Foto Global Ecommerce SummitGES

From 12 to 14 June, the Global E-commerce Summit kicked off at the Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos 1 hotel in Barcelona. The Summit, that was hosted by Ecommerce Europe, this year brought together over 400 participants, making it the most successful version yet. An eCOM.lu delegation attended the summit.

The e-commerce sector is still booming and innovating itself at a rapid pace. At the Summit, merchants, businesses, policy makers and of course Ecommerce Europe members had the chance to discuss relevant changes and learn from each other. Moreover, Ecommerce Europe used the opportunity to shed some much needed light on the policy-side of the e-commerce sector, by organizing four Policy Arena’s in which policy themes that are key to cross-border e-commerce were discussed. In the Policy Arena’s, high-level expert speakers took part in panel discussions, that focused on consumer legislation, the new VAT proposal, innovation that is taking place in the parcel delivery market and the emergence of digital currencies & blockchain in e-commerce.

However, relevant policy discussions, were not all the Global E-commerce Summit brought to the public. The event was also characterized by thought-provoking keynotes and panel sessions, an open exchange of ideas during networking sessions and thoughtful observations at the so-called Knowledge Cafés. Keynote speakers like Brian McBride of ASOS and Julie Bowerman of Coca Cola explained to the public how they are dealing with the evolving e-commerce market, elaborating on how to create positive brand awareness, how to remain competitive and how to make use of the newest technologies. Also, the Summit really proved to be ‘global’ with some of its speakers focusing on exploring unique opportunities and challenges of doing business in areas outside of Europe. Ananth Narayanan of the Indian webshop Myntra, for instance, explained how India’s rising consumer demands can be met and how the European market could adapt. Mark Tanner of the Chinese company China Skinny used his keynote speech to take the public on a journey through the Chinese e-commerce sector: what distinguishes the Chinese public and why should we look at China to learn about the most innovative e-commerce ecosystem?

Last but not least, the Global E-commerce Summit stimulated new talent with its awards. The Entrepreneurial awards, focused on start-ups and innovativeness, was won by member of one of our Finnish national associations Chabla. Chabla is an application that focuses on connecting the deaf with interpreters to stimulate communication. The Global E-commerce Award was won by Chiquelle, an e-commerce company focused on women’s fashion clothes.

All in all, the Summit proved to be an enervating experience, not only connecting business to business, but also forging ties between business & policy and even policy & policy. Something to look back on with pride!

 

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