Hi {{first_name|there}},

A big start to eTail Boston! From boardroom-level alignment between CMOs and CFOs, to AI agents reshaping the pace of retail, to no-nonsense truths about data, attribution, and tech stacks, Day 1 set a high bar for insight and candor. If you missed a session (or two), here’s the download on the ideas and strategies everyone will still be talking about long after the sessions end.

🧠 Day 1 Download

How to Speak CFO: Learning the Languages Your Fellow C-Suite Executives Speak

CMO–CFO dynamics can make or stall growth. At eTail Boston, Sakara Life’s Tierney Wilson (CMO) and Meg Lovejoy (CFO) showed how they channel that push-and-pull into faster, higher-confidence decisions.

"If Tierney is talking about CAC and I'm talking about CAC and we're defining it differently, if we're measuring it differently, that inherently creates challenges and tensions."

Meg Lovejoy

The playbook they walked through?

  • Lock your definitions. Every key metric, from CAC to retention, is calculated the same way across teams.

  • Agree on baselines before briefs. Campaigns start with agreed starting points so performance can be measured without debate.

  • Run results through two lenses. Marketing analyses multiple attribution models; Finance assesses P&L impact. If engagement is up but contribution margin is down, the context is understood on both sides.

  • Pivot in 25% increments. Test conviction without destabilizing core revenue.

  • Make trade-offs explicit. When spend moves, both sides agree on what will be gained and what will be deprioritized.

For Tierney, this approach removes bottlenecks and keeps momentum, even when decisions are high-stakes.

📌 Why this matters:

Many brands still struggle to connect early marketing signals with financial results. The latest Fospha Glow Report proves how sustained brand investment drives revenue growth and pricing power over time — across all channels, not just .com.

For leadership teams aiming to invest with conviction, that level of evidence changes the conversation.

💬 Want to connect your leading indicators to bottom-line impact?
Book a 1:1 with Fospha today and leave with insights you can take straight to the boardroom.

Using AI for Content Generation

At eTail Boston, Jenna Flateman Posner (Co-Founder of Retail AI Council) reframed the conversation on retail AI. Instead of treating AI as a tool for generating copy or assets, she explored how “agentic AI” — AI agents capable of handling multi-step, autonomous tasks — is moving into the operational core of retail.

One example: integrating AI directly into product information management systems. For categories like footwear, where there’s often a lag between product sign-off and market launch, AI can pre-populate up to 80% of a product detail page before samples even arrive. From scanning supplier feeds for early images to writing SEO-aligned descriptions in the brand’s tone, the result is faster launches and reduced bottlenecks.

Posner also pointed to AI’s role in the customer experience. Virtual stylists that learn from browsing behavior can make tailored, real-time product recommendations, boosting both conversion and customer insight. On the back end, AI agents can pull operational data on demand — no technical support required — and even resolve customer service issues from start to finish while maintaining human oversight.

The consistent through-line: speed. By embedding AI into both front- and back-end systems, retailers can cut time to market and respond to trends before competitors.

🤝 Got 15 Minutes?
The ClickZ team in on-site, collecting insights and POVs from marketers shaping the future of retail and ecommerce.

👀 What the Team’s Sharing

A few live takeaways the team shared during the event — straight from the floor.

🌟 What's Coming Up Today at eTail Boston

Today’s agenda features brand leaders sharing practical strategies on omnichannel growth, customer journey optimization, personalization at scale, and brand modernization.

Session Highlights

8:00 AM – Building Trust, Driving Growth: Wayfair's Omnichannel Advantage
Jon Blotner, President, Commercial & Operations – Wayfair
An inside look at Wayfair’s omnichannel strategy, combining physical retail expansion with digital capabilities to increase market share.

9:15 AM – The Customer Odyssey: Navigating The Full Journey from Discovery to Loyalty
Carolyn Pollock, Former CMO – Tailored Brands; Brian Schmidt, VP Marketing & eCommerce – Brooks Brothers & Eddie Bauer; Alejandra Tenorio, VP, Digital Marketing + eCommerce – RMS Beauty; Daniel Rodriguez, CEO & Founder – Currently Wines; Bernadette Nixon, CEO – Algolia

11:05 AM – Personalization at Scale: Harnessing Data at Every Point of the Customer Journey
Feliz Papich, SVP, Digital Technology, Experience & Insights – Crocs, Inc.
How Crocs uses data and AI to deliver relevant experiences across all customer touchpoints.

12:45 PM – Defining What Success Looks Like for the Modern Marketer
Pepper, Caraa, Leatherology, Sonos Inc., Hugh & Grace, Webbula

ClickZ is hosting an exclusive drinks gathering tomorrow—and you’re invited!

We’re bringing together some of the sharpest minds in retail and marketing for an evening of cocktails and insider conversations, all just steps away from the event venue.

⏱ Wednesday, 13 August | 5 PM (Day 3)

📍 5 minutes from the venue (details shared upon RSVP confirmation)

📲 Like what you’re seeing?

Follow ClickZ on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn for exclusive video content, speaker soundbites, and behind-the-scenes moments from eTail.

Enjoy day 2!

Unofficially eTail Boston Team

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Unofficially eTail is a ClickZ Media publication in the Events division

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