Shopper Expo confirms lineup and content

Recent enhancements to Walmart’s website ensure that Andy Murray, the company’s SVP of creative, will have plenty to talk about later this year when he addresses the topic of “Evolving with the omnichannel shopper,” at the Shopper Marketing Conference & Expo.



Murray is one of several high level keynote speakers slated to participate in the event organized by the Path to Purchase Institute. After being held in Chicago for many years, the event has relocated to Minneapolis, a marketing hotbed home to many leading CPG companies, and will be held October 21-23. In addition to Murray, also scheduled to speak are Mark Addicks, svp and chief marketing officer, with General Mills.



The Shopper Marketing Conference & Expo has established itself as the premier educational conference and trade show for retailer and supplier company professionals who influence shopper behavior on the path to purchase. Event organizers are expecting roughly 4,000 attendees and nearly 130 exhibitors this year.



A key draw of the event the past four year is the Retail Academy. Now in its fourth year, the Retail Academy is an industry initiative designed to foster the most productive collaborative environment for brand and retail partners. Expected participants this year include more than 150 retail executives from chains such as Ahold USA, CVS/pharmacy, Family Dollar, H-E-B Grocery, Peapod, Price Chopper, Raley’s, Roundy’s Supermarkets, Safeway, SpartanNash, Staples, Target, The Home Depot, Walgreens and Walmart.



The way it works is the retail executives meet in private, one-on-one meetings in the Collaboration Zone, a designated exhibit and meeting space on the show floor that gives Retail Academy sponsors and guests a convenient location to discuss shopper marketing opportunities in a “neutral zone” free from competing organizational conflicts, difficult schedules and restricting silos.



In addition, the Expo features an extensive educational program with multiple half-day symposium workshops and nearly 40 seminars covering a wide scope of topics including shopper marketing best practices, omnichannel marketing, ROI, mobile marketing, retail collaboration, digital path to purchase and shopper insights.



Click here to learn more about the event.