The ZEALS team attended Shoptalk from March 17 to 20, an annual conference that brings together the leaders in retail, technologists, and innovators to discuss and showcase the latest insights, solutions, and products poised to shape the future of the industry.
We had the pleasure of demoing our AI-driven chat solutions with retailers, brand managers, agencies, marketers, and other vendors at the ZEALS booth. It gave us the opportunity to learn more about how social chat commerce can help drive more meaningful customer engagement for various retail use cases that range from increasing sales, driving awareness, improving customer retention, and more.
In addition to the connection between retail and marketing, generative AI and integrated omnichannel solutions were also popular topics presented in sessions and content throughout the exhibit hall.
Embracing AI
Shoptalk 2024, on the first day of the event, kicks off with a highly focused theme on harnessing the power and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize customer experiences for retailers. Walmart, COS, Mattress Firm, and more emphasized the importance of integrating AI into various facets of the business, emphasizing the need to remove friction and prioritize good data for successful implementation. Unsurprisingly, a good majority of the sessions we attended or discussions we had throughout the event were focused on generative AI, with an emphasis on enhancing the customer digital shopping experiences.
Omnichannel Solutions
Among prominent CPG brands, there is a huge focused on how to enable cross-functional teams and/or integrated channel strategies to better engage customers. Topics around Omnichannel solutions took the center stage at some of the sessions, encouraging leaders in the space to focus on the importance of every single customer touch point when creating a seamless customer journey for their brands. The VP and Managing Director of Ecommerce at Nestle Purina, Randy Spaeth, shared some insights on how his team is working on creating a more personalized shopping experience for pet parents, by seamlessly integrating across different media, retailers and social platforms.
Driving Innovation
The last day of the event was focused on innovations in retail, including AI-driven marketing and immersive customer experiences. Some great examples included Walmart’s responsible AI approach and Canada Goose’s experiential retail strategies of adapting to changing consumer demands while maintaining brand authenticity.
Shoptalk 2024 was a fantastic event and was a great platform for all retailers, big and small, to collaborate on industry challenges, explore innovative solutions, share their outlook on industry and growth shaped by technological advancements and rapidly evolving customer preferences. We look forward to participating in future Shoptalk events!
