The Strategic Guide for What Comes Next in Retail
At CommerceNext, our speakers provide 3-5 exclusive CommerceNext Steps: a curated list of actionable takeaways you can apply to your business immediately.
From marketing strategy to tech and growth, don’t miss out on the strategies that will define your 2026 growth—found only at CommerceNext.
CommerceNext 2025 Recap
Discover CommerceNext Steps from these leading retail brands
From Gen Z to Alpha: Redefining Acquisition for Emerging Audiences
Create relevant shopping experiences.
Find the intersection of cultural relevance, conversation and discovery for Gen Z shoppers.
Frame products around authentic brand values and proven quality.
Gen Z will spend at a higher price point if there is a good reason, such as product quality or brand values.
Make authenticity a core market strategy.
Gen Z is able to detect whether or not your brand is being authentic, so it has to become a key quality in your marketing efforts.
Lauren Price
SVP of E-commerce and Digital Marketing, COS
Jess Ozella
SVP. Ecommerce & Growth Marketing, Reformation
Sarah Henry
VP, Head of Content, Influencer, & Commerce, Walmart
Tom Ward
EVP & Chief Operating Officer, Sam’s Club
Adapting with Purpose: How Sam's Club Embraces Consumer Trends and Challenges
Adapt with purpose.
Evolve with a clear vision, not just reactive urgency. Align teams, strategy and innovation around a shared goal.
Be the better option.
Loyalty is simply the absence of something better. Be the better. Show up with consistency, lead with value and create experiences that leave no reason to look elsewhere.
Move quicker, test smarter and serve better.
Embrace speed with discipline, experiment with purpose and keep the customer at the center of every decision.”
Ashley Schapiro
VP, Marketing, Media, Performance Engagement, American Eagle
How American Eagle is Leveraging Sports Partnerships to Build a Brand That Bridges Audiences
Embrace the universality of fandom.
Sports unite across age and gender. Speak to shared passion, not just demographics.
Show up for the moments that matter.
Be present when the spotlight is brightest. Activate around buzzy plays, breaking news and unforgettable wins.
Back the voices fans trust.
Align with athletes, analysts and icons who shape the narrative. Authenticity beats ad spend.”
Avinash Kaushik
Brand Strategy & Marketing Transformation, Tapestry
Triple Threat Strategy: Unlocking Incrementality, Creative and AI for Competitive Advantage
Let AI drive performance.
By the end of 2025, 70% of your performance marketing should be AI-powered.
Pre-test or pass.
By mid-2025, 80% of your media budget should be tied to creative that’s been pre-tested and proven. No more guesswork. Only what works.
Build the incrementality flywheel.
Start small, scale smart. Quarterly channel wins fuel cross-channel momentum, which drives portfolio-wide growth year over year.
Prove every dollar.
By 2026, 100% of your marketing spend—owned, earned and paid—should be backed by portfolio-level incrementality. If it doesn’t move the needle, it doesn’t make the plan.”
Connected Omni Experiences—Wins, Losses and Lessons Learned
Finding the right partnership fit is crucial for omnichannel success.
Brands should seek out retail partners that help them reach new audiences while staying true to their brand’s ethos.
Convenience is king.
Delivering an omnichannel experience should be rooted in removing friction for the customer, whether they are shopping in-store or online.
Brace for change at the top of the funnel.
GenAI is poised to steal a greater share of search in the coming years and brands need to prepare for how this will impact the customer journey.
Jon Kosoff
CDO, Boot Barn
Alyssa Callahan
CMO, US, bp
Stuart Hogue
SVP, US Consumer Division, Lands’ End
Antonella Pucarelli
Chief Commercial Officer, IKEA North America
Seamless by Design: IKEA’s Blueprint for Customer Experience Across Every Channel
Review the customer experience.
Check all channels: online and in-store from the CUSTOMER’s perspective.
Leverage mobile devices to better support the in-store experience.
This could include a ChatGPT search/help section.
Make shopping fun again.
Think about what experiences you can add to the store that better embrace your community and provide customers with more reasons to shop your store.
Kelly Mahoney
Chief Marketing Officer, Ulta Beauty
The Beauty of Growth: Ulta’s Digital Glow-Up
Lead with purpose.
Root every move in your mission. Go beyond transactions to spark confidence, self-expression and connection.
Show up where culture lives.
Build relevance by engaging authentically in music, sports and social—the spaces your audience loves most.
Fuel creativity with insight.
When creators have data, ideas land sharper, stories feel personal and moments truly resonate.
Design omnichannel with care.
Every touchpoint should feel seamless and intentional—building loyalty, not just clicks.
From AI Pilot to Astronaut: Building ROI Savvy AI Evaluation Processes and Mindsets
Build guardrails early.
AI innovation thrives when legal, privacy and security are aligned from day one.
ROI ≠ just cost savings: think broader.
AI unlocks faster decisions, better products and elevated customer experiences.
Reframe roles, not replace them. Ease fears by showing how AI frees teams to focus on deeper, more impactful work.
Don’t just pilot—pilot with purpose. Test AI with clear goals. Scale only when operations, tech and compliance are all in sync.
Leala Francis
SVP Customer Insights & Member Experience, AG1
Suparana Shokeen
Former Vice President, Capri Holdings
Lynda Pak
SVP & Divisional CIO, Estée Lauder
Human in the Loop: Collaborating with AI for Meaningful Ecommerce Experiences
Balance AI with the human touch.
Customers still crave connection. Blend automation with empathy to deliver standout experiences.
AI needs oversight, not autopilot.
Set it and forget it doesn’t apply here. Monitor, refine and ensure AI enhances, not erodes, the journey.
Make AI a team sport.
AI success doesn’t live in a silo. Cross-functional buy-in and influence drive real impact.”
Andrew Tweed
GM, Fruit Gifting, 1-800-Flowers.com
Suruchi Shukla
VP Marketing, Minted
Andrew Laudato
COO, The Vitamin Shoppe
Fiona Tan
CTO, Wayfair
Crushing the Customer Experience With AI at Wayfair
Build the AI flywheel.
Inspire → engage → learn → personalize to cut choice overload and speed paths to PDP.
Keep humans where trust is won.
Augment agents and add verified, physically-vetted picks to boost confidence.
Redesign workflows, not tools.
Rebuild for agentic AI end-to-end to avoid bottlenecks and improve data quality.
Make adoption a company sport—with ROI guardrails.
Equip all teams, stay model-agnostic, partner smart, keep what wins.
Kim Waldmann
Global Chief Customer Officer, Foot Locker
Lacing Up for the Future: Empowering Teams and Igniting Sneaker Culture
Obsess the customer.
Today’s consumers are the new trendsetters. Brand leadership requires tuning in, asking why and responding fast.
Craft a vision and keep endorsing it.
Be sharp and consistent on your north star and goals. Empower the team to help you get there.
Create a culture of curiosity.
Reward the learns along with the wins. Promote dialogue and debate that propels growth.
The future of retail is an ‘AND’ not an ‘OR’.
AI and human-powered experiences will live together to elevate the customer experience.
Lacing Up for the Future: Empowering Teams and Igniting Sneaker Culture
No loyalty program can compensate for poor product or service.
Start by delivering exceptional fundamentals.
Differentiate through experience.
Loyalty thrives when your offering feels meaningfully distinct from competitors.
Know your customers deeply.
Leverage data to meet expectations and personalize interactions at every touchpoint.
Jeff Gerstel
Chief Marketing Officer, B&H Photo
Brian Schmidt
VP, Digital & eCommerce – Brooks Brothers & Eddie Bauer, Catalyst Brands
Kevin McCarthy
VP, Loyalty & Partnerships, Sonesta
Joe Kudla
Founder & CEO, Vuori
The Future of Retail: Blending Digital, Physical and Community
Redefine retail as media.
Every store, site and shelf tells a story. Make the experience as compelling as the product.
Build community, not just customers.
Transactions end. Connection lasts. Invest in spaces where belonging grows.
Let product lead.
Great marketing grabs attention. Great product earns loyalty.
Measure what matters.
Not all value shows up in a spreadsheet. Trust impact, not just the metrics.
Stay culturally tuned.
Trends come and go. Relevance is what keeps you future-ready.
Get Insights
Sign up for exclusive access to more CommerceNext Steps from our summits, webinars and more.
Retailers & Brands
Apply to join our 1:1 Hosted Meetings Program and get up to a $2000 travel
credit in addition to a FREE ticket!