Monday, 2 February 2026
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Format: Interview
In an age of AI-powered logistics and predictive delivery, what truly secures customer loyalty? This keynote brings together two visionary thinkers: Mary Portas, from the frontline of retail reinvention, and Arka Dhar, from the frontier of human-centric AI, to explore how technology and empathy must coexist in the future of commerce.
Together, they’ll challenge us to rethink delivery not just as a technical function, but as a human moment, where brand values, emotional connection, and purpose-led storytelling become the real differentiators. From parcel to person, this conversation will explore how businesses can thrive by prioritizing people, even in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms.
Mary Portas
Founder
Portas UK
Arka Dhar
AI Strategist
Google DeepMind
Al KO
CEO
SHIPSTATION
Format: Presentation
In this forward-looking session, Metapack and ShipStation will introduce their latest product innovations, highlighting powerful new AI and data-driven capabilities. Attendees will gain insight into how both brands are advancing delivery intelligence—driving smarter automation, enhancing operational agility, and empowering retailers and carriers to adapt quickly in a fast-changing logistics landscape.
Emma Clarke
Senior Director of Product Management
Metapack
Matthew Trattles
VP Product
ShipStation API
In this dynamic session, Chloe Thomas, Commerce Strategist, Author & Podcast Host, will join standout retail brands that have successfully embraced intelligent delivery. Together, they’ll explore how these businesses have shifted shipping from a cost centre to a competitive differentiator—leveraging technology to build flexibility, resilience, and customer loyalty in an unpredictable landscape. Expect candid insights into their journey, from overcoming operational challenges to driving retention through delivery-led innovation.
Chloe Thomas
Podcast Host
eCommerce MasterPlan Podcast
Morning Coffee Break - Exhibition Hall
TRACK 1: Smart & Adaptive Logistics
TRACK 2: Customer-Led Delivery
TRACK 3: The Business of Intelligent Delivery
The Discovery Theatre (Beech Suite)
Format: Q&A
Late or missed deliveries come at a cost—lost sales, strained customer trust, and rising operational expenses. In this session, we’ll explore how predictive modeling is reshaping delivery strategy, helping retailers move from reactive firefighting to proactive precision.
Dr Daniel Hulme
CEO
Satalia
Michael Anderson
Managing Consultant
Place-B Consultancy Limited
Format: Panel
We’ve heard it before: customer experience matters. And the final touchpoint—delivery—is often the one that leaves the strongest impression. On-time rates, real-time tracking, and hassle-free returns elevate shipping from a back-end operation to a brand-defining moment.
This session explores how leading retailers are turning delivery into a competitive advantage. From checkout to doorstep, delivery is no longer just logistics—it’s a strategic opportunity to build trust, exceed expectations, and foster long-term loyalty.
Sham Aziz
Founder
thecxway
Clare Bailey
Founder of The Retail Champion
The Retail Champion
James White
Senior Director
EMEA, Klaviyo
Andrea von Harpe
Sales Director
Metapack
Format: Presentation
Different customers value and want different delivery options—the key is knowing what your customers are willing to pay for and designing a profitable premium delivery program that complements standard fulfillment. In this session, we share examples of retailers offering subscription-based delivery perks or one-off premium options, and how these approaches generate incremental revenue while maintaining operational efficiency.
As OoH delivery continues to grow in popularity, creating opportunities for consumers to collect and return parcels when and where it's most convenient is fast becoming a competitive advantage. This session will explore the benefits of hosting parcel collection and return lockers that are open to all carriers and businesses. With valuable insights on footfall, sales, and host perception from our rapidly growing open locker network, attendees will discover how lockers can create value well beyond parcel collection.
Lee Graham
Director of Parcel Pending Locker Solutions
Parcel Pending by Quadient
Format: Panel
From robotics and AI-driven order batching to mobile-first picking workflows, retailers and logistics providers are embracing automation to cut costs, accelerate operations, and elevate the customer experience. In this practical panel, industry leaders share real-world wins, lessons learned, and what’s driving ROI today—no futuristic hype, just automation strategies that deliver.
Andrew Thomson
Director of Partnerships EMEA
Linnworks
Adam Coventry
Director
SCALA
Dries de Love
Chief Executive Officer
Radial Europe
Stein van Est
Regional Head of Ground Freight & E Commerce
A.P. Moller – Maersk
Mark Wilkinson
Global Director of Logistics & Strategy
dōTERRA
Format: Panel
Customers expect choice. The challenge is knowing which delivery options matter most—and how to offer them without compromising margins. This session explores how to evaluate trade-offs and deliver speed, flexibility, and sustainability in ways that align with customer values.
Katie Searles
Contributing editor
InternetRetailing and DeliveryX
Graham Smith
Account Director
Gophr
Chris Haighton
Retail Logistics Consultant
Haighton105 Consultants
Joe Matheron
Managing Director
Metapack
Paul O'Reilly
Head of Customer Fulfilment
Wickes
Delivery is no longer just an operational function—it’s a consumer experience shaped by emotion, trust, and control. In this fireside conversation, we will explore how evolving consumer expectations are transforming delivery from a cost centre into a driver of loyalty and brand preference.
Joined by a retail leader, the discussion will unpack the psychological drivers behind delivery choice—including speed, certainty, convenience, and control. We also discuss how these expectations differ across regions and markets. The session will examine why delivery strategies that work in one country may fall flat in another, and how global brands are adapting checkout, delivery options, and payment experiences to local consumer behaviours.
Natalie Berg
Retail Analyst and Host of Retail Disrupted
NBK Retail / Retail Disrupted
12:00 - 12:30: Session led by HIVED
Lunch in the Exhibition Hall
Ecommerce growth increasingly depends on fulfilment flexibility. In this session, we’ll explore how retailers are expanding capacity and improving customer experience by blending drop ship partnerships, marketplace selling, and ship-from-store fulfilment.
As consumer expectations rise and product assortments widen, brands are shifting away from single-node fulfilment models toward agile, distributed networks. This discussion will unpack how diversified fulfilment helps retailers.
Attendees will walk away with a clear understanding of why diversified fulfilment is becoming a competitive advantage—and how to adopt it without overwhelming operations.
René Schrama
Chief Commercial Officer
Peak Technologies
Format: Panel
As global retail networks expand and consumer expectations rise, delivering seamless cross-border experiences has become a strategic imperative. This session brings together leaders from platform, logistics, and brand to explore how retailers are navigating international growth, localisation, and fulfilment complexity. Speakers will share insights on composable commerce and platform agility, strategies for navigating regulatory and customs challenges, and the importance of localisation across payments, fulfilment, and customer experience. The discussion will also highlight how resilient partnerships and data-driven delivery intelligence are shaping the future of global logistics.
Beth Chapman
Managing Director
Starlinks Global
Katie Searles
Contributing editor
InternetRetailing and DeliveryX
Andrew Norman
SVP & GM EMEA
Commerce
David Randall
VP Carrier Partnerships
Auctane
Cian Wright
Vice President, Market Development
Swap
Format: Panel
As the delivery ecosystem continues to evolve, collaboration between carriers, technology platforms, and retailers is more critical than ever. This session explores how data sharing, complementary innovations, and strategic partnerships are driving measurable improvements in speed, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Speakers will share real-world examples of co-developed solutions—from last-mile integrations to predictive delivery models—that are streamlining operations and unlocking new opportunities for growth across the supply chain.
14:00 - 14:30: Session led by Amazon Shipping
Format: Q&A
As delivery expectations rise, the cost of managing customer experience rises with them. This session explores how retailers are using AI-driven CX automation to deliver fast, reliable service while reducing operational costs.
We’ll discuss how automating post-purchase and delivery-related CX workflows—such as handling exceptions, resolving issues proactively, and deflecting avoidable support contacts—helps retailers lower cost-to-serve without compromising customer satisfaction. By combining delivery intelligence with automated CX decisioning, brands can prevent issues before they escalate, respond faster when they do, and scale customer experience without increasing headcount.
Chris Dawson
Editor in Chief
ChannelX
Oksana Dambrauskaite
Digital Operations Leader
Decathlon UK
Format: Panel
The delivery journey doesn’t end at the doorstep. How retailers handle returns, exchanges, and post-purchase communication can make or break customer loyalty. This session explores how to design frictionless, customer-friendly return policies and experiences that build trust and encourage repeat business.
Attendees will hear how leading brands use transparency, automation, and empathy to turn post-purchase logistics into a brand-building opportunity.
Clare Bailey
Founder of The Retail Champion
The Retail Champion
Aura Hita Losa
Conversational AI Lead
On
Daniele Thomas
Customer Journeys and Returns Optimisation Manager
New Look
Format: Fireside chat
Delivery is no longer just logistics—it’s strategy. This session explores how retailers and carriers are using data to optimise cost, speed, and experience across the customer journey. From predictive analytics to post-purchase feedback, we’ll show how delivery intelligence drives agility and enables smarter fulfilment.
We’ll spotlight how intelligent operations turn logistics into a competitive advantage—powered by real-time data, predictive insights, and actionable analytics. Whether through AI-led decisioning or post-purchase feedback loops, delivery intelligence is helping brands respond faster, personalise deeper, and optimise smarter.
JJ Karambelas
Channel Director
OneStock
David Randall
VP Carrier Partnerships
Auctane
Nick Ciubotariu
Chief Technology Officer
Auctane
14:30 - 15:00: Session led by Relay Technologies
Nicole Mazza
Co-Founder & Chief Customer Officer
Relay
Discover how delivery is evolving across Europe and beyond. With one of Europe’s largest road networks, FedEx is creating new possibilities for visibility, control and cross-border growth. Join us to explore how businesses can stay connected to their customers through smarter, more scalable delivery solutions.
Matthew Mitchell
Director, Global Sales E-commerce
FedEx
Afternoon Coffee Break - Exhibition Hall
A newly-conducted study led by Retail Economics, in partnership with Metapack and ShipStation, explores how AI is reshaping delivery operations, predictive analytics, and the customer experience across retail and logistics.
In this data-rich debrief, Richard Lim will unpack the key findings—from shifting consumer expectations to operational efficiencies—and offer actionable insights for retailers, 3PLs, and carriers looking to embed AI into their logistics strategies. He’ll be joined by a Metapack or ShipStation product or customer insights expert to contextualise the trends and translate them into practical next steps for the audience.
This session is ideal for delegates seeking to benchmark their delivery performance, understand emerging AI applications, and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Richard Lim
CEO
Retail Economics
Delivered by an acclaimed writer, presenter, and cultural commentator, the closing keynote will explore the cultural, societal, and technological shifts shaping the future of logistics and eCommerce. Known for sharp wit and incisive storytelling, the speaker brings a fresh lens to the delivery landscape — blending humour, observation, and real-world insight in a session that reinforces the conference theme: AI-powered, adaptive, customer-led delivery.
This keynote promises to challenge assumptions, entertain with precision, and leave delegates reflecting on what it really means to “deliver” in a world of rising expectations and systemic complexity.
Richard Ayoade
BAFTA-winning Comedian, Writer, Director, and Presenter
Al KO
CEO
SHIPSTATION
Exhibition Hall Drink Reception
We end the week on a high note with a high-energy closing celebration at the Royal Lancaster Hotel. Featuring a headline performance, this evening is designed to celebrate our customers with premium hospitality and a lively atmosphere. Enjoy a relaxed environment full of shareable moments, photo-worthy activations, and a VIP lounge for meaningful final conversations.