eTail Palm Springs 2025
February 24 - 27, 2025
JW Marriott Desert Springs, Palm Springs, CA
Transform UX + Merchandising Summit
February 19th, 2019
Optimize Your Merchandising And UX Stategies Now
8:50 am - 9:25 am
Networking Breakfast & Registration Sponsored By Zaius
Time to fuel up for a great day of in-depth learning on how to continue connections with customers through user experience and maintain best merchandising practices.
9:25 am - 9:30 am
Welcome Remarks
9:30 am - 9:45 am
Chairperson's Opening Remarks
Morin Sarenio -
VP of Business Development,
CGTrader
9:45 am - 10:10 am
Keynote: The Importance Of Internal Collaboration To Elevate Customer Experience And Results
Ruth Crowley -
VP, Customer Experience Design,
Lowe's
A consistent focus on the customer experience is essential to compete in today’s rapidly evolving retail market. Hear how active collaboration and purposeful integration of functional disciplines will lead to improved customer experiences across all touch points.
Discuss:
• The risks of not collaborating
• Why continuation is as important as activation
• How integration can increase sustainable results
10:10 am - 10:30 am
Computer-Generated Imagery In Support Of An Engaging UX
Vassil Pepelyankov -
Creative & CGI Solutions Lead,
eClerx Digital
Jason Zimmerman -
VP, IT,
Blindsgalore.com
CGI (computer generated imagery) creates engaging and consistent customer experiences across multiple channels. Although CG is a versatile technology that reduces expenses and expedites time-to-market, many myths prevent eTailers and omnichannel retailers from abandoning traditional photography methods. Jason Zimmerman of Blindsgalore will present alongside eClerx Digital’s CG expert, Vassil Pepelyankov, sharing examples of how CG was employed for an online window covering configurator. This presentation will demonstrate the versatility, remove much of the mystery surrounding CG and show how this powerful technology can advance digital transformation strategies
10:30 am - 11:00 am
Keynote Fireside Chat: How ModCloth Is Leveraging 16 years Of Data To Bridge Online And Offline Experiences And Put The Customer First
Monica Scholes -
Director of Retail Operations & In-Store Experiences,
ModCloth
Nicole Barber -
Sr Manager of Site Merchandising & Experience,
Modcloth
Michael Swack -
Director of Marketing,
CGTrader
Armed with over 16 years worth of customer data, ModCloth knew now was the perfect time to continue to create a compelling customer experience for our beloved community offline with the expansion of our FitShops.
With the launch of 3 additional shops in one year, we are finding new and exciting ways to bring our brand to life in person.
• Service Oriented: Free styling services offered at each location. Brings a whole new meaning to “try before you buy”
• Inclusive Shopping Experience: All products available in XXS-4X are merchandised together. Customers can shop together no matter their body shape or size
• Community Involvement: Each location houses goods from local makers and designers who may not otherwise be able to afford a physical space for their goods
• Showroom model enables profitability - endless aisle through the extension of key programs
• Leveraging social commerce to connect in the locations
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Morning Coffee & Refreshments
Your mind is buzzing with ideas so grab some coffee and keep it going!
11:30 am - 11:50 am
Keynote: Building A Brand For The Community
Rachael Vegas -
Chief Merchant,
Brandless
90% of major brands are declining. The amount of choice out there can be paralyzing. Millenials are looking for a brand that is not just about delivering a profit. At Brandless, we are a purpose-driven, for-profit company. But people are just people—they deserve better. They deserve access to affordable, quality products and the current system is broken.
Join Racahel and Meghan and get tips on community engagement, when and how Brandless chooses their assortment- what to sell, where to grow—as they build an online brand:
• Understanding the changing consumer landscape and why the time is right for Brandless
• A brand is no longer what a company tells a consumer…it’s what a friend tells a friend
• “Just What Matters”—the Brandless ethos—and how it guides assortment decisions, packaging design and vessels, and ingredient labels
• How “Just What Matters” is communicated through digital channels
11:50 am - 12:10 pm
How Fixing One Hidden UX Problem Raised Build.com's Conversion Rate
Ellie Tamari -
Vice President, East,
Namogoo
Patrick Berry -
Senior Director, Technology,
Build.com
Online retailers invest significant resources into optimizing their customers’ experience, but that experience never makes it to many of their customers. When Build.com found out that 20% of their site visitors were being disrupted by unauthorized injected ads and being driven to competitor sites, they acted quickly to preserve their CX and recoup lost revenue.
Join Build.com's Senor Director of Brand Technology, Patrick Berry, and Namogoo's Ellie Tamari for a candid conversation that will include:
-The Build.com team’s experience preventing Customer Hijacking
-How Build.com's conversion rates increased once they removed these disruptive ads
-What they learned about how Build.com’s infected users behaved on their site after getting to view the digital experience as planned
12:10 pm - 12:40 pm
Keynote Panel Remix: The UX Strategies That Are Driving Your Customers To Buy
Stacy Carpenter -
Director of Customer Experience,
TOMS
Haley Nemann -
Director of eCommerce,
EVERAND
Martin Granstrom -
Senior Director, Head of Design,
Sam's Club
Nick Opderbeck -
VP Sales, West,
GroupBy
Michael Swack -
Director of Marketing,
CGTrader
With customer expectations at an all time high, how can you ensure that your site providing a smooth and seamless experience at every visit? This diverse group of panelists will walk you through their approach to UX and the strategies for success. Discuss:
• Which tools people are using to make the process faster, easier, cheaper
• Tips for building your UX roadmap and getting buy-in
• Fostering a culture of experimentation in response to customer and tech trends
• A look at the quick wins that have led to conversions
12:40 pm - 1:40 pm
Lunch & Networking For All Attendees
Take this time to chat and chew with someone you may not have met yet!
1:40 pm - 2:10 pm
Lightning Round Panel Discussion: Exploring The Tech Driving The Next Generation Of Merchandising
Evan Beigel -
Sr. Manager, Merchandising,
Guitar Center
Alanna Baker -
Senior Director, Site Merchandising Home,
Target
Carson Finkle -
CEO,
Tenth Street Hats
Michael Swack -
Director of Marketing,
CGTrader
Major strides have been made in the world of online merchandising as automation is helping to make the process more efficient for your merch team and more personalized for your customer. Panelists will walk you through ideas for:
• Building overall experiences to showcase merchandise—aside from just the tech
• Better connections through product personalization of merchandise—how today’s tech can act as a personal stylist
• Using AR/VR to integrate sensory experiences
• Using AI for responsive merchandising
• Getting clean data to achieve more personalized merchandising across the site
2:10 pm - 2:30 pm
Fireside Chat: The Merchandiser As The New eCommerce Leader
Timothy Lakin -
eCommerce Merchandising Manager,
Sketchers USA Inc.
An inside look into how merchandisers have become eCommerce market leaders by:
o Looking at how the role is changing/expanding and where it sits in the organization
o Will automation pose a threat to the merchandising role?
o Discussing what the merchandiser can offer from a strategic standpoint to profitably grow the business
o Examining the potential leadership path for the role
2:30 pm - 3:15 pm
Closing Keynote And Interactive Session: Applying Behavioral Economics Principles To UX Design
Jonathan Mann -
Former Senior Director of User Experience Design,
Target
UX designers are great at designing products that are enjoyable and easy to use. We excel at ensuring people can do something. But what about designing so people will do something?
For this, we might look to the field of behavioral economics, which draws from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and economics to explain and potentially influence human behavior. Initiatives from governments, NGOs, and marketing professionals are now commonly grounded in behavioral economics research. Can UX designers also draw inspiration from the field? In this talk, Jonathan Mann explains:
• A brief overview of a framework for understanding behavioral economics
• A sample case study that created a strategy to nudge customer behavior in a manner that led to significant profit
• We’ll then have an interactive discussion, including the question of ensuring that your behavioral nudges are ethical
3:15 pm - 3:50 pm
Afternoon Coffee & Refreshments
The day is winding down but there are still great learnings ahead! Fuel up during this time.
3:50 pm - 5:00 pm
Conclusion Of The UX & Merchandising Summit
5:00 pm - 5:45 pm
Cocktails & Conversations (Retailers-Only): Connect With Retail Peers From Similar Sized Organizations
Zach Zelner -
CEO,
PupSocks
Ted Baker -
CEO/Cofounder,
QALO Inc.
Stacy Carpenter -
Director of Customer Experience,
TOMS
Erin Vitero -
CRM Manager,
JustFab
Grab a cold beer or a glass of wine and join your new peers at informal conversations organized by online revenue. Kick off the evening right by meeting people with similar challenges and walk away with new ideas to take back to your office.
1. 0-25 Million in online revenues
Zach Zelner, CEO, PupSocks
2. 25 – 100 Million in online revenues
Ted Baker, CEO, QALO
3. 100 – 500 Million in online revenues
Stacy Carpenter, Director of Customer Experience, TOMS
4. 500 Million+ in online revenues
Erin Vitero, CRM Manager, JustFab
5:45 pm - 5:45 pm
Conclusion Of Cocktails & Conversations
5:45 pm - 7:00 pm
eTail Casino Royale Reception Hosted By Certona & FuelX
Play your cards right at our Casino Royale Grand Opening Reception! Sit around the table and play poker, blackjack, roulette and much more with your new friends.