Category: Marketing How-To

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Retail

The Post-Purchase Playbook: How Leading Retailers Win Beyond the Checkout

With customer acquisition costs at unprecedented highs, the real battleground for growth now lies beyond the checkout. Post-purchase presents an exciting opportunity: transform first-time buyers into loyal advocates by marrying smart tech, streamlined returns and memorable experiences that stick. Let’s examine the trends shaping post-purchase success and highlight leading retailers setting the standard today. Take these insights to the next level by applying for CommerceNext’s Post-Purchase Forum, October 15th in NYC.   Trends & Best Practices Shaping Post-Purchase  AI-Powered Personalization & Communication From tailored product recommendations to virtual shopping assistants, AI is transforming how brands engage with customers after a purchase. The 2024

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What to Expect From Shoptalk Fall

What to Expect From Shoptalk Fall 2025

If you missed Shoptalk Spring, you’re likely asking: was it worth it and is Shoptalk Fall? With AI, personalization and evolving customer journeys reshaping retail, it’s hard to know where to focus first. Shoptalk Chicago 2025 is one of many stages for retail innovation. If you’re planning your event calendar, here’s what to expect, how to get the most from attending and how other industry events like CommerceNext compare.   Shoptalk Fall is about Practical, Growth-Driven Strategy (Shoptalk) While Shoptalk Spring focused on retail trends and industry shifts, Shoptalk Fall (themed “Retail’s Power Players. One Critical Moment”) emphasizes decisive action in a volatile

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Women doing makeup

The Secret Behind Sephora’s Successful Marketing Strategy

CommerceNext gathers insights from top retail leaders like Sephora on how to stand out in a competitive landscape: personalization, inclusivity and seamless omnichannel experiences are must-haves. We break down Sephora’s marketing strategy below.  Sephora Empowers Customers With Educational and Inspiring Digital Content At the core of Sephora’s marketing strategy is a mission to empower individuals through inclusive, innovative and high-quality beauty experiences. Every brand experience reflects this, starting with their tailored social media content: tutorials on YouTube, trending content on TikTok, polished visuals on Instagram and conversations with customers on X (Twitter).  Across industries, 80% of users prefer watching a video, while only

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Kendra Scott

Kendra Scott’s AI-First Commerce Revolution: Cracking the Code on AI Revenue Generation

Under the leadership of Kamanasish Kundu, SVP of Digital & E-commerce, Kendra Scott unlocked a new frontier in digital retail: an AI strategy designed not just to save money, but to drive revenue. The results are staggering: a 6x conversion lift, 9x engagement lift and a blueprint for how conversational AI can move from a support expense to a frontline sales engine. Read on to learn how Kendra Scott’s partnership with iAdvize redefined what AI means for commerce, and why others risk leaving millions on the table if they don’t follow suit. From Cost Center to Revenue Driver The traditional AI playbook is

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Estée Lauder

Inside Estée Lauder’s Winning Marketing Strategy

At our annual NYC conference, top retail marketers reveal how they stay ahead. Estée Lauder, a consistent presence, proves legacy doesn’t mean stagnation. They blend core brand identity, modern storytelling and cutting-edge tech to create emotional, effective marketing that moves at culture’s speed. Here’s how Estée Lauder remains iconic and relevant despite being an 80 year old brand.    Micro-Storytelling: Maintaining Brand Identity with Every Decision Micro-storytelling distills a company’s narrative to its core, conveying a brand’s essence in a single image, sentence or video clip. It grabs attention and leaves a lasting impression. Estée Lauder’s micro-stories stem from its founder’s legacy: the

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The 6 Most Important Gen Z Shopping Habits for Retail Brands

6 Gen Z Shopping Habits Shaping Retail Trends Gen Z’s shopping habits were a popular topic at this year’s CommerceNext Growth Show, highlighting how they discover, compare and buy products all at once, often while scrolling social media. Their expectations are high, attention spans short and loyalty tough to earn, but brands that get it right see big rewards. Catch the replay of the CommerceNext panel “From Gen Z to Alpha: Redefining Acquisition for Emerging Audiences” here, and read on for more insights on how this generation is reshaping retail. Gen Z Behaviors & Characteristics  Gen Z, born roughly between 1997 and 2012,

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TikTok Shop

How Retail Brands Can Win on TikTok Shop

How Retail Brands Can Win on TikTok Shop In 2025 alone, U.S. sales on TikTok Shop jumped by 120% year-over-year, and over 83% of shoppers say they’ve discovered a new brand via the platform. TikTok Shop has elevated the platform beyond just a place for awareness or inspiration. Consumers can now discover, evaluate and buy products without ever leaving the app. This experience effectively collapses the traditional marketing funnel, blending content, consideration and conversion into a single scroll. With millions tuning in to TikTok Shop daily, it now represents the future of “discovery commerce,” merging the appeal of influencers with instant buying capabilities.

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How E.L.F. Cosmetics Captured the Gen Z Target Market

Breaking Down the E.L.F. Cosmetics Target Market In response to Gen Z’s need for heightened brand values and interactive marketing and campaigns,  e.l.f. (Eyes. Lips. Face.) has created a brand that delivers bold authenticity, inclusive messaging and engaging digital experiences that foster community and drive cultural relevance. In doing so, the brand has cemented itself as the  #1 Favorite Gen Z Beauty Brand and earned a CommerceNexty award in the process. From $1 Makeup to a Gen Z Favorite Founded in 2004 by Joseph Shamah and Scott Vincent Borba, e.l.f. Cosmetics disrupted the beauty industry by introducing high-quality products at just $1, quickly

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5 Omnichannel Retailing Examples that Drive Results

5 Omnichannel Retailing Examples that Drive Results

CommerceNext brings insider insights from retail and ecommerce experts on how to unify digital and physical experiences. According to a Harvard Business Review study, customers who use multiple channels spend 10% more online than those who shop using a single channel, making it clear that omnichannel is essential for growth. We’ll share top omnichannel retail examples and the technologies driving their success. Beauty & Cosmetics  Sephora Skyrockets Sales with Inclusive Customer Profiles  Sephora sets the beauty industry’s gold standard for omnichannel. Since 2010, the app has unified online and offline behavior into one profile, boosting loyalty and driving cross-channel sales with personalized rewards.

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Customer Shopping

Abercrombie & Fitch’s Marketing Strategy, Rebrand and Digital Rebirth

How Abercrombie and Fitch Revived Its Brand Through Modern Marketing With our focus on trends shaping modern retail, CommerceNext brings together the most forward-thinking strategies in digital marketing and ecommerce. One standout forward-thinker is Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F); once known for its exclusive, image-driven marketing, A&F has transformed into a modern retailer celebrated for inclusivity, digital innovation and customer-centric strategies.  Want more insights like this? Register now for the CommerceNext Growth Show, where 2700+ industry leaders will come together to share real-world strategies for building modern, resilient brands. A&F’s Marketing Evolution: A Timeline Embracing Inclusivity and Diversity A&F has made significant strides in

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Important Notice: Avoid Unauthorized Housing Providers

Connections Housing is the exclusive housing partner for CommerceNext and the only trusted source for booking accommodations for our event. Be cautious of third-party companies posing as official housing providers. These entities may attempt to mislead you into booking through them, often resulting in non-refundable deposits or invalid reservations that we cannot assist with.

To ensure a secure and seamless booking experience, always reserve your accommodations directly with Connections Housing. If you are approached by anyone claiming to offer housing for CommerceNext outside of Connections Housing, please report this immediately to commercenext@connectionshousing.com.

For assistance or questions, you can contact the Connections Housing team at commercenext@connectionshousing.com or by phone at 725.201.7302.