Kantar's 2026 Global Digital Commerce Conference


Interface-Essential---Date-Calendar---calendar-317-18 June 2026

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Virtual

 

2026 Agenda
Digital Commerce Conference-1280x720

Kantar’s Global Digital Commerce Conference is the premier event for industry-leading brands and retailers looking to stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital commerce landscape.

Digital commerce is moving into a more complex phase as advanced AI technologies, retailer strategies, and shifting shopper behaviors reshape the path to growth.

Our 2026 conference examines the forces redefining digital commerce globally, the rise of agent-led discovery, and the next phase of omnichannel competition. For brands and retailers, the implications — about where to invest, how to protect visibility, and how to drive commercial advantage — are immediate.

Our bold perspectives, deep analysis, and spirited discussions that challenge conventional wisdom will equip you with the knowledge you need to refine your strategies.

Join us at the global Digital Commerce Conference and be part of the conversations shaping the future of digital retail.


 


You’ll leave this event with insights into:
  • What’s changing in digital commerce — AI-led discovery, omnichannel execution, and platform shifts — and what to do next
  • A clearer investment road map about how to protect visibility; improve conversion; and align retail media, content, and operations as commerce gets more complex
  • The forces reshaping digital commerce strategy globally across retailers and platforms
  • How AI and Amazon are changing visibility, choice, and growth

 

 

Conference Agenda

Reach out to events@kantarconsulting.com for questions. 

Malcolm Pinkerton

10:00-10:10 AM ET
Welcome and introduction
Malcolm Pinkerton, Global Head of Retail Insights

Rachel Dalton

10:10-10:50 AM ET
Digital Transformation and the global commerce economy
Rachel Dalton, Head of Retail Insights, North America
Paida Mugudubi, Head of Retail Insights, EMEA and APAC

  • Discover the big beats for global digital commerce and what they mean for the US and Europe.
  • Uncover where top retailers stand in their digital transformation and get a look at what’s next.
  • Consider where you can place your bets in a fast-changing landscape.
Simon_Johnstone_Square

10:50-11:30 AM ET
Global channel strategy development
Simon Johnstone, Senior Director
Karen Kelso, Vice President
Paida Mugudubi, Head of Retail Insights, EMEA and APAC
Amar Singh, Senior Director

  • Get a framework-based analysis of the top retail channels in the US, Canada, and Europe and the strategies you can employ to grow with them.
  • Assess current realities, emerging trends, and future inflection points.
  • Evaluate top priorities when formulating key customer plans.
Rachel Dalton transparent

11:30 AM-Noon PM ET
Amazon and the future of agentic commerce
Fireside chat: Rachel Dalton, Kantar
(Moderator), Justin Honaman, Global Head, Worldwide Retail, Restaurants & Consumer Goods, Amazon Web Services 

  • Explore Amazon’s investments in AI and its impact on retail stores.
  • Learn what you should prioritize to stay ahead as agents advance.
  • Consider new ways to create industry partnerships.
Kate McGee-1

Noon-12:30 PM ET
IQ Roundtable: Digital commerce top client topics impacting retail in the US, Canada, and Mexico
Moderator: Kate McGee, Partner, Syndicated Retail Platforms
Retail Insights team: Americas

12:30-1:00 PM ET
Break

BREAKOUTS
Choose one concurrent session.
Note: All attendees will receive the recordings for all sessions, so if you can’t listen live, you can listen later on demand.

Marcotte_D_Kantar-1

1:00-1:35 PM ET
Track 1: Winning within the new rules of omnichannel commerce
Emerging technologies driving the evolution of unified commerce
David Marcotte, Senior Vice President Amar Singh, Senior Director

  • Find out how AI is accelerating unified commerce by automating actions across operations.
  • Understand how connected tech (RFID, QR, 2D codes) unifies store and digital journeys.
  • Discover how regional tech maturity influences commerce strategies.
Rachel.Dalton.Kantar-2

1:00-1:35 PM ET
Track 2: Navigating Amazon's next phase of growth
Amazon’s global business priorities and strategic outlook
Rachel Dalton, Head of Retail Insights, Americas
Andriana Bantra, Senior Insights Consultant

  • Review what Amazon’s strategic priorities for retail, marketplace, and services signal for 2027.
  • Understand the implications of Amazon’s evolving advertising and merchandising model.
  • Define near-term actions for brands across investments, joint business planning, and capability development.

 

1:35-1:40 PM ET
Break

Mugudubi_P_Kantar-1

1:40-2:15 PM ET
Track 1: Winning within the new rules of omnichannel commerce
Fragmentation as Europe’s hidden digital commerce advantage
Paida Mugudubi, Head of Retail Insights, EMEA and APAC
Malcolm Pinkerton, Global Head of Retail Insights

  • Evaluate how complexity forces advanced evolution in commerce systems.
  • Discover how Europe is the stress-test environment for the future of global commerce.
  • Consider how to gain competitive advantage over less adaptive digital platforms.

 

Brennan_Anna_Kantar-1

1:40-2:15 PM ET
Track 2: Navigating Amazon's next phase of growth
Amazon’s next generation of US shoppers
Anna Brennan, Principal Analyst
Taylre Stumpf, Lead Analyst

  • Explore the evolving preferences of Amazon’s youngest shoppers and how they differ from those of previous generations.
  • Gain actionable strategies to attract and engage emerging shopper cohorts as they gain purchasing power.
  • Establish points of differentiation and value among Amazon’s Gen Z and Gen Alpha shoppers.


2:15-2:20 PM ET
Break

Ross.Cloyd.Kantar

2:20-2:255 PM ET
Track 1: Winning within the new rules of omnichannel commerce
Maximizing online pickup and delivery partnerships
Ross Cloyd, Director, Retail Insights Georgia Rose, Senior Insights Consultant

  • Explore the latest growth drivers, automation, and technology innovations transforming supply chains.
  • Understand how strategic partnerships with delivery providers are redefining operations.
  • Examine the future of logistics practices, consolidation, and strategies driving efficiency and brand differentiation.

 

Amar Singh no background

2:20-2:55 PM ET
Track 2: Navigating Amazon’s next phase of growth
Amazon’s healthcare playbook
Amar Singh, Senior Director

  • Evaluate the wellness economy and Amazon’s position.
  • Discover how Amazon is changing the healthcare landscape.
  • Consider where to leverage opportunities across the wellness ecosystem.

2:55-3:00 PM ET
BREAK

Pinkerton_M_Kantar-1

3:00-3:15 PM ET
Day 1 recap
Malcolm Pinkerton, Global Head of Retail Insights


Malcolm Pinkerton

10:00-10:10 AM ET
Welcome and introduction
Malcolm Pinkerton, Global Head of Retail Insights

Doug.Hermanson.Kantar

10:10-10:50 AM ET
AI’s role in shaping the global economy
Doug Hermanson, Principal Economist
Paida Mugudubi, Head of Retail Insights, EMEA and APAC
Barry Thomas, Senior Retail Commerce Thought Leader

  • Survey the transatlantic divide between the US and Europe in terms of AI acceleration.
  • Evaluate similarities and differences between the US and key European countries.
  • Explore horizontal and vertical agentic shopping and who is winning in each.

10:50-11:30 AM ET
Global consumer trends and the impact to digital commerce
MONITOR team

  • Review the five global trends expected to have the greatest impact on digital commerce from MONITOR’s newly released trends framework.
  • Get an overview of key geographic and demographic drivers of each trend.
  • Explore what these trends mean for the future.

11:30 AM-Noon ET
Winning digital commerce: Retail priorities for growth and loyalty
TBD guest speaker

Pinkerton_M_Kantar-2

Noon-12:30 PM ET
IQ Roundtable: Digital commerce top client topics impacting retail across EMEA and APAC
Moderator: Malcolm Pinkerton, Global Head of Retail Insights
Retail Insights team: EMEA and APAC

12:30-1:00 PM ET
Break

BREAKOUTS
Choose one concurrent session.
Note: All attendees will receive the recordings for all sessions, so if you can’t listen live, you can listen later on demand.

Thomas_B_kantar-1

1:00-1:35 PM ET
Track 3: Building a profitable AI commerce operating model

Agentic commerce 101 for commercial leaders
Barry Thomas, Senior Retail Commerce Thought Leader

  • Evaluate how AI commerce is moving value pools relative to traditional ecommerce.
  • Understand the importance of product knowledge graphs in the AI commerce era.
  • Learn how to influence AI agents and large language models to drive brand visibility and sales.
Humbert_Marie_Kantar-1

1:00-1:35 PM ET
Track 4: New areas for digital disruption 
Social commerce as a mainstream channel and new ways to win
Marie Humbert, Senior Insights Consultant
Kate McGee, Partner, Syndicated Retail Platforms
Taylre Stumpf, Lead Analyst

  • Unpack what’s driving the mainstream adoption of social commerce and how platform capabilities are reshaping the path to purchase.
  • Get an update on TikTok Shop and learn how it became a mainstream marketplace.
  • Assess how the discovery-to-conversion path is shifting from search to feeds and creators, and what that means for brand and retailers.

1:35-1:40 PM ET
Break

Logan_Gina_Kantar-2

1:40-2:15 PM ET
Track 3: Building a profitable AI commerce operating model
AI-enabled future: How AI is rewiring the path to purchase
Gina Logan, Associate Director, Category Insights

  • Understand how AI is rewiring commerce at the front end.
  • Explore the new division of ownership in shaping shopper consideration and purchase.
  • Translate this new commerce DNA into action to win both the AI-mediated moment and the shelf.
Rachel Dalton transparent

1:40-2:15 ET
Track 4: New areas for digital disruption 
Retail media: The brand-retailer dynamic and the impact of AI
Rachel Dalton, Head of Retail Insights, Americas
Rohan Mazumdar, Partner, Kantar Consulting
Kate McGee, Partner, Syndicated Retail Platforms

  • Explore how brands are selectively investing in the right retail media networks for growth.
  • Assess what it will take for retailers to gain incremental investment in their retail media networks.
  • Evaluate the impact of large language models on the future of retail media networks.

 

2:15-2:20 PM ET
BREAK

Rachel.Dalton.Kantar-2

2:20-2:55 PM ET
Track 3: Building a profitable AI commerce operating model
Amazon vs. Walmart: Who is winning the AI commerce race?
Rachel Dalton, Head of Retail Insights, Americas
Karen Kelso, Vice President

  • Benchmark how Amazon and Walmart are deploying AI across search, merchandising, media, and fulfillment.
  • Assess what AI-driven changes mean for discovery, conversion, and retail media effectiveness.
  • Identify near-term priorities that can help brands stay ahead of fast-moving shifts.
Bantra_Andriana_Kantar-3

 2:20-2:55 ET
Track 4: New areas for digital disruption 
 
International marketplaces’ impact on commerce
Andriana Bantra, Senior Insights Consultant
Vikash Kaansili, Senior Analyst

  • Understand how global marketplaces are reshaping categories, pricing, and shopper expectations.
  • Identify regional differences involving brand assortment, content/trust, and fulfillment.
  • Prioritize where to expand, how to win visibility, and how to manage margin/compliance risk.

2:55-3:00 PM ET
BREAK

Pinkerton_M_Kantar-3

3:00-3:15 PM ET
Day 2 recap
Malcolm Pinkerton, Global Head of Retail Insights

 

How to attend

 

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meet the experts

Event speakers

Anna Brennan
Anna Brennan
Principal Analyst, Retail Insights
Bantra_Andriana_Kantar-2
Adriana Bantra
Senior Insights Consultant
Cloyd_R_Kantar
Ross Cloyd
Director
Rachel.Dalton.Kantar-1
Rachel Dalton
Head of Retail Insights, Americas
Doug
Doug Hermanson
Principal Economist
Humbert_Marie_Kantar
Marie Humbert
Senior Insights Consultant
Simon_Johnstone_Square
Simon Johnstone
Senior Director
Kaansili_Vikash_Kantar-1
Vikash Kaansili
Senior Analyst
Kelso_Karen_Kantar-1
Karen Kelso
Vice President 
Logan_Gina_Kantar-1
Gina Logan
Associate Director, Category Insights
Marcotte_D_Kantar
David Marcotte
Senior Vice President
Rohan Mazumdar
Rohan Mazumdar
Partner, Kantar Consulting
Kate McGee-1
Kate McGee
Partner, Syndicated Retail Platforms
Mugudubi_P_Kantar
Paida Mugudubi
Head of Retail Insights, EMEA and APAC
Pinkerton_M_Kantar
Malcolm Pinkerton
Global Head of Retail Insights
Plummer_Georgia_Kantar-1
Georgia Rose
Senior Insights Consultant
Amar.Singh.Kantar
Amar Singh
Senior Director
Stumpf_Taylre_Kantar-1
Taylre Stumpf
Lead Analyst
Thomas_B_kantar
Barry Thomas
Senior Retail Commerce Thought Leader
Justin2
Justin Honaman
Global Head, Worldwide Retail, Restaurants & Consumer Goods, Amazon Web Services
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