My impressions after the E-commerce Berlin Expo

This week I participated in the E-commerce Berlin Expo. I have wanted to visit this event for a long time and I am glad that I finally managed to do it. I was not disappointed at all! Numerous substantive and specific presentations, many exhibitors from probably every industry supporting e-commerce, a lot of visitors and a great atmosphere.

What are the important issues for the e-commerce industry right now, what should you pay special attention to? After yesterday's fair, I have the observation that you can distinguish 5 such areas:

1 . AI

AI is already pouring out of every door, window and refrigerator - I know that. However, this does not change the fact that it remains the hottest topic, arouses great emotions and this issue can be discussed from many perspectives - therefore, AI elements will also appear in the following points. How to use AI - in marketing, adapting the offer, creating content for the website, optimizing processes ...? And how to do it effectively, so that it is really profitable? There are many questions, and we will spend the next months and years looking for answers. I would also like to add - how to implement AI in accordance with the law? ;)

2. Personalisation

What once had a "wow" effect, such as preparing personalized offers, is now something that most recipients simply expect and is commonplace. At the same time, personalization is a way to create a bond with the customer and allows you to increase their trust in your brand. That's why ideas related to personalization are going further and further - and this is where AI also appears. An interesting solution is, for example, a personal advisor who will search offers in the store for you, compare them, group them, suggest matching items or file a complaint.

Personalizations often also concern the price - and here, in my opinion, you need to act with particular caution to remain in compliance with consumer regulations.

3. Automation

All new solutions that help speed up and facilitate our work have always been of great interest. Also in e-commerce, solutions are constantly being developed - of course, more and more often also using AI. You can automate more "office" processes (increasingly advanced order processing), marketing activities or physical activities (packing).

What else and to what extent can we automate? What about errors that occur? New solutions also mean new challenges - including legal ones.

4. Packaging and delivery of products

It seems to be a very mundane issue, but it is crucial for entrepreneurs running online sales. The customer bought the product, and the product must be sent. But how to do it most efficiently (i.e. as cheaply as possible and with respect for a sustainable approach)? 

There are many aspects here - what carton to choose, what is its price, is it durable, is it recycled (this is becoming increasingly important in the context of responsible business), should the box have a nice print and be an ornament in itself (we create a premium product and deepen the relationship with the customer). We have new possibilities in the field of automatic packaging - is the purchase of the machine a good solution, is this the stage of development, which one to choose?

I have the impression that these aspects are a bit neglected from a legal point of view and are rarely talked about in the context of e-commerce, and yet they are extremely important. It is worth taking care of good contracts here so that the interests of the store are best protected (e.g., issues of deadlines, guarantees, speed of response, maintaining specific parameters).

5. New services for e-commerce - ESG

New services for the e-commerce industry will be of increasing importance. I paid attention to the offered assistance in compliance and ESG reporting (i.e. about the environmental, social, and governance areas in your company). This year, most of the industry will not yet be covered by the reporting obligation (for now, only the largest entities are required), but in the following years, this obligation will be extended to other entities and the issue will certainly become more popular. The need to meet further requirements can be burdensome for everyday operations. On the other hand, cooperation with companies offering support in this area may even further force entrepreneurs to become more involved in establishing and improving the issues covered by the reporting.

A topic definitely worth following!

Staying in the e-commerce climate - next week a series of posts to follow on LinkedIn with a summarizing article at the end of the week.