Senior digital retail leaders gathered in London for the first RetailX Nexus event this week. For many of those present, yesterday’s event represented a return to face-to-face events in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
At RetailX Nexus, the focus was on conversations rather than presentations, in a format devised to meet the needs of those returning to in-person events. Sessions on each of three main themes – sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion and points of experience, transformed by automation and AI – were followed by 45 minute conversations, in which digital leaders explored the themes introduced by keynote speakers and considered what they meant for their businesses.
At the heart of the discussions were three questions: in the light of the disruption that all of these issues are bringing to the industry, why, what and how does my business need to change?
RetailX content strategy and event development director Anthony Parker says the format evolved through conversations with the RetailX advisory panel. “When we went out to speak to our advisory board and others, the response, after 18 months of Covid, was to say, ‘Just let us speak with each other,” says Parker. “’There’s so much that you can learn from conversations.’”
The event was held under Chatham House rules, but key points made in the discussions will be published in coming weeks, providing a resource both for the RetailX community and for future editions of Nexus.
“This was a chance to talk about some of the most important issues currently affecting ecommerce and multichannel retailing,” says Ian Jindal, chief executive and co-founder of RetailX. “These are issues that no-one can solve on their own but that we can explore by working together, sharing experiences and finding useful answers that work in our businesses. Thanks to all of those who joined us, sharing both their time and expertise.”
Find out more about RetailX Nexus here.
