Retailers, brands and business owners gathered together at Convene, London in Wednesday 17 June to enjoy a day of discussion, networking and brainstorming about everyone’s favourite topic – ecommerce.
Organised by InternetRetailing’s sister company RetailX, the Summer Festival featured two events in one day – SubscriptionX and ChannelX. For those with an interest in DTC and marketplaces, ChannelX was the place to be, with speakers from Amazon, TikTok, Wayfair, Kingfisher and OnBuy, among others. For those who wanted to find out more about recurring revenue and how to boost loyalty and retention, SubscriptionX had the answers.
Embracing rapid change
What was clear throughout the day was the pace of change in retail ecommerce. With so many emerging marketplaces, how do you choose the ones that best fit your brand? How do you maintain brand integrity while selling through multiple channels? How do you create an omnichannel strategy that works for you? How do you create lifetime value customers? How might the emergence of AI and agentic shopping change how you’re currently doing business? Where should you be investing – and what does success look like?
That’s why events like this are so important for clarity and perspective. Not only are they an opportunity to see how other brands and retailers are answering those questions, but they’re a reminder that everyone faces the same challenges. Networking, the bouncing around of ideas, the availability of senior leaders and decision-makers – all topped off by a great lunch and post-event drinks. What’s not to love? Certainly, the throng in the room and the buzz of conversation suggested that people were making the most of the opportunity to network and gain valuable retail insights.
What’s next?
If you missed this event, next up is CustomerX on 14 and 15 October, which is all about cross-sector commerce and the importance of narratives in embedding yourselves in customers’ lives. Find out more here.
