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The Lead Summit is where iconic brands, high-growth disruptors, and cutting-edge tech come together to shape the future of commerce, marketing, and innovation.
As an official partner of The Lead Summit 2025, Unofficially Lead Summit, brought to you by ClickZ, is your go-to source for the insights, strategies, and connections that will define the year ahead.
Whether you're exploring how AI is reshaping customer experiences or unlocking new channels for growth, our coverage helps you stay ahead and get the most out of your Summit experience.
As we prepare for The Lead Summit 2025, it’s the perfect time to revisit some of the standout insights from last year’s gathering.
🔁 What Last Year Taught Us
🧠 Personalization got smarter
It’s not just “Hey [FirstName]” anymore. Personalization in 2024 became seamless, omni-channel, and driven by real-time data. Fossil showed how connecting bounce behavior with targeted offers boosted ROAS by 19%. The brands winning loyalty are blending in-store and online signals into one unified experience.
🤖 AI got real (and ruthless)
Victoria’s Secret is using AI for better product recs. Nike’s improving inventory management. Land’s End is reorganizing teams based on AI-driven insights. But the smartest brands said the same thing: don’t chase hype. Start with a real business problem, define success, then apply AI with purpose — or risk wasting time and budget.
🎉 Experience became the loyalty driver
Rowan turned kids’ ear piercings into memory-making moments. Little Words Project’s bracelet-making tables became bestsellers. And Philosophy hosted spas and skincare academies to engage their community. These brands proved: data helps, but nothing replaces a human, emotional connection in building long-term loyalty.
🏬 Stores became media channels
H&M and Rothy’s didn’t just reimagine store layouts — they used stores to tell stories. Rothy’s used try-ons to reduce returns (and emissions). Farm Rio launched joy-fueled pop-ups to test new markets. Your store isn’t just a sales point anymore — it’s a campaign, a content hub, and a loyalty builder all in one.
📊 First-party data became survival strategy
As cookies fade, marketers turned to what they can own — their customer data. But more data ≠ more clarity. Sessions on performance attribution showed that simplification is the new superpower. Brands using solutions like Fospha’s full-funnel measurement are finally connecting the dots across channels, performance, and profit.
📈 CMOs became builders
The Lead 2024 made one thing clear: CMOs are no longer just marketers. They're growth drivers, tech stack owners, brand guardians — and they need to prove it on the P&L. The most successful leaders blurred the lines between brand and performance, creative and data. That’s the new job description.
This year, ClickZ launched #BuildingBrands, a founder-led editorial series sharing the unfiltered, messy, and often surprising stories behind the logos we love.
Check out a few we’ve done:
🌟 Bootstrapping, Breakdowns, and the Brand That Wouldn’t Quit [Inside the founding journey of Dripdash]
🌟 What Milk Learned by Launching a Brand of Its Own
📝 Want to share your journey — or just chat about what’s next in retail?
Let’s talk. Whether you’re leading a legacy refresh, launching something new, or just want to riff on where the industry’s going, we’re here for it.
🔮 What to Watch at The Lead Summit 2025
Theme | Session to Watch |
|---|---|
🧠 AI with purpose Not just using AI — justifying it. Sessions zero in on ROI, team adoption, and use-case clarity. | 🔹 Separate Business Value from Gimmick for AI Use Cases |
🏪 Retail as brand engine Experience-led retail is still rising. But now, it’s being paired with strategic storytelling and high-ROI formats. | 🔹 Evolve Your Brand Without Losing Your Core Customers |
📲 Social commerce & community The funnel is fractured. Brands are leaning into platforms where the conversation (and purchase) happens. | 🔹 Choose the Right Social Selling Platform for your Brand Between TikTok Shop, Instagram, Pinterest and Others |
📉 Tech stack realism “More tools” isn’t the answer. Retail leaders are simplifying for efficiency and ROI. | 🔹 Simplify Your Tech Stack and Stop Being a Solution Hoarder |
💼 CMOs as growth operators Marketing is now measurable, accountable, and interconnected with product and experience. | 🔹 Master the Marketing Equation: Paid vs. Organic, New vs. Proven, In-House vs. Agency |
🧱 Build-to-last brand playbooks Forget legacy vs. DTC — the new focus is building with agility and long-term value. | 🔹 Deploy Out-of-The Box Thinking to Build Business Models and Achieve Growth in Today’s Evolving Landscape |
📲 Like what you’re seeing?
🎟️ Your Invite to The Lead Summit 2025 — On Us
As an official partner of The Lead Summit, ClickZ is excited to extend a special offer to our Unofficially Lead Summit readers:
✅ Work at a brand or retailer? You can attend for FREE.
Just add our name “ClickZ” in the “how did you hear about us?” field when registering.
💼 Not a brand or retailer? We’ve got you covered too.
And that’s just the beginning. We’ve got exclusive insights and game-changing ideas coming your way in the next few weeks — all designed to keep you ahead of the curve. Stay tuned, because The Lead Summit 2025 is about to get even more exciting!
The Unofficially Lead Summit Team
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