2011 Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition

Conference Agenda

E-Commerce Shifts Into Overdrive, The Race is On!
It's become abundantly clear: Consumers are shifting buying to the web. During the recession, web sales grew while store sales shrank and now with the recovery, web sales growth far outstrips store sales growth. The change is coming fast. It will be permanent. And consumers are accessing the web in many more ways than they ever have before, through desktop and laptop connections, netbooks, mobile phones, iPads and Web TV. The challenge: Engage today's consumers who are always online and only a click or two away from your competitors.

The 2011 Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition will lay out strategies for marketing and selling to the web-centric, anytime, anywhere consumer. It will look at mobile commerce, e-commerce, and how the two work together; the ways that TV and the Internet will merge and the opportunities and challenges that merger provides; how online marketing is changing; how to ensure your customers will come back to you when they are ready to buy again; how the immediacy of ordering merchandise on the spur of the moment affects inventory and fulfillment; how customer service must change to keep up with the new consumer. It will also deal with new payment and security issues, new technology investment, staffing and management challenges, the specific challenges that small retailers face, the new kinds of merchandising that a new market will require, and more.

The IRCE 2011 Keynote Presenters

Keynote Speaker—June 15

Christopher Payne, Vice President and Head of eBay North America

A new retail is emerging. It is a seamless way of shopping that is more convenient, more accessible, more local and global - and more relevant to more consumers - than any retail experience to date. eBay has implemented a clear strategy for taking advantage of new retail trends across mobile, social, local and digital, with the aim of helping merchants sell more and bringing new experiences to life for shoppers. The head of eBay North America will provide insights into how eBay views these new retail trends and their impact on the future of shopping.


Keynote Speaker—June 16

Sona Chawla, President,
E-Commerce, Walgreen Co.

Walgreens has been a trailblazer in the new age of retailing: Within the past year, the 7,600-store chain has revamped its web site and mobile site, gained 600,000+ fans on Facebook, launched 24/7 live chat at its web site that puts customers in direct contact with a pharmacist, hosts 1,500 videos on its site and is creating content for web TV. Our Day Two Keynote Speaker is the head of Walgreen's e-commerce operations. She will describe in detail the drugstore chain's mobile and e-commerce initiatives and how they work together with its stores to capture the anytime, anywhere customer.


Special Guest Speaker—June 15

Arianna Huffington, Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, The Huffington Post

Arianna Huffington is the leading example of how the Internet will overtake traditional business models. She launched the online-only news service TheHuffingtonPost.com in May 2005 and in just over five years, the site has become a leading source of news - so much so that AOL bought the operation for $315 million - in part to gain Ms. Huffington's expertise in creating a successful online news operation. Arianna Huffington will talk about how the Internet changes the news business, the competition she faced and obstacles she overcame to establish The Huffington Post, and the lessons that her experience holds for online retailers. Whether you are a chain or a web-only merchant, a cataloger or a manufacturer, understanding the disruptive process of the Internet is crucial to your success. Arianna Huffington will be your guide to how you can harness that disruption for your benefit.