Best E-commerce Conferences for 2023 - Dates, Locations, and More

There’s a strong case to be made about attending E-commerce conferences now compared to previous years. Between the ever-changing shifts in consumer behavior, a market that’s had to contend with COVID-19, and overall advancements in tech and strategy, e-commerce conferences should be something any marketer, seller, or anyone in the industry should consider attending.

The reason is simple: e-commerce isn’t going anywhere, and it’s only set to become bigger. According to Forbes, 24% of all retail purchases will be made online. Shopify estimates that the pandemic impact on supply chains is now slowly stabilizing—and might be the new normal. According to Statista, total retail e-commerce sales will reach around 8 trillion dollars by 2026.

E-commerce conferences play into these statistics by being one of the best places for any marketer to go if they’re looking for how these trends will impact their day-to-day operations. Whether they may be expanding into sales of digital products, looking to optimize their private-label partnerships, or looking for ways to improve themselves at business, e-commerce conferences can be a significant help.

Here's a guide on the e-commerce conferences you should be on the lookout for in 2023 and how to make the most of the experience.

List of E-commerce Conferences to Attend In 2023

E-commerce conferences will often have their own running themes and featured speakers or exhibits, but it’s a good idea to attend them because of the things you'll be able to see. Here are our picks for the conferences you should be checking in to:

AMZ Innovate 2023

Nov 13th – 14th, 2023

New York City, New York

Tickets for reservation start at $530

AMZ Innovate is a gathering of Amazon's best and brightest sellers for two days of networking, sharing knowledge, and pooling their experience to create a more successful seller community. The event has plenty of activities any Amazon Seller will find useful for growing their business, with hands-on demonstrations and experience with skills that are crucial to succeeding as an Amazon Seller.

Amazon Sellers looking to take their businesses to the seven or even eight-figure sales levels can benefit from the event’s many key speakers and networking opportunities. You’ll learn the most important parts of what makes a great Amazon Seller, from optimizing your listings to how to better manage your community.

However, it’s not all business: AMZ Innovate also emphasizes the importance of finding fun in your work. VIP guests can enjoy additional activities like exclusive dinners and yacht cruises while rubbing shoulders with the best speakers, CEOs, and other prominent figures in the e-commerce industry.

Customer Engagement Summit 2023

November 28th, 2023

The Brewery, London

Tickets for reservation: Free tickets are only valid for end-users working within customer engagement at their organization; Supplier tickets start at £1,495

Customer engagement is a crucial part of growing as an e-commerce seller: it’s what helps your business survive long-term and thrive in a competitive market. The Customer Engagement Summit aims to showcase the latest developments in enhancing the customer experience and helping sellers create consistent business growth opportunities.

Attendees can enjoy presentations, roundtable discussions, meetings, and case studies about customer engagement. There’s a variety of topics ranging from data insights, CX service design, disruptive strategy, and enhancing the customer journey: all crucial elements to helping an e-commerce seller succeed in serving its customers.

This conference is useful to e-commerce sellers because it draws heavily on real-life case studies of successful customer engagements. You’ll be able to sit down and analyze success stories in-depth, learn from their mistakes, and understand how to apply them to your own business.

Grow LA

October 17th, 2023

Los Angeles, California

Tickets for reservation: Retail brands can get tickets for free, while non-retail brands can apply for sponsorship opportunities

Sellers looking for the latest strategies in retail growth can consider attending Grow Los Angeles—a gathering of the youngest and brightest minds behind some of the fastest-growing brands in the e-commerce space. It’s a one-day conference hosted and attended by sellers keen to tap into fast-growing opportunities in retail with the strategies and tools to best help brands get there.

It’s a conference that leans heavily on the younger, fast-paced market of e-commerce. With talking points like AI strategies, analysis on sales via TikTok, and influencer marketing, it’s a conference that can help brands stay up to date with the newest social trends that so often drive both profit and progress in e-commerce.

Attendees can enjoy several of these panels or split off into different focus groups depending on the subjects that they’re curious about. With a variety of subjects ranging from brand building to operations, you’ll surely end the day with an insight or two that will be helpful for your business goals.

Southern Seller Fest 2023

November 10th to 12th, 2023

ICC Sydney, Australia

Tickets on reservation start at $1199

The Southern Seller Fest has quickly become one of the premier conferences for Amazon Sellers to share their knowledge, strategies, and solutions with one another. It’s a collaboration with some of the successful CEOs, in-demand mentors, and other experienced e-commerce professionals—all towards the common theme of learning how to succeed in Amazon’s marketplace.

The conference places great emphasis on networking and connections, where you’ll be able to connect with the biggest movers in Amazon’s marketplace. It balances business and fun in equal measure, helping you get the connections you need to succeed in an environment that’s designed to ease the wheels of partnership and collaboration.

What sets this year’s conference apart is the introduction of their Live Interactive Learning Workshops, where attendees can get hands-on experience and training from the best Amazon Sellers in a variety of topics. You’ll be able to ask questions and work with other sellers to understand what exactly drives an Amazon store to success and the concrete steps you need to take to become a highly successful seller.

Questions to Ask Before Attending an E-commerce Conference

One thing that’s important to remember is that while attending an e-commerce conference is generally a good idea, there will be times when you need to consider your own situation before booking a flight or reserving your ticket.

Some considerations to keep in mind include:

• Travel and accommodation. If the conference is too far from you and you can’t afford to stay for as long as the conference runs, it’s better not to go. E-commerce conferences are meant to be experienced in their entirety—it’s not just an event where you can dip in and out as you want.
• General expenses. Aside from travel and lodging, general expenses are also another factor. Unless you get sponsored, you’ll likely have to pay for everything out of your own pocket when you’re attending a conference. These costs aren’t cheap and may not always be something you can afford.
• Time constraints. Conferences will usually run for a full day or several, and you need to make sure that you can spare the time to attend the conference without impacting your business. Even once you’ve locked in your registration and made your plans, you need to account for all the different panels and discussions you want to attend—and check if you have time for all of them.
• Conference agenda. Some conferences have a specific agenda or talking points that they’ll advertise before the conference begins. Always check if the goals you’ve set for your business align with these agendas, or you’ll just be learning a lot of information you can’t use.
• Immediate priorities. Think carefully about why you want to attend an e-commerce conference. Is your business already at that stage where you’re looking for ideas on how to grow, or is it still in its beginnings? Sometimes, it’s better to stabilize what you have before looking to grow it any further.

Overall, attending an e-commerce conference can be time-consuming and costly, and you need to balance whether the costs outweigh the potential benefits that you can get by attending. However, conference organizers may be able to help with specific concerns if you are absolutely determined to attend—so speak with the organizers and staff if you have any questions.

What Can You Do in an E-commerce Conference?

Even the smallest conference has plenty of activities that attendees can enjoy, and the sheer variety of things to do can overwhelm anyone, especially those going to them for the first time. However, there are some general areas and activities that you can focus on whenever you attend a conference.

Networking

Arguably, the most significant and time-consuming activity you can do in an e-commerce conference is networking with other sellers, mentors, or suppliers. These conferences draw in many people from different sectors of e-commerce, and you’ll usually be able to find a few whose interests or activities align with your own.

Some tips to keep in mind include:

• Bring plenty of business cards. If you’ve made an impression, you’ll want them to have an easy way of contacting you. Business cards are a must-have for any conference attendee—not just for networking among sellers but for suppliers and manufacturers that may take them in bulk for their own database.
• Practice introductions. Conferences will have dedicated times and venues for networking, but it’s not uncommon to simply bump into someone that you’d like to talk to. Practice your introductions before the conference so you and whoever you’re talking to can get to the heart of your conversation quickly.
• Research attendees. If you’re eyeing a specific group of people to network with before the conference, try to see which speakers are holding talks or discussions. These are often your best avenues to meet like-minded e-commerce sellers and can be valuable opportunities to meet the people who matter.
• Connect online. While the in-person connections you make at conferences are extremely important, following up online is just as crucial. Once the conference is over, keep in touch with any connections you’ve made and establish relationships with them moving forward.

Presentations And Panels

E-commerce conferences will have plenty of speeches, presentations, and roundtable discussions on a variety of topics. Attending these is a great way to add to your existing knowledge and experience as an e-commerce seller and will often give you insights on how to better operate and grow your business.

Some tips to keep in mind include:

• Research on the events. Most conferences will include a list of events that happen on the day of the conference, as well as their speakers, hosts, and prospective attendees. These lists can help you schedule your time effectively and make the most out of your time at the conference.
• Bring a recording device. Some panels and discussions can be highly technical, and you’ll want to take notes. Bringing a recording device—even your phone—can help you reference the discussions you’ve attended and make it easier for you to look back on what you’ve learned. You can even ask event staff if recorded copies of the lecture are available to anyone who attended.
• Prepare your questions. Discussion is encouraged during presentations and panels, and if you have any questions to ask the speaker or host, don’t hesitate to speak up. Not only do you satisfy your curiosity, but you may also leave enough of an impression on them and your fellow attendees, making networking after the event far easier.
• Make time for other activities. While it’s possible to simply spend the entire duration of the conference attending panels and discussions, you should never shortchange yourself by just listening. Make time to network, walk around the conference, and otherwise interact with everything else it has to offer.

Exhibits And Showcases

E-commerce conferences are also some of the best places where the latest in retail and e-commerce are showcased to sellers and manufacturers alike. Whether that’s new technology, solutions, or approaches to long-standing problems, exhibits and showcases are an area you shouldn’t ignore.

Some tips to keep in mind include:

• Engage with the exhibitor. If you see something that you’re interested in, always make a point to ask questions about it to the exhibitor. It’s the best way to fully understand what you’re looking at, and it’s also the ideal opportunity to get the information straight from the source.
• Make connections. Some solutions are often long-term and require extensive discussion and partnership before you can use them. If something like this catches your eye, leave your business card or take the contact details from the exhibitor. Follow up appropriately after the conference is over or at their earliest convenience.
• Take notes of upcoming concepts or prototypes. E-commerce conferences often showcase many prototype solutions and tech that may not be available to a wider audience. Getting an early preview of these prototypes and establishing connections with their creators can make getting the complete product easier once it’s available.
• Ask fellow attendees. Don’t limit your impressions or questions to the exhibitor alone—make a point to ask your fellow attendees about what they think about the showcase or exhibit that you’re looking at. Not only is this a good networking opportunity, but it also gives you insights you might not have been able to reach on your own.

Boost Your E-commerce Business with Threecolts

With e-commerce poised to grow even faster as more innovations, strategies, and technology are unveiled with each new conference, sellers need access to reliable marketplace management platforms to stay competitive. That’s where Threecolts can help.

Threecolts is a comprehensive marketplace management platform with several tools and features aimed at making e-commerce operations easier. Some solutions that sellers can consider include:

ChannelReply

Businesses that have expanded their operations across different marketplaces can benefit from ChannelReply’s comprehensive support ticket-answering platform. You can collect, organize, and respond to all your pending support tickets on a single platform, drastically cutting down the turnaround time for handling customer queries and improving your customer satisfaction.

This tool gives you everything you need to know about your customer as you attend to their ticket—from live information about their order status to combining all your different marketplaces into a single helpdesk for different purchases. Swap easily between platforms, customers, and tickets without losing your efficiency and speed in handling them.

SellerBench

SellerBench improves your inventory management and allows you to get significant cashback by identifying bottlenecks in your inventory. With a dedicated case manager to oversee your profit recovery, you’ll be able to focus on growing your business (or attending e-commerce conferences). At the same time, they work for you in the background.

This solution is extremely helpful for businesses that consistently lose profits due to improper fee calculations or mishandled inventory. Get a comprehensive and easy-to-view insight into your reimbursements and integrate them with your growth strategies for better management.

FeedbackWhiz

Amazon Sellers looking to improve their seller and product ratings can consider using FeedbackWhiz, targeting the customers that need attention and cultivating the best impressions possible. It allows sellers to request feedback with personalized templates, target repeat customers, and automate the review process.

Reviews are some of the most important things that can set an Amazon storefront apart from its competitors, and FeedbackWhiz can give you the edge in making sure that your happy customers stay happy. Not only does this help with long-term growth, but it also sets the foundations for building a loyal community around your brand.

Getting the Best Out of the Best E-commerce Conferences in 2023 and 2024

Attending one or multiple e-commerce conferences can give you insights into a rapidly changing and evolving industry. Whether that’s exposure to the newest technology, thoughts from industry leaders, or a place to network your business, there’s always value in attending e-commerce conferences, especially when you have a firm goal in mind.

With these conferences and access to the best tools to manage your e-commerce business, you make decisions that your competitors would take months to feel confident doing. Not only can you leverage these to become competitive in a hyper-competitive market, but you also make a better brand for customers to trust—one that they will always return to.

Try the Threecolts platform today to learn more about the marketplace management tools and platforms to help you.

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