
7:30 am - 5:00 pm
Registration Open
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast and Networking Hall Open
8:30 am - 8:40 am
Welcoming Remarks
8:40 am - 9:10 am
In Conversation with ARITZIA's Sally Parrott
In this intimate conversation Kevin Graff sits down with ARITZIA's Senior Vice President of Marketing, Sally Parrott to discuss why in the challenging segment of fashion, ARITZIA continues to delight a discerning segment of consumers.
9:10 am - 9:15 am
Reducing Injuries in Retail
"Fast Five" Sponsor Highlight
In 2018 the claims cost for the retail sector was the highest of the last five years, at nearly $45 million. From training temporary employees, to dealing with damage to property and stock, to potential financial penalties, the costs can add up quickly. Learn the benefits of a well-functioning health and safety program and how WorkSafeBC can help.
9:15 am - 9:45 am
Never Mind Millennials… Here Comes Gen Z!
How are the different generations shopping? Finally, fresh off the press, Western Canadian data on values and aspirations that are driving decisions not only for retail but for experiential entertainment. Join us for the most current map of customer needs and wants by generation with a special look at Gen Z and geographical preferences and behaviour.
9:45 am - 9:55 am
Representing Retail: An RCC Member Update
Get the latest update on government relation activities based out of Retail Council of Canada's pacific office. Learn the status and details of our goals to support retailers with small plastics bans, changes to labour law, the roll out of new legislation related to retail cannabis and the federal election.
9:55 am - 10:00 am
Driving New Revenue with a Snap
“Fast Five” Sponsor Highlight
Mobile payments now account for more than 70% of all China domestic spend (>$17 Trillion USD.) Canadian merchants are starting to capture significant incremental revenues. Discover the fundamental and emerging mobile payment technologies behind the growth and share success stories from Canadian retail.
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Recruit, Engage, Repeat: Strategies for a Strong Employer Brand
Retailers are feeling the struggle in building strong teams through recruitment and employee engagement. Learn strategies that leverage digital tools to enhance an employer’s ability to recruit strategically. Learn how to strengthen your employer brand storytelling and lead capture with social media, how predictive analytics are your friend and why video interviewing is a tool that allows you to better connect with candidates.
10:30 am - 11:00 am
Networking Break
11:00 am - 11:45 am
Where to Invest Time and Energy to Maximize ROI in Digital Marketing
SEO, Google, Facebook, Instagram and Influencer marketing are all competing for your dollar but where will you get results? This session will give you the insights to consider when planning your layered campaign and will reveal how you can maximize each of your investments.
11:00 am - 11:45 am
5 Steps to Activating Your Data
Marketers are driving business growth more than ever. And we have more data than ever. With so much potential at our fingertips, data-driven marketing should be easy. Why isn’t it? Find out what you can do today to harness the power of the data you already own to deliver more relevant customer experiences, improve your brand reputation and drive results.
11:00 am - 11:45 am
Retail Cannabis One Year Later
One year later we welcome west coast cannabis retailers back to the stage to discuss solutions found and emerging challenges in a highly regulated sector of retail. Creating an engaging in-store experience, educating consumers and integrating into the traditional business and retail communities have been a few of the hurdles that all Canadian retailers can take lessons from.
11:45 am - 1:00 pm
Lunch and Networking
12:00 pm - 12:20 pm
Completing the Customer Journey
Lunch & Learn on the Main Stage
Learn how retailers can ensure a completed customer journey by building smart partnerships with manufacturers to maximize long-term ROI. Kevin MacNeil shares the evidence of this successful model using Google Analytics and will showcase the high-end advertising creative that organizes and explains these campaigns.
1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Reinventing eCommerce Product Content
eCommerce reports have shown that most consumers pre-research their buys online before making a purchase either online or in-store. Brands and retailers, in their race to attract and retain customers, can't ignore the importance of having rich and enticing product content. This session will provide you with the best practices and latest technologies for optimizing product content, and examples of retailers who are killing it.
1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Building an Integrated Media Strategy in a Profoundly Digital World
Retailers are witnessing digital only advertisers follow their lead, by incorporating traditional channels like flyers, broadcast, and OOH into their media strategy. What’s in the secret sauce? Top retailers come together to discuss the state of advertising today, the challenges, the victories and how they are experiencing success through data-driven, integrated strategies that leverage the strength of traditional media combined with digital media.
1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Black Friday: A Microcosm for Operating with Excellence
Black Friday has become a month of deals culminating in the day itself. This one weekend truly puts retailers to the stress test of operating with excellence while also operating near capacity. Websites crash, deliveries encounter delays, stockouts or over-inventories are both at risk. Customers get frustrated. Yet this cauldron of activity leads to lessons learned to ensure customers get their best experience no matter the day of the year. This session will explore what retailers and their partners are undertaking to future-proof the next evolutions of retail.
1:45 pm - 2:15 pm
Networking Break
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm
From Good to Great: Branding as a Business Strategy
When consumer decision making is differentiated with emotion and experience instead of price-points and product features, a brand goes from good to great when it connects with customers on a deeper level. Hear from Adam Coates, Chief Commercial Officer with Westleaf, a company who has set the bar high and is making an impact not only with their customers but with employees and the communities around them, proving sound business strategy is strengthened with great branding.
2:45 pm - 2:50 pm
Lessons Learned from the Pay-Later Revolution
In the past few years, the “Buy Now, Pay Later” model has exploded into e-commerce and is being offered in more categories than ever before. This classic concept is back on the scene with a focus on user experience, simplicity, convenience, transparency, and ease of implementation. Discover why retailers are reporting increases in conversion and AOV - while receiving full payment up front with no credit or chargeback risk. Learn more about the Buy Now, Pay Later revolution and how Canadian retailers and consumers are benefiting.
2:50 pm - 3:20 pm
Thriving in the Era of Personalization
Saje Natural Wellness emphasizes customer experience while striving to build the largest wellness community. Janelle Shiplett, VP of Digital will delve into how Saje is working to create relevancy in each community with personal experiences in brick and mortar while also attempting to create more personalization and greater experiential value on their digital platform.
3:20 pm - 3:35 pm
How to Best Bridge the Physical - Digital Divide
It’s becoming more difficult to capture the attention of your customers once they’ve left your store. This case study will reveal how easy it is to use Raange to create powerful digital engagements in-store that grow your owned customer audience and seamlessly retarget your customers during their post-purchase journey.
3:35 pm - 4:05 pm
The Economic Future for Western Retailers
Steve Mossop, President of Insights West will take us through how Canadians, and in particular Western Canadians, foresee the future of the national economy and their personal finances unfolding. Discover what Canadians are thinking about and how this will impact retailers of all sizes.
4:05 pm - 4:40 pm
Deciding How To Decide: The Changing Face of Retail Decision Making
With the modern transformation of the workplace and the relentless pace of change in the retail industry, retail executives are being challenged to explore and adapt to a different culture of decision making in their enterprises. The top-down model is giving way to a nimble, agile and more inclusive process, powered by data/AI and a relentless focus on their customers, a stronger more engaged employee at all levels, and a next generation employee.
Join Peter Higgins as he shares his insights on how this has impacted the approach to critical thinking for leaders in the retail industry.