eTail Palm Springs 2025
February 24 - 27, 2025
JW Marriott Desert Springs, Palm Springs, CA
Transform TECH Summit
February 24, 2020
An Exploration of Innovative Tech For Implementation:
AI/Maching Learning, Voice Enabled Commerce, Social Shopping, AR & VR - Retailer Only
Keeping up with the crazy tech is imperative to your brand’s customer experience. In this retailer only summit, tune in to keynotes exploring the future of top tech, join tactical discussions and hear from the companies are implementing the “bright and shiny” right. As a bonus we have roundtables designed to get you talking with your peers.
8:30 am - 9:15 am
Networking Breakfast & Registration
Time to fuel up for a great day of in-depth learning on the latest retail technology!
9:15 am - 9:30 am
Welcome Remarks
Megan Kessler -
Program Director,
eTail Palm Springs
9:30 am - 10:00 am
Keynote Panel Discussion: Not Being Scared To Try—Scaling Tech For Online Success
Stephan Jacob -
Founder & COO,
Cotopaxi
Scott McLeod -
Chief of Staff,
Resident
An inspirational group panel kicks off our tech focused day. They’ll present best practices and detailed strategies for selecting and testing new technology, ideas for how to evaluate the genuine, positive impact of technology on today’s consumer and how to evaluate your tech stack. They’ll discuss:
- The keys to success for scaling tech and new immersive marketing tactics
- Understanding how new digital experiences can support customer acquisition and drive sales
- Tips for teaching your organization to be forward thinking and stay on top of the latest effective technology opportunities
10:00 am - 10:25 am
Keynote: Data-Powered Customer Acquisition & Retention Strategy | A Beauty Industry Case Study
Boaz Ariely -
VP, Performance Marketing,
Il Makiage
IL MAKIAGE is a prestige beauty startup reinventing the way consumers shop with a tech-first approach. To date, ecommerce has overwhelmingly served as a replenishment channel in the beauty category, while almost all new customers are acquired through the traditional brick-and-mortar retailers.
One year ago, IL MAKIAGE launched the PowerMatch Quiz, an AI-powered foundation shade matching algorithm. The quiz has since been completed over 10M times, simplifying the consumers path to purchase while simultaneously generating millions of data points, which have been central to IL MAKIAGE’s explosive growth. A further testament to the success of PowerMatch, IL MAKIAGE’s foundation has garnered over 50,000 reviews, now making it “The Most Reviewed Foundation Online.” This talk will discuss how DTC brands can leverage data to change consumer behavior, as well as build & optimize scalable Customer Acquisition & Retention strategies.
This talk will address:
- The types of data IL MAKIAGE was able to collect through PowerMatch and a few cool statistics.
- Data’s role in scaling customer acquisition funnels and retention efforts, driving the company’s explosive growth.
- Leveraging data beyond digital to inform the product development road-map
10:25 am - 11:00 am
Morning Coffee & Refreshments
Your mind is buzzing with ideas so grab some coffee and keep it going!
11:00 am - 11:20 am
eTail Best In Class Award For Influencer/Social Selling Presentation And Q&A With Finalist
11:20 am - 11:50 am
Keynote Panel Discussion Remix: AI Exposed—What It Is And What It Is Not
Ameen Kazerouni -
Head of AI/ML Research And Platforms,
Zappos Family of Companies
Vinod Suresh -
Sr. Director of Product Management,
Walmart Labs
Shira Libhaber -
Sr. Product Specialist,
Syte AI
AI has been transformative in the retail industry, and companies are trying to best identify where and how to integrate AI into their operations to help remove manual processes in both the back and front end. Learning from chief analytics and data scientists from Zappos, Publishers Clearing House, Syte and Walmart as they break down AI models, data usage, data collection and more. You’ll leave with pages of notes after this keynote panel!
- Exploring the best use of customer data (purchase patterns and online behavior) to fuel AI and predict a customer’s future behavior
- Avoiding analysis paralysis in order to execute on the data in a timely fashion
- Using AI as a guide (not a decision maker) to get the best insights for your business
11:50 am - 12:20 pm
Buzzword Bingo! Panel: Trends Shaping The Future Of Retail
Jeanne Anderson -
SVP & General Manager,
Saatchi Art
Ricky Joshi -
Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder,
Saatva
Executives give their quick thoughts, raw feelings (hates and loves!) on a buzzword that the moderator throws out at them. You’ll learn not only the latest tech trends, but how to apply them to your business during this fun and interactive panel!
12:20 pm - 1:20 pm
Lunch & Networking
1:20 pm - 1:40 pm
eTail Best In Class Award For For Breakthrough Startup Presentation And Presentation With Finalist
Martin Gendron -
President - General Manager,
blackcircles.ca
1:40 pm - 2:10 pm
Case Study Remix: Data Analytics At adidas: Success Stories, Challenges And Opportunities
Chitralekha Rath -
Sr. Manager, Data Analytics,
Adidas
At adidas they thrive to live by a motto of 'Confidence, Collaboration and Creativity' and strive to be customer obsessed. To attain that goal in the most data driven fashion, two years ago they embarked on a ‘Data and Analytics’ initiative. As part of this journey, they have completed several projects around forecasting, predictive modeling and advanced data analytics. This discussion would focus around these key initiatives, their application in the digital space and other analytic projects currently underway in the brand and digital analytic space. They will focus on the three specific areas, and at the end, hear from your fellow peers as you discuss these topics at your roundtables:
- Macro level of data analysis and forecasting
- Adidas marketing initiatives with digital channels
- How data is enhancing brand equity
2:10 pm - 2:35 pm
Game Changer Tech Presentations: The eTail Tech Tank
Martin Cseh -
Co-Founder,
Accel Robotics
Michael Hubbard -
Founder & CTO,
CRE8
James Meeks -
Founder & CEO,
CRE8
Hear three quick, cutting edge tech presentations that will change the future of immersive retail. The best tech solution will be voted on by the audience on the conference app and one of the tech companies will be crowned the winner of the eTail Tech Tank! This is one of our hottest and most popular sessions that can’t be missed.
2:35 pm - 2:35 pm
Conclusion Of Transform Tech 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
4:15 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!