Ecommerce Operations Summit 2021 is back live, at the Gaylord Opreyland in Nashville on Aug. 17-18, and the team at Multichannel Merchant has a great event on tap to help operations and fulfillment professionals keep on top of key industry trends and address the challenges of a disruptive time.
Here are just some of the program highlights we have in store for you this year:
For our tenth annual conference, keynote speakers from Best Buy and Tractor Supply will bookend the show. On Tuesday morning, Aug. 17, Mark Irvin, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Best Buy, will talk about how demographic, economic, cultural and industry changes are impacting how the major electronics retailer recruits and retains its workforce from top to bottom.
On Wednesday afternoon, Letitia Webster, SVP of Ecommerce, Omnichannel and Master Data Management for Tractor Supply, will talk about meeting 2020’s operational challenges like scaling up omnichannel capabilities (BOPIS, curbside, contactless payment). She’ll also cover its focus on cross-channel inventory visibility and a seamless physical/digital experience for customers old and new.
In an informative session loaded with practical tips, the founders and CEOs of two successful DTC brands will explain how their customer experience strategies have led to higher reorder rates and increased AOV. Brittany Whitenack, founder of Antique Candle Co. and Doug Ratner, founder and CEO of I’d Rather Be With My Dog, will talk about creative ways to tell your brand story with authenticity to drive loyalty and sales.
The issues around balancing automation investments with workforce management in the face of serious labor headwinds will be covered in a discussion led by Ryan Zelnis, consultant manager in supply chain strategy with Blue Horseshoe. He’ll be joined by Scott Hennie, President of MH Engineered Solutions, Douglas Smith, Vice President, Supply Chain and Logistics, Boot Barn and Steve Reade, Director of Distribution at DSW, who will bring their perspectives to this important topic heading into peak season.
The technology behind micro-fulfillment centers or MFCs have become the focus of a lot of discussion in ecommerce operations. While their capabilities for rapidly handling e-grocery orders was highlighted during the pandemic-driven boom in that space, how are they being utilized in other sectors? What is the potential and what are the economics? A lively discussion will be led by Brittain Ladd, Chief Supply Chain and Marketing Officer for Pulse Integration. Panelists include John Hennessy, Senior Sales Director, Alert Innovation Inc., Mike Demko, Global Head of MFC Solutions for AutoStore Systems and Drew Forte, Senior Director of Strategic Accounts for Swisslog.
Developing a multi-carrier strategy has become even more critical for ecommerce and DTC shippers at a time when major carriers are in continual peak pricing mode and network capacities are strained. An expert panel led by Tim Sailor, owner of Navigo Consulting, will provide insights on developing a winning multi-carrier strategy, while maintaining healthy partnerships and meeting service and cost goals. He’ll be joined by Justin Cramer, Co-Founder, ProShip and Martin Hickey, Senior Manager of the Direct-to-Consumer team at Fruit of the Loom.
Recommerce has become all the rage, with younger values-driven shoppers seizing on the suddenly hip trend. Retailers across categories are rushing in to take advantage of the opportunity, recapturing revenue and boosting sustainability. Steve DeNunzio, a senior lecturer at Ohio State University, will steer the discussion of how recommerce is impacting the industry. He’ll be joined by panelists Sender Shamiss, President and CEO of goTRG, Chris Richter, Founder and CEO of FloorFound and Aaron Turk, SVP, Operations and Corporate Development for Floyd.
Want to learn more about what’s in store at Ecommerce Operations Summit 2021? You can see the full agenda here, and follow this link to register and reserve your spot for two days of great learning, insights, solutions and networking with your industry peers. See you in Music City!