COVID-19 thrust campus stores into a reactive state, necessitating rapid adaptation to unprecedented changes with minimal time for strategic planning. As we move past this disruption, it's crucial to focus on leading the industry's future and driving it to new heights. While Gen Z transitions from post-secondary education into their careers, Generation Alpha is preparing to step onto campus.

This session will present new research on Generation Alpha, highlighting their emerging influence on retail and unique preferences. Additionally, this session will explore evolving student demographics and preferences, including Gen A’s digital upbringing and their passion for tangible retail and authentic experiences.

Graham Heuman

Graham started his career in fashion retail as a part-time sales associate. He quickly moved into the premium technology industry as a sales associate and began assisting the visual merchandiser with stores for Ontario. He handled sales accounts for small-medium businesses and assisted in inventory forecasting.

Graham joined JCWG, a Canadian retail consulting firm, as an associate in 2021 and has worked on a wide breadth of projects to date. Now the Retail Insights Lead, he has since become the team’s lead coordinator with our international Ebeltoft partners, as the Canadian member of the expert jury for global trends and innovation. Graham sits on the board of the “Young Ebbers” initiative at Ebeltoft, as well as the Toronto Metropolitan University Program Advisory Council for the Retail Management program.