ShopTalk 2026 - On the Precipice of Change

2026. What a year. And it's only March!

Next week Shoptalk Spring beckons, I've been to a few Shoptalks so I thought I'd post a few thoughts beforehand. This year is going to be very interesting,  things are changing fast, and its my bet that we are on the precipice of a major shift in eCommerce, its going to be very interesting to see the old and new at the event, the gold-rush of AI vs the stability of the incumbents, the panic, the FOMO, the confusion, the disillusioned, and all inbetween. One thing I do know is this - we will be talking about it afterwards!

And btw, no AI was used in the production of this post, for good or bad when it comes to grammar (and def punctuation as I rarely bother with it)!

But let's discuss Shoptalk, I hope this is helpful to new visitors to Shoptalk. I look forwards to meeting with you!

1. The Venue

Mandalay Bay is a very good venue. Last year when I was there I found it much more dedicated to Shoptalk than in previous years. Which frankly is nice, its good not navigating the tourists and being in an enclosed environment where most people are from the event.  Mandalay is a great venue to stay at, and easy to pop back to for a break during the day if needed. Still a way from the conference itself tho to the hotel rooms.

For those of you staying in the Luxor the walk isn't too bad, most of the action is around the Mandalay late at night, but pockets do appear at other casinos, and definitely know there are events out as far as the Sphere. 

2. The Official Agenda

Shoptalk is a fantastic event for merchants, large, small, and all inbetween. The content is generally top notch, this is what Shoptalk was known for initially. Of course all talks can be 'pitchy', which frankly I find annoying - if I'm going to spent 20 mins listening to you please lay off the sales pitch and tell me something that educates me. 

Best bet really is to log into the Shoptalk App before you arrive and find the talks of interest. Also find some just for fun, I do think taking time in Vegas to decompress where you can is a great idea (I realise this is an oxymoron btw!).

Here are some talks I think will be interesting in this AI age we are in if I was a merchant. I reckon looking at learning AI and how it affects marketing, how people will buy, and operations, are key topics. Here just a few I'll be trying to catch.

1. Track Keynote: Visions for the Future of Marketing and Branding - Co-founder and CEO Reddit 

2. Track Keynote: Strategic Leadership in the Age of AI - Jason Del Ray (always great btw!) and Matt Baer - CEO Stitch Fix

3. Insights on the Future of Retail from Transformative Technology Leaders - Looks like will cover some ground on agentic commerce

4. AI and Human Creativity Shaping Tomorrow's Shopping Experiences - Part of the opening Keynote, this should be interesting

3. The Exhibition Hall

For those of you trying to work out just whats going on, where we are, how eCommerce is looking in 2026, what happened to SEO, where is AEO, or just generally wants to get a little overwhelmed - well we have a place for you! 

The exhibition hall is large, and very worth going around. There is so much change at the moment this is going to be an exciting place to be. Go around, ask questions, try things, get the info you need. Remember you are here to discover, so go discover and make sure it works for your needs.

If you are looking for calm come see ShipperHQ at Booth 768, we are just behind the Shopify booth near one of the track stages. Our motto this year is convert more, stress less, come find us and you'll see why. I'm around if you want to book a meeting to discuss the next generation of shipping experience in checkout, we have a lot of exciting announcements at Shoptalk and definitely happy to sit down and talk, this is why we are there!

4. The Unofficial Shoptalk

If you are new to ShopTalk you will quickly see there are a lot of parties around the edges of the event. Meals, get-togethers, big events, small events, tons going on. Many use this as a chance to catch up with colleagues they often dont see. There are some great events going on. I won't list them but I'm aware of over 10, and if you are a merchant looking for something to do there will no shortage.

Late at night a lot of people will be hanging around at the bars in the Mandalay, and on the tables. Come down, people are pretty friendly, you'll soon find good conversation.

5. Final Prep Tips and Tricks

Time to prep, and what to bring? 

• Download the Shoptalk App
• Book restaurants now. They will fill up, reservations of groups esp will be hard.
• Get a lot of sleep. Shoptalk is hard and fast. First people will be arriving Sunday, the conference formally opens Tuesday morning, anyone who has spent more than 3 days in Vegas knows its going to be pretty exhausting
• Get your Badge when you can. Getting the lay of the land is always a good idea, save
• Wear good shoes that are NOT new. You will likely be walking over 10K steps a day, being comfortable is paramount
• Get your room key on the app. Lines to check in will be big, if you can check in before do it
  
• Shop Neon!  The infamous Beach Party this year is with Ne-Yo and dress code switches from the all white to black with neon
• Bring some Roulette Cash. For those of you wanting a bit of fun bring some cash. Far better than using the cash machine and constrains you as once its gone its gone! 
• Have meetings out near the casino. The area around the conference can get very crowded, especially the 2 starbucks right near the entrance. If you head back to the casino tho there are quite a few places you can sit and talk in a much more peaceful environment, definitely recommend

And my final tip/request - be inclusive. It's a rough old world outside, the least we can do is make room and time for others, be welcoming, remember we are all part of the same community, and know that together we are much stronger than apart.  Have Fun in Vegas!