The 25th edition of Polsish e-commerce trade fair Targi eHandlu is now behind us. As usual, the event gathered e-commerce experts, as well as specialists in sales, marketing, and business development. What topics were discussed during the spring edition, what trends will dominate in 2024 and even in the coming years in online sales, and what was talked about behind the scenes?
Polish e-commerce trade fair Targi eHandlu
During the 25th edition of the trade fair, several main thematic groups could be distinguished, around which experts focused their presentations:
- B2B sales
- B2C sales
- marketing, community, social media, and communication
- technologies and tools
- business development and analysis.
E-commerce expert presentations
Running an e-commerce business is an extremely complex issue, and the trade fair provided an opportunity to gain knowledge and inspiration, as well as to have brief consultations with experts. During expert lectures and presentations, topics fundamental to the operation of e-commerce companies were discussed, including mistakes made during the implementation of e-commerce sales, the skillful analysis of data provided by sales platforms, and the rapid growth of sales that causes logistical and systemic problems, leading to difficulties in handling many orders simultaneously. The most interesting presentations for the attendees were those that discussed specific implementation cases, corrective actions, and successes, known as case studies.
Visitors eagerly participated in the lectures and even in individual consultations. Importantly, the solutions to the problems discussed during the expert presentations could also be discussed with exhibitors—suppliers of technologies and tools dedicated to e-commerce.
E-commerce trends
The most interesting topic of the trade fair was, of course, trends in e-commerce—both past and current, as well as those that will dominate online sales this year and in the coming years.
It was clearly noticeable that these main e-commerce trends focus on platform users and the use of modern technologies. This was discussed not only during presentations but also in conversations among the trade fair participants.
Modern online sales are very much centered on the consumer—their needs, preferences, and likes. This is a key insight for online sellers and, more importantly, for manufacturers who have been adjusting their offerings to the main trends for some time now, namely personalization, self-configuration, and the perfect matching of products to the user.
Personalization, especially in light of new rules for collecting and processing user information, can no longer be limited to advertisements. The most important element has become product personalization—the ability for users to configure products themselves, allowing them to tailor products to their personality, appearance, or the space they inhabit.
Technological solutions in 3D and AR for e-commerce
In response to these customer needs, online store solutions have emerged, including 3D product configurators and AR applications, which not only allow for creating a product tailored to the user, their needs, and preferences but also enable testing or trying on the self-configured product before making a purchase.
Such solutions are already popular worldwide and are gradually gaining traction in the Polish e-commerce market as well. Arlity, as a creator of software for e-commerce in 3D and AR technology, showcased solutions at the eCommerce Trade Fair that perfectly align with current trends. The 3D product configurator for e-commerce and Augmented Reality for online stores were solutions that garnered significant interest during the fair. Examples of these tools implemented with clients such as Garden Space, Zuma Line, and Ergonome provided attendees with valuable case studies, confirming the effectiveness of these solutions.
According to experts, modern technologies such as AR and AI, which were widely discussed in the context of e-commerce development, are not just a trend for 2024 but the future of e-commerce. The 3D configurator is already one of the fundamental and most frequently chosen tools that online stores invest in. However, a 3D configurator that allows for viewing product animations and visualizing the product in AR is a true gamechanger. This was one of the solutions that was eagerly tested during the trade fair.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in e-commerce
Presentations on AI garnered exceptional interest because leveraging artificial intelligence in e-commerce opens up entirely new possibilities.
From creating product descriptions and advertising campaigns to utilizing AI in customer service, data analytics, logistics, and order processing—the opportunities are virtually limitless. The tools offered by the market in AI continue to evolve. In this regard, AI is revolutionizing e-commerce, and when combined with other modern technologies, it creates tremendous potential for e-commerce development and sales generation.
FOOH ads and community building
More and more companies are also investing in spectacular advertising solutions, such as FOOH, which uses Augmented Reality (AR) and CGI in creation to stand out among the competition. These are particularly attractive forms of advertising that engage the user, are memorable, and build interest and loyalty towards the brand. Importantly, this type of advertising can effectively direct users to a product card or category in an e-commerce store, simplifying the sales path and conversion.
FOOH advertising plays an important role in influencing the consumer’s relationship with the brand. Building a community, as one of the foundations of e-commerce, was also widely discussed during the eHandel Fair. Tools that can support building relationships between the brand and the customer, which can lead to customer returns to the same store and making additional transactions, are related to the emotions that the purchase and the brand itself evoke in the audience.
It is clear that marketing activities in online commerce, using tools and technologies such as AR, are aimed at generating positive emotions, creating a “wow” effect, and building customer experience. We are therefore returning to the point where the most important aspect in e-commerce is the human and their needs and experiences.
Report from the e-commerce fair Targi eHandlu
source: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7184233925320261634/
Wnioski z Targów eHandlu
During the 25th edition of the eHandel Fair, both exhibitors, speakers, and visitors focused their attention on trends and tools that are worth using to effectively fit into the current trends.
The use of modern smart technologies in the development of online businesses such as AI, AR, and tools for product personalization like 3D configurators was widely discussed. These tools for developers and e-commerce specialists are game-changers, making work easier and improving the customer experience in relation to the store.
There was also a focus on the human and social element of online commerce activities and the power of sales support through community building.
An integral part of e-commerce sales is advertising – campaigns such as FOOH, the use of 3D visualization in product presentation and promotion were among the most frequently discussed topics. Marketing and online promotion specialists see the biggest opportunities for development in these solutions.
