Agenda

Digital capabilities have reshaped how consumers discover products, brands and ideas. Now, the physical store has an opportunity to support that same journey, creating richer discovery while giving retailers new ways to understand what engages their customers. This session explores this evolution at Sephora, where an ongoing in-store pilot is testing how connected content, technology, physical experiences, data and media can work together. The discussion looks at how these capabilities can facilitate discovery, create greater visibility into the customer journey and help physical environments become more responsive to the people and brands they serve.

In this panel discussion, we will explore the concept that retail is no longer just a place to buy — it’s becoming a stage, a story, and a social experience. The session will explore a provocative shift: what happens when entertainment becomes the primary value proposition, and commerce becomes the by‑product. From immersive brand worlds and gamified shopping to AI‑driven personalization and hybrid digital‑physical experiences, the boundaries between retail, media, and culture are dissolving.

Agentic AI is reshaping not just how consumers shop, but how retail businesses operate, from the way work gets done internally to how brands show up across every touchpoint of the consumer journey. Levi Strauss & Co. and Etsy are approaching this moment from opposite ends of the retail spectrum.   

Levi’s, a 170-year-old global brand, is accelerating its push into direct-to-consumer and digital capability as it evolves into a head-to-toe lifestyle retailer. Etsy, the online marketplace for unique and creative goods, is leaning into its roots as the home for human creativity in an increasingly automated world. Both are asking the same fundamental questions about AI while undergoing significant business transformations— just from very different starting points. 

In this conversation, the Chief Digital & Technology Officers of both companies will share how they are embedding AI into how their organizations work, how they are using it to deepen and personalize the consumer experience, and how they are preparing for a world in which AI agents play an active role in how shoppers discover, evaluate, and buy. 

Michaels and Stanley 1913 come from different corners of retail, but their recent growth stories reveal a shared truth: enduring brands never stop evolving. Through strategic acquisitions, unexpected collaborations, product innovation, and a deep understanding of changing consumer expectations, both organizations have successfully introduced their brands to new audiences while remaining true to their heritage. In this two-part conversation, leaders from Michaels and Stanley 1913 will share how they are balancing legacy with innovation, building relevance across generations, and creating sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Walmart has already announced the partnerships, the protocols and the pilots, but what happens next is far more important. In this session, Walmart goes beyond the headlines to reveal how AI is changing the real mechanics of retail.

As payments become increasingly invisible and identity becomes the new currency of trust, retailers face a pivotal question: how do you balance seamless commerce with security, privacy, and consumer confidence? In this fireside chat, Jeff Pomeroy, Payment Services & Crypto at PayPal discusses game-changing new technologies like palm and facial recognition — and the impact that getting identity right can have on merchants' bottom line. He will be joined by a leading brand to explore real-world use cases, emerging risks, and what retailers need to prepare for as the line between "who you are" and "how you pay" continues to blur.

The market has spent years chasing growth at the extremes, trading up with affluent consumers and defending value at the bottom. But in between sits the largest, and most overlooked, opportunity: the middle. An increasingly ‘E’ shaped economy means today’s middle-income consumer isn’t collapsing, they’re cautious, selective and unpredictable. Spending hasn’t disappeared; it’s become harder to unlock. In this session, we’ll unpack how the E‑shaped economy is reshaping demand across categories and channels. Why the middle is becoming more cautious, more deliberate, and harder to influence and where spending is still being released—and the signals that trigger conversion. 

Gen Z and Gen Alpha don't consume media the way previous generations did. They discover products and brands through a fluid mix of creators, social platforms, haul content, peer influence, experiential events, and in-person shopping experiences. The path to purchase is increasingly shaped by authentic moments rather than traditional advertising. For retailers, adapting to this reality is essential. Success requires showing up in the moments that influence consideration and purchase, from creator partnerships and social content to pop-up activations, experiential retail, and even the resurgence of the mall as a destination for shopping, entertainment, and social connection. Above all, brands must earn attention rather than demand it, integrating naturally into the environments and experiences that matter most to these generations, where authenticity is a prerequisite for engagement.

If discovery happens in < 3 seconds:  What replaces search? What replaces brand building?  Creative becomes merchandising  In this panel discussion, we examine how in today’s retail landscape, the first impression isn’t made at the front door — it happens in a feed, a swipe, or a scroll. Consumers are making split-second decisions about what to watch, click, buy, or ignore, forcing brands to rethink how they capture attention and convert interest instantly. This session will explore how retailers and brands can win in the “scroll era” by designing experiences that stop thumbs and drive action across social commerce, digital storefronts, live shopping, and mobile-first platforms. From visual storytelling and creator partnerships to frictionless checkout and AI-powered personalization. 

Gap Inc. EVP and Chief Technology Officer Sven Gerjets joins us to unpack how the retailer is embedding AI and agentic technology into every layer of the business – from product design and supply chain to marketing and the customer experience. He’ll share what it takes to move fast without losing the brand's human core, including lessons from Gap’s multiyear Google Cloud partnership and its early bet on agentic commerce.

The way people shop has fundamentally changed, and it's only accelerating. In this fireside chat, Amanda Doerr, VP of Amazon Shopping, and Petra Schindler-Carter, GM of Retail & Consumer Goods at AWS, explore how Amazon pioneered agentic shopping and how those learnings inspired the Agentic Shopping Assistant on AWS. From how AI enters the customer journey to what levels of autonomy and trust take hold, they'll unpack how platforms must evolve to support new models of discovery, evaluation, and transaction, and what it means for retailers' businesses.

Examining the growing role of creator trust in shaping consumer purchase decisions –specifically, what transforms creators into credible shopping companions. Influencers have evolved into storefront owners and product curators, and retailers are increasingly tapping into creator partnerships to blend in-store and in‑feed experiences. As a result, we’re seeing significant investment in creators as the new voice of the brand, along with heightened interest in driving creator‑led in‑store conversions. Several retailers have launched notable, narrative‑driven campaigns in collaboration with creators, signaling a shift away from traditional marketing funnels toward more dynamic, story‑based funnels.

AI is changing what's possible for retail marketers. Join e.l.f. Beauty and Hightouch to explore how an Agentic Marketing Platform brings together customer data, intelligence, and AI agents to help teams uncover opportunities, make smarter decisions, and execute marketing work in entirely new ways. Get a look at what it takes to put agents to work and how retail marketing could evolve in 2027.

Consumer behavior is shaped as much by emotion as by economics, with shoppers seeking joy, reassurance, and a sense of connection – not just efficiency – in their purchasing experiences. Every purchase must “earn its place,” which means retailers need to build trust, personalization, and emotional connections rather than relying solely on convenience-driven tactics. And with AI reshaping the journey and shopper expectations shifting rapidly, retailers that prioritize meaningful, human-centered moments over transactional speed will differentiate themselves – and hopefully build loyalty. Ultimately, consumers want to feel a sense of belonging, community and identity.

Shopping and checkout are increasingly happening outside retailers’ owned storefronts, across marketplaces, social platforms, delivery apps, AI assistants, and embedded commerce experiences. As the path to purchase becomes more fragmented, maintaining ownership of the customer relationship is becoming more complex. This session will explore how retail leaders can evaluate emerging commerce channels, protect the customer relationship, and stay connected to customers wherever they choose to buy.

Session details are to come.