The Agenda

Affluent shoppers today expect far more than just a product. They seek unique, experience-driven environments designed to delight and captivate their senses. Join three senior executives as they share how they have transformed retail spaces into immersive, narrative-driven stages that seamlessly blend retail, culture, design, and hospitality, elevating brand perception, deepening emotional connections, and guiding shoppers towards measurable engagement and conversions.

Although search is evolving beyond keywords, driven by generative AI and advanced machine learning technologies, many consumer brands and retailers lag in fully leveraging these capabilities. Join pioneering leaders who demonstrate how generative AI enables predictive personalisation, dynamic content creation, and intuitive interactions. Gain practical insights into cutting-edge developments, successful implementations, and measurable impacts on customer acquisition, retention, and revenue growth.

Ten early-stage startups each have three minutes to showcase how their groundbreaking technologies are solving critical challenges and creating new opportunities in elevated retail. The judges and audience will rate each pitch, with the top five startups advancing to Round Two.

Consumer brands and retailers must capitalise on brief interactions to create lasting impressions. Successfully executed, limited-time activations and pop-up concepts can foster powerful emotional connections, turning temporary moments into memorable brand experiences. Three industry leaders share compelling case studies, highlighting how scarcity, interactivity, and multisensory design amplify brand equity, deliver measurable returns, and leave consumers eagerly anticipating future engagements.

Today's digitally-savvy shoppers seek inspiration, immersive exploration, and a sense of joyful discovery traditionally found in-store. But recreating the magic of spontaneous browsing online is challenging. Three senior executives share new and specific innovations in interactive storytelling, personalised recommendations, immersive technologies and digital merchandising, leaving you with insights on how to infuse digital channels with excitement and serendipity, effectively capturing consumer imagination, boosting customer engagement, increasing conversion rates, and fostering deeper brand affinity and repeat purchasing.

Round Two of the Luxe Launchpad competition sees the five shortlisted startups return to the stage. Each finalist will face incisive questions from our expert judges, diving deeper into their innovative solutions. The session concludes with the announcement of both Judges' and Audience Choice winners, offering an exclusive preview of tomorrow's game-changing innovation leaders in luxury retail.

Consumer brands and retailers aiming to reward their most loyal, time-constrained VIPs must expertly craft private experiences that feel bespoke, personalised, and thoughtfully curated. Three luxury leaders reveal the strategies and execution behind creating exclusive activations that serve as potent loyalty incentives, reinforcing emotional bonds and encouraging ongoing engagement and repeat interactions.

Personalisation remains a challenge for most luxury and premium consumer brands, and although 71% of consumers expect personalised interactions, only 7% of brands consistently deliver them (McKinsey, BCG). Three ecommerce leaders will share how they successfully implemented AI-driven content and predictive analytics to enhance conversions, basket value, and customer loyalty.

CEOs must navigate rapidly evolving economic, technological, and consumer landscapes. Hear from top executives on their strategic priorities for upcoming years, discussing challenges and opportunities around talent, innovation, digital transformation and more. Gain exclusive insights into how leading CEOs are positioning their organisations for sustainable future success.

Luxury brands and retailers demand technology partners who deeply understand their unique challenges and deliver tailored, strategically aligned innovation. This panel of senior executives share exactly what makes certain tech providers stand out, from customised solutions to proactive partnership and flawless integration. You’ll gain valuable insights into how leading luxury brands evaluate and select tech partners, enabling you to sharpen your own tech sourcing strategies, maximise technology investments, and ensure future-proof partnerships.

Fostering authentic human connections, both in-store and digitally, remains a significant challenge. Digital experiences often lack warmth while in physical retail, recruiting (and retaining) sales associates who genuinely prioritise customer care often feels like hunting for unicorns. Join senior executives from consumer brands and retailers excelling in customer hospitality as they unpack actionable strategies and practical tactics for cultivating consistently warm, memorable experiences, translating directly into measurable business impact and sustained customer loyalty.

What separates a great product from a true 'hero' is its ability to transcend its category and become both a cultural icon and a revenue engine for years to come. Beyond driving today’s topline, hero products act as aspirational entry points, onboarding new customers who then explore and repurchase across your broader line. In this session, three executives share how they’ve defined immutable hero DNA, harnessed real-time insights to maintain relevance and expanded intentionally without diluting desirability.

While many consumer brands are shifting back to DTC, strategic partnerships with luxury retailers, marketplace platforms, and stylists still remain important for others. Executives share how they're balancing margin versus reach, preserving brand storytelling in third-party environments, and unifying data from multiple channels. You’ll walk away with a simple decision framework for selecting and executing the right mix of direct and partner routes, plus playbooks for delivering seamless, on-brand experiences either way.

Premiumisation goes beyond pricing. Rather, it demands a strategic approach to elevate brands, products and customer experience in line with evolving consumer aspirations. This session opens with a framework that outlines a structured approach for achieving elevated positioning, followed by a panel featuring senior executives sharing insights into how they've successfully repositioned their brands and offerings to achieve a more elevated status. Learn practical tactics for enhancing product desirability, crafting aspirational messaging, and strategically aligning customer perceptions to drive higher value and sustainable growth.

Enhancing frontline teams with appropriate technology and training can fundamentally transform elevated retail experiences. Leading retail executives understand technology must complement, not replace, human interaction. In this session, senior executives from brands renowned for exceptional in-store service will share proven tactics and detailed strategies for integrating digital tools, comprehensive training programmes and more, significantly elevating staff performance, customer satisfaction, and overall business outcomes.

Consumer brands and retailers that actively listen to social signals can spot emerging trends, anticipate consumer shifts, and prevent potential crises. In this session, senior executives will share advanced analytical tools, proven methods for translating real-time sentiment into strategic actions, and insights into cultivating a responsive internal culture. Discover how harnessing social listening strategically drives proactive innovation, sharpens customer responsiveness, mitigates reputational risk, and delivers a tangible competitive edge.

Recommerce is reshaping the customer journey, introducing new dynamics to how brands build relationships, loyalty, and lifetime value. This session features senior executives from brands who have strategically embraced recommerce as a growth engine, turning it into a competitive advantage rather than a threat. They’ll detail how they've integrated resale into their core customer strategy, leveraged data from resale channels, and strengthened brand affinity through sustainability-focused engagement.

Capturing the attention of China’s next-generation affluent consumers requires deep cultural understanding and digital sophistication. This session begins with fresh research into the distinctive preferences and behaviours of this influential and unique demographic, followed by a panel of leaders experienced in navigating the sophisticated Chinese luxury market who will share their winning playbooks. Discover essential insights on engaging digitally-native luxury consumers, adapting to rapidly evolving preferences, and building loyalty among China’s influential younger demographics.

Customers increasingly demand seamless luxury experiences across every digital and physical channel, yet many encounter disjointed interactions that diminish brand perception. In this session, three executives who have successfully achieved unified commerce share specific, practical insights from both internal processes and customer-facing initiatives. Learn precisely how their strategic commitment to cohesiveness, personalisation, and intuitive design has delivered significant competitive advantages and enhanced long-term customer loyalty.

Consumer brands are strategically expanding beyond traditional boundaries into adjacent lifestyle categories, strengthening consumer connections and driving growth. Executives share successful crossover strategies, detailing authentic partnership identification, brand consistency management, and leveraging collaborations for enhanced brand equity and revenue.

Growth increasingly hinges on successfully tapping into emerging opportunities in geographies or segments everyone is eyeing, yet few have truly mastered. Three executives who have cracked the code on key growth markets including Middle East & Africa, India and South East Asia, will share their playbooks. Hear firsthand about how they validate opportunities, adapt strategies to local market nuances, overcome challenges, and more, in these closely watched markets.

Sustained growth often hinges on effectively spotting and pursuing entirely new market opportunities, yet the abundance of options can make it challenging to know where to begin. This session begins with a framework on how to identify and launch new growth categories, followed by a panel of executives who have successfully done this within their businesses. Gain insights into how these leaders systematically uncover untapped opportunities, strategically validate market potential, and successfully scale new categories to become significant revenue streams.

Today’s customer journeys span multiple complex channels, making tracking and optimisation essential yet challenging. In this session, three senior leaders reveal how leveraging data and analytics illuminates every critical touchpoint. Learn how these insights empower businesses to proactively deliver seamless, personalised experiences, significantly enhancing customer engagement, loyalty, and revenue growth.

Brand collaborations are plentiful, but those that authentically resonate and deliver substantial commercial results are rare. In this session, three senior executives behind some of the most innovative and impactful recent brand partnerships will share the strategies and tactics they use to choose the right collaborators, how they structure their agreements to ensure mutual value, and the specific tactics they employ to amplify impact. Walk away equipped to craft brand partnerships that stand out, enhance brand affinity, and genuinely move the needle commercially.

Global cross-border ecommerce represents enormous growth potential, yet it’s fraught with complexity: from navigating regulatory requirements to adapting logistics, payment options, and localisation strategies. Senior leaders share detailed, practical frameworks to conquer cross-border challenges, leaving you with guidance on scaling internationally, managing risks, adapting strategies to local markets, and efficiently delivering compelling, frictionless online experiences that resonate worldwide and drive measurable global revenue.

The definition of a Very Important Customer (VIC) is rapidly evolving and businesses must anticipate tomorrow's high-value consumers today. This session opens with brand new research exploring emerging consumer trends and advanced methods for redefining customer value. A panel of senior executives will then discuss how they’re proactively adapting loyalty strategies using predictive analytics, behavioural insights, and next-generation segmentation to build lasting relationships and secure future growth.

Experimentation at scale thrives in organisations that intentionally cultivate curiosity, innovation, and exploration. Yet building a culture of psychological safety, while maintaining clear strategic direction and measurable outcomes, is a significant challenge. Join senior executives from pioneering consumer brands and retailers as they share how they’ve embed curiosity into day-to-day decision-making, develop clear processes to test new ideas, explore emerging formats and more, and how this has translated into accelerated growth, sharper competitive advantage, and lasting organisational resilience.

Top consumer brands and retailers need to be able to move as fast as startups, making bold pivots when needed while staying true to their core values. But embracing change and turning it into opportunity is easier said than done. This session features three executives who have nagivated major shifts with agility and adaptability - whether that means changing business models, embracing new technologies, or reinventing a brand identity. You'll hear solid examples, lessons learned, and practical takeaways on how to pivot without losing your balance.

True brand loyalty doesn't end at purchase; it starts there. Yet, many consumer brands overlook powerful opportunities to turn post-purchase touchpoints into data-rich moments of meaningful engagement. In this session, three senior leaders share how they've successfully leveraged personalised communications, tailored recommendations, and value-added services such as repairs and maintenance to inspire customers to re-engage, return in-store, and deepen their brand loyalty. Discover how these forward-looking approaches significantly enhance retention, profitability, and deliver invaluable insights for future growth.

As generative AI reshapes what’s possible in consumer engagement, a new era of hyper-personalised, context-aware marketing and customer experience is emerging. To unlock its full potential, retailers and consumer brands must adopt the right technologies and align strategies with their growth priorities. In this session, you'll hear directly from the Founders and CEOs of four innovative technology companies transforming luxury and premium consumer engagement.

In rapidly changing markets, the agility to pivot effectively can determine a brand’s survival. Join senior executives who have successfully navigated significant disruptions, sharing candid insights into the triggers for their pivots, rapid team mobilisation, internal alignment, and strategic communication. Discover how bold leadership in uncertain times can strengthen market position, build resilience, and unlock new opportunities.

Luxury is evolving, and today’s consumer expects elevated products without compromising on authenticity, value, or innovation. In this session, David Gandy, one of the highest-grossing male models of all time, shares how his brand, Wellwear, is successfully blending economy, elegance, and innovation to meet changing customer expectations, and what's next for the fast growing brand.

Many value-conscious consumers, including Gen Z and younger Millenial shoppers are embracing brands that deliver elevated products and experiences without breaking the bank. In this session, executives will share how they've artfully married economy with elegance to captivate shoppers. You’ll learn how to design aspirational entry points, spark viral momentum, balance price with prestige and convert first-time buyers into lifelong advocates.

Effective loyalty programmes now go far beyond traditional reward points - they anticipate needs, personalise offers, and consistently delight top customers. In this session, hear from industry leaders who are redefining what it means to engage and retain Very Important Customers (VICs) through sophisticated data analytics, clientelling techniques and more. Learn how they strategically harness customer insights to deliver hyper-relevant experiences that not only satisfy but continually exceed customer expectations.

Omnichannel customers spend more than single-channel customers and deliver a 30% higher lifetime return on investment than single-channel shoppers, making a seamless, consistent shopping experience across online and offline channels critical for retailers and brands. In this session, you'll hear directly from the Founders and CEOs of four innovative technology companies unlocking unified commerce.

Delivering meaningful transformation demands seamless, cross-functional collaboration rooted in shared priorities, mutual accountability, and clear communication. Yet aligning teams across departments, business units, and geographies remains one of the greatest challenges for large-scale organisations. In this session, senior leaders that have successfully navigated complex transformation journeys will share the practical tactics and strategies behind how they’ve broken down silos, built trust across functions, and created structures that enable faster, smarter, more agile decision-making.

Seasoned investors offer valuable insights into future market dynamics. This panel of top retail investors discusses emerging trends, technologies, and categories attracting investment, sharing their evaluation criteria and actionable signals for strategic brand growth.

Granular product-level intelligence has the potential to fuel richer customer insights, informs strategies for product longevity, underpins provenance and authenticity verification in resale channels, and can safeguard against loss prevention. In this session, industry leaders will discuss how they're integrating innovative technologies to improve inventory forecasting, optimise merchandising, enhance product design, unlock better insight, and personalise customer experiences at a highly specific product level. Discover tangible examples of how gaining deeper product intelligence directly translates into increased sales, reduced waste, and improved margins.

Frontline sales associates play a crucial role in delivering exceptional customer experiences, now increasingly empowered by a new generation of digital tools tailored specifically for the shop floor. In this session, you'll hear directly from the Founders and CEOs of four innovative technology companies transforming luxury and premium retail by equipping sales associates with the tools they need to elevate the customer journey.

Shoptalk Luxe 2026 delivered unparalleled insights from 180+ speakers across 50+ sessions. This session distils the most critical trends and actionable insights, equipping you with essential knowledge to anticipate challenges, identify emerging opportunities, and strategically navigate the evolving landscape of elevated retail.

Tomorrow's standout consumer brands are already reshaping consumer expectations through distinctive offerings, new business models, and a relentless focus on desirability. Hear directly from Founders and CEOs about their bold approaches to product design, digital marketing, customer engagement, and storytelling that set them apart. Walk away with fresh insights into building and scaling breakout brands that customers obsess over, competitors envy, and investors eagerly back.

Creating a truly data-driven organisation requires more than just technology - it demands cultural change, leadership commitment, and ongoing education. Shifting to data-led decision-making is fundamentally about empowering employees and embedding analytics into day-to-day operations. In this session, executives from leading companies will share practical steps for cultivating and scaling a sustainable data-driven culture, highlighting everything from overcoming internal resistance and improving data literacy to establishing agile decision-making processes. Gain insights into how these efforts have driven measurable improvements in efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage.