Innovation Theater to Feature Successful Post-Pandemic Strategies

Creating strategies for success in a post-pandemic home and housewares marketplace will be the focus of this year’s presentations in the Innovation Theater at The Inspired Home Show 2022, March 5-7 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Innovation Theater sessions will explore such topics as how to improve the omnichannel experience; how product integrity feeds sustainability; privacy issues with smart products; and strategies for overcoming supply-chain challenges.

The Innovation Theater continues its commitment of bringing relevant, topical and actionable content to the Show at a time when the housewares industry wants and needs such information, direction and inspiration. The theater is located in Room E350 in the Hall of Global Innovation in the Lakeside Center.

Sessions on Saturday, March 5 begin at 11:30 a.m. running through 3 p.m., leading off with Scott Allen of FitForCommerce, an OSF Digital company, discussing Turn Up Your Omnichannel Performance to a New Decibel. As retailers and brands rise back from the pandemic, it’s obvious that a strong digital and omnichannel strategy is necessary for providing a seamless shopping experience for consumers. Allen will explain the latest omnichannel best practices and how the home and housewares vertical stacks up to the retail industry.

Other Saturday sessions include:

• Product Integrity: The Integration of Engineering, Design and Marketing. Fran Groesbeck of the Cookware/Bakeware Alliance, formerly the Cookware Manufacturers Association, will explain why product integrity has never been more important, especially as consumers expect and know more about the product they buy. Like a carbon footprint, all elements of the product journey must be built from a principle of designing, creating and selling products built with integrity.
• Accelerating Brands on Ecommerce. John LeBaron of Pattern, one of the top 5 largest Amazon sellers (in terms of revenue), will walk through how to build 360° ecosystems that accelerate brands to the next level.
• Strategies for Developing Resilience and Sustainability in Your Supply Chain. Thomas Cook of Blue Tiger International will discuss challenges the supply chain faces in managing landed costs. He’ll address tariffs and tariff mitigation, freight and transport rate trends, shortages and demand planning, staffing and management, sourcing and alternative sources and Foreign Trade Zones.

On Sunday and Monday, March 6 & 7, sessions run from 9:30 a.m. through 3 p.m. Sunday sessions include:

• No Regrets? Pandemic-Driven Impulse Purchases & Consumer Usage Post-Lockdown. Peter Greene of Numerator will explore trends in pandemic-related impulse purchase and how those items have or have not been integrated into everyday life, including which products saw the biggest pandemic boost and what ancillary items did those purchases drive; and which items have become kitchen staples and which are collecting dust, and how that will affect future buying decisions?
• Merchandising and Messaging in an Omnichannel World. Leigh Ann Schwarzkopf of Project Partners Network will share new insights into retail reconnaissance and how to bring new speed and focus to one’s perspective on the competition.
• How Microfulfillment Enables Growth. Corey Apirian of Davinci Micro Fulfillment discusses how to compete and thrive retailers and brands need the ability to fulfill closer to customers and deliver products in minutes and hours, not days or weeks.
• Is Your Microwave Listening? Privacy and Other Legal Issues in the Smart Home. Michael R. Graif of Mintz, Levin, Coh, Ferris, Govsky & Popeo. P.C., explores legal issues in the Smart Home, including privacy and cybersecurity; how IOT technology has been used by law enforcement in major cases; recent FTC enforcement actions against manufacturers whose lax security standards resulted in exposure of customers’ private data; and how companies can use Smart Home data advantageously to better tailor their products to their customers in compliance with the law.

The theater concludes on Monday with these sessions:

• 2022’s New Ecommerce Playbook.  Jordan Brannon of Coalition Technologies and Adam Semien of Big Commerce will lead an ROI-driven conversation on how ecommerce has changed. They’ll address shifts in marketing ROAS, content consumption, new technologies and more.
• Growth Opportunities for The Housewares Industry. Joe Derochowski of The NPD Group reviews current trends and opportunities for the industry to grow for both short-term and long-term post-pandemic.
• Retail 360: Redefining the Customer Experience. The Global Innovation Award judges Wolfgang Gruschwitz, Scott Kohno, Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen and Anne Kong discuss key elements of a successful retail operation in 2022, offering updated expert advice on functions from store planning and marketing to visual merchandising and the use of digital technologies.
• The Future of Home is Analog. Hunter Morris of Boogie Board explains why now, more than ever, consumers need enhanced analog experiences when it comes to work, play and the home; one where technology supports wellbeing and conveniences aren’t sacrificed.

Learn more about Education opportunities at The Inspired Home Show.