ThinkGlobal Retail is the conference for online businesses. With a primary focus on eCommerce, ThinkGlobal brings retail Directors, CEOs, and eCommerce Managers from all over the world to speak and learn about the latest and greatest in online retail. The 2-day agenda was jam-packed with powerful sessions to teach attendees how to improve their online business and connect with their customers.
Image Courtesy of Tim Ash
As many can agree, one of the best things about ThinkGlobal is the intimate nature of the conference. Most conferences can home thousands of attendees and hundreds of speakers, causing attendees to run around from session to session and speakers to miss out on opportunities to connect. Luckily for ThinkGlobal attendees, there was a perfect balance between gaining knowledge of new online marketing trends, tips for improving eCommerce, and several opportunities for conversation with industry leaders.
Averaging about 350 attendees, ThinkGlobal offered a welcoming environment where attendees could actually connect with speakers in the hallways and at exciting after-parties. The first day concluded with a networking event at Caesar’s Vista Cocktail Lounge where everyone was able to dress up a little nicer than usual and mingle over a glass of wine and cigar.
Image Courtesy of Tim Ash
Aside from opportunities for conversation, here are a few highlights from the ThinkGlobal Retail Conference.
Keynote Sessions Designed to Inspire
Each keynote session was packed full of insightful information and inspiring pick-me-ups for online businesses. Keynotes included James Tobyne of Alibaba.com, Bob Schwartz of Nordstroms.com, Tim Ash of SiteTuners, and Brett Tabke of Pubcon.
Founder of Nordstrom.com, Bob Schwartz reminded the audience of how simple, yet important it is to connect with the people. During his keynote he offered several examples of how building a community of people through products can create a brand on it’s own. He tested this out for himself during a video contest with Magento, an eCommerce software. The contest invited users to shoot a video describing what they loved most about the service. It quickly took off and before they knew it, several customers were submitting homemade videos sharing why they love Magento and in the most creative of ways. This helped build their brand using their own customer testimonials.
Image Courtesy of Tim Ash
“We created a movement, we created energy, and we created a company with soul,” Schwartz said referring to the Magento contest. You can achieve this by thinking more about how to engage the people, and less about how to receive the most conversions. Learn how to inspire your audience and customers to Tweet, share on Facebook, or tell a friend about your business and let the brand build itself. Bob shared some of the best ways to get your customer’s hearts beating and business growing is by:
- Serving your customer, first and foremost!
- Building the brand as a business.
- Make the business successful, duh!
- And grow.
Other keynotes also shared similar insights about new ways to brand and improve business over time. Brett Tabke, Founder of online marketing conference Pubcon, ended the ThinkGlobal conference Friday afternoon with insights on how to prepare for change in the online world. Emphasizing changes with design, Brett warns everyone to get with it and avoid using 3d buttons and css rollover.
Key Takeaways from ThinkGlobal
“Google Display Network does the design work for you and gives you images within about 20 minutes.” -Jim Banks
“A classic mistake is thinking your US site will work in China. Always redesign for regions.” -Michael Bonfils
“If you are using Facebook Advertisements, but don’t have a pixel on your site, do it YESTERDAY!” – Darlene Thomas”
“If you are going to cold call on social media, then add value.” – Marty Weintraub
“Don’t just localize your site, localize your strategy. No-one uses email in China.” – Maile Lesica
Like what you saw and want more? Ready to stay connected with the online world of retail? ThinkGlobal has two MeetUp groups in America, one in New York and the other in Los Angeles.
