Ben Penrose
Founder STRIQEMain Day 1 | 29th September
9:00 AM Chair’s Opening Address
SURVEY – what do you define as the most critical topics in retail today?
9:10 AM KEYNOTE PANEL – Lessons from leading retailers: How can you validate and optimise your peak trading strategy to drive performance?
As peak season becomes increasingly fragmented, unpredictable, and competitive, the traditional retail calendar is no longer fit for purpose. Shifting consumer behaviours, rising acquisition costs, and the decline of single "hero" trading moments like Black Friday are forcing retailers to rethink when and how demand is captured. This panel explores how leaders are redesigning their peak strategy in real time to align with how customers actually shop today — not how they used to.
- How can retailers use behavioural data to identify when demand actually peaks — not when it used to?
- How can staggered launches outperform single "big bang" moments like Black Friday?
- How can brands test earlier or later peak activation without risking lost revenue?
- How can marketing, trading, technology and ops teams align around one shared peak timeline?
- How can calendar agility become a competitive advantage in volatile Q4 conditions?
2:55 PM OXFORD STYLE DEBATE – Agentic AI will continue to transform retail, creating a new potential ‘metaverse’ for customers
As agentic AI evolves from assisting customers to acting on their behalf, retailers face a fundamental question: are we entering a new era where AI agents become the primary interface between brands and consumers? This Oxford-style debate challenges two opposing views on whether agentic AI will fundamentally reshape the retail experience or whether its impact is being overstated.
Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Ben.
Download The Latest Agenda