‘Retail Unplugged': AI personalization, shoppertainment and the state of today’s consumer take center stage as Shoptalk Fall debuts in Nashville

TikTok Shop, Tractor Supply, Anthropic, Amazon, StockX, Ulta Beauty, Kenneth Cole, Anthropologie, Crocs and 150+ other senior leaders discuss AI-driven customer experience, modernized tech and the intersection of commerce, content and community

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shoptalk today announced the full agenda for Shoptalk Fall 2026, featuring the "Retail Unplugged" theme that promises candid conversations, unfiltered perspectives, and actionable insights.

The three-day conference, running September 29-October 1 at Music City Center in Nashville for the first time, will bring together over 3,000 retail professionals to chart the future of retail amid rapid technological and consumer shifts. This includes an ecosystem of retailers, brands, technology providers, investors and startups – one in three at C-suite level.

This year's agenda dives deep into three core areas: retail excellence in ecommerce and unified commerce; the merging of shopping and entertainment, ‘shoppertainment’, through brand storytelling; and evolving customer expectations and loyalty strategies.

For businesses navigating an increasingly fragmented consumer landscape, it represents a rare opportunity to connect with decision-makers across commerce, technology and brand strategy, all in one place.

Last year, more than 20,000 co-matched business meetings were facilitated through its 'Meetup' program and attendees can expect the same density of high-value connection in just three days.

"We're at a pivotal moment in retail," said Joe Laszlo, Global Head of Insights at Shoptalk. "The pace of transformation is faster than ever, and leaders need not just insights, but candid perspectives from peers navigating the same seismic shifts. Retail Unplugged is about honest conversations that help retailers and brands build solid, resilient strategies for 2027 and beyond."

Shoptalk Fall brings to its stages over 150+ senior retail leaders from TikTok Shop, Tractor Supply, Anthropic, StockX, Amazon, Crocs, David’s Bridal, Kenneth Cole, Ulta Beauty, Glow Recipe, Walmart, Dolce & Gabbana, Lowe's, The UPS Store, Target, Draper James, Claire's, The Children's Place, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Spin Master, MERIT Beauty, QVC Group, and many more.

Must-See Keynotes include:

Patrick Nommensen, President, Strategic Initiatives, TikTok Shop (+ Special Guest) // Nommensen will discuss how shoppers seeking more engaging, fun, social, and personal online shopping experiences are visiting TikTok Shop, collapsing the boundary between content and commerce. He’ll also share how brands and retailers leverage TikTok Shop to connect authentically with customers and turn attention into durable, measurable growth.
Parinaz Firozi, Head of Growth & Agentic Commerce Partnerships, Anthropic // Firozi will explore how AI agents are beginning to reshape the customer journey, and what this next evolution of commerce means for brands and retailers as they rethink discovery, decision-making, and transactions in an increasingly agentic world.

Hal Lawton, President & CEO, Tractor Supply // Lawton has presided over a time of unprecedented growth for Nashville-based Tractor Supply and will share his thinking about brand identity and authenticity, the company’s evolving customer base, and the changing role of stores in a world where unified commerce is growing more important.
Anne Mehlman, Brand President, Crocs and Carly Gomez, Chief Marketing Officer, Crocs // Mehlman and Gomez will share how Crocs maintains its intense popularity and relevance, particularly with younger shoppers, and how they navigate between being unapologetically Crocs, while at the same time engaging in some of the most creative brand collaborations in the industry.
Amiee Bayer-Thomas, Chief Retail Officer, Ulta Beauty // Bayer-Thomas will discuss how Ulta Beauty is creating shopping experiences that resonate with today's consumer, balancing innovation in beauty retail with the timeless importance of customer connection and engagement.
Jamil Ghani, Worldwide Head of Prime, Amazon // Ghani will share how his team thinks about the bundle of features and benefits that comprise Amazon Prime, the world's largest subscription-based retail benefits program. He will highlight what moves the needle for customers and what smaller brands and retailers can learn from the premiere offering in the industry.
Greg Schwartz, CEO of StockX // StockX turned ten years old this year. What started as a marketplace bringing transparency to sneaker prices has evolved into a platform that combines AI, trusted authentication, live commerce, and innovative fulfillment to redefine the resale shopping experience. Greg will dive into what it takes to keep transforming as StockX evolves from disruptor to market leader. He’ll also talk about what they're seeing around the recently launched live shopping offering, and other innovations that will maintain the company's innovation track record as it moves into its second decade.

Highlight sessions include:

Delivering Personalization that Drives Engagement and Transactions: Personalization at scale has become table stakes for retailers. Berit Bauer, VP of Digital Site Merchandising & Operations at Target, Lindsay Horrigan, SVP of Consumer Growth at Hearst Magazines, and Patrizia Ranzi, Head of Digital, Media, & CRM for the Americas at Dolce & Gabbana will share how they're using data, AI, and customer insights to deliver experiences that feel unique to the individual while driving measurable revenue.
Innovations in Video and Social Shopping: Video commerce is no longer experimental - it's becoming mainstream. Krystyna Taheri, SVP of Social Commerce at QVC Group and Magnus Hjörne, Co-Founder & CEO, Kind Patches will share real-world case studies and learnings on how livestreaming and video are reshaping product discovery and driving conversion.
Driving Loyalty Via Omnichannel Convenience: Convenience is now the ultimate loyalty driver. Abhishek Nandi, VP of Marketing Technology at Lowe's, Brett Battes, SVP of Operations at The UPS Store, and Deepak Maini, SVP & GM of Walmart+, will reveal how seamless experiences across channels - from pickup to delivery to in-store - are changing customer behavior and building competitive advantage.
Leveraging Product Drops and Collabs to Drive Awareness and Sales: Limited-edition drops and strategic collaborations have become powerful tools for cutting through the noise. Joss Hastings, VP, Global Marketing, Disney Pixar and Softlines, The Walt Disney Company, and Vanessa Enns, VP of Integrated Marketing at MERIT Beauty, will share how they're using exclusivity, cultural moments, and partner synergies to create buzz and drive revenue spikes.

Event details and registration

Shoptalk Fall 2026 takes place September 29- October 1 at Music City Center, Nashville. View the full agenda and register: fall.shoptalk.com.

About Shoptalk

A Hyve Group event, Shoptalk is widely known for organizing retail's best and fastest-growing events and bringing together thousands of industry changemakers to collaborate at unparalleled scale across a broad range of online and offline use cases and innovative new formats, including Tabletalks, Hosted Meetings and Meetups. Since 2016, Shoptalk has defined the retail industry's community of innovators by bringing established retailers and consumer brands together with direct-to-consumer and tech startups, large tech and Internet companies, venture capital investors, real estate developers, equity analysts, media and others. For more information, visit Shoptalk.com.

Press contact: Menreet Kaur, Global Head of Communications, Shoptalk / media@shoptalk.com

Note to Editor: If you, or a member of your editorial team, would like to attend Shoptalk Fall 2026, please register for a media pass here.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5ab843b4-f13a-4cc4-a45b-b533ad1b968b

Shoptalk 2026

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