’Tis the season to gift, browse, and shop. Aussies haven’t lost any appetite for the Christmas season as a majority of the country continues to celebrate despite rising costs of living, spending most of their time and money with family. How can brands tap into the country’s holiday spirit?
Amy is an experienced retail professional with extensive international merchandise experience and deep knowledge of discount variety retail, having worked in Australia and the United States. She is the Chief Operating Officer of The Reject Shop, a discount variety store. Prior to joining The Reject Shop, Amy held the combined role of Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for Buying, Merchandising, and Sourcing at CTS (formerly known as Christmas Tree Shops) based in New Jersey. CTS is a speciality retailer with 80 stores that combine low-price, everyday, and seasonal merchandise. In her time with CTS, Amy was responsible for developing and executing a compelling merchandise offer to meet the needs and wants of customers in a very competitive and challenging marketplace.
Mark McCrindle is a social researcher, best-selling author, influential thought leader, and TEDx speaker. He is globally recognised as coining the name for the emerging generation, Generation Alpha. Mark’s advisory, communications and research company, McCrindle, count among its clients more than 100 of the largest companies and leading international brands.
Mark’s highly valued social commentary is presented through his engaging keynotes, research, reports, infographics, videos, and media input. He is a trusted advisor and sits on the board of several different organisations, having developed his reputation as an expert demographer, futurist, and social commentator.
He is also the author of five books on emerging trends and social change. Generation Alpha, Work Wellbeing: Leading Thriving Teams in Rapidly Changing Times, The ABC of XYZ: Understanding the Global Generations, Word Up: A Lexicon and Guide to Communication in the 21st Century, and The Power of Good.
Sarah Wei is a journalist and producer based in Melbourne and Hong Kong, with a focus on the travel, lifestyle, and arts and culture sectors. She has produced over 35 talks and workshops with 120 speakers, three large-scale 5-day events, over 20 community events, one VR/AR exhibition, and more than 150 published features and stories across the region.