 am
Welcome Remarks
Kristin Schoenstein -
Program Director,
eTail Palm Springs
8:00 am - 8:20 am
eTail Best In Class Award For Email Marketing And Q&A Presentation With Finalist
Bill Pierce -
Retention Marketing Manger,
RevZilla
8:20 am - 8:35 am
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Agathe Westad -
Sr. Director of Sales,
Optimove
8:35 am - 9:00 am
Keynote Panel Discussion: Acting On A Glimpse: Getting Your Customers To Open Your Email
Scott Cohen -
Sr. Email Marketing Manager,
Purple
Brian Schmidt -
Former Head of CRM & Lifecycle,
Clutter
Emma Coria -
Email Production Manager,
Live Nation
The effectiveness of your email campaign is often measured by how many of your customers and prospects open your emails. Lifecycle marketing and email leaders from brick and mortar and online retailers such as Lands’ End, Live Nation and Clutter break down and present specific tactics to increase your open rates and guarantee email success.
- Formatting your layout in an optimal way
- Reviewing personalized subject lines
- Setting up personalized messages based on customer behavior
- Comparing competitors: how are you standing out amongst the clutter?
9:00 am - 9:15 am
Roundtable Host Introductions
Hear quick intros from your roundtable hosts and get ready to take a deep dive into the latest challenges related to email and retention marketing.
9:15 am - 10:15 am
Interactive Roundtables
Kevin Forsyth -
Head of Strategy Consulting,
BounceX
Parry Malm -
CEO,
Phrasee
Kristi Wraspir -
Director, CRM Strategy & Personalization,
Best Buy
Joseph Ford -
Manager, Customer Success,
Bluecore
Lynn Petesch -
Director of Customer Success,
Optimove
Bryanna Smykowski -
Sr. Marketing Manager,
Gap
Brad Van Der Woerd -
VP, Professional Services,
YES Marketing
Walter Rowland -
SVP, Growth,
MessageGears
Sandra Cordero -
CRM Manager,
Torrid
Brooke Schommer -
Account Development Manager,
Liveclicker
Kat Berman -
Head of Global Sales Enablement,
Selligent Marketing Cloud
Rick Kenney -
VP of Industry Strategy,
Zaius
Hayley Forsyth -
Digital Marketing Manager,
Wildfang
Steven Laff -
CTO,
Golf Locker
Chris Ochs -
VP of Sales,
Factoreal
Get your email challenges solved by expert roundtable moderators from email visionaries.
Table 1: Been There, Done That: Discussing Your Current Challenges And Sharing Solutions
Moderator: Kevin Forsyth, Head of Strategy Consulting, Bounce X
Table 2: Leading The Path To Retail Success With Artificial Intelligence
Moderator: Parry Malm, CEO, Phrasee
Retail Moderator: Kristi Wraspir, Director, CRM Strategy & Personalization, Best Buy
Hear from Best Buy CRM Strategy & Personalization Director Kristi Wraspir, who will break down how the established retailer is driving incredible results against the backdrop of a challenging environment for the retail sector. She will be joined by Phrasee Co-founder and CEO Parry Malm who will discuss the role of AI-Powered Copywriting in delivering unique and compelling customer experiences at scale.
Table 3: Why Are There So Many Hurdles On The Path To Personalization?
Moderator: Joseph Ford, Manager, Customer Success, Bluecore
Table 4: The 5%: Are Your VIPs Treated Right?
Moderator: Lynn Petesch, Director of Customer Success, Optimove
Table 5: Measuring Your Deliverability – The KPIs You Might Be Missing
Moderator: Brad Van Der Woerd, VP Professional Services, YES Marketing
Retail Moderator: Bryanna Smykowski, Sr. Marketing Manager, Gap
Table 6: Rebrand Your Loyalty Program: This Time, It’s Personal
Moderator: Brooke Schommer, Account Development Manager, Liveclicker
Retail Moderator: Sandra Cordero, CRM Manager, Torrid
Table 7: How To Eliminate Data Friction So Marketing Can Thrive
Moderator: Walter Rowland, SVP, Growth, MessageGears
Customers have never been more demanding from the brands they interact with. They expect communications that are tailored to them, taking into account their history of interactions and preferences. To meet and exceed these demands, marketing not only needs reliable access to data, but they need that access to be seamless in order to move with the speed that’s necessary for cross-channel success. This roundtable will discuss the many obstacles that create data friction for marketers like you, and how brands are solving for these challenges, leveraging the right set of tools and unleashing the full potential of your data.
Table 8: Maximize Every Moment With Your Customers
Moderator: Kat Berman, Head of Global Sales Enablement, Selligent
Customers demand more from brands today. They know that you are capturing their data and expect you to leverage technology to deliver personalized content that matters to them in each moment. They want you to inspire them with relevant recommendations and save them time with convenient customer service. This roundtable will be a discussion to share ideas and best practices around how brands are leveraging AI and emerging solutions to drive sales through intelligent, personalized content.
Table 9: Leave No Shopper (Data) Behind - Delivering Relevance Into Marketing, Commerce, And Service
Moderator: Rick Kenney, VP of Industry Strategy, Zaius
Retail Moderators: Hayley Forsyth, Digital Marketing Manager, Wildfang & Steven Laff, CTO, Golf Locker
Table 10: What Role Should—Or Shouldn't—Marketing Automation Play In Your Company's Sales Efforts?
Moderator: Chris Ochs, VP of Sales, Factoreal
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Morning Coffee & Refreshments
Your mind is buzzing with ideas so grab some coffee and keep it going!
10:45 am - 11:10 am
Keynote: Better Than Best Practices: Creating Your Own Secret Sauce
Sue Cho -
Head of Lifecycle Marketing,
Calm
As an email marketer, people are always asking for best practices, expecting a “secret sauce” combination of what drives revenue: “When is the best time to send an email?” “What types of subject lines work the best?” The truth is, the best practice for your company will be based on your own data. Calm is building out an email program that’s optimized based on Calm’s own users’ behaviors. Discover why Calm members are asking to be re-subscribed to emails and sharing screenshots of their emails on their social media. In this session, we’ll explore:
- Campaigns that cater and serve what’s most important to the user, not the company. No personalization engine required.
- Building your own baseline with a data-driven approach that caters to your business, instead of following industry best practices that may be irrelevant.
- How to identify and utilize behavioral data to optimize for engagement, conversion and retention.
11:10 am - 12:30 pm
Interactive Roundtables
Kevin Forsyth -
Head of Strategy Consulting,
BounceX
Parry Malm -
CEO,
Phrasee
Kristi Wraspir -
Director, CRM Strategy & Personalization,
Best Buy
Joseph Ford -
Manager, Customer Success,
Bluecore
Lynn Petesch -
Director of Customer Success,
Optimove
Bryanna Smykowski -
Sr. Marketing Manager,
Gap
Brad Van Der Woerd -
VP, Professional Services,
YES Marketing
Walter Rowland -
SVP, Growth,
MessageGears
Sandra Cordero -
CRM Manager,
Torrid
Brooke Schommer -
Account Development Manager,
Liveclicker
Kat Berman -
Head of Global Sales Enablement,
Selligent Marketing Cloud
Rick Kenney -
VP of Industry Strategy,
Zaius
Hayley Forsyth -
Digital Marketing Manager,
Wildfang
Steven Laff -
CTO,
Golf Locker
Chris Ochs -
VP of Sales,
Factoreal
Get your email challenges solved by expert roundtable moderators from email visionaries.
Table 1: Been There, Done That: Discussing Your Current Challenges And Sharing Solutions
Moderator: Kevin Forsyth, Head of Strategy Consulting, Bounce X
Table 2: Leading The Path To Retail Success With Artificial Intelligence
Moderator: Parry Malm, CEO, Phrasee
Retail Moderator: Kristi Wraspir, Director, CRM Strategy & Personalization, Best Buy
Hear from Best Buy CRM Strategy & Personalization Director Kristi Wraspir, who will break down how the established retailer is driving incredible results against the backdrop of a challenging environment for the retail sector. She will be joined by Phrasee Co-founder and CEO Parry Malm who will discuss the role of AI-Powered Copywriting in delivering unique and compelling customer experiences at scale.
Table 3: Why Are There So Many Hurdles On The Path To Personalization?
Moderator: Joseph Ford, Manager, Customer Success, Bluecore
Table 4: The 5%: Are Your VIPs Treated Right?
Moderator: Lynn Petesch, Director of Customer Success, Optimove
Table 5: Measuring Your Deliverability – The KPIs You Might Be Missing
Moderator: Brad Van Der Woerd, VP Professional Services, YES Marketing
Retail Moderator: Bryanna Smykowski, Sr. Marketing Manager, Gap
Table 6: Rebrand Your Loyalty Program: This Time, It’s Personal
Moderator: Brooke Schommer, Account Development Manager, Liveclicker
Retail Moderator: Sandra Cordero, CRM Manager, Torrid
Table 7: How To Eliminate Data Friction So Marketing Can Thrive
Moderator: Walter Rowland, SVP, Growth, MessageGears
Customers have never been more demanding from the brands they interact with. They expect communications that are tailored to them, taking into account their history of interactions and preferences. To meet and exceed these demands, marketing not only needs reliable access to data, but they need that access to be seamless in order to move with the speed that’s necessary for cross-channel success. This roundtable will discuss the many obstacles that create data friction for marketers like you, and how brands are solving for these challenges, leveraging the right set of tools and unleashing the full potential of your data.
Table 8: Maximize Every Moment With Your Customers
Moderator: Kat Berman, Head of Global Sales Enablement, Selligent
Customers demand more from brands today. They know that you are capturing their data and expect you to leverage technology to deliver personalized content that matters to them in each moment. They want you to inspire them with relevant recommendations and save them time with convenient customer service. This roundtable will be a discussion to share ideas and best practices around how brands are leveraging AI and emerging solutions to drive sales through intelligent, personalized content.
Table 9: Leave No Shopper (Data) Behind - Delivering Relevance Into Marketing, Commerce, And Service
Moderator: Rick Kenney, VP of Industry Strategy, Zaius
Retail Moderators: Hayley Forsyth, Digital Marketing Manager, Wildfang & Steven Laff, CTO, Golf Locker
Table 10: What Role Should—Or Shouldn't—Marketing Automation Play In Your Company's Sales Efforts?
Moderator: Chris Ochs, VP of Sales, Factoreal
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Keynote Panel Remix: Resurfaced & Revitalized: Helping Your Customers To Reengage
Dre Madden -
Head of Marketing,
Anomalie
Angela Vega -
Sr. Marketing Manager, Traveler Email,
Vrbo
Brittany Stewart -
Co-Founder, COO,
BURST
Reengagement emails play a critical role in lifecycle marketing campaigns, and when faced with increased unsubscribe rates, retailers can face a number of risks including email deliverability issues or damage to your sender reputation. Learn to turn your inactive subscribers into active subscribers in this dynamic panel, with digital marketing, email and Co-Founders from the skincare, travel and oral care industries. Learn trade secrets and leave with pages of notes to get your customers to reengage today.
- Reviewing the biggest missteps retailers make that lead to unsubscribes
- Evaluating reasons for disengagement: Time? Affinity? How to analyze the differences
- Creating new customer interactions that are focused on re-engagement
- Thinking about how to “not scare them away”: Keeping them engaged long term
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Lunch & Networking
2:00 pm - 2:25 pm
Panel Discussion: Generation Z Email Expectations And Optimized Interactions
Alex Tshering -
SVP of Marketing,
FIGS
Boaz Ariely -
VP, Performance Marketing,
Il Makiage
Gabriela Cruz -
Sr. Manager, Digital Marketing,
Bliss
Catherine Seaton -
Sr. Director, Marketing,
Windsor Store
Generation Z has incredible buying power and they are in fact opening email, contrary to popular belief. Join this group of retailers as they walk you through the Gen Z trends they are observing and ideas for how to capture their attention and loyalty. This session will discuss:
- The current Generation Z customer journey expectations and how to market to them
- What aspects of messaging marketers need to focus on or enhance for retention and CLV
- Exchanging information for product benefits—taking “advantage” of an open generation
2:25 pm - 3:25 pm
Interactive Roundtables
Kevin Forsyth -
Head of Strategy Consulting,
BounceX
Parry Malm -
CEO,
Phrasee
Kristi Wraspir -
Director, CRM Strategy & Personalization,
Best Buy
Joseph Ford -
Manager, Customer Success,
Bluecore
Lynn Petesch -
Director of Customer Success,
Optimove
Bryanna Smykowski -
Sr. Marketing Manager,
Gap
Brad Van Der Woerd -
VP, Professional Services,
YES Marketing
Walter Rowland -
SVP, Growth,
MessageGears
Sandra Cordero -
CRM Manager,
Torrid
Brooke Schommer -
Account Development Manager,
Liveclicker
Kat Berman -
Head of Global Sales Enablement,
Selligent Marketing Cloud
Rick Kenney -
VP of Industry Strategy,
Zaius
Hayley Forsyth -
Digital Marketing Manager,
Wildfang
Steven Laff -
CTO,
Golf Locker
Chris Ochs -
VP of Sales,
Factoreal
Get your email challenges solved by expert roundtable moderators from email visionaries.
Table 1: Been There, Done That: Discussing Your Current Challenges And Sharing Solutions
Moderator: Kevin Forsyth, Head of Strategy Consulting, Bounce X
Table 2: Leading The Path To Retail Success With Artificial Intelligence
Moderator: Parry Malm, CEO, Phrasee
Retail Moderator: Kristi Wraspir, Director, CRM Strategy & Personalization, Best Buy
Hear from Best Buy CRM Strategy & Personalization Director Kristi Wraspir, who will break down how the established retailer is driving incredible results against the backdrop of a challenging environment for the retail sector. She will be joined by Phrasee Co-founder and CEO Parry Malm who will discuss the role of AI-Powered Copywriting in delivering unique and compelling customer experiences at scale.
Table 3: Why Are There So Many Hurdles On The Path To Personalization?
Moderator: Joseph Ford, Manager, Customer Success, Bluecore
Table 4: The 5%: Are Your VIPs Treated Right?
Moderator: Lynn Petesch, Director of Customer Success, Optimove
Table 5: Measuring Your Deliverability – The KPIs You Might Be Missing
Moderator: Brad Van Der Woerd, VP Professional Services, YES Marketing
Retail Moderator: Bryanna Smykowski, Sr. Marketing Manager, Gap
Table 6: Rebrand Your Loyalty Program: This Time, It’s Personal
Moderator: Brooke Schommer, Account Development Manager, Liveclicker
Retail Moderator: Sandra Cordero, CRM Manager, Torrid
Table 7: How To Eliminate Data Friction So Marketing Can Thrive
Moderator: Walter Rowland, SVP, Growth, MessageGears
Customers have never been more demanding from the brands they interact with. They expect communications that are tailored to them, taking into account their history of interactions and preferences. To meet and exceed these demands, marketing not only needs reliable access to data, but they need that access to be seamless in order to move with the speed that’s necessary for cross-channel success. This roundtable will discuss the many obstacles that create data friction for marketers like you, and how brands are solving for these challenges, leveraging the right set of tools and unleashing the full potential of your data.
Table 8: Maximize Every Moment With Your Customers
Moderator: Kat Berman, Head of Global Sales Enablement, Selligent
Customers demand more from brands today. They know that you are capturing their data and expect you to leverage technology to deliver personalized content that matters to them in each moment. They want you to inspire them with relevant recommendations and save them time with convenient customer service. This roundtable will be a discussion to share ideas and best practices around how brands are leveraging AI and emerging solutions to drive sales through intelligent, personalized content.
Table 9: Leave No Shopper (Data) Behind - Delivering Relevance Into Marketing, Commerce, And Service
Moderator: Rick Kenney, VP of Industry Strategy, Zaius
Retail Moderators: Hayley Forsyth, Digital Marketing Manager, Wildfang & Steven Laff, CTO, Golf Locker
Table 10: What Role Should—Or Shouldn't—Marketing Automation Play In Your Company's Sales Efforts?
Moderator: Chris Ochs, VP of Sales, Factoreal
3:25 pm - 3:45 pm
Choice Architecture in eMail Marketing
Angela Vega -
Sr. Marketing Manager, Traveler Email,
Vrbo
As marketers we craft messages, creative assets and consumer journeys to help people make choices. We hope that beautifully designed emails, obvious buttons and accessible landing pages will make the path to purchase easy. However, consumer choices are as logical as the path to purchase is linear. The decision-making process can be flawed and marketers must design with that in mind. This presentation will outline different cognitive biases and go in-depth with ways to leverage it in email marketing.
- Why is it important to consider cognitive biases in email marketing?
- What if marketers used these biases to help consumers make choices easier or faster?
- What are examples of cognitive biases in email and how to use them (ethically)?
- How do you use choice architecture to shape the most effective email strategy?
3:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Conclusion Of Transform Email + Retention Summit
4:15 pm - 5:00 pm
Cocktails & Conversations (Retailer-Only): Connect With Retail Peers From Similar Sized Organizations
Martin Gendron -
President - General Manager,
blackcircles.ca
Gabriela Cruz -
Sr. Manager, Digital Marketing,
Bliss
Sue Cho -
Head of Lifecycle Marketing,
Calm
Jean-Marx Mantilla -
Digital Marketing Director,
Lands' End
Relax with a cocktail and chat with other retailers in your vertical who share your pain points. You’ll meet the peers who can give you tons of advice and technology recommendations.
1. 0-25 Million in online revenues
Hosted By: Hosted By: Martin Gendron, President, blackcircles.ca
2. 25 – 100 Million in online revenues
Hosted By: Gabriela Cruz, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing, Bliss
3. 100 – 500 Million in online revenues
Hosted By: Sue Cho, Head of Lifecycle Marketing, Calm
4. 500 Million+ in online revenues
Hosted By: Jean-Marx Mantilla, Digital Marketing Director, Lands’ End
5:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Conclusion Of Cocktails & Conversations
5:00 pm - 6:15 pm
eTail Seize The Seasons Receptions!
Pick one of four parties to join!
1. APRES SKI - Costas Nightclub
No skiing experience required to enjoy this apres hot spot. Warm up at Costas Nightclub!
2. SPRING CHERRY BLOSSOMS - Mikado Restaurant
Spring is nature’s way of saying let’s party! Head on over to Mikado Restaurant for refreshing cocktails and apps.
3. SUMMER SOLSTICE - The Pointe
Put a little sizzle in your step at the Pointe and enjoy all things summer!
4. FALL OKTOBERFEST - Rockwood Grill
No worries, you can leave your dirndl and lederhosen at home and just enjoy a nice bier by the fire at the Rockwood Grill!