If there is one industry constantly on the move, it is e-commerce. Webwinkel Vakdagen has been a household name in the Dutch e-commerce landscape since 2007. A short, exploratory walk around the exhibition floor shows why: it is a cross-pollination of large and small players in e-commerce, logistics, B2B/B2C and tech world, where new technology is embraced and received with healthy curiosity.
In addition to the many lectures and keynote speakers, there is a lot to see and experience on the exhibition floor. From email automation to web developers, packaging specialists and multimedia companies, exhibition visitors can -while strolling- find a targeted solution to their problem, or gain inspiration to apply at a later moment.
The rise of AI
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence can rightly be counted as one of the biggest breakthroughs of recent years. Developments and possible applications are also being closely followed within e-commerce. The possibilities are very diverse, explains Monique van Zundert, Marketing Manager of Princess in her lecture How to effectively use CGI (rendering) & AI in content creation. "Within a short period of time, a whole bunch of tools have been added that you can make handy use of in your content creation."
Van Zundert explains that while AI has an awful lot of applications, it's important to apply it correctly and know its current limitations. "I actually compare it to cooking in a Michelin-starred restaurant: as a chef there, you have an awful lot of tools at your disposal, but are you going to use them all? Probably not: you have to find the right combinations with which to prepare your dish most effectively. Moreover, AI is not yet good at everything: especially in text in your generated images, there are sometimes shortcomings. But I think it's just a matter of time before that's solved. With each new AI generation, you already see major improvements."
Reads
The backbone of the exhibition were the inspiring keynote speakers: big names like PostNL, bol., MediaMarkt, EasyToys and Nespresso attracted full houses. How does bol. make more sustainable shopping possible? Or how did Easytoys go from the attic to a multinational? In addition to these and other keynotes, the smaller rooms were also crowded. With more than 200 speakers in 12 rooms, there was a huge choice. Sharing knowledge was at the heart of it.
There is a constant search in the digital commerce industry for new opportunities and combinations for data analytics, inventory management, content creation, supply chain management and much more. The great thing is -and this is easy to see at an exhibition like this- that companies are eager to share their eureka moment with others. Sharing knowledge, information and partnering or the networking aspect: if you want to survive as an e-commerce company, all of these are crucial.
New Sky Stormers
Great players are back in attendance, of course, but new sky stormers are also claiming their spots. Both in the keynote hall and in the 11 smaller lecture halls, a number of remarkably fast-growing companies are speaking: from the success story of Easytoys, to the post-covid explosive growth of supplement giant XL Nutrition: actually, a story always sticks better when it comes from someone from the profession. The inspiration thus gained is invaluable for new entrepreneurs, start-ups and scale-ups.
For visitor Iris van Iersel, herself working in hospitality distribution, that valuable knowledge is one of the main reasons to come to the Jaarbeurs. "I like the fact that you get free access to all this information that you can put to use immediately. For example, during Filling Pieces' lecture I immediately gained new ideas for our e-mail marketing. This is something we are going to implement. Also relevant to my industry are the topics of AI and sustainability: so I'm definitely going to take something away from this."
About sustainability
This topic remains hot. And even anno 2024, sustainability is important. In fact: as a modern company, you can't really avoid it anymore. No wonder that many companies, speakers and keynotes also rally around this theme. But while the theme is high on the agenda for most companies, there is a change that can be observed. Consumers these days easily pierce through a phony sustainability promise, and this will show up in your sales. In addition, sustainability is becoming increasingly important, as emphasized by Marktplaats Head of Sustainability Rick Verkuyl in his lecture Sustainability in your corporate DNA offers new opportunities. Marktplaats's biggest competitor? "The junk attic: this is where all sorts of things lie 'languishing' until they are worth nothing."
Original angles
Being at the exhibition is one thing, standing out in the crowd is two. But coming up with an eye-catching angle is definitely up to the e-commerce industry. So on Tuesday you could have your website live roasted: here the participants (and their websites) were humorously put to the test and pointed out areas for improvement. That an original, interactive angle is appreciated was also evident from the turnout: lecture hall 8 was almost bursting at the seams.
Han Bosman, founder and director of OGZ, looks back on a successful edition of the Webwinkel Vakdagen. "Webwinkel Vakdagen once again managed to inform, motivate and inspire thousands of visitors. More than 30,000 times the seats divided over 12 lecture halls were occupied by content-hungry visitors over two days." The Webwinkel Vakdagen has been a household name for good reason since 2007. The location in the middle of the country and the professional decor certainly contribute to that. But perhaps the greatest strength of an exhibition like this is in the great diversity of participants.
The e-commerce market is pre-eminently a market that excels in innovation and quickly adopting new techniques. That technology does not stand still. On the contrary: in fact, developments are only accelerating. That makes the Webwinkel Vakdagen more relevant than ever.
Webwinkel Vakdagen will take place next year on April 2 and 3, 2025.
