To check out the entire virtual summit, go here. Or follow along below to get the sessions and some brief recaps.
Here's the session list:
- Merchant Interview with Camilla Olson of Savitude - Chloë Thomas and Camila Olson
- Turning Customer Support Into Profit Centre - Chris Lavoie, Gorgias
- How to Turn Customer Service Into a Profit Driver for Fashion Ecommerce Brands - GQ Fu, LTVplus
- Tech Showcase: accessiBe - Ragi Glantz, Senior Partner Success Manager, accessiBe
- Do Good and Do Well: 3 Steps to Social Impact Success for your Fashion Business - Savanah White, Head of Partner Success, ShoppingGives
- Developing a Better Opt-in Strategy with Messenger - Nicholas Romaya, Head of Partnerships, Recart
- Website Teardowns LIVE - Kurt Elster, Senior Ecommerce Consultant, Ethercycle
- Tech Showcase: MySureFit - Christian Ruth, CEO & Founder, MySureFit
- 5 Ideas to Increase Word of Mouth - Raul Galera, Chief Advocate, ReferralCandy
- The Future of Influencer Marketing - Derric Haynie and Sarah Boyd
- Suiting Up During a Pandemic - Lucas Walker and Kristen Jones
- Put an End to Buyer's Remorse - Nurit Shevi, CPO & Co-founder, Savvy
- Merchant Catch-Up with VENIM Founder Leslie Fong - Derric Haynie and Leslie Fong
- Next Generation of Ecommerce Using 3D and Augmented Reality - Daniel Sjöberg, CSO & Co-founder, Baetes Technologies
- Tech Showcase: buywith - Adi Ronen, CEO & Co-founder, buywith
- Expand Your Sales to Retail - Talor Ofer and Amy Wees
- Merchant Interview with Cadogan Price of CADOGAN - Ty Givens and Cadogan Price
Merchant Interview with Camilla Olson of Savitude
A talk by Camilla Olson & Chloë Thomas, Savitude & eCommerce MasterPlan
Overview: What is walking down the runways could be a predictor of how much will be in the landfills. Body shape is a good bridge between 3D precision and size selection. Understanding the body shape paradigm might bring about a more satisfying fashion experience for most people.
Summary: Fashion is really all about the hourglass body shape, but because of that, half of women are not being served by the fashion industry. The inclusion gap is a $100B market opportunity. 4 out of 9 body shapes are distinctly underserved. There are a number of ways to address the inclusion gap:
- The best place to address the inclusion gap is with the merchandiser
- make sure all the fashion options on your website will compliment the full breadth of your consumers
- This is especially important in the luxury fashion community. Addressing it there will make the fight easier in every other aspect of the industry
Turning Customer Support into a Profit Centre
A talk by Chris Lavoie, Tech Partner Manager, Gorgias
Overview: Ever wonder what it takes to have a stellar customer experience, rapid customer support and answers, and a personalized shopping experience? We learn all this and more in this session with Chris Lavoie from Gorgias.
Summary: Excellent customer support, immediate customer support, and a personalized experience are the three most important aspects of customer service. It’s not enough to be fast and have a high automation rate. You need to make sure you give the personalization your customers deserve. You can do that by:
- automating up to 40% of support messages to save your support agents valuable time
- Increasing the immediacy of your customer service responses
- And freeing up your agents’ attention to focus on tickets other than WISMO (where is my order) questions using canned responses that contain relevant data, names, etc.
How to Turn Customer Service Into a Profit Driver for Fashion Ecommerce Brands
A talk by GQ Fu, Co-founder & CEO, LTVplus
Overview: Some brands tend to view customer service as a call center, but there are other things you can do to develop a great customer experience. These include proactive engagement with shoppers through live chat, personalized cart abandonment recoveries, and failed payment recovery options for reducing churn. GQ teaches you how to do each of these tactics in this session.
Summary: Some brands tend to view customer service as a call center, but there are other things you can do to develop a great customer experience. This includes tactics like:
- Omnichannel customer service - Engage with customers where they want to be engaged. Meaning, engage with them across multiple platforms, channels, devices, etc.
- Proactive engagement - Help your customers before they reach out with questions. Enable live chat on your site if you can meet the following parameters:
- <30s chat response times
- 10x-20x higher conversion rates
- >95% customer satisfaction
- 8+ avg. number of chats per hour (duration: 9 mins)
- Cart abandonment recovery - Ways to make this work well are automated SMS messages, email campaigns, and call center apps.
- Failed payment recovery - Use automated SMS messaging, setup automatic retries, and offer real-time live chat to give customers the opportunity to get help when they need it.
- Improved Self-service experience - You can do this with things like a public knowledge base, automated customer service, how-to content, a public forum or community, and an up-to-date FAQs section on your website.
- Improved agent experience - Equip your agents well to provide a top-notch customer experience. Do this through advanced help desk tools, enhanced continuous training, more accessible customer data, highly personalized conversations, clear process documentation and flexible guidelines, and prioritization of customer outcomes over KPIs when needed.
Tech Showcase: accessiBe
A talk by Rafi Glantz, Senior Partner Success Manager, accessiBe
Overview: All business websites need to be accessible for people with disabilities. accessiBe is a fully-automated solution that helps you make sure your website is actually accessible for people with disabilities. Watch this session to learn how.
Summary: Working with accessiBe to make your website accessible for people with disabilities is a simple 5-step process that takes 48 hours or less to complete. Even better, this tool rescans your website every 24 hours or with every accessibility update, whichever comes first, to make sure your website is always compliant with accessibility standards. Here’s the process:
- Quick Install - Install a short line of JavaScript code to your website
- Interface Appears - The accessibility interface instantly appears on your website
- AI Remediation - accessiBe AI starts scanning and analyzing your website
- Achieve Compliance - After 48 hours, your website will be fully compliant and certified
- 24/7 Maintenance - Every 24 hours, the AI scans for new and revised content to fix
Do Good and Do Well: 3 Steps to Social Impact Success for your Fashion Business
A talk by Savanah White, Head of Partner Success, ShoppingGives
Overview: Retailers are spending over $20B in digital advertising each year to acquire and retain Generation Impact. In this session, Savanah White outlines the three steps necessary to achieve that goal.
Summary: The new generation of consumers is buying with their values and voting with their wallets. If you want to see success with your social impact efforts, these three steps are a must:
- Be authentic and holistic in your impact strategy and mission.
- Customer engagement counts. Bring customers into the conversation surrounding your social impact goals. Do this through things like loyalty points (enable customers to redeem points for making donations), dedicated campaigns, and homepage callouts.
- Measurement matters. Track how social impact affects your bottom line and share the results with your customers.
Developing A Better Opt-in Strategy With Messenger
A talk by Nicholas Romaya, Head of Partnerships, Recart
Overview: In this session, Nicholas Romaya of Recart explains how to develop a better opt-in strategy using Facebook Messenger. The tactics he covers include:
- How to transform your social efforts into an opt-in machine with Click to Messenger and Comment to Messenger
- How to generate better email lists upon opt-in that are perfect for fashion and apparel
- How to broadcast messages at a 90% open rate that create a call to action, inspire a purchase + connect your customers to your customer service
Summary: There are three main types of opt-ins that a business can choose from. Email is the OG opt-in, SMS is a close second, and Messenger is the third. In this session, Nicholas focuses on the best ways to not only make your Messenger opt-in strategy stronger than it is now, but also to make it one of the strongest opt-in strategies in your arsenal.
Strategies for doing this include:
- Getting email and SMS subscribers into Messenger conversations
- Make ads automatically populate Messenger opt-ins
- Turn every customer you interact with into a subscriber to your chatbot
Website Teardowns LIVE with Kurt Elster
A talk by Kurt Elster, Senior Ecommerce Consultant, Ethercycle
Overview: Join Kurt Elster, Lvl. 99 Shopify Wizard, as he tears down websites just like yours and explains what to avoid, what to improve, and what to keep the same.
Summary: Kurt Elster analyzes three websites and offers his insights on any and all changes each brand should make to create a more engaging, seamless customer experience. Main takeaways are:
- Nail the basics before you start to incorporate more complicated features into your website.
- Make customers confident that they will receive any and all items they order from you
- Communicate your value proposition to customers throughout your website
Tech Showcase: MySureFit
A talk by Christian Ruth, CEO and Founder, MySureFit
Overview: Accelerating consumer demand for fashion eCommerce exposes retail industry weaknesses. MySureFit prevents false demand, stock-outs, and returns, and delivers happy customers. Watch this session with MySureFit’s CEO and Founder to find out how.
Summary: Most online fit solutions rely on self-reported measurements, which often results in people buying multiple sizes. MySureFit solves this issue by using standardized data. Customers upload a photo of themselves and the data is used to determine their correct size for more than 200 brands. To get started, all you need to do is download the MySureFit Wardrobe app and contact christian@mysurefit.com to discuss licensing.
5 Ideas To Increase Word Of Mouth
A talk by Raul Galera, Chief Advocate, ReferralCandy
Overview: The best referral programs happen when a brand already has good word of mouth marketing. Watch this session to learn what other successful fashion merchants are doing to increase word of mouth, how to track and measure the impact of word of mouth on your online store, and how to turn referral marketing into a solid revenue channel.
Summary: The best referral programs happen when a brand already has good word of mouth marketing. This is because your customers are the best salespeople, and if you nurture customers from day 1, you’ll have the best marketing because they believe in your brand, their audience trusts them, and they don’t sound like salespeople. The five ways to do this are:
- Make referral marketing part of a customer-centric strategy
- Give your customers a reason to refer you to their friends
- Consider whether to run open or closed referral programs
- Set referral rewards based on your consumers’ behaviors
- Create a community around your brand
The Future of Influencer Marketing
A talk by Sarah Boyd & Derric Haynie, Socialyte & EcommerceTech.io
Overview: Influencers that you can relate to are going to continue being a big thing in the foreseeable future. To succeed with influencer marketing, you need to work with someone who will build a real, authentic conversation, not just shove sales and products at people. Check out this session to learn how to spot influential influencers and book them for campaigns and receive an inside look at the future of influencer marketing.
Summary: Micro Influencers are an affordable, powerful way to take advantage of influencer marketing. When choosing influencers to work with, make sure you look for influencers who have an authentic relationship with their followers, who build conversations around the topics or products they bring up, and who can represent your brand/products authentically.
Suiting Up During a Pandemic
A talk by Kristen Jones & Lucas Walker, The Groomsman Suit & Rolled Up
Overview: Join Kristen Jones and Lucas Walker as they record three episodes of the Rolled Up podcast and discuss what it takes to make your fashion brand succeed during the pandemic. Topics include:
- Content creation tactics you can use year-round
- Full funnel performance for automated and personalized marketing
- Paid vs organic channels.
Summary: If you want your organic posts to gain traction, there are five things you must do, according to Kristen. They are:
- Start thinking about content from a consumption perspective
- Consume the type of content you want to create
- Identify questions, problems, and information gaps
- Make sure your post/content is authentic
- Find the best way to get in contact with someone if they have content you like
Put an End to Buyer's Remorse!
A talk by Nurit Shevi, CPO and Co-founder, Savvy
Overview: In fashion especially, buyer’s remorse is the product of people not having the human support online that they’re used to in real life. Watch this session to learn how to eliminate returns, add a personalized touch to online buying, and take your online shopping experience to the next level.
Summary: Buyer’s remorse is the product of people not having the human support online that they’re used to in real life. To combat that, Savvy provides virtual styling services on your ecommerce website using a network of professional stylists. With this technology, you can provide them with a personal stylist at a lower cost and in a fraction of the time.
Merchant Catch-Up with VENIM Founder Leslie Fong
A talk by Leslie Fong, CEO, VENIM
Overview: It’s been a year since we last spoke with VENIM founder Leslie Fong. Join us as we catch up and learn what’s happened since our last conversation (there have been a lot of firsts), how they’ve stayed afloat amid COVID lockdowns, and Leslie’s advice for business owners in the fashion industry.
Summary: VENIM is a digitally native vertical brand that was founded in 2018 on the principles of genderless fashion. Since their founding, VENIM has made all of their products out of liability denim to make everything as ethically and sustainably as possible. They’ve launched a new subscription product to complement their jacket line, begun selling masks (and donating one N95 for each mask sold), and have another line of mask designs in the works that is set to launch soon. Leslie’s biggest takeaway since starting VENIM? If you have a big decision to make pertaining to your business, sleep on it before coming to a conclusion.
Next Generation of Ecommerce Using 3D and Augmented Reality
A talk by Daniel Sjöberg, CSO & Co-founder, Baetes Technologies
Overview: 3D modelling and augmented reality are quickly becoming a major method of showcasing products. Whereas before it used to take days and sometimes weeks to create a 3D model of a product, today, it takes only 2 minutes to create a 3D model using just 4-5 pictures. Watch this session to learn how.
Summary: 3D modelling and augmented reality have seen some major improvements in the past few years. Before, brands would need to send a product to the 3D modelling company and wait days or weeks for the result. Now, you can use software like Baetes to create a 3D model in two minutes or less using just 4 to 5 pictures. Watch the video and click here to see how it works.
Tech Showcase : buywith
A talk by Adi Ronen, CEO and Co-founder, buywith
Overview: Livestream Shopping is coming to the West. Watch this session to learn what Livestream shopping is all about, how it works, and how BuyWith can help you make it work for your business.
Summary: Livestream shopping is a new way to engage with consumers and get them excited about your products. It’s already a big thing in China, but now it’s making its way West. BuyWith makes livestream shopping easy for fashion brands. All you need is your website and a good internet connection to use this tool and engage with your audience. With BuyWith and livestream shopping, you can:
- 8x your sales conversions
- Increase AOV by 70%
- And achieve a 66% user engagement rate
Expand Your Sales to Retail
A talk by Talor Ofer & Amy Wees, Retail Empire & Amazing at Home
Overview: More than 90% of retail is NOT on amazon, but many merchants don’t know where to sell their products. In this session, Talor Ofer and Amy Wees share their secrets for where to sell beyond Amazon, how to find the right contacts, and what to show those contacts to get them interested in sharing your products with their audience.
Summary: More than 90% of retail is NOT on amazon, but many merchants don’t know where or how to sell their products with those other avenues. That’s why Talor Ofer and Amy Wees offer a masterclass filled with over 12 hours of training for merchants who want to sell their products WITHOUT Amazon but don’t know where to start. This session offers a sneak preview of that training with the top three keys to success. They are:
- Setup and branding - the better your product looks, the higher quality it’s perceived to be
- Pricing and orders - learning the language that your target contacts use to discuss pricing will give you a leg up against other merchants who are aiming for the same contracts
- Finding contacts/buyers - reach out to contacts on things like Yelp, LinkedIn, and business directories. Make sure the account/profile you’re reaching out with reflects the brand image you want to represent
Merchant Interview with Cadogan Price of CADOGAN
A talk by Ty Givens & Cadogan Price, The Workforce Pro & Cadogan
Overview: Join Ty Givens as she interviews Cadogan Price, founder and CEO of CADOGAN, an LA based menswear apparel brand recognized for their statement leather jackets.
Cadogan understands the importance of high touch white glove service. As founder and CEO, he knows that customer experiences make or break brands. During our chat, we will be talking about how Cadogan (the brand) has grown since its start, customer relationships and loyalty, and of course how COVID has impacted the way they operate, if at all.
What can you expect as it relates to your Customer Experience? What's the Future of Fashion post COVID? Watch the session to find out!
Summary: Scalability, freedom, quality are the core values for Cadogan, a menswear apparel brand that’s known for statement leather jackets and a top-tier customer experience. During this session, Cadogan offers his top three tips for apparel brands looking to establish themselves as a trustworthy, quality-driven company. They are:
- Be humble
- Recognize that success doesn’t happen overnight, but don’t stop working toward your goals each day.
- Put more emphasis on inventory, but find a healthy balance between that and developing a quality product that listens to customer feedback. If you can do that, you’ll be well ahead of the competition.