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What is Connected?

In a year when we aren’t able to meet face-to-face, we launched World Retail Congress Connected - three days of virtual content that examined what the acceleration of change across the industry means for the future of retailing.

From 15-17 September, attendees got access to everything from keynote presentations and interviews to panel discussions. And all was focused on the big, all-important strategic questions.

Most importantly, it was free to attend for all. We wanted the industry to benefit from the insight and personal reflections from inspiring industry leaders and experts. 

There has never been a more important time for the retail industry to come together to help reset retailing as it emerges from this global crisis.

Register today for free on demand access to sessions. 

Please ensure you register using your unique email address, as duplicate email addresses will not be recognised. 

Register for free on demand access to World Retail Congress Connected

 

What was on the agenda? Key themes covered...

How to win in the new retail reality

Examining what has been changed, made irrelevant or become even more relevant and critical in determining who will be the retail winners. This opening topic set the overarching focus for the 2020 World Retail Congress Connected.

The acceleration of ecommerce

During the lockdown period of the global pandemic, consumers had to shop online and as a result created online converts. As a result ecommerce has moved forward dramatically by at least three years in as many months. Online business has doubled or trebled for many but it has also thrown a big spotlight on the key capabilities of success from technology, data, delivery, availability, payments and marketing.

Do you know your post-pandemic consumer?

Critical to understanding the extent to which retail has changed is the behaviour of consumers emerging from lockdown and the effect of the pandemic. Have behaviours changed forever, what values are now important to consumers? Will consumers continue to turn to online shopping? How are consumers embracing new channels such as live streaming? Will the emerging trend towards localisation remain?

The renewed relevance of Sustainability and Brand Values

With the lockdown and the enforced closure of factories and businesses, cities fell quiet for the first time ever and the skies cleared over capital cities around the world. People woke up to the notion that radical measures could bring positive results to improve the planet. They also turned increasingly to those brands they believed met their needs but more importantly represented the values they felt most important. As with all things during this pandemic, it has accelerated trends and issues that were there before COVID but now demand urgent attention. Retailers too came to recognise that they played a valuable role not just in national economies but for local communities. This formed a major part of the ongoing discussion about the role and responsibility of retail.

Taking a lead: leadership, culture and diversity

If the leadership questions Before COVID (BC) was around speed, adaptability, risk-taking, digital understanding and diversity, the global crisis has added to this list and put enormous pressure on retail leaders to be able to embrace dramatic change at high velocity whilst keeping the safety and welfare of their employees and customers paramount. And if this crisis has accelerated change within company leadership, the dramatic popular movement campaigning for Black Lives Matter which has resonated around the world has put a new and more intense spotlight on diversity and inclusion in society and business. How should retail take the lead to affect change?

Join retail leaders shaping the future of global retailers