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Interview series:
The Emergence of the Unified Customer Data Layer

Hear from industry leaders from RAC, CACI and Snowflake on the emergence of the unified customer data layer and how it’s become a critical enabler to deliver AI and smarter marketing. 

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Watch the recorded sessions from our annual consumer insights conference.

Today’s consumers are navigating greater choice, tighter budgets and rising expectations.

Understanding where your destination and brand sits on the spectrum between want and need is critical to shaping strategy, experience and engagement.

How do you respond to changing consumer behaviour when wants and needs are no longer fixed?

Retail Briefing 2026, CACI’s annual consumer insights conference, brought together industry leaders and CACI experts to explore the desire vs require equation in depth. They dived into how people behave, why they make the choices they do, and how those choices are constantly being reshaped by context, age, income and location.

The sessions examined how and why people shop, what influences their decisions, and how brands and places can remain relevant as expectations continue to shift.

The Retail Briefing content is now available to watch on demand.

What you’ll learn:

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How to build connected data and tech ecosystems that unlock smarter activation
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How leading brands are scaling transformation while maintaining control and governance
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How AI‑driven strategies are reshaping customer experience and decisioning
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How to create momentum by aligning your people, processes and platforms

What we covered during the day

  • The global demographic trends shaping consumer behaviour and expectations
  • Why wants and needs are no longer singular, but differ by age, income and location
  • The growing role of choice in consumer decision making
  • How different shopping missions influence where and how people spend
  • The role of place in meeting core requirements and unlocking desire
  • Why understanding consumer nuance is critical to shaping successful strategies
  • Real stories from leading brands, how they decipher needs from wants when creating people-led strategies
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What we covered throughout the day

  • Real stories from leading brands — how they unlocked the power of more by connecting data, tech and people.

  • Practical transformation insights — what really moves the needle when scaling capability.

  • Making transformation real — what actually helps organisations scale, simplify and unlock meaningful change.

  • Tips, lessons and lived experiences — to help teams work smarter, move faster and innovate with confidence.

Download the on demand sessions.

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Meet the guest speakers
View the sessions
Amanda Mason (1) (002)
Amanda Mason
Marketing Director | Compass Group
Amanda is an experienced marketing and communications leader with over thirteen years’ experience across B2C and B2B sectors, including hospitality, leisure, education, travel, and retail. As Marketing Director for One Retail, part of Compass Group, she leads brand and marketing strategy across a diverse estate, shaping customer experiences that are both commercially successful and emotionally engaging alongside in-house and high-street partners.
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Ben Dawson
Head of E15 | Compass Group
Ben is an experienced leader in applied data and analytics in the hospitality and automotive industries. He is Head of E15 for Compass One, the family of Compass Group brands which includes One Retail, ESS, Medirest, White Oaks and Cuisine Centre, where his responsibilities include business intelligence and insight, data science and consumer pricing. Ben’s role bridges the gap between data and the operational realities of decision making.
Will Minnett
Will Minnett
Head of Insight | McArthurGlen Group
Will is an experienced global insight leader with over a decade of experience across retail, real estate, and consumer sectors. As Head of Insight at McArthurGlen Group, he oversees data, research, analytics, and global insight strategy for a €6bn revenue business operating 22 designer outlets across eight countries. Will leads a high-performing team that delivers insights that shape commercial decision-making, customer strategy, and long-term growth. He works closely with senior stakeholders to embed data-driven thinking, analytics, and business intelligence across the organisation, supporting performance and elevating customer experience at scale.
Stuart Fyfe
Stuart Fyfe
Managing Director | Canary Wharf Group
Following a successful agency career with Knight Frank and Lunson Mitchenall, Stuart joined CWG in 2012 and has since played a central role in transforming the Canary Wharf estate into a dynamic, continuously evolving destination. Stuart is part of the team responsible for asset managing over 1.8 million sq ft of retail, hospitality, services, and amenities, with significant additional space in the development pipeline. His remit also extends to hotels, out‑of‑home advertising, filming, and the estate’s cultural venues—ensuring Canary Wharf remains a vibrant place to live, work, and visit.
Simon Morris GCW
Gemma Holland Wright
Managing Partner | GCW
Simon Morris is Managing Partner at GCW and a strategic adviser to owners, occupiers and investors across town centre real estate. He has over 25 years’ experience advising on portfolio optimisation, expansion and rationalisation, business review, restructuring and value creation. His work is focused on helping clients make better property decisions while supporting the long-term resilience of town centres.
Meet the CACI speakers
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Kate M
Kate McGoldrick
Thought Leadership Lead
Kate is a Senior Consultant at CACI, working across various consumer data sets, mapping, and all things retail.
Martha D
Martha Dobbs
Thought Leadership Lead
Martha is a thought leadership expert who sits within CACI's Business Advisory team.
Mark E
Mark Edwards
Head of Data Communications
Mark is CACI's data communicator, helping the business understand and effectively utilise data.
Chris L
Chris Lidington
Director of Retail, Logistics and FMCG
Chris works with brands to build successful retail strategies that complement multi-channel retail ecosystems.
Gemma HW
Gemma Holland Wright
Head of Property
Gemma leads the client relations teams within the Property extension of CACI.
Lily Payne
Lily Payne
Managing Consultant
Lily is part of the client relations team at CACI - supporting leisure and F&B brands to unlock growth through evidence‑based strategy and market insight.