Executive Council

While it’s unclear how much of the pandemic-prompted digital disruption has staying power, it’s safe to say consumers have gotten a taste of the potential of tech-enabled convenience, and they like what they see. We chatted with ChannelAdvisor's Mike Shapaker about the brands giving third-party marketplaces a second look, the e-comm metrics that should live on their dashboards, and the technologies we should all have on our radars.

As we exit the pandemic, we tapped into the power of the CGT/RIS Executive Council for a look at today’s new consumer, as well as insight into how both brands and retailers can transform them into loyal buyers through technology.

2021 is expected to be the year of hyper-relevant messages as part of the eternal battle to gain consumer’s attention. Building and managing the atomic elements of the creative copy will allow to capture dynamic audiences in the physical space and deliver fast activations contextual to real-life events such as weather forecast.

We chatted with Widdowson, who’s a member of the CGT/RIS Executive Council, about retail’s shifting landscape, the power of collaboration, and the challenges that come with operating within a living, breathing — and ever-changing — supply chain.

Over a year into the COVID pandemic, it’s clear that shopping behaviors have shifted dramatically. Digitally influenced sales continue to increase, and digital sales overall have been boosted due to the shift to online shopping.

Now more than ever, it’s essential for CPG and retail to learn from the past, optimize the present and align with the future through unified partnerships.

As retailers have navigated the pandemic, few have garnered as much attention for an ability to marry physical and digital retail to serve customers than Target. We chatted with Frank Bruni, SVP, food and beverage supply chain for insight into these operations, as well as his views on the role of the retail store moving forward.

We spent some time chatting with Forhez, who also serves as a co-chair of the CGT/RIS Executive Council, about what may be the most exciting and challenging consumer the industry has ever been responsible for serving.