1:00-1:05 PM CT/2:00-2:05 PM ET 
Welcome and introduction
Karen Kelso, VP, Mass and Club

1:05-2:00 PM CT/2:05-3:00 PM ET 
Navigating the 2022 holidays
Karen Kelso, VP, Mass and Club

Retailers are facing the most challenging holiday season in decades as lingering challenges from the pandemic influence their shoppers, their product offers, and their profitability. What will retailers and suppliers need to consider as they navigate the most impactful selling season of the year? Topics will include: 

• The macro and micro factors influencing shoppers’ and retailers’ decisions
• Limitations on growth and expected tactics
• Implications for suppliers’ everyday business and promotional plans

2:00-2:50 PM CT/3:00-3:50 PM ET 
Macro issues: The gift that keeps on giving
David Marcotte, SVP, Global Retail & Technology

War, famine, pestilence, and other joyful holiday topics continue to wreak havoc on retailers’ ability to predict and deliver for shoppers. Disruptions abound and the return to the “new normal” is taking longer than expected. Topics will include:

• Slow and unreliable shipping capacity
• Inflation impacting opportunity costs for retailers and shoppers
• The need to break and rebuild entire systems to adapt

3:05-3:50 PM CT/4:05-4:50 PM ET 
Walmart shoppers have changed (or have they?)
Julie Craig, VP, Shopper Insights

Walmart shoppers have had a rough year. Food inflation has run amok and gasoline prices are near all-time highs. What’s an income-constrained shopper to do? Topics will include: 

• How inflation has changed Walmart shoppers over the past 12 months
• What value means to Walmart shoppers and where they find it
• How Walmart shoppers are preparing for the holidays

3:50-4:50 PM CT/4:50-5:50 PM ET 
Walmart’s holiday season: Supplier implications
David Marcotte, SVP, Global Retail & Technology
Karen Kelso, VP, Mass and Club

Retailers will chalk up 2022 as the Murphy’s Law year: Whatever could go wrong did go wrong. The holiday season and Q4 are disproportionately important to Walmart’s fiscal performance and will strongly influence the retailer’s 2023 objectives. Topics will include: 

• How a disappointing Walmart holiday season could impact your business
• Early indicators of seasonal performance and Walmart’s tactics
• Opportunities to partner and build your retailer relationships

4:50-5:00 PM CT/5:50-6:00 PM ET 
Day 1 wrap-up
Karen Kelso, VP, Mass and Club

1:00-1:05 PM CT/2:00-2:05 PM ET 
Welcome and introduction
Karen Kelso, VP, Mass and Club

1:05-1:50 PM CT/2:05-2:50 PM ET 
Putting Walmart’s performance into perspective
Anna Brennan, Senior Analyst, Retail Insights

Walmart’s financial performance dictates where the retailer will focus and the challenges it may face in the future. We’ll share its wins and losses and capture the implications for suppliers. Topics will include: 

• US and global strengths and opportunities
• What Walmart’s financial performance means for suppliers’ everyday business and promotional plans
• Factors that may limit or accelerate the retailer’s growth

1:50-2:35 PM CT/2:50-3:35 PM ET 
Assessing Walmart’s strategy: What’s working and what’s not
Karen Kelso, VP, Mass and Club

Walmart’s flywheel ecosystem evolved in 2022 to include DTC and B2B services. How is that strategy faring? How will it impact decisions in the coming year? Topics will include: 

• Successes and opportunities with the flywheel performance
• Omnichannel transitions and challenges
• Further adaptations to Walmart’s goals and tactics

2:50-3:35 PM CT/3:50-4:35 PM ET 
Unpack Sam’s Club performance: Develop a strategy for success
Taylor Galland, Principal Analyst, Retail Insights

Sam’s Club, Walmart’s shadow twin, accelerated amid COVID and has continued a strong run since the onset of the pandemic. Can the club sustain these elevated growth rates, or will a shifting macroeconomic reality alter its trajectory? Topics will include: 

• Sam’s Club’s unique challenges and competition
• How to be a good Sam’s Club partner and support a unique membership value proposition, especially as competition for membership fees heats up and BJ’s and Costco rapidly expand
• Threats and opportunities for the club business as we approach the end of the year and 2023

3:35-4:20 PM CT/4:35-5:20 PM ET 
Omnichannel evolution
Karen Kelso, VP, Mass and Club

Expansion and contraction in omnichannel retailing are the hallmarks of 2022. Shoppers still have high expectations but retailers’ ability to deliver isn’t keeping pace. Topics will include: 

• Advantages and disadvantages to Walmart’s version of omnichannel
• Current and future battlegrounds with Amazon
• Impacts to suppliers as Amazon and Walmart duke it out

4:20-4:50 PM CT/5:20-5:50 PM ET 
Event wrap-up: The risks ahead and managing the unknown 
Karen Kelso, VP, Mass and Club

There has never been a more challenging retail environment than today. Seismic shifts in supply chain, enormous demand swings, and inflation create complexity and confusion. Focusing on the right priorities increases the likelihood that your business will survive and potentially thrive through the turmoil. Topics will include: 

• Prioritizing tasks: what matters most for your retail clients
• Anticipating the most likely and most impactful changes
• Building a stronger relationship with Walmart during uncertainty