Editor’s Note

Introducing Our 40 Under 40

JESSIE DOWD, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

As I write this, we are just days away from hosting our rst in-person conference in more than two years. The excitement of gathering our industry together again — nally — is coming to a head, and our team at the Path to Purchase Institute is thrilled to be seeing our industry friends in real life at Future Forward in Chicago.

A big part of what I’m personally excited about at Future Forward (and something I’ve mentioned before on the pages of this magazine) is the privilege we get as editors to honor the many talented leaders in our industry through our awards programs. To that tune, we are celebrating the inaugural winners of our 40 Under 40 Awards and the Hall of Fame 2022 inductees at the event. I cannot wait to meet these inspiring individuals face to face, hear their stories and learn from their experiences navigating the evolving world of commerce.

Whether or not you’re attending Future Forward, you can still get to know the 40 exceptional young professionals in the commerce marketing industry who comprise the 40 Under 40 class of 2022 via our pro les in this issue. Selected by our editors from an overwhelming and impressive pool of entries, this next generation of leaders in omnichannel marketing is being honored for their innovative and outstanding work, as well as their contributions to education, mentorship and associations that support the marketing, brand and retail communities. I hope you enjoy getting to know them across the pages of this magazine (coverage starts on page 28). And if you want to read about the Hall of Fame 2022 inductees, check out the March/April edition of the magazine or visit PathtoPurchaseIQ.com for the digital coverage.

Inside this issue, you’ll also nd our latest consumer research, including our cover story that explores Gen Z’s shopping habits. Our ndings from this exclusive research on the most diverse generation to date reveal how they search, browse and shop across channels and platforms, as well as what’s in uencing their purchasing decisions — and guess what, it’s a lot more than just TikTok. This cohort of digital natives LOVES shopping in-store and is truly an omnichannel shopper, uidly browsing and buying online and o ine. Flip over to page 18 to get into the nitty gritty of the Gen Z shopper journey.

Then on page 40, we feature part 2 of “The Evolution of the In-Store Shopping Experience” report, which delves into insights about why consumers are shopping in-store, what they are shopping for, what drives them to make spontaneous purchases, and the factors in uencing their in-store experience.

Additionally, this issue features the second half another two-parter that explores the “path to purpose” and how to balance purpose and pro t while embracing the circularity opportunity (see page 48).

As we head into summer, I hope this issue reinvigorates you with new knowledge, insights and the same excitement we felt putting it together. Cheers to the 40 Under 40 class of 2022! I can’t wait to see you soon …

Editorial Director Jessie Dowd, jdowd@ensembleiq.com Executive Editor Tim Binder, tbinder@ensembleiq.com Managing Editor Charlie Menchaca, cmenchaca@ensembleiq.com Digital Editor Jacqueline Barba, jbarba@ensembleiq.com Director/Member Content Patrycja Malinowska, pmalinowska@ensembleiq.com Managing Editor/Member Content Cyndi Loza, cloza@ensembleiq.com Editor/Member Content Beth Christenson, echristenson@ensembleiq.com Director – Production Ed Ward, eward@ensembleiq.com Creative Director Colette Magliaro, cmagliaro@ensembleiq.com Art Director Michael Escobedo, mescobedo@ensembleiq.com

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Michael Applebaum, Ed Finkel, Erika Flynn, Chris Gelbach, Jenny Rebholz, Bill Schober

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