1st Session: e-Business Transformation: The Social Retail Business!

It’s commonly acceptable that e-Business and Social Media complete each other, and are in some degree two sides of the same coin.

Marketing in e-Business changes constantly and rapidly. Existing, as well as new Social Channels with higher market share, compared to past statistics, are now the main content distribution channels for brand and product promotion, and their penetration to a wider and more targeted demographic.

At the same time, new Social Tools that keep popping up, are adopted and implemented faster by decision makers, as their use is -without a doubt- a key component for every e-shop that plans ahead. How are partnerships between e-Business and Social Media shaped today? What are the optimal digital practices when charting an online strategy? What are the advantages of a customizable customer experience and how does this increase loyalty, and consequently revenue?

In any case, Social Media are a useful promotional tool of marketing and customer service, for most businesses, and quite an interesting platform for communicating with consumers. Rising technologies and new business models of Social Networking, contribute to the Digital Transformation of e-Business, in order to create modern electronic stores that address customized needs of today’s consumers.

2nd Session: Smart tools – Big Business: The Era of Numbers!

Selecting a suitable e-Commerce platform, is one of the most basic perquisites for the seamless operation of an electronic store. So, it is most important to find a suitable strategic partner / consultant to implement and operate an e-shop, as well as provide uninterruptable support through Online Competition, SEO and Big Data Analysis, that lead to improvements. This way, the jobs of Business Specialists and Consultants are without a doubt demanding professions, but with a bright future.

Operations management is a complex riddle for e-Businessmen, though there are now many options to automatically update stock, availability and price status. However, in which degree are free shipping and free returns possible from and to a Greek e-shop? How can working with a suitable logistics company, to timely deliver an order, give an e-shop a competitive advantage? A customizable experience for services provided is definitely the most crucial success factor. That’s why flexibility offered now by electronic wallets and mobile payments, contributes to a positive and secure experience that consumers want.

Making good use of customer data, and creating customizable promotional content, are sure to lead an e-shop to wider roads of development, through customer loyalty, cross-selling and up-selling. But how does one collect, select, evaluate and convert this data to essential and valuable information for a business? What solutions are available for decision makers in order to make the right decisions quickly, without requiring special knowledge on analytics?

Can Affiliate Marketing be an additional revenue source for e-shops? How much does the special TrustMark badge, by a certification organization, raise the reputation and credibility of an online store, and what competitive advantages can a certified store have?

Cross Border is still high on the open cases list of Electronic Business. Shipping and distribution costs, as well as legal issues, are still on the minds of e-businessmen, on the way to lift international limitations, and enjoy equal access to a Unified Digital Market.

In any case, the most important thing to consider is that more people now understand that the success of e-Business consists of multiple factors and requires e-Skills, constantly keeping up to date, and high specialization!

3rd Session: Digicalypse: Time to change your Future!

Recognizing the dynamic of Social Platforms, e-shops invest even more of their marketing budget on those. However, the line between Internet User and Social Network User gets thinner and harder to discern. As a result, it’s not completely clear if campaigns are user-centric and get delivered to actual profiles or just IP addresses…

Marketing for e-commerce becomes omni-channel, seeking the optimal combination between Google and Facebook ads, and other kinds of actions, like email and SMS marketing. The role of content gets even more definitive, though fake news is still a thorn! Use of video, mostly Live Video Content, has taken the reins, while Social Messaging is also a new tool, that has come to make a significant contribution to Community Building by brands.

The concept of Social Media e-Commerce can evolve to a new sales avenue, while Social Shopping and Instant Purchases aim to average revenue per user. Chatbots are also a new powerful tool in the hands of any modern electronic store, which are free -at least for now- in order to build the required amount of awareness.

Which are the latest trends in Social Media, though? Where can one attribute the shift of interest from influencers to micro-influencers, and what role do micro-moments play? Why is Pinterest so focused on fashion, and how did Snapchat become an opinion maker for millennials? How does Facebook realize customer experience by implementing Augmented Reality? Can Growth Marketing increase user engagement and extend the coverage of a brand or product to marketing channels, and if so, why is it not implemented by marketers behind borders? Which Social Channels are actually used to potential, in order to increase sales, and how is selecting the right channel affected by users turning almost completely to mobile platforms?

The penetration and contribution of Social Media to business is now too big to ignore, while Greek agencies do a great job and have what it takes to successfully promote brands and products, in such a degree that are quite often tasked with working brands on an international level!