Customer acquisition costs keep climbing across every channel—from social and search to retail media and influencers—forcing brands to rethink how they attract, convert, and retain shoppers. As the lines blur between acquisition and loyalty, leading retailers are finding new ways to optimize spend, personalize outreach, and build communities that convert organically. In this session, retail and eCommerce leaders will discuss how they’re adapting their acquisition strategies amid budget pressure, data signal loss, and channel fragmentation. Learn how they’re blending brand storytelling with performance precision, rethinking attribution, and leveraging AI and owned data to drive profitable new customer growth

• Balancing acquisition and retention when budgets tighten
• Reducing dependence on paid social through organic and creator-led discovery
• Using AI, predictive modeling, and first-party data for smarter targeting
• Measuring true CAC in a multi-touch environment
• Building partnerships and retail media collaborations that attract high-value customers

• Roundtable 1: Marketplaces in 2026: Growth Channel, Profit Center, or Customer Acquisition Engine?

Laura Smith, VP, eCommerce Marketplaces, Sweetwater

• Roundtable 2: From Gut Feel to Hypothesis: Building a Test-and-Learn Culture That Actually Sticks

Christine Ciccone, Senior Director, Digital Marketing & Customer Experience, Brother 

• Roundtable 3: Reshaping Retail Roles and Teams Amid Rapid Growth & Changing Customer Expectations

Kelsey Knight, Chief Commercial Officer, Slumberkins

• Roundtable 4: Creating with the Creators: How Brands Are Partnering with Creators to Launch New Products to Build in Audiences 

Lauren McGuinness, VP, DTC, SharkNinja