Digital Commerce Strategy and Innovation Tips

Every ecommerce leader I know is running on the same hamster wheel: growth targets keep rising, but the rules of the game are being rewritten under their feet. When you place a leader and later sit down with them to swap insights, you’re reminded why the right talent shapes entire industries. I had a great conversation with Julian Exposito-Bader (ex-Amazon, TAG Heuer) about what’s really shaping the future of ecommerce, and he boiled it down to four pillars every executive should have on their radar: 1. Tariffs & Supply Chain Disruption Tariffs are no longer background noise. They’ve reshaped global commerce. Chinese manufacturers are redirecting from the US into Europe, flooding marketplaces with B-brands and copycats. Leaders who win will be the ones who diversify sourcing, master customs optimization, and use bonded warehouses strategically. 2. Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage It’s no longer acceptable to send a small product in three layers of plastic. Lastmile innovation (bike couriers, drones, reusable packaging) is moving from “PR play” to “bottom-line differentiator.” Zalando is pushing hard here. Consumers are watching, and they notice who’s lagging behind. 3. AI-Powered Commerce Revolution Gen Z isn’t Googling “best running shoes”, they’re asking ChatGPT or Alexa. LLMs are the new storefront. The question is: do brands have a strategy to influence those models? Add in 10-minute delivery in Southeast Asia (coming soon to Europe) and AI-driven fraud vs. fraud detection… the entire purchase journey is being re-engineered. 4. Channel Strategy & ROI Focus Social commerce is expensive and messy, but TikTok Shop is where the next generation buys. DTC remains the highest margin, but demands world-class storytelling. Amazon gives you traffic, but only if you’re willing to pour money into ads. And let’s not forget the “lipstick effect”, beauty keeps outperforming even when wallets tighten. The takeaway? Ecommerce leaders aren’t just choosing a channel anymore, they’re orchestrating these four forces simultaneously. For me, it was also a reminder of why the right hire matters: leaders like Julian don’t just react to market shifts, they anticipate and shape them. I’m curious, in your markets, which of these four pillars is hitting hardest right now? #ecommerce #fmcg #trending

Is traditional category management struggling to keep up with today’s retail complexities? 🛒 The rise of the “endless aisle” online. 🚗 Shoppers bouncing between in-store, delivery, and BOPIS. 🏬 Retailers gaining the upper hand with superior data capabilities. 🛍️ Brands should focus on bridging online and in-store strategies, using data like clickstreams, shopper behavior, and out-of-stocks to create seamless omnichannel experiences. “Ultimately, it’s about: “How do I make an effective decision of what portfolio to optimize not just for the retail margin, but also to defend against all of the internal cost pressures that I have? All of that you can answer through data, which you just need to have set up in your organization properly to execute.” Imteaz Ahamed 1️⃣ Crawl: Build the basics. Focus on digital shelf optimization, product content, and metrics like Brand Share Index. Without these foundations, categories underperform online. 2️⃣ Walk: Align online and offline. Work with retailers on taxonomies, shared KPIs, and growth plans. Prioritize full-basket models (e.g., grocery orders) over single-item “spearfishing.” 🎯 3️⃣ Run: Drive innovation. Use AI 🤖 for personalization, testing, and demand forecasting. Shoppers love mission-based solutions like “holiday party kits” or event bundles. 🎉 How Brands & Retailers Can Build Growth Together 🤝 Collaborate on insights: Share data like clickstream behavior and category performance to uncover growth opportunities. 📊 Test and learn: Partner on rapid experimentation (e.g., optimizing taxonomies or testing product visibility). 🌮 Focus on solutions: Build mission-based shopping experiences (like “taco night” kits) that span multiple categories. 🛍️ Personalize shopper journeys: Use AI to create tailored digital shelves and seamless omnichannel experiences. “The teams were beginning to say if an item wasn’t accepted in-store then it should go on Amazon, and we took a step back and said we need to develop a new product with the lens of what the product looks like for the retailer. How we define that is through beginning to develop ecommerce category management.” Ash McMullen Are you crawling, walking, or running? 🚀

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗣𝗚 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗲𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲: Smart brands ride the wave.. But when the tides of digital shift accelerate, the smart brands don’t just ride the wave — they must engineer the surfboard. Despite Germany’s dense store networks and traditionally strong B&M retail, #eCommerce is set to grow 3x faster than offline over the next 5 years. Why? Because even with low penetration, categories like Grocery are now the second-fastest growing online segment, unlocking unprecedented headroom for digital acceleration. Let me break it down.. ++ 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 ++ 🇩🇪Germany has one of the highest absolute eCommerce growth contributions in Europe🇪🇺 — not because it’s the fastest, but because it’s the largest. 🇦🇹 Austria and 🇨🇭Switzerland, though more digitally nascent, are growing the fastest in % terms due to rapid infrastructure gains and evolving consumer behaviors. ++ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 ++ - 34% increase in consumers shopping online since 2022 - Younger cohorts (18–35) are driving hybrid and digital-first behavior - Swiss shoppers lead eGrocery penetration in DACH ++ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗣𝗚𝘀 ++ The old rulebook is obsolete. This is no longer just about sales—it’s about organizational readiness. The winners will be the ones who evolve every function: - Marketing must own audience strategies across retail media - Sales/CD must build omnichannel joint business plans with retailers - Supply Chain must embrace real-time demand signals - Analytics & Insights must be embedded at every stage of activation ++ 𝗧𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗖𝗣𝗚𝘀 ++ 1️⃣ Prioritize Retailer-Led Retail Media: Glovo x Mars shows how exclusive data-sharing and integrated media can yield +50% growth. 2️⃣ Leverage 1P Data with Precision: Ferrero’s use of REWE’s segments with frequency capping delivered a +25% lift in brand consideration and halved media spend. 3️⃣ Invest in Omnichannel Capabilities: REWE and EDEKA are no longer traditional grocers. Their ecosystems mirror Amazon — with logistics, loyalty, payments, and media all under one roof. 💡 Don’t wait for perfect conditions — act now while the cost of digital inaction is still recoverable. 𝗧𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 ecommert® 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟰,𝟯𝟬𝟬+ 𝗖𝗣𝗚, 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘁® : 𝗖𝗣𝗚 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. About ecommert We partner with CPG businesses and leading technology companies of all sizes to accelerate growth through AI-driven digital commerce solutions. #CPG #FMCG #AI L'Oréal Coty Beiersdorf Colgate-Palmolive Henkel Reckitt PepsiCo The Coca-Cola Company Mondelēz International Danone Nestlé Procter & Gamble Unilever Kraft Heinz Kellanova Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Lindt & Sprüngli

Technology and evolving consumer preferences are rapidly changing the #payments space. Find out the 5 top trends to watch in eCommerce 👇 Consumer demand for convenience, efficiency, choice and security are the key factors that continue to significantly impact the way people pay and expect to be paid. While eCommerce brands (Faire, Chewy, Rebag, eBay…) are looking to grow sales, curb processing costs, and maximize approval rates, they have recognized the significant role payment technology plays in accelerating their revenue. - - - 1️⃣ Payment Optimization is top of mind! 👉 Businesses are turning to optimization to reduce the number of sales lost due to payments issues (lack of localized payment options, declines, security concerns..). 👉 70% of all drop-offs happen after the customer enters the payment flow & 82% of online retailers struggle with identifying the causes of failed payments. 👉 Choose a payment partner that provides real-time reporting, accurately identifies the cause of failed payments and leverages technology to automatically resubmit declines. - - - 2️⃣ Global expansion through hyper-localization 👉 Cross-border sales are expected to make 33% of all eCommerce spend by 2028. 👉 Optimize your checkout offering the relevant payment options in each market - digital wallets (Alipay, PayPal) BNPL (Affirm, Klarna) Instant Bank Transfers (UPI, PIX) etc. 👉 Leverage local acquiring for higher authorization rates and reduced processing costs, including redundancy! - - - 3️⃣ Mobile-first commerce online & in-store 👉 60% of all eCommerce sales globally happen on mobile. Mobile Retail is becoming a cross-channel experience where brands need to create a unified customer journey. 👉 Ensure your platform is optimized for mobile shopping and payment features (one-click checkout, mobile wallet integrations…) - - - 4️⃣ Card Issuing Services: Expanding use cases 👉 White-label card issuing has traditionally been seen as part of #embeddedfinance offerings to CONSUMERS. 👉 Today, card issuing applies to BUSINESSES with the objective of streamlining B2B Payments, optimizing auth rates, reducing costs and facilitating faster payouts. 👉 Choose a PSP that is both an #acquirer and #issuer to replace invoice payments and checks with Instantly-issued virtual card. - - - 5️⃣ The growing momentum of Account to Account Payments (#A2A) 👉 A2A payments are set to challenge traditional payment methods for eCommerce and wallet fundings. 👉 Malaysia & Thailand are leveraging A2A as the leading online payment method. In the U.S., the adoption is slower, yet expected to rise with FedNow. 👉 Open-banking enabled A2A transfers reduces checkout friction and converts up to 40% better than cards. Check out Nuvei’s report: https://ow.ly/5hvg50Qyhol ----- Hit the 🔔 on my LinkedIn to stay updated with the latest Payment Initiatives & check out Connecting the dots in payments... ‼️ #globalpayments #payments #technology #fintech