24th Retail Week Live – The best yet?
Leading retailers are gearing up for an exciting spring in the English Capital this year. The Hilton London Metropole will be the place to be on March the 11th and 12th as the venue plays host to the renowned exhibition, Retail Week Live, now in its 24th year. I’m really looking forward to hearing from the industry’s top experts, and of course getting to meet up with a whole host of likeminded driven business leaders.
This year looks set to be a giant year for the exhibition, with more than 1000 attendees expected from all over the world. There should be a good mix of start-ups and elite retailers to give us all some good insights into what’s in store for the future of the retail industry. There are a number of presentations lined up focused on four key themes, The Consumer, The Brand, Retail Strategy and Innovation. I’ve selected a few of the key themes and presentations that I’m most looking forward to below.
“The Consumer” and “Retail Strategy”
I think the ‘Consumer’ and ‘Retail Strategy’ themes will be at the top of my list, I believe this is an area where we can provide a substantial amount of support. I’ll be interested to hear whether or not the presenters involve an international component in their presentations, “Getting your products on shelves around the world” and “great communication with consumers” is what our company is all about. We help our clients provide products that engage with their international audiences, if you want to run a successful cross-border sales campaign, you simply have to be able to speak the same language as your consumers. This extends further than a lot of people realise, its more than just localising a website, instead it’s about repositioning the entire brand so it appeals specifically to an overseas audience, all contact points must be considered when hoping to make a success of any international retail project.
My Presentation Picks
I’ll definitely be attending Busting mobile-shopping myths: What consumers really value by Kate Smaje Partner, McKinsey and Company. I’m especially interested in whether localisation is mentioned and how the presenters perceive the value of international customers. In my experience, consumers are heavily influenced by a product’s individual appeal and a large part of that comes from the language used in packaging and advertising.
Postcards from the future: From the silver surfer to the savvy millennial-who is tomorrow’s shopper, presented by Anne Lise Kjaer is another talk I’m particularly looking forward to. Anne is the CEO, Founder & Futurist of Kjaer Global. I have previously discussed the notion that Millennials expect everything in one place and they no longer feel they have the time to have to shop around, I’m interested in seeing whether Anne’s thoughts echo my own and whether this is applied to an international market.
The last of my picks for presentations at Retail Week live is presented by Mike Logue, CEO of Dreams. Titled Dreaming big: Transforming your team into brand advocates, should be a very interesting presentation, especially considering franchising and challenges your brand and employees face when you start to expand internationally. How you keep the brand integrity and translate that to employees is something I have written about recently in Tips for a Successful International Franchise, please feel free to take a look at the article.
Expand your business
K International works with numerous large retail franchisers, driving success for our partners overseas. We have the knowledge and processes to help you make your retail business an international success. We can assist with the localisation of anything you need to make your expansion a success, encompassing digital, print, legal, marketing and much more.
I would be more than happy to discuss your international plans and suggest ways in which we can assist your business, you can drop me an email or contact me on Linkedin. I am also covering the Retail Week Live presentations on Twitter @aga_anim.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Should be a great event. So happy we’re going to help out our existing and new clients succeed in a new markets.