Eight Takeaways for Web3 from the 2023 D2: Retail Edition Conference – A First of Its Kind for Brands
The D2: Retail Edition Conference, held June 13 in Chicago alongside the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo, was a huge success, hosting speakers from top brands like Coach, Liquid Death, Diageo, Wow Bao, Beauty Magnet, Buxom, who provided takeaways for Web3. Attendees from Costco, Chanel, The Bouqs, Men’s Warehouse, Chicos, Nature’s Way, Pepsi, Ricoh, and more were treated to a rich array of brand stories around ways they are driving a shift in interaction with their customers. Attendees received an exclusive D2 NFT (digital collectible) that is fully on chain and many learned how to set up a wallet to claim their very first NFT.
The conference kicked off with an opening Keynote, led by Frances Yu, Partner, US & Global Lead for Unlimited Reality at Deloitte, where she talked about the importance of humanizing the digital experience in the landscape of a changing retail world. The Millennial and GenZ audience consider online experiences equal to in-person, buying products through social media and gaming. So, brands need to stay “connected and be collaborative during this once-in-a-century technological transition” says Yu, in order to build brand loyalty and community.
Throughout the day, Web3 leaders representing retail brands from beauty, fashion, beverages, food, and consumer over-the-counter products followed with their experiences, sharing how they are creating new opportunities when it comes to revenue streams, marketing channels, community building, and loyalty plays.
Eight Key Take Aways for Web3 Include:
- Technology like AI, gaming, and blockchain are evolving rapidly. Kate Brady with Pepsi states “We are in the early days of web3…and those who start leaning in now will be ahead of the game”.
- Peter Schultze, CEO, Kigo shared “Web3 offers a better way to deliver exclusive offers and experiences at scale to customers”.
- “The Metaverse is the next gen of connected experiences, introducing new ways for people to digitally engage in more immersive ways” revealed Sidi Drissi, Brand President at Buxom.
- David Morris, Experiential Consultant with NYCAP3D shared that Community building is key, so be sure you “understand your audience in order to find substance for your Brand community”.
- “It’s not about the tech, it’s about real people” says David Lehmann, Director of Digital at Coach. Be authentic and specific with customer activations.
- “Partner with Web3 experts outside of retail for better success” says Elizabeth Kennedy, CEO, Beauty Magnet.
- “Educate your organization, especially key stakeholders about the why” explained Geoff Alexander, President & CEO, Wow Bao
- “To get started, lean in and learn – get a wallet, download an NFT, create an avatar, and talk to others doing the same to share experiences” said Meral Arik, Co-Founder, Passage Protocol.
Closing Keynote speaker Kate Brady, Head of Next Gen DTC Connections & Innovation at PepsiCo, shared the vision her team is creating to innovate in the Web3 space by connecting directly with consumers to create more smiles with every sip, bite, and click. PepsiCo’s Web3 Center of Enablement “provides tools to enable and accelerate and leverage Web3 and the metaverse while staying compliant by establishing standards, guidelines, processes, governance, and enablers for Web3 and metaverse activations” she explained. Her advice to brands is to educate your organization, especially key stakeholders – including legal – and bring them in as early as possible to any project you want to execute.
Stay tuned for detailed brand case studies, coming soon!
