What not to miss at RetailX Spring Festival – 14 May 2025

With six dedicated retail events taking place all under one roof at RetailX’s Spring Festival this week (14 May, London’s Convene at 133 Houndsditch), we round up some of the key sessions you’re not going to want to miss from across the events.

CustomerX

This half day conference at Spring Festival, taking place between 09.30am – 12.30pm, will shine a light on customer-first retailing strategies. It will explore what makes shoppers loyal and how retailers can deliver CX that engages and connects.

On its opening panel at 09.30am, Adidas‘ Global Senior Director Consumer Engagement, Milou Steenvoorden, joins Global CRM Program Manager at Nissan, Zeke Zhiqian Wu, to discuss how retailers can master omnichannel
At 10.20am, Absolute Collagen, Howdens and TNS will explore how brands can leverage personalisation to build stronger customer connections, as well as the role of AI in delivering real-time personalisation and building emotional resonance through storytelling

SustainabilityX

The SustainabilityX track of Spring Festival, which runs in the afternoon from 1pm – 5pm, will uncover best-practice for delivering green retailing, both at an operational and customer level. It will focus on how leading brands differentiate themselves through sustainable practices, while building trust with consumers who want to adopt eco-friendly buying behaviours.

At 2pm, Natalie Deacon, Head of Purpose & Sustainability at Avon, No7 Beauty‘s Global Head of Sustainability Emilia Matchett, and Holland & Barrett‘s ESG Manager, Zoe Dittmann, join a panel looking at how retailers can navigate regulatory and compliance changes in green retailing
At 2.50pm, Currys‘ Carbon & Environment Manager, David Ville, joins Chris Allen, UK Director of Sustainability at Decathlon, to discuss advances in circular retail, including new revenue steams from rising demand for re-commerce and repair services

SubscriptionX

With two tracks making up SuscriptionX’s conference this year, Acquisition & Retention will be the focus for Stream 1, while Growth & Innovation will be explored across Stream 2. Focusing on delivering performance across subscription retail, Stream 1 will dive into strategies for optimising conversions, reducing churn and deploying personalisation. Meanwhile, Stream 2 explores key subscription challenges and how tech – from fulfilment solutions to AI – can scale subscription success:

At 10.20am on Stream 2, Ian Jindal joins Bluefort’s Bjorn Kuijt and InternetRetailing’s Katie Searles for a deep-dive on the latest insight and trends from RetailX’s new sector report on subscriptions
Speaking on Stream 1 at 11.50am, Mark Scott, Co-Founder of Bella+Duke, will draw on his experience building the raw pet food business from a start-up to a £50million brand, with lessons on how to build high growth subscription models sustainably and profitably
Over on Stream 2, also at 11.50am, Adyen, Chargebee and Beauty Pie will deliver a panel on payment strategies to scale whilst driving loyalty
At 12.30pm over on Stream 1, Specsavers‘ Kris Jacobs, the FT’s Marie Goddard and NBCUniversal‘s Mark Carter join a panel exploring the ‘retention paradox’

Digital Marketing Evolution

Digital Marketing Evolution helps next-gen retail marketers re-imagine their digital marketing strategies – from AI deployment to new ad tech capabilities and best practice in building seamless omnichannel customer journeys.

At 09.30am, Kingfisher‘s Group AI Director, Mohsen Ghasempour, will deliver a keynote on mastering the AI marketing revolution
Speaking at 2.10pm, RevLifter‘s VP of Markeing, Dan Bond, explores how targeted promotions can increase sales without endless discounting, helping brands drive revenue while protecting margin and brand experience
During a fireside chat at 3.50pm, Le Chameau‘s Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, Aaron Smedley, and Charles Beck, Global Head of Strategy at Aesop, discuss how retailers can use digital solutions, including AI and IoT, to create smarter, digitally-led in-store experiences

Social Media Masters

Social Media Masters is all about navigating the fast paced digital landscape, exploring effective strategies that build brand loyalty, drive sales and forge long-term customer connections via social commerce.

At 10.20am, Booking.com‘s Global Social Media Insights Manager, Karla Hernandez Zaldivar, joins Ecommerce Masterplan Podcaster, Chloe Thomas, to discuss how social media algorithms play a crucial role in influencing buying behaviours
In a fireside chat at 12.20pm, Nora Zukauskaite, Marketing Director at TikTok Shop will chat to ChannelX‘s Chris Dawson exploring what brands can learn from rise and rise of TikTok Shop

Amazon Sellers Summit

With marketplaces continuing to be a key channel for retail growth, the Amazon Sellers Summit defines successful strategies for building a strong brand presence on the Amazon platform.

At 12.10, Mars‘ Global eCommerce Amazon Lead, Mihaela Bojan, and Global Digital Commerce Director, Swagat Choudhury, deliver a case study on how Mars has delivered shopper experience on Amazon
Speaking at 2.30pm, Amazon Ads‘ Head of FMCG, Paul Hackwell, shares insights on how Amazon Ads is innovating in the retail media space