Highlights and Round-Up from IRX 2018 (Internet Retailing Expo)

We headed off to IRX 2018 this year with our brand new partner Shopware for lots of networking and exciting conversations. Here’s a round up of what happened and why we chose to partner with Shopware!

IRX 2018: great event for retailers and ecommerce businesses

IRX (Internet Retailing Expo) is a key annual ecommerce event and opportunity for networking. lt’s great to be part of such an innovative sector and meet some fantastic companies with some really interesting new technologies, such as using AI and machine learning to bundle products.

It’s an exciting time in the ecommerce world and we love being able to give practical advice to attendees, whilst learning and developing as an organisation. Although with the hustle and bustle at IRX it’s sometimes hard to get round to everything you would like to!

We joined the Shopware crew at IRX

The guys from Shopware came over from Germany as the main sponsor at IRX and they were joined by a number of partners, including us! The atmosphere was electric on our stand, with chants of ‘Shopware’ and a buzz of people wanting to come and chat. It was a great way for people to get to know how Shopware works with their potential customers and partners.

Our exciting new partnership with Shopware

We’re really excited to have partnered with Shopware, as we move towards our goal of becoming a completely platform agnostic ecommerce consultancy. Our developers have fully immersed themselves in the training and they are thoroughly enjoying getting to know the benefits of Shopware functionality.

This new partnership enables us to provide in depth advice to our customers when our consultants and strategy team are figuring out the best platform for their requirements. Watch this space for more great news regarding our partnership with Shopware.

Key highlights and takeaways from IRX 2018

At many ecommerce and retail events, there tends to be a lot of focus on innovative technologies, and tools that enhance the customer experience for today’s consumers. It was no different at IRX 2018. Artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and progressive web apps (PWAs) were prominent themes at the expo.

AI and AR

Retail brands are starting to get to grips with how to leverage machine learning to drive more relevant customer experiences. From voice learning to predictive and personalised content, AI can work hand-in-hand with your ecommerce strategy to improve the customer journey.

The same goes for augmented reality. We’re now starting to see how augmented reality can enhance the browsing experience, allowing shoppers to tailor and customise products to their needs and preferences.

PWAs

Progressive web apps are an emerging technology. By introducing the functionality and feel of an app to ecommerce website pages, PWAs support a mobile-first approach to your online retail store, which is a plus for conversion rate optimisation and search engine ranking. There were a number of talks at IRX 2018 dedicated to mobile-first ecommerce strategy and PWAs.

GDPR

It’s no surprise that GDPR (The General Data Protection Regulation) got a fair bit of attention at the event, with the data compliance deadline around the corner. Despite some apprehension within the industry about the impact that GDPR will have on the ability for retailers to target consumers with marketing and personalisation, there’s a positive narrative that GDPR carries. This is the greater transparency about how personal data is used, which should encourage retailers to better explain the benefits of their marketing messages.

Are you preparing your business for the GDPR deadline? We created a handy GDPR checklist for retailers to help you keep on top of the key tasks and stay organised. Download the free checklist!

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