"Young people reduced digital purchases. We stopped exciting them. They are going to the mall"

Hundreds of senior executives from Israel's e-commerce industry gathered yesterday for the Go E-Commerce conference, initiated by SE SUMMIT EXPERTS, which is being held for the 14th consecutive year. This year, the conference focused on the impacts of AI on the industry, strategies for coping with situations of uncertainty, and the dramatic changes in consumer habits, which are forcing brands to recalculate their route.

One of the most significant warnings at the conference came from Yaron Cohen, Director of the Marketing and Digital Department at Israel Post, who pointed to a cooling trend among young target audiences. "The world is in a different place. E-commerce is not part of the change. It is starting to be part of the problem," Cohen said. "We see a decrease in online purchasing. Young folks have reduced their digital purchases. We stopped exciting them. They are going to the mall. They try things on. They do not necessarily buy. We understand that we are in trouble. Now the question arises what the solution is. Everything we know about e-commerce in Israel needs to be changed. We need to go to new worlds. We understand that a crazy infrastructural investment in AI is required. We have a data advantage."

The need to connect data to technological tools was also reinforced by Naor Mann, CEO and Founder of ActiveTrail: "AI is changing the world of marketing, but it cannot generate real value without high-quality data that is connected to customer behavior. In e-commerce, First Party Data is the foundation for smarter customer journeys... As marketing becomes smarter and more automated, the ability to connect data, AI, and customer journeys turns from a technological advantage into a basic business need." The goal, according to him, is to enable brands to use existing information to create more precise experiences and increase loyalty.

Asaf Kadmon, Founder and CEO of Cadmon Systems, sought to emphasize that the revolution has long ceased to be the property of corporations alone: "For years, automation and AI were luxuries of giant organizations. What has changed, and what needs to reach every retailer in Israel, is that this technology is already accessible to the mid-market as well. The gap today is not budget or size, but the understanding that this revolution is no longer waiting for anyone."

Rotem Nachmani, VP of Marketing at Delta Israel Brands, expanded on the long-term vision: "Planning ahead. Not relying on only one distribution channel and not only on one marketing channel, and also paying attention to multi-season collections." Nachmani also referred to the value of club members and the connection between digital and the sales floor: "A club needs to channel value. We can tell that customers who are multi-channel possess the highest value. Our wisdom is to properly make the connections and cross-references between the brands. For example, in order to strengthen the online sector without cannibalizing the stores, we add special products to the online store, such as printing a name on pajamas."

The tone of optimism at the closing of the conference was provided by Eliran Bar Menashe, CEO and Founder of K. express: "In business in Israel, you must be a person of faith and optimistic. After optimism, not giving up. The third thing is people, my commitment to my employees."

As every year, the excellence ceremony was held at the conference to honor the leaders in the field. This year, for the first time, the option to nominate candidates was also opened to the general public, managers, and professionals in the industry, with the aim of creating a transparent and representative selection.