"Practical solutions instead of digital utopias"

With the Digital Day 2025, Salzburg-based Schick not only wants to share knowledge, but also actively offer solutions. Katharina Krassnitzer (Head of Fashion, Traditional Costume & Shoes) and Elisabeth Kreuzberger (Head of Fashion & Shoes) provide insights into the new format.

"When the order is complete, the innovation begins," says your latest press release on Schick Digital Day 2025. How did the idea for the new format come about?

Fashion needs innovation, not only in the front end, but also in the back end. We have already addressed one of the industry's burning issues with the Schick Talent Day, and now we are tackling the next area where input and initiative are needed. It's about how you can continue to develop digitally now in order to remain fit for the future in retail. At the trade fair, however, we don't have enough time for this, so we are coming up with a follow-up event that is purely virtual and picks up retailers, agencies and the industry where they are after the order. The Digital Day is more than just an event. It is intended to be a practical update for retailers, with real insights and solutions that can be applied immediately in everyday working life.

Trade fairs are increasingly being called upon to become "all-rounders". An important aspect of this is not only offering a common platform, but also the transfer of knowledge. How open do you think the market currently is to this? And how great is the demand from exhibitors and visitors to Brandboxx?

A lot is happening! In the fashion and footwear industry in particular, we are noticing that acceptance of digitalization is growing significantly. Retailers and exhibitors know that they have to invest in it if they want to remain successful in the long term. There is definitely openness, but it can also quickly become overwhelming. Digital innovation is a very broad term. So we initially concentrated on the day-to-day tasks: Checkout and merchandise management system, intelligent re-ordering and finally digital customer loyalty. These are all basics which, according to practical experience, are far from being up to date in all retail stores.

What do you think distinguishes the Digital Day from traditional webinars or conferences?

The Digital Day is a product of intensive coordination with all players in the industry. We have been holding background discussions and exchanges in many sectors for many seasons so that we know where the shoe pinches. The needs have crystallized in these working groups. Thanks to our industry contacts, we know that we don't need to talk about fancy AI tools or digital utopias when there is still so much potential for optimization and innovation in the everyday lives of retailers. A webinar that leaves participants more clueless afterwards than before is of no use to anyone. After all, many people forget that digitalization is a challenge that comes on top of all the everyday tasks for retailers. So we have tried to find speakers who stand for systems that can be implemented tomorrow and that will improve profits or processes tomorrow.

Where do you currently have the most catching up to do in the fashion and footwear industry when it comes to digitalization?

A continuous data flow. Merchandise management, POS system, orders, re-orders, stocks - these are very often data silos and often still require a lot of manual work. Even if everything is connected internally, there is rarely a connection to the suppliers, which is simply a competitive disadvantage compared to the big players these days. This is precisely where we want to start with the Digital Day and support the industry in making this leap into the future.

What role should Brandboxx Salzburg play in the long term as a driving force for digitalization in retail?

We see ourselves not only as an event venue, but also as a central source of inspiration for the industry. Our aim is to offer the industry a platform where it can not only network, but also tackle important issues together. We want to play an active role in shaping the industry and establish Brandboxx as a place that is always up-to-date. With formats such as the Digital Day, we want to strengthen the retail sector because we want to accompany each other into the future.

When you look back on Digital Day 2025 in five years' time - what would you consider to be its greatest success?

In five years' time, it would be great if the Digital Day became a fixed date in the industry's calendar; not just as an event, but as a regular point of contact for everyone who wants to keep their finger on the pulse. If we manage to establish Digital Day as THE innovation meeting place for the Austrian retail sector, we will have achieved our goal. Success would be achieved if we not only imparted knowledge to the participants, but were also able to provide them with concrete support for their digital transformation through our events.

What's important to us: The Digital Day is free and open to everyone in the industry. Please don't be shy, even if you have never been to the Brandboxx before, you are welcome to attend!