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.

Despite the widespread implementation of new technologies, it seems that many businesses are still not fully cracking the method. Eli Ben-Yosef, Co–CEO of youleap, explained: "Over the past year, almost every business has adopted AI tools – for chat, content, images, Excel analysis, or product recommendations. But most organizations still do not feel the 100x leap, because these tools work separately, without a single source of truth and without an ongoing learning process. The real breakthrough will come when businesses move from using standalone AI tools to building one commercial brain: A system that centralizes business information, learns from every interaction, and acts proactively across all sales channels to optimize operations and increase orders."

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."

Yael Kander, Head of the BDO Digital Division, mapped out at the conference the new consumer trends born from the connection to artificial intelligence:

• Expectation for decision assistance: The customer no longer expects help in locating products, but rather in filtering and decision-making. "Just give me the two shirts that are relevant to us."
• The era of authenticity: When everything can be faked, authenticity becomes an asset for e-commerce sites.
• The subjective price perception: "The price is not one, it is in the eye of the beholder. There is no such thing as a good price. Everything is individual."
• Changing the approach to returns and service: Product returns used to be seen as a failure, today it is a way of learning. At the same time, service is transforming from an "after-sale" layer into an envelope that accompanies the consumer from end to end throughout the entire journey.

In a special panel dealing with customer loyalty clubs, leading marketing managers shared their ways of dealing with the volatile market. Hila Baron, VP of Marketing at Sodastream Israel, shared: "When we go out to shoot commercials, we sometimes shoot six versions to deal with situations of uncertainty. We constantly make sure to maintain flexibility."

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.

• The Innovation and AI Award: ActiveTrail company
• The Breakthrough Move Award: Wolt company
• The Excellence in Logistics Award: K. Express company
• The Customer Experience Award: Shopeaks company