Vienna, October 26, 2020
Vienna, October 26, 2020
This year's A-COMMERCE Days event was organized as a 3-day digital conference. More than 40 e-commerce experts gave industry insights, talked about the success factors in online trading, and guided the participants through the event. CRIF GmbH (CRIF company operating in Austria), provider of identity check, risk management and fraud prevention solutions, was partner and host of this year’s event. The venue was the CRIF offices at the Austria Campus in Vienna, and the event was live streamed to participants.
"This year's event format was a new experience for all of us, and so we are all the more pleased about the great interest, the active exchange and positive feedback of the experts and participants who attended," said Stephan Grad, founder and managing director of A-COMMERCE, one of the leading e-commerce consulting companies in the DACH region.
There are three major trends and challenges for e-commerce for 2021:
Multi-Channel, Cross-Channel, Omni-Channel - terms that have been shaping the retail industry for some time will continue to do so in 2021, because not all retailers have yet taken up the new challenge. It is a fact that maximum success can only be achieved by linking all used sales and communication channels. Online and offline channels will grow closer together in the coming years. The terms online and offline are no longer thought of separately, but as a unified business strategy. It has long since ceased to be a question of the direction of flow from offline to online, but also in the opposite direction. The goal is a seamless, cross-channel customer experience, in which the customer can use all available channels simultaneously.
"Channel thinking must finally come to an end for companies - whether in B2C or B2B - because customers specify when, how and where they want to order or return. Of course, this poses much more extensive challenges for companies than a purely online store. This is only the basis for gaining a foothold in digital commerce. As soon as an online shop is live, digital development really starts," according to Stephan Grad, founder and managing director of A-COMMERCE.
The ordering process in the B2B environment is subject to the same specifications as in the consumer area. Every decision maker is a consumer in their private life and has therefore become accustomed to the advantages of good online stores.
Therefore, both a good user experience (UX) and online experience (OX) in the B2B environment have become a basic requirement for transferring long-term loyal customers to this automated channel.
"E-Commerce is not new territory for B2B companies. Many companies have been offering digital ordering options to their customers for more than 10 years. But now they are faced with the challenge of modernizing these existing systems and adapting them to the current needs of their customers. In doing so, the range of functions, a consistently positive online experience, and a holistic e-commerce strategy are the basis for success," explained Stephan Grad.
With the strong growth of online commerce, fraud is on the rise. This is borne out by the "Fraud in E-Commerce" survey by CRIF in the DACH region. Almost everyone has already been affected by online fraud: 97% of the online stores surveyed in Germany, and 92% in Switzerland and Austria. And the danger is increasing for around 73% of retailers.
Online shopping on account will remain the most popular payment method in 2021, especially in German-speaking e-commerce. Retailers can achieve up to 40% more sales, but this is the riskiest form, because the goods are shipped before payment is made.
Just as online merchants operate internationally, so do fraudsters - especially in organized crime and do not think in local terms. Consequently, only transnational measures are truly effective and provide preventive protection.
"Fraud prevention must be based on data-based technology that is automatically and transnationally connected to identify risks in real time, and the risk must be managed accordingly in the customer process, such as with active payment method control," said Frank Schlein, CEO of business region Germany, Austria and Poland.
Fraud prevention and investment in appropriate technologies is therefore essential in the future and will continue to be important for merchants in 2021.
This year's A-COMMERCE Days event was organized as a 3-day digital conference from October 6 to 8, 2020. More than 40 e-commerce experts gave industry insights, talked about the success factors in online retailing and guided the more than 1,000 retailers, agencies, and service providers through the event. CRIF partnered the event this year and provided the venue for the keynote speeches, which were live streamed, at its Austria offices at the Austria Campus in Vienna. On the keynote stage, experts talked about their experiences as well as the successes, opportunities, and challenges of online business. In addition to interactive workshops, networking was an important part of the A-COMMERCE Days event. Within the digital format, there were virtual exhibitor areas that enabled direct interaction between the participants.
A-COMMERCE is one of the leading e-commerce consulting companies in the DACH region. Based on their many years of experience, A-COMMERCE employees support companies both in their secure entry into the world of online trading and in the further development and optimization of existing online stores. In addition, A-COMMERCE connects businesses within the e-commerce industry at more than 15 events per year to exchange knowledge and expertise.
Further information: www.a-commerce.at
