Agenda

Hear about all of the engaging and informative content, valuable networking opportunities, educational one-to-one meetings, fun and exciting activations, and more that will take place over the next two days!

Retailers have invested billions in AI coding assistants, engineering platforms, and intelligent agents, yet faster developers haven’t translated into faster launches, higher quality, or measurable ROI. The value shows up on the ledger, but customers never feel it. The problem is not that AI can’t write code. It’s that retail enterprises still manage software delivery as if AI doesn’t exist. This session shows how leading retailers are building an AI-native operating model and software factory, where humans and AI work as one coordinated, governed, measurable delivery system, turning phantom ROI into value your customers can actually feel.

Consumer expectations are evolving faster than ever, and legacy retail brands must continually adapt to stay relevant. In this keynote session, Catalyst Brands’ SVP, Chief Digital and Technology Kumar “Kartik” Kartikeya will detail how the organization is bringing together iconic brands, technology, data and innovation to create stronger customer connections and drive growth. He will discuss the role of AI, personalization and cross-functional collaboration in modernizing the business and creating more seamless customer experiences across brands and channels.

Wrap up day one by enjoying food and drinks along with live entertainment. This is another chance to network and get to know peers from across the retail industry.

Bonobos has built its brand around making better-fitting menswear easier to discover and buy. In this fireside chat, Ellen Pope, senior director of e-commerce at Bonobos, discusses the apparel brand’s move to Shopify and what the new site will make possible across fit discovery, merchandising, brand storytelling, and checkout. The conversation will explore how Bonobos is returning to its tech-forward roots while bringing its signature fit experience to more customers.

Every leader is holding two feelings at once: genuine excitement about what AI can unlock, and a nagging sense that the organization is already behind. The common advice is to move fast and forget about stability. That sounds bold, but it’s backwards. The strongest predictor of successful AI adoption isn’t the tech rollout. It’s whether people have a leader who leads with empathy through the change. Carrie Skowronski, founder and CEO of Leadology, gives retail leaders a playbook for driving AI transformation without losing their teams: real stories, real data, and a framework for change that sticks.

In this fast-paced session, three retail leaders take the stage for focused 15-minute presentations showcasing AI applications that are actually moving the needle. No hype, no hypotheticals — just real-world use cases, measurable outcomes, and the lessons learned along the way. From operational efficiency to customer experience to revenue growth, attendees will walk away with concrete examples of how AI is delivering tangible ROI across retail organizations.

Accomplish valuable intel gathering on how leading technology solution providers can help your business. These brief one-to-one meetings are intended to foster beneficial long-term relationships for both attendees and sponsor partners.

Attendees will be assigned to tables with peers based on common technology challenges, offering the opportunity for collaboration and problem-solving. Share experiences, practical tips, and best practices on the issues you’re tackling, using this session to learn from peers who have faced similar challenges and walk away with fresh ideas to apply right away.

Brands like BYLT that grew up entirely on paid social and site conversion are reaching a new stage of growth. Rising customer acquisition costs, platform dependency, and diminishing returns from digital-only channels are pushing brands to think beyond e-commerce. Physical retail isn’t replacing DTC, it’s strengthening it. BYLT CMO Davide Mattucci will explore how doubling down on brick-and-mortar creates new opportunities for customer acquisition, brand credibility, loyalty and long-term growth.

Retail execution breaks down when inventory data can’t be trusted. In this session, Madalynn Lauria explores how gStore by GreyOrange’s sensor-agnostic intelligence engine delivers real-time inventory truth across the store, without requiring a rip-and-replace of existing RFID, handhelds, POS, ERP, or OMS systems.

Learn how gStore unifies inventory data, market signals, and associate behavior into one live, actionable view by driving 98 percent-plus location accuracy and item-level precision that powers smarter tasking, faster replenishment, and better execution on the floor. This isn’t automation for automation’s sake. It’s orchestration: connecting every item, associate, and decision to close the gap between what your systems say and what’s actually happening in-store.

Accomplish valuable intel gathering on how leading technology solution providers can help your business. These brief one-to-one meetings are intended to foster beneficial long-term relationships for both attendees and sponsor partners.

The rules of digital commerce are evolving. AI-powered search is reshaping how shoppers discover products, traditional SEO playbooks are being rewritten to account for generative engine optimization (GEO), and the metrics retailers have relied on for years are no longer telling the full story. Meanwhile, true personalization has shifted from a nice-to-have into a foundational customer expectation. This panel discussion will explore how to optimize for AI-driven discovery alongside traditional search, how personalization at scale is being unlocked through real-time data and AI, and why KPIs like clickthrough rate and sessions are giving way to more meaningful signals of engagement.

As AI agents become active participants in the buying journey, businesses must rethink customer engagement, commerce operations, and competitive advantage. Learn how leading enterprises are preparing their technology ecosystems for the next evolution of agentic commerce.

Retail media has evolved from a promising new revenue stream into a strategic growth engine for modern retailers. But as the industry has matured, advertiser expectations have changed dramatically. Brands no longer seek access to audiences alone. They expect measurable outcomes, stronger customer insights, seamless activation across channels, and deeper strategic partnerships.

Molly Hjelm, corporate vice president and head of retail media at Ace Hardware, will share an insider’s perspective on how retailer capabilities, advertiser demands, and technology innovation have evolved over time. Using the launch and rapid growth of RedVest Media as a contemporary case study, Hjelm will explore what it takes for retailers to move beyond media and become true platforms for growth. The session will examine how retailers can leverage customer relationships, first-party data, loyalty ecosystems, AI, measurement, and strategic partnerships to create value for both customers and brands.

Cap off the day with an evening at The Rustic, a beloved Dallas gathering spot. Enjoy the venue’s signature Texas charm — exposed wood, string lights, and a sprawling patio — paired with a menu of elevated Southern comfort food and craft cocktails. With live music as the backdrop, the evening offers a relaxed, social atmosphere perfect for unwinding and connecting after a busy day.

Sally Beauty’s e-commerce growth is coming from channels it doesn’t own. Its same-day delivery business was already performing when Samantha’s team moved it onto the platform running their marketplaces, and she’ll explain why. This session will cover what it takes to add and run channels quickly off one product catalog, and what Sally Beauty looks for in a platform partner. 

This session looks beyond the race for AI discoverability to the much larger transformation ahead: where consumers will spend their time and attention, which interfaces will matter, how demand will be created, what marketers will need to influence, what technology organizations will need to enable and, ultimately, where value will migrate.

Attendees will leave with a framework for separating hype from meaningful signals of change, identifying the no-regret moves to make now, and preparing for the bigger shifts that may be coming next.

In an industry defined by constant change, the ability to develop, adapt and hold onto great people has never been more critical. Retail organizations are facing a talent landscape unlike any before — new skillsets are required at every level, change fatigue is real, and the competition for top talent remains fierce. The retailers that will win aren’t just investing in technology; they’re investing in their people. In this panel discussion, retail leaders will share candid perspectives on how they’re approaching reskilling and upskilling initiatives, building organizational resilience in the face of ongoing transformation, and creating cultures where top talent wants to work.

In this retailer-only session, attendees will be grouped by job function for engaging, insightful conversations with peers who are facing similar challenges within their roles. Share real-world experiences, tips and tools during this problem-solving session.

In this “Shark Tank”-style session, founders of startup technology companies pitch their solutions to Total Retail Tech’s discerning audience, who will vote on the business they believe will have the greatest potential impact on the industry.

Most retail AI initiatives never make it past the pilot stage. The tools arrive, but requirements, testing, governance, and release processes stay the same. Therefore, the value never reaches the customer. In this fireside chat, Harish and Premal will address how digital leaders are embedding AI across the entire digital delivery lifecycle, unlocking up to 35 percent more road map capacity, treating governance as an accelerator rather than a brake, and measuring success through cycle time, conversion, code survivability, and customer experience instead of AI adoption. Because AI adoption is not the KPI. Business outcomes are.

The greatest innovations are born from one’s imagination and the courage to trust one’s intuition. But the secret to success is how one defines meaning and motivates teams to do the best work of their lives. This inspiring talk provides a blueprint for how to create big ideas and reinvent industries.