The E-Commerce Day 2025 in Regensburg

The top-class E-Commerce Day took place in Regensburg on September 24, 2025. Industry experts, retailers, manufacturers, service providers and technology providers came together to discuss the most important trends, innovative technologies and practical solutions for the future of digital commerce. The focus was on the opportunities and challenges of AI, data management, hyper-personalization, international online retail, social commerce and re-commerce as a sustainable business model. The event offered a varied agenda of keynotes, specialist presentations and discussion panels and was a platform for knowledge transfer, inspiration, practical insights, innovative solutions and intensive networking. Anyone looking to shape their e-commerce strategy for the future was in the right place here. After all, customers increasingly expect personalized, smart product recommendations and sustainable offers, with modern technologies being the key to implementation.

Introduction and keynote

The day began with a motivating introduction by ibi researchin which the transformation in e-commerce and the need for technological agility and innovation were emphasized. In the following keynote speech "Artificial intelligence in e-commerce: man off, machine on?", Dr Georg Wittmann (Managing Director of ibi research) showed how artificial intelligence is becoming the driving force behind a new level of automation and personalization in online retail. Wittmann explained: "AI is not short-term hype, but is sharpening competitiveness - retailers must now make decisive use of the potential."

Jan Rother (Head of AI, Automation & Robotics at the Witt Group) explained in his presentation how AI is finding its way into processes, customer experience and store management and is being used by the Witt Group to fundamentally renew the customer experience and simplify work processes. Martin Groß-Albenhausen (member of the executive committee of the bevh) and Markus von Hohenhau (specialist lawyer for IT law at e-anwalt.de) joined them. Together, they highlighted the challenges and opportunities of AI-supported solutions, regulatory aspects, error culture and safe use in day-to-day trading.

AI and data management

AI and data-driven strategies formed the central content framework of the day. Right at the beginning, it was emphasized that AI is already changing user behavior and that online retail needs to reorient itself. Presentations emphasized the role of AI and data management as growth drivers in e-commerce.

Mario Alka (Managing Board of tricoma AG) demonstrated the automated creation and maintenance of online stores in a live session. Content and product data could be generated at the touch of a button using Generative AI - a milestone in terms of efficiency and scalability. Felix Stelzer (CEO of melibo) presented how AI-based agents in customer service handle routine inquiries and thus free up time for more complex issues.

One highlight was the presentation "How e-commerce is setting new standards through data strategy and AI" by Michael Anger (Head of Sales at SHI) and Alexander Knorr (Strategic Senior Professional at Cloudera). They explained how a hybrid data platform using AI allows to analyze natural language, accelerate decision-making processes, avoid data silos, create real-time architectures and enable personalized customer interaction. The Cloudera Data Platform serves as a powerful tool with which governance, security and real-time architectures are realized, thus achieving greater agility and resilience in online commerce.

The importance of professional data management was highlighted as key to increasing conversion, minimizing returns and making the best use of AI. Modern hybrid data platforms allow online retailers to integrate data from different sources and generate predictive analytics for competitive advantage. Benjamin Krautstorfer (authorized signatory at Nebulus) and Tamara Zimmer (Account Manager at 4SELLERS) reported on how intelligent data management brings about sustainable increases in sales and process optimization.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) - Visibility of the future

With GEO, a new discipline of digital optimization was introduced as an extension of classic SEO (Search Engine Optimization). GEO aims to specifically secure and expand the visibility of companies and products within generative AI systems and large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity and Claude. Experts emphasized that in the future, more and more customers will search for information, product recommendations and brand presence directly via generative search systems and AI-supported chatbots and that traditional SEO will no longer be sufficient to be present in relevant responses.

Practical examples from B2B and B2C were used to show how GEO measures can lead to up to 35% higher visibility in AI overviews and AI-generated product recommendations. With GEO, companies are securing the visibility of the future. Those who do not optimize their content for AI engines today will no longer appear in answers tomorrow. It was therefore recommended to add GEO elements to the classic SEO strategy.

Social Commerce and Hyper-personalization

In panels and practical presentations, industry experts such as Karim-Patrick Bannour (founder and managing director of viermalvier.at) and Erik Reintjes (co-founder and managing director of MissPompadour) explains how social commerce and targeted community building work as modern growth drivers. Her insight: "Community is the new currency in digital business - social commerce creates real proximity to brands and new sales experiences." Methods such as the TikTok store, social media campaigns and direct interaction with fans not only enable increased conversion, but also a more sustainable bond between brands and consumers.

Hyper-personalization, made possible by AI and intelligent data management, is the cornerstone for tailored product offers and purchasing processes. Users receive individual recommendations and thus have an experience that is no longer comparable to traditional online shopping. Practical examples have shown that online retailers can reduce their returns rate and increase their sales by using algorithms to analyse data and manage personalized offers.

Internationalization and re-commerce

Innovative marketplace models and legal framework conditions for international online retail were discussed. Rainer Langer (Challenge Internet) and Daniel Müller (Managing Director of Leogra Trading GmbH) showed how companies can grow worldwide and what role data, GEO and AI play in this. They made it clear that targeted expansion into new markets, consideration of local customer needs and structures and a comprehensive database are crucial for conversion and growth. Companies must diversify their processes geographically and legally, manage data intelligently and rely on versatile channels in order to be successful globally.

The topic of re-commerce and sustainable business models also received a lot of attention. In a panel discussion, Risto Pfalz (Managing Director and shareholder of IDIH), Lisa Samhammer (founder of Second Life Fashion) and Daniela Bleimaier (Head of Public Affairs Germany at bevh) made it clear that the future of the second-hand market is both economically and ecologically promising. Companies that focus on second-hand offers and the serious handling of returns can combine ecological responsibility with new target groups. Practical examples demonstrated how the returns process can be used as a touchpoint for sustainable loyalty and image building. Risto Pfalz explained: "The professional handling of returns is more than just a cost factor - it is central to sustainable customer loyalty and brand image."

Processes, infrastructure and digital fairness

Torsten Bukau (Software Product Manager at INTELLIFANT) showed how AI platforms recognize movements and fluctuations in real time, automatically manage risks and thus strengthen the resilience of online retailers. In his presentation "Digital fairness and the vulnerable consumer", Martin Groß-Albenhausen (bevh) outlined how fairness and consumer protection will become increasingly important in e-commerce in the coming years and how online retailers will have to respond to this in a targeted manner. He illustrated this with the example of dark patterns (strategies for influencing users). This is based on the realization that the purchase of a product is not only dependent on rational factors, but above all on the emotional or conditioned reaction of the consumer.

An important impetus came from the backend area. B.i.Team was represented with its KatarGo system and showed how innovation and efficiency can be created in the background - i.e. in the system and process architecture. Dieter Kisling (Account Manager KatarGo) and Jürgen Natter (Customer Consultant for ERP industry solutions) explained how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central together with KatarGo and AI form a smart basis for the wholesale and mail order business.

Conclusion

E-commerce is changing - those who shape it strategically will remain relevant in the digital ecosystem in the future. Retailers and manufacturers are on the threshold of a new era. This was made clear at the E-Commerce Day 2025 in Regensburg. AI and data are no longer dreams of the future, but are operational prerequisites for scaling and personalization in online retail. AI and GEO are the key to visibility and automation in the AI-driven e-commerce world of tomorrow. Professional data management and a true end-to-end data strategy are the foundation for success in local and global markets. Social commerce, hyper-personalization and international sales strategies are growth drivers that open up direct customer loyalty and sales potential. In addition, the constant adaptation of corporate strategy and open exchange with partners and experts through networking and best-practice sharing is essential to actively and successfully shape change.