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C O N V E N T I O N G U I D E
PSFK’s CES Guide 2018 helps you distill this year’s over
4,000-exhibitor convention into a future-focused field
guide, identifying the most important technology trends
impacting consumers and businesses.
Download this guide at: psfk.com/ces-2018
C E S
2018

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affinity. More broadly, brands should approach experiences
as content studios where they can create and collect media
that supports social, digital and traditional comms planning
within a hybrid campaign.
The State of Retail: From multichannel to monochannel -
Today’s connected shopper doesn’t think in terms of physical,
online or mobile: they want to shop how and when they want to
with the best experience possible. This means that retailers and
brands must break from the siloed approach that assigned different
teams and strategies to each of its channels and take an integrated
view of its customers, operations and stores with digital platforms
and technology as the unifying infrastructure.
A New Definition of Convenience: From saving time to creating
value - Recognize that convenience is not just about saving time,
but creating value for consumers as well. People have different
expectations every time they shop. The needs around each of
these situations are very different and retailers need to be able
to cater to each equally well. How can you remove friction and
create efficiencies, while also delivering a better, more engaging
experience? Technology seamlessly operating in the background
and in the hands of store associates will help drive this.
The New Foundation for Stores: From bricks and mortar to bricks
and data - With an underlying technology infrastructure—what
PSFK calls a Retail OS—the physical store transforms from being
a black hole for data into a rich data center for understanding
consumer behavior on both an aggregated and increasingly
individual level. When analyzed alongside transactional and other
metrics, this information can impact decisions at both a store and
HQ level. These insights can drive both responsive and proactive
actions around merchandising, inventory, display and staffing, and
potentially even identify unmet needs.
As a brand, retailer or solutions provider, what lessons can you
take from CES to transform your business and messaging to
better reach consumers? The researchers at business intelligence
service PSFK believe corporations should consider how the
following trends-inspired shifts will shape the new consumer
experience in 2018 and beyond. As you plan your agenda in Las
Vegas across multiple days of keynotes, panels and exhibitions,
use the following trends-led insights as a lens to better
understand how everything fits together.
The New Consumer Reality: From digital-physical divide to
fluidly connected - Constantly bridging the gap between online
and offline, consumers are looking for opportunities to seamlessly
jump in or out—and even more importantly, connect with friends
regardless of where they are—physically or digitally. Media
providers can encourage seamless crossplay between on and
offline by syncing their interactions or adapting content to move
with their varying usage.
The Evolution of Brand Engagement: From top-down to
platform-driven - In a culture where concepts of identity and
ownership are increasingly fluid and open, brands need to rethink
their role in consumers’ lives. While having a clear guiding purpose
that underlines everything they do is more important than ever,
brands can no longer dictate the rules of engagement. Instead,
empower consumers with a platform approach, positioning your
brand as a foundation for education, curation, collaboration and
letting your consumers choose their way in.
The Role of Brand Experiences: From one-off events to content
immersion studios - Experiential activations don’t take place in
a vacuum, as both brands and audiences can spread reach
through digital and social integrations. Influencers play a key
role in introducing broader audiences to the brand and building
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Enterprise IoT - Connected technology solutions are transforming
physical spaces into responsive, data-rich environments that can capture
valuable information about customer behaviors and increasingly deliver
personalized experiences that further blend on and offline shopping.
Visual Recognition - Image recognition tech has far-reaching impacts for
the future of search, translating pictures from the web or mobile phone
snaps into a powerful tool for returning exact product results or making
similar recommendations. Technology’s ability to discern human expression
and emotion will have implications for how companies design customer
experiences both in-store and online.
Robotics/Automation - To meet the elevated expectations of today’s
consumers—convenience, price and personalization—retailers are offloading
many time-consuming and tedious tasks to robots and other automated
systems. These technologies not only deliver new operational efficiencies,
but free up human staff to offer higher quality customer care.
A D V E R T I S I N G & M E D I A
AR/VR - With more content and experiences—from entertainment
and gaming to work and shopping—being developed for mixed reality
platforms, consumers are beginning to see some of the mainstream
potential. To connect with their customers in these immersive
environments, brands must start experimenting to find where they fit.
Artificial Intelligence - Delivering personalized engagement at scale is a
necessity in today’s attention economy where mass communication can
quickly become noise. AI’s ability to understand context and respond with
relevant content and experiences will play an outsize role both in in-the-
moment messaging and as part of a long-term CRM.
Voice Assistants - As more core screen-based activities like search,
shopping and services get outsourced to intelligent voice assistants, brands
must continue to evolve their presence and personality to remain relevant
and top-of-mind for their customers. Finding ways to add value to people’s
day-to-day lives through these platforms will be essential.
Events to Attend Events to Attend
Technologies to Look for on the CES Floor Technologies to Look for on the CES Floor
The Future of AI - From self-driving cars to digital assistants and
big-data analysis, artificial intelligence is changing the way we work
and play. Experts predict the state of AI five years from now.
Requires AI and Robotics Impact on Tomorrow track purchase
10:15-11:15 AM January 11. LVCC, North Hall, N258
Shopping That Feels Like Magic - An exploration of the emerging
technologies—AI, IoT, AR/VR, etc.—that can make shopping feel like magic.
Requires High Tech Retailing Summit track purchase
1:30-2 PM January 11. Venetian, Level 4, Lando 4302
Data Science in the Quirky Retail Market - In data we trust, but only if
it’s actionable. We’ll look at how data analytics can inform retailers and
be used to create entire retail ecosystems.
Requires High Tech Retailing Summit track purchase
4:15-5 PM January 11. Venetian, Level 4, Lando 4302
VR/AR as a Branding Strategy - Mixed reality technologies have the ability
to transform advertising. Experts discuss how these immersive experiences
can create better relationships between brands and consumers.
Requires Digital Hollywood track purchase
1-2 PM January 8. LVCC, North Hall, N258
Alexa, what is AI’s Impact on Advertising? - When today’s consumer is
interacting with your brand through AI and voice-based platforms, how do
you best communicate and drive outcomes at scale?
1:30-2:30 PM January 9. Tech South, ARIA, Level 1, Bristlecone 4
C Space Storytellers: CMO Panel - How do marketers need to approach
technology as part of their business plan? Global brand executives come
together to discuss best practices in data, analytics and transparency.
3:30-4:15 PM January 9. Tech South, ARIA, Level 1, Pinyon Ballroom

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C O N S U M E R E X P E R I E N C E
Now Generation | New Attitudes Driving Success - Translating the
evolving expectations of the Now Generation (age 15-25) into successful
tech innovation strategies.
10:15-11:15 AM January 8. LVCC, North Hall, N257
Millennial Myth Busters, Gen Z and the Next ‘Next-Gen’ - Hear from the
experts as they demystify tomorrow’s consumers and discuss the new rules
for engagement, content creation and the role of technology.
11:45 AM-12:45 PM January 9. ARIA, Level 1, Bristlecone 4
Every Company is a Tech Company - Highlighting tech transformations
and valuable insights for any company looking to leverage new devices and
platforms to create seamless and engaging customer experiences.
Requires Trending Techs track purchase
2:15-3:15 PM January 10. LVCC, North Hall, N261
Events to Attend
Social Media - Social channels have moved beyond socializing to
become the places people go for their news, entertainment, education,
work, shopping and much more. Brands must study the ways people
are using these platforms to meet their customers with the right
products, services and experiences.
Entertainment & Gaming - Passive consumption behaviors have given way
to lean-forward occasions that are some combination of social, interactive,
immersive, highly-curated and multi-platform. Understand these changes
to create meaningful and engaging experiences for consumers.
Machine Learning & Data Analytics - It’s no longer enough for brands
to simply interact with their customers on their preferred channel; they
must proactively listen and anticipate their needs as well. Translating their
behaviors, feedback and sentiment into actionable insights is quickly
becoming a core aspect of any company’s innovation strategy.
Technologies to Look for on the CES Floor
Walmart eCommerce
Booth: LVCC, South Hall 1 - 21951
walmart.com
Alibaba
Booth: LVCC, South Hall 1 - 20206
alibabagroup.com
Amazon Marketing Services
Booth: LVCC, South Hall 1 - 21548
ams.amazon.com
Google Hardware
Booth: ARIA Hospitality Suites 1-8
store.google.com
eBay Advertising
Booth: ARIA Hospitality Suites
ebayadvertising.com
Ford Motor Company
Booth: LVCC, North Hall - 5002
ford.com
Brand Exhibition Booths
About PSFK
PSFK is the world’s leading business intelligence platform for customer
experience innovation. Across every industry vertical, we help the most
progressive brands identify and leverage opportunities across retail, brand
and product experience through a mix of trend reports, immersive events,
insight-rich content, ideation workshops and on-demand research services.
Forecast Z
A must-have manual for brands to understand and
engage with the next class of consumers, PSFK’s
Forecast Z report decodes the shifting priorities,
values and behaviors of Generation Z. The report
features trends-led research and an in-depth
survey of 500 U.S. Gen Z and Millennials, as well
as 8 strategies for brands, retailers and agencies
looking to shift from a Millennial to Gen Z mindset.
Access it here: psfk.com/forecast-z
#PSFKCES | psfk.com | @psfk
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