In March 2021 alone, two of the UK’s largest retailers announced major international eCommerce plays with Marks & Spencer expanding online to 46 new markets, and B&Q revealing plans to launch physical and digital channels in Saudi Arabia this autumn.

It shows digital development and 2021 UK retail plans are not restricted to home market, and several eCommerce Expo sessions highlighted the key challenges businesses face when operating across borders.

After March virtual, we caught up with Michelle Whelan, UK CEO, VMLY&R COMMERCE. Hear her fascinating insights on how social commerce is evolving and the impact of COVID-19. Plus an inside scoop on the social commerce projects VMLY&R COMMERCE have on the horizon. Read the full interview now.

Providing fast, always-on, personalized shopping experiences has traditionally been challenging. 

To develop loyal, repeat customers, online businesses need to be prepared to personalize their interactions and offer different ways to resolve inquiries, quickly. This can make customer support complex and time-consuming.

Enter Gorgias...

At eCommerce Expo virtual in association with Technology for Marketing, the industry cumulatively evaluated the significant trends that arose out of this period and delivered thought-provoking insights into how organisations dealt with online selling, virtual communication, and digital brand building.

One of those trends that revealed its prominence within the ecommerce marketing sphere, was the growing influence of social commerce. This piece will review how this was captured over the three virtual days, via Facebook, the rise of Snapchat and TikTok, and the overall evolving force of social commerce.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been considered for a long time to be something that is only used by huge businesses with enormous financial power and access to big data. But the truth is that AI can be used by business of all sizes, thanks to a diverse range of AI-driven tools and powerful applications.  In this article, we take a look at how your business can boost its sales and marketing efforts by utilising AI tools. 

Two weeks ago, eCommerce Expo 2021 virtual, in association with Technology for Marketing became a platform to voice collaborative insights on what’s really happening in the digital commerce world. Read Ben Sillitoe's second thought-led piece which reviews how prominent businesses Eurostar, Adidas and Love Home Swap discussed personalisation, first-party data and the subscription economy, at eCommerce Expo Virtual '21.

The events of 2020 have fundamentally changed the course of ecommerce. So, what can marketers and brands expect over the coming 12 months?

Our own Richard Robinson, Managing Director of Xeim Engage, asked the following panel of experts at eCommerce Expo 2021 for their opinions:

• Cassandra Stevens – Global Commerce Lead at Publicis Commerce
• Simon Kennedy – Manager, Experience Optimisation (Europe) at Adidas
• Lilia Dikova – Head of Digital at Bionic Business

We have been through one of the hardest and most transformational 12 months in the marketing world. We started 2020 in complete denial of the coronavirus and by the end of March 2020, we were fighting to keep our operations, businesses and even our teams. Equally, these same 12 months have exhibited a mammoth effort in managing change, an unseen pivot in digital transformation and some of the most outstanding creative pieces being produced during these unprecedented times(some shot during a national lockdown). Let’s be clear: we are a resilient bunch and ready for whatever 2021 has to offer - just not another lockdown!

So here are the top 5 marketing predictions for 2021:

The move to digital first has been one of the most significant outcomes of the coronavirus pandemic – working, learning, socialising and shopping have all moved to online formats with non-essential physical spaces closed and restrictions on meeting up.

The dynamic tension between SEO and UX is taking on a new dimension as Google prepares to introduce its latest page ranking framework. Propeller Group’s Director of Content Branwell Johnson chaired a panel of ecommerce and SEO experts to explore the topic at the recent virtual Ecommerce Expo.