Chessia Kelley McBride | eTail Connect West

Measurement, Margins, and Making the Model Work

9:45 AM Keynote Panel Discussion - Think Outside The Funnel: Where to Invest as Brand and Performance Blur

Retail leaders are under pressure to decide where growth investment should go when brand, performance, and retention no longer sit in separate parts of the funnel. With customer journeys now moving fluidly across channels and attribution still incomplete for most, the challenge is making smarter budget decisions across interconnected tactics that all influence the sale.

Hear from retail leaders on how they are deciding where to place the next dollar, which signals they trust, and how they are balancing short term revenue with long term customer value. Get a practical perspective on prioritization, cross-channel judgment, and investing with more confidence in a less predictable funnel.

Navigate the new funnel reality by:

Allocating growth investment across brand, performance, and retention more effectively
Evaluating which channels and signals are truly driving results
Balancing immediate return with longer-term customer value

3:50 PM Panel Discussion - Built to Last: Investing in Direct Customer Relationships to Own Your Audience

The cost of finding new customers keeps rising, while the channels brands rely on to reach them are becoming less predictable. Brands focused on long-term resilience are increasing their efforts toward audiences they own and relationships they control, where value compounds over time.

Leaders who have shifted their growth models toward owned relationships share what that looks like in practice. They discuss how they balance paid and platform channels with direct customer efforts, how expanding direct touchpoints strengthens first party data, and how deeper direct relationships translate into stronger retention and higher customer lifetime value.

Identifying where owned channels are generating reliable demand
Deciding how far and how fast to shift investment toward owned audience development
Building loyalty and community programs that drive retention, referral, and repeat purchase
Measuring the long-term value of owned relationships in ways that justify the investment