Philippine Retailing 2019 Q3 *New format! | Page 5

BANNER STORY PHILIPPINE RETAILING Geislermaclang Founder and Chief Communications Officer Amor Maclang shared the importance of preparing in advanced for crisis; while Amazon Web Services Partner Segment Lead for Cognitive CX (ASEAN) Simon Burke talked about innovating Customer Experience; and Tofugear Retail Analyst Tiffany Lung shared some tips how the local retailers can become the next top retailer in the country. From local to global: the metamorphosis of Regatta Golden ABC Chief Marketing Officer Alice Liu shared the inspiring transformation of Regatta as a homegrown brand to now a global modern leisurewear brand. Trend Specialist from WGSN Charlie Clark opened the second day with a talk on the things that consumers look from retailers today. She also said that building trust and having a stand on important issue including climate change are important to draw consumers to your brand. Mintel (Singapore) Elysha Young talked about some of the forward-looking retailers across Asia, while Zebra Technologies Retail Solutions Marketing Lead George Pepes talked about empowering the frontliners to provide patrons ease and excellent customer experience while in store. Nikki Baird, the Vice President for Retail Innovation at Aptos gave real life samples of digital strategies in the stores while US-Certified Neuroscience Coach Ben Ampil talked about the importance of using neuroscience in learning about the preferences of customers. Nielsen Company Executive Director for Shopper Insights Lead Lou-Ann Navalta, focused on the upcoming generation of consumers—the Gen Z, who she said are visual creatures, artistic, and are always online, but crave authenticity. Malherbe Design Sales Director for APAC Region Christophe Renoul talked about different strategies retailers can do in store to improve engagement and sales, while Checkpoint Systems Vice President & Managing Director Mark Gentle shared the importance of Data and RFID in retail. Lively panel discussions with business leaders and influencers The Day 1 ended with a lively discussion with next generation leaders Cristalle Belo-Pitt of Belo Essentials, Toby Claudio of Toby’s Sports, Xandra Ramos-Padilla of National Book Store, Hans Sy, Jr. of SM-EDD, and Sam Gregory Lim of Blims Furniture, with Prof. Enrique Soriano III as the moderator. They shared how they started getting involved in the business and how they discuss business matters within the family. The Day 2 panel discussion on the other hand offered audience tips on what brands should remember when engaging with influencers for their marketing. Panelists include some of the country’s top vloggers and bloggers such as Joyce Pring, Jako De Leon, Rod Magaru, Dems Angeles, and Kaycee Enerva, with Blogapalooza CEO Ace Gapuz as the moderator. Side-by-side the main stage event is the breakout session dubbed as Retail Spotlight which featured topics specialized on Supermarket and Digital transformation for Day 1 and Day 2 respectively. Fresh retail tech featured at the Stores Asia Expo To complement the conference, the Stores Asia Expo featured "tools for global retailing" from exhibitors offering products and solutions for the retail industry such as Retail Solutions, E-Commerce & M-Commerce, Shop Fittings & Store Design, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Marketing, Commercial and Real Estate Developers, Web Developers, Non-traditional Advertising, Financial Services, Storage and Distribution, Market Research, HR Solutions, and Billboard Locations among others. The Stores Asia Expo, which is the biggest in the Philippines and is one of the longest running retail suppliers’ expo in Asia, has drawn more than 3,000 visitors and decision makers from the retail and related industries. Talks on the latest innovations in retail also took place at the Retail Learning Lab inside the Expo Hall. 5