Internet Retailer 2009 Conference & Exhibition Agenda

Managing Technology: Cost-Effective Approaches in an Era of Tight Budgets
Track Chaired By: Bernardine Wu, CEO, FitForCommerce
Technology is never a set-it-and-forget-it proposition. From the selection through implementation and operation, technology requires constant management. This track will guide retailers through the management process, from determining which investments will provide the greatest return, to managing vendor relationships, doing it yourself and making sure you have the right personnel to make it all work.

Corporate Management: Building a Corporate Infrastructure for Tomorrow
Track Chaired By: Ken Cassar, Vice President, Industry Solutions Analytics, Nielsen Online
As the web increases in importance, large retailers will bring their own established management approaches to their Internet sales. This track examines how metrics must evolve to tell the true story of a web site’s performance. It also looks at the ways that management thinking has to change for web sites to live up to their full potential.

Merchandising, Content & Design: Creating a Web Site for Success Today
Online merchandising, content and design continue to evolve. What worked yesterday either doesn't work today or has a new use today. These sessions will tell attendees how to get the most out of the latest merchandising, content and design trends.

Small Retailers: Beating the Big Guys Without Breaking the Bank
Track Chaired By: Ina Steiner, Editor, AuctionBytes.com
The current economic environment is making this a bracing year for the small retailers. With the economy suffering from a high level of consumer uncertainty, big retailers are sure to bring their resources to bear on the only retail channel that promises growth—the web. That will force everyone to compete better. And small retailers who might have been able to create a niche and operate successfully on an ad hoc basis will find themselves forced to invest to keep up. At the same time, small retailers may find themselves in a better competitive position because of their ability to operate lean and be more nimble than big retailers. This track across two days will help small retailers pinpoint where they can make improvements and identify where they can excel—without making large investments.

Small Retailers: Beating the Big Guys Without Breaking the Bank
The current economic environment is making this a bracing year for the small retailers. With the economy suffering from a high level of consumer uncertainty, big retailers are sure to bring their resources to bear on the only retail channel that promises growth—the web. That will force everyone to compete better. And small retailers who might have been able to create a niche and operate successfully on an ad hoc basis will find themselves forced to invest to keep up. At the same time, small retailers may find themselves in a better competitive position because of their ability to operate lean and be more nimble than big retailers. This track across two days will help small retailers pinpoint where they can make improvements and identify where they can excel—without making large investments.

Payments, Fulfillment and Customer Service: How to Do More With Less
To entice the largest number of customers and encourage repeat buying, a retailer's behind-the-scenes operations must be first rate. Customer acquisition costs too much to fritter it away on lax payment, fulfillment and customer service. These sessions will help retailers understand how the dynamics of the new market affect all their operations and how they can meet those demands.

Nothing but 'Net: Vive la Difference: How Online Retailing Changes Retailers' Success Metrics
Web-only retailers face a unique set of challenges, ranging all the way from how to convince suppliers that you are legitimate and in the game to stay, to how to find the right personnel when you might not be a well known brand, to convincing customers that you are a safe place to shop. These sessions will provide solutions to problems that web-only merchants face.

Marketing: Measuring Success in a Competitive and Uncertain Market
The one area of online retailing that every company has a major stake in is marketing. Even if they outsource the mechanics of marketing, retailers must remain deeply involved in all the aspects of marketing if they want their sites to succeed. This track will tell retailers about the latest developments and tactics in online marketing and which will help them grow sales the most.