Agenda

Disruption is no longer a moment – it’s the operating environment. Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how consumers discover, evaluate, and buy, forcing retail leaders to rethink marketing, pricing, loyalty, and inventory in real time. As AI enables “one-to-X” engagement – deeply personalized experiences delivered at scale – the rules of retail are changing. Static pricing gives way to dynamic models. At the same time, consumer trust is under pressure as pricing, personalization, and value become increasingly opaque. In this always forward-looking session, Mitch Joel will introduce his P.A.C.E. framework to help retail leaders navigate this disruption. Attendees will gain a strategic roadmap to compete in an AI-mediated economy where adaptability, trust, and intelligent systems define competitive advantage.

As AI, data, and digital platforms reshape retail, retail executives are increasingly responsible not just for digital and technology strategy, but for driving measurable business growth. In this candid discussion, senior executives from leading retailers will share how they’re using AI, data, and modern platforms to unlock new revenue opportunities, optimize omnichannel performance, personalize customer engagement, and accelerate digital commerce. They’ll also explore how their leadership roles are interdependent across marketing, ecommerce, merchandising, and operations – aligning digital and technology investments directly with revenue performance.

Retail’s biggest transformation barriers aren’t technical – they’re organizational. In Monster Transformation, authors Rafeh Masood, Ari Lightman, and Gary Hirsch identify the hidden “monsters” – misaligned incentives, cultural resistance, legacy processes, and leadership blind spots – that quietly derail digital and AI initiatives. For senior retail leaders, these monsters are the real reason promising AI pilots fail to scale, transformation stalls, and ROI remains elusive. This session introduces a practical framework to identify, confront, and dismantle these blockers, enabling organizations to move beyond experimentation to sustained, profitable change. Attendees will gain tools to align teams, redesign decision-making, and build transformation-ready organizations, turning AI and digital investments into measurable business advantage rather than isolated innovation.

Twice a year, Benedict Evans publishes his definitive macro trends presentation to answer a simple question: what’s actually changing, and what does it mean? His latest analysis argues that AI is becoming a foundational computing layer, reshaping discovery, advertising, commerce architecture, and enterprise operations across every industry. For retailers, this shift extends far beyond chatbots. AI agents will transform how consumers discover products, how media and advertising drive demand, and how commerce platforms must evolve to become machine-readable and composable. In this data-driven session, Benedict will separate signal from noise, helping retail leaders understand which AI trends will matter most – and how to position their organizations for the next wave of platform and commerce transformation.