Featured Session

Tuesday
July 26
5:00 pm–5:45 pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

The new consumer

Dan Frommer, founder and Editor in Chief of The New Consumer, kicks off NRF Nexus with a fast-paced, data-informed look at the fast changing consumer. The former Editor in Chief of Recode, Dan will explore how new consumers think, what they want, and where this leads retailers in meeting their dynamic needs. Drawing on the latest consumer spending data and results from a proprietary survey, Dan presents a new edition of this semi-annual Consumer Trends report, a collaboration he leads with investment firm Coefficient Capital. What’s different about 2022 than recent past years?
Wednesday
July 27
8:30 am–9:15 am
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Walmart's vision for ecommerce excellence in 2022 and beyond

Walmart has made significant investments in its digital retail operations, pushing the envelope on ecommerce sales and growing the business by 70% during the pandemic. Taking over the helm of Walmart’s digital business in February (a role previously held by Marc Lore until early 2021), Walmart EVP and Chief Ecommerce Officer Tom Ward is leveraging his previous experience leading Walmart’s autonomous delivery and other last-mile innovation initiatives to help the retail giant further scale its omnichannel growth and ecommerce successes.
Wednesday
July 27
9:15 am–10:00 am
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Transforming the guest and team member experience through technology

The last two years presented what seemed like insurmountable challenges for most teams and industry sectors. Inspire Brands' Head of Limited Service Category and President of Sonic, Claudia San Pedro, and Inspire Brands Chief Information Officer Raghu Sagi had to move quickly to develop and deploy next-gen technology to improve the guest and team member experience. The result?

Wednesday
July 27
10:30 am–11:00 am
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Scaling tech in new markets with a culture-first approach

At the core of lululemon is its culture: innovative, diverse, inclusive and authentic. When Julie Averill, EVP and Chief Technology Officer, set out to scale lululemon’s technology team into India, she led with a culture-first approach. In this engaging session, Julie will discuss lululemon’s journey - where they’ve been, and where they’re going. She will share highlights from their India Tech Hub inauguration, which brought lululemon’s culture into the community while honoring India’s culture and heritage.
Wednesday
July 27
12:45 pm–1:15 pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Democratizing social commerce and the keys to influencer marketing

Eighty-eight percent of consumers purchase products that their friends have recommended, and with 4.5 billion consumers currently on social media platforms, leveraging influencer-based recommendations in marketing campaigns is no longer a nice-to-have but essential to the business. Many consumers are sharing daily the products they have found and they love. There is a demand for creators to monetize their taste and influence directly from social platforms but the tools to do so have been limited.
Wednesday
July 27
1:15 pm–1:45 pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Delivering high-value insights: How to use AI to drive future strategy

The development and use of data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence continues to accelerate rapidly, with analytic capabilities supporting a variety of core functions and business needs. In this session, retail leaders will discuss the important and expanding role AI plays in driving exponential value through their respective businesses. Hear from insightful retailer AI experts who are leading the retail industry in the practical application of AI, how to harness troves of data to benefit the business, and where the technology will take them in the future.

Wednesday
July 27
3:00 pm–3:30 pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Connecting through conversations: Servicing the modern consumer in 2022 and beyond

Almost every aspect of the way we shop, sell and connect is evolving. Consumers want to converse with brands in a way that is convenient and effortless — on the channels that they use every day to communicate with their family and friends. With the holiday season on the horizon, and consumer expectations transforming quicker than ever, the question becomes, how can retailers build lifelong relationships in a digital-first world? 

Thursday
July 28
8:30 am–9:00 am
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

The power of Web3 and the immersive consumer experience

Like the Internet before it, the metaverse is a virtual space bringing people, companies, and products together in both digital and real environments to create new economic opportunities. The groundwork is already laid. People and organizations jumping in are gaining invaluable experience, meeting customers, developing revenue streams, and even shaping metaverse culture. Learn how to find the right opportunities in this fast-moving universe of the Wed3 world. 
Thursday
July 28
9:00 am–9:30 am
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Metaverse and crypto: Retail’s next digital frontier

Alfred Chang, Co-CEO of PacSun joins Nexus to share how the iconic youth retailer is catering to a fully digital generation - accepting cryptocurrency for purchases, incorporating VR into store experiences, debuting its own NFTs, and entering the online entertainment space with a brand new fantasy interactive mall experience on Roblox called PACWORLD.
Thursday
July 28
9:30 am–10:00 am
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Navigating the wild and wonderful world of NFTs for retailers and brands

Avery Akkineni, President of VaynerNFT – the latest venture from Gary Vaynerchuck – examines how brands such as Anheuser Busch, PepsiCo and Coinbase are finding success in the Web3 space and what that means for your company.  
Thursday
July 28
10:30 am–11:00 am
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Selling via marketplaces: How retailers can be the disruptor instead of the disrupted

A quarter century ago, ecommerce began disrupting brick & mortar retail. A decade ago, marketplaces started disrupting ecommerce. Some retailers have leveraged this business model to become the disruptor instead of the disrupted. Learn from strategic advisors and retailers running marketplaces about: WHAT is the impact of the marketplace platform business model; WHY is the marketplace business model so disruptive; WHO leverages the marketplace platform business model; and HOW can you launch and operate a marketplace?
Thursday
July 28
12:45 pm–1:15 pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

When innovation is your brand: How Domino's delivers next-generation experiences to consumers

When a company is famous for introducing 30-minute delivery, online ordering, delivery tracking, and pizza-warmers, consumers expect it to have creative solutions to a crisis like worldwide lockdowns. Dominos’ SVP of Customer and Store Experiences Christopher (“CTM”) Thomas-Moore explores how the famous pizza franchiser bakes innovation into the brand.
Thursday
July 28
1:15 pm–1:45 pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Future of the consumer

More details on this session coming soon!
Thursday
July 28
3:00 pm–3:30 pm
Palos Verdes Ballroom, 4th floor

Fashion and wellness in the metaverse

The wellness space has a natural fit in a virtual environment, evidenced by the successful shift of fitness classes online and mindfulness apps soaring in popularity through COVID.