SHOPPE TALKS: IRL Engagement
Social Media’s Authentic Future
How do we move our audience beyond the scroll to real-world engagement?
In this installment of Shoppe Talks from our winter show in New York, we talked to a panel of social-savvy founders and creators about the ins and outs of cultivating a digital brand presence—from authentic storytelling to viral moments to community-building both on and offline.
Scroll on to hear from the experts!
Featuring:
Sophie von Oertzen of SOPHIE WILLIAMSON DESIGN
Arianna Sartzetakis of UNCOVER MORE
Abby Price of ABBODE
David Yoon of EXQZ & DAYTRIP
Hosted By:
Sydney Barber of CONCRETE TREEHOUSE
Social Proof
ARIANNA SARTZETAKIS: Social is the number one tool that anyone could use for their business.
DAVID YOON: As soon as you start realizing that a lot of people trust your recommendations, there’s a lot of responsibility in terms of how you do storytelling.
Viral Moments
ABBY PRICE: If you have a big moment or something cool happens, capitalize on it as much as you can to really see tangible results.
Content Meets Strategy
SOPHIE VON OERTZEN: Reels is like my business card … Once they like my Reel, the algorithm will show them again and again and again.
DAVID YOON: With Reels, you have two seconds to catch their attention, maybe less. What we try to do with our carousels is slow people down, get them ready to listen to the story.
(Not) Anonymous
ABBY PRICE: Growing my own personal platforms alongside my business has seen really, really big results and opportunities.
DAVID YOON: There are so many brands that have powerful individuals as the face of the company. We made the decision to stay faceless, to put the focus on the space, the brand.
ARIANNA SARTZETAKIS: I like someone not knowing who I am. If I know they're giving me VIP treatment because I have X followers, that doesn't meet our standard.
Authenticity Required
SOPHIE VON OERTZEN: The more I try to be like other people or like another brand that’s working really well, the less it works … Just show who you are.
ARIANNA SARTZETAKIS: I want to know what I'm getting into before I go somewhere, so I create content for someone like me. If I’m going to a hotel, what is it? Is there a bar? Is there a shop? What am I going to get?
We've built a lot of trust with our community, and you can't fake trust.
Who Has Influence?
DAVID YOON: What really makes a mark for us is when we speak with the owner and chef.
ABBY PRICE: Don’t just shoot your shot at the person with 100,000 followers. Go for somebody that shows passion.
ARIANNA SARTZETAKIS: If you don’t want to have them over for dinner, then maybe don’t work with them.
Visit our summer show in New York for the next season of Shoppe Talks!
SHOPPE OBJECT NEW YORK
AUGUST 2–3, 2026 | 9 AM–6 PM
AUGUST 4, 2026 | 9 AM–5 PM
STARRETT-LEHIGH BUILDING