“Long live the consumer”, began Jai Kibe’s punchy keynote address, where he takes the audience on a journey from traditional to modern marketing, and emphasizes how personalization is no longer a luxury but more of a necessity for retail brands today. Modern marketing has evolved into a discipline of connecting brands to consumers to drive business growth. For retailers, it becomes critical to operate at scale, in real-time, and in a personalized manner to stand out in the crowded marketplace. Research says that 40% of CEOs don’t think their companies will be economically viable in 10 years, and 56% of CEOs believe that changing customer demands and preferences will have the greatest customer impact on profitability in the next 10 years. Kibe raised a potent question of how most brands today are shouting to everyone, but is anyone listening? There has been a tsunami of changes in consumer expectations, tastes, and buying habits that brands need to be mindful of and use to re-strategize their GTM plan. The trick, Kibe says, is to meet your consumers where they are. Brands need to find new breakthrough ways to connect emotionally with their consumers. He highlighted the essence of what consumers want today, which includes wanting to be treated like a human and not a number, quicker response, understanding their pain points, rewards for their loyalty, and more.