Fourth E-Commerce BBQ at Logistics Service Provider B+S

The fourth E-Commerce BBQ of the logistics service provider B+S GmbH Logistics and Services experienced a new visitor record with more than 580 participants, marking the fourth consecutive time. With a lineup of 32 speakers from the e-commerce scene and logistics, participants had plenty of professional input and opportunities for exchange.

(Bielefeld) The consensus at B+S’s 4th E-Commerce BBQ: Corona-related changes in consumption, as well as multi-channel and marketplace strategies, are bringing e-commerce providers and fulfillment service providers even closer together.

That some things in online retail are unpredictable has been shown by the last one and a half years. And from some unpredictable events, such as the Corona pandemic, new opportunities arise for the industry, coupled with new challenges – for example, the enormous increase in shipping volume. Sven Pelka, CSO of Triple A Internetshops GmbH and one of the keynote speakers at the E-Commerce BBQ, knows that these challenges are of a long-term nature: “These trends are not going to go away. The volume will continue to rise, and so will the challenges.” Long-term plans are no longer sufficient, Pelka explains. It’s about same-day processing and maximum speed, and above all, about keeping the promises that online retailers make to their customers.

Transparency Can Only Be Achieved Together

Fulfilling these promises – from real-time inventory displays despite offers on various platforms to on-time delivery – is crucial for building trust with consumers. Thomas Kurschat from the comparison portal idealo emphasizes that this is particularly a decisive factor for German consumers. “The German consumer does not believe everything they see and wants to verify it,” says the expert. Transparency throughout the entire customer journey is in demand.

This also includes making logistics processes transparent and always providing customers with current data on inventory, orders, or delivery processes. “Such profound transparency can only be achieved through a close integration not only of the IT systems behind the online shop and warehouse management but also of the logistics service providers and e-commerce providers. Together, both parties form an unbeatable duo with one goal: to fulfill the promises made to end customers. Only in this way can sustainable growth in online retail be achieved,” says Stefan Brinkmann, Managing Partner of B+S.

Outlook

New trends in online retail and e-commerce logistics will also be discussed at the next edition of the E-Commerce BBQ. The date is already set, and e-commerce experts and interested parties will meet on September 2, 2022, in Bielefeld for the 5th E-Commerce BBQ by B+S.

Photos: © B+S