Shopping, as we’ve come to know it, has been turned on its head. In response to emerging, groundbreaking technologies and evolving consumer behaviors, brands and retailers are updating how they reach consumers, win shoppers, engage with customers and earn brand loyalty.
At Glossy and Modern Retail’s Future of Commerce virtual event, taking place on November 13 at 11 a.m. ET, digital, marketing and retail leaders will break down how they’re winning at modern commerce by using AI to their advantage, strategizing around emerging sales channels, updating their marketing playbooks, and elevating the customer experience amid new innovations and shopper habits. They’ll also discuss how they’re preparing for retail’s next era.
Speakers will discuss:
- How they’re navigating the increasingly rapid trend cycle, from marketing to product development
- What it means to meet consumers where they are in 2025
- How they’re optimizing for AI-driven search, as traditional SEO takes a backseat
- How they’re meeting and exceeding the new standards of e-commerce across digital sales channels
- How they’re balancing brand and performance marketing, and why
… and more.
November 13, 2025
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11:00 am
Opening remarks
Jill Manoff
editor-in-chief
glossy & modern retail
Anna Hensel
executive editor
modern retail
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11:10 am
Future-Proofing Your Brand: Mastering the rapid trend cycle
The speed of the trend cycle has accelerated to an unprecedented pace, challenging brands to keep up. This session will explore how leading companies are moving beyond reactive trend-chasing to proactively building resilient, future-proof strategies. We’ll cover key principles for integrating trend forecasting into your marketing and product development pipelines to ensure you can innovate quickly and maintain relevance.
Jill Manoff
Moderator
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11:30 am
Beyond the Feed: Connecting with the modern consumer
Meeting consumers where they are has never been more complex. In 2025, digital natives are living across a diverse ecosystem of platforms—from micro-communities to virtual worlds. This session will dive into what “meeting consumers where they are” truly means today. We’ll explore strategies for building authentic connections and creating personalized experiences that cut through the noise and foster lasting loyalty.
Anna Hensel
Moderator
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11:50 am
AI & Search: Staying visible in the new digital landscape
As search engines increasingly rely on AI to provide direct answers and rich summaries, the old rules of SEO are becoming obsolete. This session is for marketers ready to shift their mindset from optimizing for keywords to optimizing for intelligence. Learn how to create content that provides genuine value, establishes authority, and ensures your brand remains a trusted resource in an AI-driven search environment.
Jill Manoff
Moderator
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12:10 pm
E-commerce Excellence: The new rules of digital retail
The standards for e-commerce have been fundamentally reset. It’s no longer enough to just have a functioning online store; consumers expect seamless, engaging, and personalized shopping experiences across every channel. This session will reveal how top-tier brands are innovating to exceed these new expectations, from perfecting the on-site user journey to leveraging emerging digital sales channels like social and live commerce.
Anna Hensel
Moderator
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12:30 pm
The Brand-Performance Balancing Act: An integrated marketing approach
The debate between brand-building and performance marketing is over. Today’s most successful brands recognize that these two disciplines are not mutually exclusive but, in fact, codependent. This session will show you how to effectively balance your marketing budget and strategy to create a powerful, integrated mix. We’ll explore how strong brand equity supercharges performance campaigns and how performance data can be used to inform and strengthen your brand.
Jill Manoff
Moderator
