On Stage for the Retail Revolution

At The Future of Shopping Revealed on October 1 at our New York City HQ, VML commerce experts and brand leaders were on hand for a special afternoon of insights from our Future Shopper 2024 report and deep discussion on the factors driving retail transformation. “It's all about creating connected brands and bringing creativity from awareness all the way through to when the customer gets to the shelf,” said Audrey Melofchik, Global Chief Brand Experience Officer, VML. “There’s no way to do that if you don’t understand shoppers."

The retail landscape is rapidly evolving, challenging everything we thought we knew about consumers. At our Future Shopper launch in London, a packed house explored key findings from the report joined by clients from Harrods, No7 Beauty Company and Canon, covering key headlines and themes most relevant to their business, including omnichannel challenges from a luxury perspective, content creation for the ever-evolving consumer, and how to bridge the gap between physical and digital worlds.

At the WPP Campus in Paris, VML France brought together clients, partners and customers for the launch of VML’s unparalleled survey of retail "The Future Shopper 2024" report. Led by VML France CEO, Vincent Druget, and Chrystele Velayoudon, Head of Strategies, attendees got a bespoke look at the “moving lines” of shopping journeys and how experiences and omnichannel are the big winners of French e-commerce. Special guests included Alexandre Meerson, Chief Digital Data & Technology Officer EME of SEPHORA, sharing his share his inspiring vision and the keys to success.

With clients, partners and experts gathered to explore the future of commerce in Portugal, Filipe Silva, Director of VML's Portuguese Commerce Centre of Excellence, led the discussion through the insights, trends and challenges shaping the retail landscape from VML’s Future Shopper report. VML thought leaders and report authors Hugh Fletcher and Naji El-Arifi also presented their top headlines and how AI is set to transform online shopping. Gonçalo Rodrigues, Consulting Director at VML, led a panel with Salesforce and Sonae MC on how local brands can adapt to changing consumer behavior.

At the launch of the Future Shopper Report LATAM 2024 in our Buenos Aires office, an inspired audience gathered to get the inside take on the latest Latin American consumer trends and trends in e-commerce that will drive future growth in the region. Led by Glenda Kok, Chief of Technology & Commerce, VML LATAM, and Ernest Riba, Chief Strategy Officer, VML LATAM, the report covers Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru to help brands optimize their strategies and make smarter decisions in an environment of constant change.

VML’s Future Shopper 2024 report was the star of the show at the recent Future Shopper events held at our Medellín and Bogotá offices to explore the global consumer landscape and opportunities for brands to achieve long-term sustainable success. The event also focused on LATAM, taking an in-depth look at the future of commerce and trends that will impact and drive growth in key sectors, and highlighted relevant data that reflects current market dynamics of commerce and consumer behavior in Colombia.

Promoting the global success of the Future Shopper 2024 report, our team in Italy held activation events at WPP’s campuses in Milan and Rome – a prominent stage to explore the main trends impacting modern shoppers and strategies to navigate evolving online and offline consumer behaviors. At our Italy activations, VML experts explored key takeaways from the report's unprecedented survey of 31,500 consumers across 20 countries and 5 continents – enriched by our Italian panel.

Coming to our Lima office, the launch of the Future Shopper Report LATAM 2024 was a huge success – with over 90 attendees including clients and partners. At the event, together with clients we explored the latest trends, perspectives and experiences from the report, including evolving technologies and consumer behaviors transforming retail. Thanks to our speakers Nicolás Díaz, VML Growth & Marketing Director, and Victor Garzon, VML Chief Strategy Officer, and client ANDA for sharing their experiences and organizing the event together.