Hot Demand Propels Online Retailer to World Number 2 Status

By | Saturday, 8 August 2009

Reported at: www.Online-Retailer.com.au

A flood of registrations from Australia's internet retailing community has pushed the inaugural Online Retailer Expo & Conference to be the number two eCommerce retailing event IN THE WORLD.

With almost 3000 registrations to date, in terms of attendee numbers Online Retailer has rocketed past all other industry events in this sector worldwide bar one - the giant Internet Retailer event held annually in the US. That is a phenomenal accomplishment for a first year event in Australia, and a sign that the Australian market has long been thirsty for thought leadership and industry best practice content.

While the US and the UK markets continue to set benchmarks for internet retailing, Australia lags behind. The major retailers in this country lag behind their overseas counterparts when it comes to multi-channel retailing.

Experts say there is an imminent and very real danger that local retailers will lose market share to foreign invaders. Frustrated Australian customers are realizing that sites hosted offshore offer greater choice, security, convenience and now, shipping in a short time frame at minimal cost.

With borders and physical distance becoming irrelevant as global internet retailers break down the traditional barriers to entry, there is an imperative for the Australian retail industry to seriously improve its ecommerce practices.

That urgency, coupled with recognition of the many opportunities alive in internet retailing, have contributed to the huge demand for Online Retailer Expo & Conference. The online and multi-channel retail industry recognises that the calibre of speakers and the depth of content makes this inaugural event a vital business development opportunity.

More than 50 speakers from Australia and overseas have been carefully selected to deliver what promises to be the most intensive, most comprehensive program of online retail content this market has ever seen. The combination of keynote addresses, panel sessions, presentations, round table discussions, demos and pre-conference workshops has been painstakingly crafted to give maximum value for attendees.

Informed by a panel of industry experts and extensive research on the most important issues facing internet retailers, the Online Retailer Conference agenda addresses critical topics such as social commerce, CRM, site optimisation, search marketing, online merchandising, payments, fulfillment and much more.

THE STARS ARE COMING
Headlining the conference are four keynote addresses representing some of the greatest online retail stories in business today. From the US, the epicentre of e-tail worldwide, Aaron Magness from Zappos and the Beaver brothers from Zazzle will share exclusively with Online Retailer attendees how their businesses have become billion dollar successes. Locally, Paul Greenberg from DealsDirect explains the internet retail journey and Deborah Sharkey of Ebay outlines the future strategy of the auction leader and its implications for Australian retailers.

In addition, a vibrant assembly of thought leaders and successful online retailers will share best practice case studies, amazing insights and strategic advice on maximizing ecommerce opportunities and more than 20 targeted sessions. Speakers include Joe Dittmar from IBM, Sam Decker from Bazaarvoice, Joe Davis from Coremetrics Melissa Shannon from Dell and a host of others. Content over the two days is designated under four key program tracks - Marketing & Customer Strategy, Multichannel Essentials, Website Content & Performance and E-Retailing Strategy.

THE EXHIBITION: The exhibition itself features the latest in e-commerce technology and solutions, digital marketing and e-retailing services. Delegates have the opportunity to meet solution providers in a unique low-hype atmosphere and discover, compare and evaluate the tools, products and services designed to supercharge retailing websites and online retailing businesses.

THE NETWORKING: This is a once-off opportunity for anyone in online retailing to connect with hundreds of peers, build new contacts and share the trials and tribulations of online retailing with fellow attendees at a variety of activities and events. Online Retailer is organised entirely to be a productive use of delegates' time away from the office, and provide attendees with the most important contacts to help build their businesses.

Online Retailer Expo & Conference runs from August 18-19, 2009, at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. For full details, visit www.online-retailer.com.au.

For further information or to arrange interviews with organisers and presenters, please contact:

Grant Arnott, Media Liaison
Online Retailer Expo & Conference
M: 0407 861 795
E: grant@online-retailer.com.au