We blogged a lot from the event, but the truth is there was so much great content we could have written about much more. It’s hard to pick one favorite session (though I’d love to hear your favorite sessions and/or blog posts), but right at the top of my list was probably Macy’s CMO Peter Sachse, who talked about the company’s changed focus on the customer. This concept seems so simple, but was so unexpected to me. I’ve been thinking about it all week.

Another big “ah-ha” moment for me came when Express CMO Lisa Gavales spoke passionately about her opinion that e-commerce should report through marketing. Jeff Rayport was amazing, too. Best Buy’s Tracy Benson blew me away both at her Mobile Boot Camp session and again as the final session at the conference with their video on mobile.

As a classic case of how even people from the same company have different takeaways, read my colleague Larry Joseloff’s post on what he got out of Innovate.

Here are all the blog posts from Innovate broken out by day. Take a look at some of the nuggets you may have missed, or get a refresher on what you took away.

Mobile Boot Camp

• 5 things to keep in mind when designing a mobile site
• What Steve Madden knows about its mobile customer (+what that’s important)
• How two retailers used SMS to increase sales
• Mobile retail is the future…or is it?
• Seven tips for building and deploying effective mobile sites

Innovate ‘10: Day 1

• All the buzz at Innovate: The MingleStick
• Williams-Sonoma CMO talks the economy, branding and the online/offline battle
• Williams-Sonoma CMO offers advice to retail execs (video)
• Five things you need to know about engaging your customers
• Mobile: the key to cross-channel retail integration
• Macy’s CMO takes unconventional approach: “We don’t need to get new customers”
• The best customer is the engaged customer (especially if he’s laughing)
• Let customers call the shots in retail marketing
• Moosejaw entertains–and educates–Innovate audience (video)
• 3 digital trends for 2010 (video)
• Are you ready for extreme retailing?
• Swooponomics 101 (video)
• Social media mantras from Diane von Furstenberg
• Who’s at your social media party?

The Racie Awards

• Scenes from the Racies
• Sears’ Heroes at Home program wins prestigious Peter Glen award (video)
• Creative guru Robert Raible elected to Advertising Hall of Fame (video)

Innovate ‘10: Day 2

• Dell’s secret to successful retail partnerships? Be N.I.C.E.
• Panel: Social commerce has arrived
• Innovative ways to integrate technology in bricks-and-mortar stores
• What’s Augmented Reality? Quite simply, it’s magic. (video)
• Express organizes for ease of business
• Why Best Buy loves mobile (video)
• Mobile retail: The first steps

The sold-out event was incredibly successful, and conversations have already started for next year’s event. Make a mental note – or a real one – to join us next March in San Francisco. We promise we’ll be in a much larger space!

In addition to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, reducing energy levels in their stores or eliminating plastic bag usage, many retailers are finding other creative, sustainable projects to undertake.

Gap has partnered with Cotton Inc. in a new, exciting campaign, “Recycle Your Blues”, which encourages shoppers to bring in their old Gap denim in exchange for 30 percent off their next denim purchase at Gap, GapKids or babyGap. The two-week program began March 5 and ends the 14th. Talk about a great reason to shop!

Fast-fashion retailer H&M recently launched its first fully-sustainable clothing line, The Garden Collection. The 80-piece collection will hit stores March 25 in a special section of the store  and will also include a special shopping bag with a Garden Collection logo.

Target’s new eco-friendly skincare line, One, hit stores nationwide March 1 and offers 28 different product options including lip balms, body butters, solid shampoo bars and bath fizzers. One products come in recyclable, plastic-free packaging.

A few other retailers worth mentioning who are making huge strides in energy reduction and other sustainable efforts include:

Kohl’s was recently named 2010 Energy Star Partner of the Year for its commitment to energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

With a goal of cutting energy use by 20 percent by 2015, The Home Depot is well on its way having already reduced energy levels 16 percent since 2004. The energy the company has saved so far could power 203,000 homes for one year!

Office Depot is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Commercial Interiors certification for all of its new locations starting in June. Office Depot anticipates 14 new stores will eventually qualify as LEED-certified by the US Green Building Council.

These forward-thinking retailers, and many others throughout the world, continue to find unique ways to do their part to save the earth for future generations of shoppers.

As the world’s largest retail trade association, NRF strives to educate large and small retailers as well as their business partners about sustainability issues, consumer attitudes and spending habits related to green retailing as well.

Our Sustainable Retail Consortium committee consists of nine different working councils and periodically holds webinars for its members relating to new research and meaningful trends. On March 24, NRF will host a webinar with McMillan Doolittle,  “The Consumer and Sustainability: What Retailers are Learning about their Customer and How they are Responding,” which will present an overview of the current outlook through a customer’s eyes and will examine customers’ preferences and trends in shopping when green choices are available. NRF retail and associate members can click here to register for the webinar.

I have no idea what this is.

Apparently I wasn’t alone. During his session, RichRelevance’s David Selinger began by discussing what Augmented Reality is (and what it isn’t), how it works (and when it bombs), and then walked attendees through several great examples of augmented reality in action.

In its essence, Selinger defined Augmented Reality using an Arthur C. Clarke quote: “Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” And today’s generation, Selinger said, “is growing up in magic.”

Take a look at some of the great examples Selinger highlighted of Augmented Reality below. These concepts, which are very real, would have been considered magic when you were a kid. To some of us, they look like magic even today.

Benson, senior director of interactive marketing at Best Buy, began her presentation at the Retail Innovation & Marketing Conference by asking people to swap cell phones with the person sitting next to them. There was a lot (and, I mean, a LOT) of hesitation, but most people followed directions. Then we were asked to trade phones with another person close by. More hesitation ensued, but most people obliged.

At my table, I ended up holding the BlackBerry of a guy I’d never met and he (gasp!) was cradling my iPhone. It made me cringe. This short exercise was a powerful reminder to me – and, likely, many other attendees – of the personal value we place on our mobile devices.

What does mobile mean to Best Buy? A tremendous business opportunity. Best Buy debuted a video during Benson’s presentation about the value of mobile – not only on Best Buy’s employees, but also on the company. Take four minutes to watch this and you’ll realize, this is a company that gets it.

Robert has made his mark on the industry and has been a strong leader in the RAMA  community. Watch the video below to discover why the Board chose Robert for the recognition, and hear his acceptance speech.

Lisa Gavales

As the EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of Express, Gavales says retailers are more successful if they are organized for the customer, not by channel.

She means it too: At Express, eCommerce reports through marketing.

The bit of data that solidified her perspective was learning that at least several times a week there is as much traffic on the website as walks through the 600 stores.  So, she treats eCommerce as a marketing tool first and a volume driver second.

In order to take advantage of this, Gavales and her team make sure that every touch point they have with customers displays the same branding.  The company’s holiday campaign, which featured bright colors, wasn’t limited to signage and catalogs.  Every touchpoint highlighted the color.  Whether is was boxes, gift cards, signage, displays, ads on subway buses and billboards, the website, their Facebook page, or a catalog – the branding was consistent.  Even the typically black and white logo was multi-colored to fit in.

And, Gavales and Express are sticking to their guns: The branding for their Spring campaign will be just as consistent through every channel.

The potential for mobile is enormous partly because mobile devices hold more information about us than any other medium. Your calendar, your contact network, it’s all on your mobile device, which is always on you. And it’s likely that mobile adoption will be five times faster than Web adoption was. The change is happening rapidly because there are faster and cheaper devices on the market and there is increased speed and capacity on networks, among other reasons. But that doesn’t mean you have to dive right in and invest in everything right now.

As a retailer, you should probably make some level of investment in mobile in 2010, Samat said. Even though it may seem like science fiction to be able to point your mobile device at an in-store product and purchase it without ever talking to a salesperson, all of these kinds of technologies already exist. So, as a retailer, how can you get started in mobile, even at a very low level?

• You can survey your customer base and conduct research about how they use mobile already.
• You can experiment with mobile advertising.
• You can “leverage the eco-system.” Meaning, you don’t need to build all of this yourself. But in exchange for help from other expert companies, you have to be willing to make your content available beyond your own company.
• You can integrate mobile as part of your operational plan. Consider how good 3G coverage is in yours. Is there a space in your stores for consumers to browse (to check prices and customer reviews) on their mobile devices? Do you provide ways for customers to access online in-stores, such as with kiosks?

Mobile is starting. Prepare yourself and prepare your stores by taking the first steps, no matter how small they seem.

1. It solves a problem.
2. It’s remarkable. Offers a “wow” factor.
3. It’s notable. Your customer tells his or her friends about it.

Sounds simple enough. Then Richardson showed us a slide show of storefronts with the names blocked out and encouraged us to call out the name of the retailer. Although there were a couple softballs (I believe all 600 of us correctly identified the Apple store), most of the storefronts were surprisingly tough to recognize.

Post-game, Richardson showed us some examples of in-store digital innovations that have upped the ante. First came Ralph Lauren, which revolutionized the storefront window by adding digital signs where consumers could actually purchase items…from just outside the store. Columbia  Sportswear added interactive windows, digital kiosks, tech totems and digital signage. The result? During the last holiday season, 3% of the retailer’s sales came from the in-store online purchases. In a non-retail example, NYC’s Lincoln Center advertised Alvin Ailey dance a couple years ago by showcasing dancers in slow motion on screens outside the theater. Sales increased by 25%.

These examples illustrate that it’s possible to improve your sales by investing in in-store digital retail innovation.

Here are a few photos from the awards reception, dinner and ceremony.