The most successful retailers are doubling down on emotional engagement and experiential design. Memorable retail moments — whether online, in-store, or hybrid — are becoming the new battleground for customer loyalty. This session explores how immersive experiences, powered by storytelling, technology, and customer insight, are redefining what it means to “shop.”

Retailers who master the art of experience aren’t just selling products — they’re building anticipation, delight, and brand affinity that keep customers coming back. Learn how to create purposeful, repeatable moments that leave a lasting impact and generate long-term value.

• Design retail moments that engage the senses and deepen brand connection
• Incorporate experiential storytelling into both physical and digital touchpoints
• Leverage emerging tech (AR, gamification, AI) to surprise and delight customers
• Align immersive experiences with customer expectations and brand identity
• Measure the impact of experience-driven strategies on loyalty and lifetime value

We’re still trying to solve age-old problems within our digital channels that are blocking us from increasing revenue, driving repeat purchases, surfacing products for discovery, etc... Marketing technology must be fundamentally different in order to communicate in ways consumers love and allow brands to grow, starting with your retail data.

Join this talk for a fundamentally different perspective on data that the fastest growing retailers are adopting to drive more revenue with less effort.

It is important to be sensitive about data collection and usage in the Canadian market. However, it is also important to offer customers personalized online shopping experiences that are suited to their unique consumer preferences. How do you find the balance? This session will walk you through: 

• Best practices for data collection at checkout that maximize your useful data collection without invading the customer privacy
• Limiting usage of personal data like first names to email promotions rather than creating overtly and obviously personalized sites
• Displaying some non-optimized or otherwise irrelevant content to ease consumers’ fear of surveillance
• Seeking feedback from customers about the types of personalized experiences and services they prefer so that you are able to deliver accordingly
• Refining your personalization practices to ensure that they are helpful without crossing into the territory of being creepy