500+ attendees expected at Curio-Haus, Hamburg, on 21 & 22 September for Europe’s leading small business ecommerce conference

Keynotes and expertise from the worlds of technology, retail, finance, marketing and social sciences

Hamburg, 20 July, 2017 – ePages (www.epages.com), a leading international provider of online shop software, today outlined details of Commerce Summit 2017, www.commerce-summit.com – a large international event uniquely focused on small business retail.  On Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd September, and hosted by ePages, the largest Commerce Summit to date will deliver attendees visionary and strategic insights, as well as actionable, practical advice for SMB merchants.

Online shopping is undoubtedly one of the most significant online activities worldwide, with total ecommerce sales expected to hit $2.35 trillion this year.  Ecommerce as a proportion of total global retail sales is currently 10 per cent, and due to reach 13% in 2019 and 15% by 2020 (Statista).  A key long-term driver of this shift is a strong growth in SMBs selling online.

Commerce Summit 2017 brings together a community of leading Internet experts and retailers large and small, to share the cutting edge and disruptive trends, techniques, technologies and news in the online retail space.  The conference programme (across English and German languages) includes educational tracks for Strategy, Technology and Merchant areas.

Addressing megatrends

The event will explore the issues and technology revolutions now in play for businesses such as artificial intelligence, chatbots, micro-service and big data – set to both challenge and liberate SMB retailers in the years ahead.  Confirmed keynote speakers include renowned futurist Theo Priestley and Robert Hoffmann, CEO 1&1 Internet.

Retail market analysis and strategy sessions will address issues including the future of mobile in retail, management of online identity, opportunities with consumer psychology, and data management.  Speakers already confirmed include Niklaus Waser, Head of IBM’s Watson Internet of Things division, ecommerce expert Stephan Schambach, eminent Internet psychologist Graham Jones, and Hiro Tsukahara, CEO of GMO Registry in Japan.

CEO ePages, Wilfried Beeck, comments, “Whilst there are countless events for large scale retail, Commerce Summit is uniquely exciting in bringing together talent, new ideas and tactical advice, from all over the world – all totally focussed on SMB needs.  The agenda covers the key drivers – from underlying technical platforms and functionalities, to shopping trends, marketing and social shifts.  Our biggest Summit yet will undoubtedly offer a valuable and fun experience”.

Building next generation ecommerce

An important element of Commerce Summit 2017 will be the Technology track, to be attended by a diverse range of developers, technicians and product managers involved in building solutions for SMB ecommerce success.  Collaborative workshops will explore the direction of development for ecommerce and fintech platforms, and what impacts and opportunities elements such as micro-services architecture and cloud application ecosystems now offer.

Tactical merchant advice

The Commerce Summit will include a workshop series (in German language) focused on key areas for SMB retail success today – selling on marketplaces, payments, marketing and social media.  A range of live panel discussions and merchant case studies will offer SMB merchants attending both inspiration and real-world, implementable advice.

Sponsors include Open-Xchange, CM4all, Ingenico ePayments, flour.io, PayPal, Shoplupe, .SHOP and SendCloud, etracker, Händlerbund and TrustedShops.

Furthermore, Commerce Summit 2017 will be supported by the media partners EcommerceNews.eu, Tamebay.com, Start Your Business Magazine, WHIR.com and iMiller PR.

Further details of the conference programme can be found at www.commerce-summit.com/en/agenda and tickets can be purchased at www.commerce-summit.com/en/#tickets. For a limited time only, SMB merchant attendees can buy Early Bird tickets for €99+VAT.

 

Press contact

Richard Stevenson

Head of Corporate Communications

ePages Software Ltd.

press@epages.com

 

About ePages

ePages (www.epages.com) is an innovation leader for online shop software. 140,000 merchants in 75 countries run professional cloud-driven online shops based on ePages solutions; complete with up to 15 languages, search engine optimisation, individual design and full optimisation for mobile devices.  Benefiting from software-as-a-service, ePages online shops are always up-to-date with the latest ecommerce trends. The company collaborates with 80+ technology partners including the most important online marketplaces, payment and logistics companies, and ERP vendors.  Sales partners who resell ePages include hosting and cloud providers as well as logistics, telecoms, and yellow pages companies. The company is headquartered in Hamburg with additional subsidiaries in New York, London and Barcelona.