Scheduled Sessions
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Cape Town, South Africa
Built around real-world challenges facing retail in South Africa, the agenda focuses on execution, resilience, and growth.
10:00 AM
OPENING PANEL The Retail Power Hour
C-Suite Perspectives on Growth, Economy & Future Strategy
A peek inside the boardrooms of the biggest retail players. This panel covers how businesses are building resilient, future-ready strategies in a competitive market.
- Where retailers are planning to grow next – new market expansion, e-commerce acceleration, and omnichannel integration
- How current economic forces and modern consumer behaviours are impacting business
- What the future of retail looks like: from store transformation to digital innovation and mutually-beneficial partnerships
10:40 AM
Presentation
Seamless Shopping: Creating Immersive Phygital Experiences
Brands are merging physical and digital touchpoints into high-converting, engaging shopping experiences.
- Evolving e-commerce through multi-touch customer journeys
- Leveraging data to add intelligence for online and in-store staff to elevate experiences
- Connecting online and offline experiences through omnichannel and phygital integration strategies
11:00 AM
TECH TALK
Connected Commerce: Payments as a Convenience Growth Driver
Payments are no longer just a transaction but a critical driver of conversion and customer experience.
From one-click checkout to flexible payment options, seamless payments can significantly impact sales and retention. This session covers how modern retailers are optimising payment experiences across online and offline touchpoints to unlock growth.
- Reducing friction in checkout across web, app, and in-store by enabling faster, smoother transactions
- Expanding payment flexibility to meet evolving customer expectations by integrating wallets, BNPL, UPI
- Leveraging payment data to drive loyalty and repeat purchases to improve retention
11:15 AM
Coffee Break
11:45 AM
FIRESIDE CHAT
Insight to Action: Data as a Foundation for Demand Forecasting
How are retail leaders elevating the use of data for smarter business decisions? This session explores how business leaders are adding efficiency to operations, and using data as a competitive differentiator.
- Using customer data to understand buying behaviour and preferences
- Turning insights into better decisions on pricing, products, and promotions
- Data-driven logistics for optimised last-mile delivery, inventory visibility
12:15 PM
TECH TALK
Adding intelligence to Inventory: Optimising Cost with Auto Replenishment
360-degree warehouse visibility lowers holding costs, and boosts customer satisfaction through faster, more accurate order fulfilment.
- Minimise overstocking, reduces warehousing costs, and prevents costly stockouts.
- Uses historical sales data, trends, and AI to predict future demand and determine optimal restocking quantities.
- Improve cash flow and inventory turnover with reduced human error to zero
12:30 PM
PRESENTATION
Preparing the Retail Workforce for Digital Transformation
As retail leaders work towards equipping employees with the right skills, mindsets, and tools to adapt, what are the milestones to measure success? It is not uncommon to face pushback against new technology implementation, creating a plan to ensure employees see value and reinforce their role ensures smooth transitions.
- Investing in digital training programmes builds a future-ready workforce
- Preparing for the future of AI agent-human collaboration in retail operations
- Creating a culture of innovation to foster agility
12:50 PM
TECH TALK
Retail Media: Reaching Customers at the Point of Purchase
Retailers own rich transactional and behavioural data, enabling precise targeting and measurement. RMNs allow retailers to diversify income beyond product margins, tapping into advertising budgets. It creates a closed-loop measurement where retailers can directly link ad exposure to sales, proving ROI more effectively than traditional media.
- Monetising Digital Real Estate: Sponsored product placements, banner ads, and personalised recommendations within apps and websites.
- In-Store Media: Digital screens, QR codes, and interactive kiosks that connect physical shopping with digital advertising.
- Data-Driven Insights: Selling anonymised analytics packages to suppliers for category planning and innovation.
1:05 PM
Lunch Break
2.05 PM
PANEL
Beyond Price: Redefining Value for Customers
For retail leaders in South Africa, redefining value means moving beyond price competition to deliver experiences, trust, and relevance in a market shaped by economic pressures, digital disruption, and shifting consumer expectations.
- Track loyalty, trust, and lifetime value as indicators of success.
- Use AI and data analytics to tailor offers, recommendations, and loyalty rewards.
- Eco-friendly practices and fair trade resonate with South Africa’s growing conscious consumer base.
2:45 PM
TECH TALK
Journey Orchestration – Connected Narratives across Multiple Touchpoints
Users disengage quickly if journeys feel repetitive or irrelevant. Seamless journeys guide users toward purchase decisions more effectively.
- Capture signals (clicks, purchases, dwell time) and feed them back into the journey design.
- Breaking down customer segmentation by behaviour, event and attributes to offer personalised value
- Measuring results, and optimising for best performing campaigns
3:00 PM
PRESENTATION
Why Gamification Works in Retail
Gamification boosts retail engagement by using rewards, competition, and progress tracking to motivate customers. It encourages repeat interactions through habit-building features like streaks and challenges.
By integrating social proof and entertainment, it makes the shopping journey more engaging and enjoyable.
- Psychological Triggers like rewards and competition drive deeper customer participation.
- Habit-forming elements increase frequency of visits and purchases.
- Social engagement and fun experiences enhance loyalty and brand advocacy.
3:20 PM
Presentation
Value Creation as a Team Sport – Cross Collaboration
Building strong cross-functional collaboration is emerging as a critical advantage for modern retailers.
- Data democratisation to respond to journey friction and create more connected experiences
- Enabling real-time coordination between teams to respond quickly to demand shifts and customer behaviour
- Aligning every team around improving the end-to-end customer journey, not just team performance
3:40 PM
PANEL
Protecting Profitability: Building Resilience in a Disrupted World
Rising fuel costs, disrupted supply chains, and currency volatility are increasing operational pressures, while inflation is forcing consumers to rethink spending. For retailers, this is no longer a temporary challenge but a structural shift in how business operates.
- Strategies to manage delays, rising logistics costs, and supplier risks while ensuring consistent product availability.
- Managing inflation, margins & pricing to balance increasing costs with competitive pricing and protect profitability.
- Exploring diversification, local sourcing, and new trade relationships to stay agile in a shifting global market.
4:20 PM
Coffee Break
4:40 PM
TECH TALK
Untapped Growth: Identifying New Revenue Streams and Underserved Customers
South African retail leaders must balance bold innovation with operational discipline—new revenue streams are within reach, but they demand effort in digital readiness, trust-building, and ecosystem partnerships.
- Identifying overlooked customer segments with high growth potential
- Adapting pricing, product mix, and user experience to match different needs, budgets, and lifestyles
- Turning access data into predictable recurring revenue and stronger customer relationships.
4:55 PM
PRESENTATION
Community Building: When Shopping is a Social Experience
This session explores the rise of Social Commerce, and how brands are leveraging community and influencers to drive growth.
- Identifying the right influencers that align with the brand to create strong emotional connections
- Social media channel trends, and how brands are compressing the time to decision from discovery to purchase
- Measuring the impact of social campaigns on business conversions
5:15 PM
PRESENTATION
Rethinking the Luxury Label for the Modern Consumer
It’s no longer defined solely by exclusivity and high price tags—it’s being reshaped by cultural identity, sustainability, digital innovation, and accessibility. Retail leaders must rethink what “luxury” means to a diverse and evolving consumer base.
- Shifting from exclusivity to inclusivity, from product ownership to experience, and from status to sustainability.
- Luxury as memory-making, not just product ownership. Offering immersive experiences—private events, curated journeys, and personalised services.
- Tiered offerings (entry-level luxury lines) to broaden reach without diluting brand prestige.
5:35 PM
