Summer Speaker Series:
Retailers are putting new technology to work across the path to shelf, from autonomous freight to digital shelf tags. For this series, we pulled together a lineup of companies behind the shifts, some that members asked for by name and others we are genuinely excited about. Registration is free, and attendees will receive reminders and recordings for each session.
No matter where your team is in planning season, these sessions are designed to help you cut through the noise and get smarter, faster, and more effective.
Guest Speakers:
Digital Shelves in Action
Jeffrey Green | VP Sales | Pricer
What today’s digital shelf labels and signage can actually do, from pulling shoppers in with eye-catching displays to updating prices and promos on the fly.
Digital shelf labels and signage are getting real investment from major retailers, and that opens up a different set of opportunities for the manufacturers on those shelves. The session walks through what manufacturers can actually do at the shelf once it goes live, without waiting on a print run or a planogram reset. Less paper-tag replacement, more dynamic channel at the point of decision.
What’s Next for the Barcode
Lucelena Angarita & Brandi Smith | Supply Chain Visibility & Global Standards | GS1
Where GS1-128 stands and what 2D barcodes are about to open up, from consumer engagement to better product data.
GS1-128 is still mid-adoption across the industry, and a lot of manufacturers are working through it. At the same time, 2D barcodes are about to land, and they carry meaningfully more data per scan than the linear barcodes most of us have grown up on, opening up new ways to share product data with consumers and retailers alike. Multiple peer groups asked for this one by name, which says something about how much teams want a clear picture before the next deadline lands.
Inside Walmart’s Tagging Push
Bill Toney | VP Intelligent Labels | Avery Dennison
How item-level RFID and case-level BLE give Walmart and participating manufacturer partners a level of visibility old inventory systems could never touch.
The compliance side of Walmart’s tagging push is what’s getting headlines, but the more interesting story is what this kind of visibility unlocks once it’s in place. For manufacturers in the Walmart relationship, it means a much clearer view of what’s actually happening with their product from DC to shelf. For teams watching from outside, it’s a strong signal of where other retailers are likely to head next.
The Autonomous Freight Blueprint
Joe Shone | Head of Shipper Sales | Waabi
A practical look at where driverless trucking actually delivers value today and how it can plug into existing freight networks.
Autonomous trucking has been ‘five years out’ for about a decade, but Waabi is one of the companies running actual freight on real lanes right now. The session walks through where the technology stands today, what kinds of routes and freight types are working first, and how supply chain teams should be thinking about evaluation versus adoption. Less hype cycle, more practical roadmap for teams trying to separate signal from noise.
The Variable Behind the Volatility
Evan Gold | EVP, Global Partnerships & Alliances | Planalytics
How weather data is actually a behavioral signal, and how to use it to anticipate what shoppers will do instead of just what the forecast suggests.
Most teams already have weather data feeding into their planning, but treating it like a physical input misses the bigger story. Planalytics has spent years translating that signal into demand patterns manufacturers can use. With weather patterns getting noisier year over year, the gap between teams reading the forecast and teams reading the demand behind it is starting to show up on the bottom line.
Engaging Discussions Enable Confident Decisions®
When you’re busy with the daily demands of your job, it’s easy to overlook the opportunities that will drive long-term growth. When you become a member of a Drive Wheel peer group, you can identify new strategies, reduce risk, and make confident decisions that will grow your business faster and more strategically.
We host two-day in-person meetings twice a year where leaders discuss their new strategies, innovation plans, and business challenges to get feedback from their peers. Members leave the meeting knowing they have thought about their idea from every angle. Between meetings, we conduct benchmarking studies and weekly news roundups to keep our members informed about changes in the industry.
