The Case for Differentiation
The growing dominance of value-driven retailers is placing an increasing premium on differentiation. Companies that fail to differentiate are left to compete primarily on the basis of price, which pressures margins and makes profitable growth challenging. This session lays out the case for differentiation and identifies the key levers of differentiation available to retailers and their suppliers.
Mary Brett Whitfield, Retail Forward, Inc.

Getting Clued In to Experience Management
Good, bad or indifferent, every customer has an experience with your company. Most organizations don’t understand how to manage that experience for maximum value and use the experience as a way to differentiate the business. This session introduces concepts and tools for experience value management. Case studies from retailing, consumer goods and related companies illustrate how the systematic design and delivery of experience clues impact customer value, loyalty and the bottom line.
(Note: This session is not offered in Toronto.)
In Chicago and San Francisco: Lou Carbone, Experience Engineering, Inc.
In New York: Jim Notarnicola, Experience Engineering, Inc.

Making Marketing Matter
This session explores the power of customer communications to provide differentiation in a message-saturated world. We’ll look at what leading retailers and suppliers are doing both in and out of the store to break through the mayhem in a way that captures the shopper’s attention, communicates relevant messages and fosters both initial and repeat shopping.
Lois Huff, Retail Forward, Inc.

The Soul of Differentiation: Product and Brand
As the old adage goes, “you are what you eat.” In retailing, it has always been, “you are what you carry.” Merchandise is the soul of a retail brand. However, as the definition of retail offers expands, so too does the brand. This session discusses how merchandise and service offers—both branded and private brand—affect how retailers differentiate and compete.
Dan Stanek, Retail Forward, Inc.

Using Shopper Insights to Drive Store-Level Marketing
Consumer research suggests, and most marketers believe, that the vast majority of purchase decisions occur in the store at the point-of-purchase. This session demonstrates how marketers can use shopper insights to identify shopping and purchasing barriers—including ones related to branding, customer service, marketing, merchandising and the shopping experience—and, in turn, to develop ROI-based category programs that address these issues.
Al Meyers, Retail Forward, Inc.

Differentiation in Action: Lessons from the Leaders
Just being different doesn’t make you better. If you are seen as “better” by your customers, your differences are meaningful and relevant to them. If you can be meaningfully different to a significant group over time, you’ve achieved the Holy Grail of retailing—a long-term sustainable competitive advantage. Many seek, but few achieve, this desirable goal. Retail Forward talks to consumers about what makes a retailer different and why.
Tom Rubel, Retail Forward, Inc.