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Shop! MasterClass

Join us for our MasterClass series, which brings together our industry leaders to discuss topics that are impacting retail design, POP display, in-store experience through technology, and many other issues in the industry.

April 1, 2025

Insights into the Journey Towards the Most Sustainable and Effective Promotions in Retail – Register Here!

Unlock the secrets to transforming retail promotions with sustainability and effectiveness at the core. Join Bram van Schijndel, CEO, Pure Value Europe NV, for an engaging masterclass designed to equip retailers, marketers, and innovators with actionable insights to elevate their promotional strategies.

Takeaways:
• Strategies for integrating sustainability into your promotions.
• Best practices for crafting campaigns that resonate with today’s conscious consumer.
• Data-driven insights into what makes promotions not just effective but impactful.
• Success stories from industry leaders who are paving the way in retail innovation.

Pure Value Europe NV is a proud member of the Shop! Global Retail Trade Association.

May 20, 2025

Designing for Impact: Transforming Visual Merchandising with Display Innovation and AI

Learn how display innovation and AI-driven content strategies are reshaping visual merchandising in retail environments. This Master Class will explore creative and effective ways to use cutting-edge display technologies alongside intelligent content optimization to craft engaging and personalized customer experiences. The session with Bryan Meszaros, CEO & Founder, OpenEye Global, will provide practical insights into elevating brand storytelling and staying competitive in today’s evolving market.

As the CEO and Founder of OpenEye Global, Bryan has redefined the landscape of interactive and visual media, elevating OpenEye into an esteemed experience design agency. With expertise in digital strategy and experience design, Bryan has directed the creation of groundbreaking experiences for renowned brands such as Merlin Entertainment, Unilever, Honeywell, Santander, Kravet, and Hershey. Meszaros actively serves as a board member for the Digital Signage Federation and the Shop! Association, having previously held the role of Board President for SEGD (Society for Experiential Graphic Design).

 

PAST EPISODES:

Bevan Bloemendaal and Brad Baer — Human-Centric Design in a Digital World

The barrage of digital screens that inhabit our “always connected” world today have forever transformed the way we communicate, bringing us closer together in many ways, but also marginalizing some who feel isolated, unseen, or unheard. At the end of the day, humans need humans to feel human. Guests will rarely say, “I had a great digital experience,” or “I enjoyed the pre-visit experience.” Instead, it’s a simple and human: “Wow, that was a magical experience.” That is what we strive for.

WATCH THE RECAST HERE

Bevan Bloemendaal, Sr. Principal, Chief Brand and Creative Officer, NELSON Worldwide, and Brad Baer, Digital Masterplanning Strategist, NELSON Worldwide.

Shop! Masterclass Webinar: Sustainability for Retail: How Retailers Create Social, Environmental and Cultural Innovations with Ken Nisch, JGA

IN THIS SHOP! MASTERCLASS webinar, Ken Nisch, author of “Sustainability for Retail: How Retail Leaders Create Environmental, Social, & Cultural Innovations,” discusses the evolving sustainability practices at retail. This MasterClass will touch on a number of facets relating to retail sustainability — including recent trends — while offering business leaders practical solutions on how to incorporate sustainability practices in ways that work for everyone.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE WEBINAR

Shop! MasterClass: Leadership, Empathy and a Noble Cause with Eric Feigenbaum, New York Editor, VMSD, and President, Embrace Design 

VMSD New York Editor and President of Embrace Design Eric Feigenbaum discusses the importance of knowing your “why.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE WEBINAR

Shop! MasterClass Webinar: Redefining Retail as Slow Retail | A Methodology for Designing a Sustainable Retail Culture with Rebekah Matheny, OSU

We are all consumers. How and where we consume is just as important as what we consume. As fashion designers seek to create a sustainable future through slow fashion philosophies, the retail store has an important role to play. In this webinar, join Rebekah Matheny, Associate Professor of Interior Design at Ohio State University, to learn about translating slow fashion’s methodology into a slow retail design process. Rebekah Matheny, Associate Professor of Interior Design at The Ohio State University, holds a Masters of Architecture from the University of Oregon where she also received a Technical Teaching Certificate with a concentration in Sustainable Design Strategies for Interior Architecture. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Cincinnati. She recently became a certified futurist through the Institute For The Future. With over a decade of industry experience, Matheny bridges academia and design practice. She brings this expertise to her work as an educator, researcher, and consultant, integrating a future-oriented strategic process for sustainable brand strategy to the areas of retail, hospitality, workplace, and higher education design. Leveraging her background in Sustainable Design Strategies, Matheny’s academic research investigates the sensory experience of retail and brand environments to create emotional connections between people, products, brand purpose, and physical place to forge meaningful memories and foster stronger relationships.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE WEBINAR

“Re-Sparkling” Retail: Using Store Design to Build Trust, Faith and Brand Loyalty,” with Ian Johnston, Founder, Quinine

A Rethink Retail Expert, Ian Johnston is the Founder of Quinine, a leading retail experience consultancy devoted to the power of design to drive innovation and growth. The consultancy helps brands create world-class social, cultural and commercial experiences that enrich and delight their customers’ everyday lives.

This session, led by retail design expert Ian Johnston from Quinine Design, explores how physical stores remain unmatched in the ability to build trust, faith, and loyalty with your customers, ultimately driving shareholder value. Using best practice examples from around the globe, Ian unpacks the behavioral science behind store design and explores new measures that go beyond traditional metrics.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE WEBINAR

Strategic Retail Innovation: Building Consumer Connections with ‘Physical-Digital-Human’ Experiences with Angela Gearhart, Executive Consultant, AAG

More than ever, retailers are being tasked with meeting elevated consumer expectations driven by technology, transforming every point of engagement into a potential purchase opportunity. Amidst this new challenge, however, lies promising opportunities for strategic retail innovation and reinvention. Through connected “physical-digital-human” experiences, brands can communicate unique values in a way that is relatable to customers’ needs, influence purchasing decisions and forge life-long relationships. In this MasterClass, join Angela Gearhart, Executive Practice Director at AAG Consulting Group and Senior Partner at MediaMaxx, as she shares a step-by-step approach to solving the customer journey challenge and making experiences “sticky,” offering a comprehensive playbook for success.

Angela is a growth accelerator, strategic brand builder, and category disruptor, recognized for her expertise in the art and science of consumer engagement, maximizing the human-physical-digital experience to drive top-line sales and bottom-line profitability. In her role at AAG Consulting Group, as Executive Practice Director Connected Customer Experience, Angela leads transformative strategies for retailers and guides go-to-market strategies for B2B consumer-centric tech firms. She is also Senior Partner at MediaMaxx, helping brands unleash their potential through connected e-commerce and retail strategies.

Raymond Burke, Indiana University – Measuring and Managing ‘Shoppability,’ with Ray Burke, E.W. Kelley Professor at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business

There are many retail contexts where the organization, presentation and pricing of products make it difficult for shoppers to find and buy what they want, hurting the quality of the customer experience and brand sales. “Shoppability” is how a retail environment translates consumer demand into purchase: Recent laboratory and field experiments measuring category and brand shoppability reveal new approaches to shopper engagement to eliminate barriers to purchase. By analyzing how customers interact with the shopping environment, marketers can identify specific product categories and brands that are underperforming to make impactful changes. Join Ray Burke, Professor at Indiana University, in this MasterClass presentation to  explore the tools for assessing the quality and productivity of the customer experience, including virtual reality simulations, customer tracking, eye tracking and biometrics.

Ray is the E.W. Kelley Professor at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and founding director of the School’s Customer Interface Laboratory, a state-of-the-art facility for investigating how customers interact with new retail environments and technologies. His research focuses on understanding the influence of point-of-purchase factors on consumer shopping behavior. His articles have appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, and Marketing Science. Ray teaches the MBA Applied Marketing Research and PhD Advanced Shopper Research courses and was named by Poets & Quants as one of the world’s best b-school professors. Prior to joining IU, he served on the faculties of the Harvard Business School and Wharton. He has consulted for several leading companies in consumer goods and service industries, and his virtual shopping technology has been used by market research firms around the world.

Chris Benner, Oracle NetSuite – Transforming Retail Operations – Leveraging AI to Drive Efficiencies

Explore how AI can enhance your retail back-office operations. Discover key trends and practical strategies for integrating AI to improve inventory management, financial processes, and customer service and experience. In this MasterClass with Chris Benner, Master Industry Principal at Oracle NetSuite, get actionable insights and real-world examples to stay ahead in the competitive retail landscape. Chris has been with NetSuite for nine years and is currently a Product Manager focused on the strategy and roadmap for the retail industry. He has worked in retail over the past 30 years. The first eleven years of his career, Chris worked for both The Bombay Company and Pier1; implementing and supporting multiple different systems. Prior to joining NetSuite, Chris spent ten years in Oracle’s Retail practice, focused on store, merchandising, and analytic solutions; where he consulted with companies of all different sizes around the world.

Dive into Sustainability: Why it Matters and Where to Start, with Lisa Wynne, EcoScapes Sustainability Solutions LLC

Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword anymore. It’s a data-driven, action-focused practice that more and more customers and legislative bodies are requiring. Even though it touches every aspect of your operations, supply chain and products, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Sustainability strategic planning reveals where to begin your journey and what provides the most value for your organization. In this Shop! MasterClass, join Lisa Wynne to explore sustainability and how you and your organization can start the sustainable journey.
With nearly 20 years of experience in sustainability, Lisa is a leading, internationally known, sustainability consultant in consumer environments, manufacturing, architecture, and supply chain. Lisa’s work in sustainability started in green building design, but quickly expanded to include business strategy, marketing, supply chain, and education. Lisa owns and operates EcoScapes Sustainability Solutions, LLC which primarily focuses on tracking and reducing environmental impacts of consumer environments throughout North America, Europe and China.

2025 Trends Unveiled: The Future of Brand Experience with Robyn Novak and Mara Proctor of AGAR

Join the Shop! Association with Robyn Novak, Executive Director of Strategy & Development, AGAR, and Mara Proctor, Executive Director of Growth & Strategy, AGAR, as they unveil the top 2025 trends that will impact the future of brand experience. As consumer behaviors rapidly evolve, staying ahead of these trends is critical for brands aiming to engage and inspire their audiences. This masterclass will provide deep insights into the Transformation Economy and the emerging technologies, shifting consumer expectations, and creative strategies that will redefine the future of brand experiences. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain actionable knowledge and discover how to future-proof your brand in the dynamic marketplace of tomorrow.

Questions? Email info@shopasssociation.org or call 212-981-0245.