The ninth edition of Ecommerce HUB brought merchants, technology providers, marketers and other key figures whose connections can create opportunities for sustainable growth and open doors to new strategies and collaborations to Giffoni Multimedia Valley on Oct. 9.
"While it's true that many ecommerce fails after the first three years, while others are put to 'sleep' because they lack a strategy," recalled Gianluca Diegoli, Marketing Strategy Consultant & Adjunct Professor IULM, urging work on data and market analysis, it's also true that Italian ecommerce was facing inflation for the first time, reorganizing processes and choices.
Research data presented by Davide Cas aleggio , CEO & Partner Casaleggio Associati, are always very interesting, because they take a snapshot of market trends and changes.
The future of eCommerce? "Global global eCommerce sales in 2023," Casaleggio explained at Ecommerce HUB 2023, " will exceed $6 trillion in sales, in 2026 $8 trillion (source Statista, 2023).
And in Italy? In 2022 the estimated value of ecommerce turnover, 75 billion euros, registers a growth of 19% compared to 2021 (source Casaleggio Associati, 2023), but it hides a peculiarity, because for the first time merchants experienced inflation last year.
We'll have to wait until the end of this year to pull the sums and actually know what the numbers will be, especially after Black Friday and Christmas, but in 2023 on average an Italian eCommerce site expects to grow by 17.26 percent in terms of turnover."
Among the sectors that dominate ecommerce turnover in Italy is Leisure (euro 38,000,000. It's all included, the betting sector, including wagering), followed by Shopping Centers (euro 14,187,550,000), which surpasses Tourism (euro 10,066,067,00), which is now experiencing growth due to the reopening of the market, rather than an increase in sales.
On the podium of the Ecommerce Ranking, which reports monthly on the best online sales sites in Italy, we find the Marketplaces (1. Amazon, 2. Booking.com, 3. Subito, 4. ebay, 5. Trenitalia, 6. Leroy Merlin). "Retailers," Davide Casaleggio reminds us, "in order not to be crushed, they have to reinvent their business model; in fact, it is no coincidence that, just off the podium, there are eCommerce operators such as Leroy Merlin, which invites other merchants and brands to sell on its platform.
Who are the operators at the top of the rankings in the individual regions? In Latium we find Italo and Trenitalia, but also Mondo Convenienza and many others, in Abruzzo it is the food theme that dominates, as in Molise, while in Campania strong is the presence of online pharmacies, while in Puglia they drive home and furniture. ln Basilicata the representation of all sectors is quite homogeneous as in Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia."
Among the most discussed topics isAI, which plays a strategic role in engaging users in the experience not just the sale. In the summer of next year we will probably see a significant impact also among Italian merchants, in fact there are already many using AI to draft texts, simplify product search in a timely manner, recreate photos and videos, monitor and optimize campaigns, or manage advertisements thanks to data.
With regard to inflationary increases, it is good to say that there are some sectors that have grown in terms of sales, but declined in terms of pieces sold.
In dealing with inflation, merchants have had to cope with this issue by adopting different strategies, decreasing margins to keep prices similar (41 percent), keeping prices similar but decreasing discounts (31 percent), changing sourcing to decrease transportation costs (5 percent) or targeting, where possible, spare parts and repairs 1 percent.
Optimizing budget and acquisition costs is a mantra for everyone working in the eCommerce world especially now they are getting higher and higher due to competition . "We need to generate traffic and be sure to generate conversions, that's why it is important to adopt all the tools available to do so," recommended Giacomo Bettazzi, Head of Marketing Italy Trustpilot.
Giacomo provided concrete examples for using reviews in marketing strategies, as a profusion of trust throughout the customer journey, because that is what the user is looking for and what companies can pursue to stand out from competitors.
"Today we trust the opinion of others more and more! What are users looking for ? Reviews about services, products and locations, but how can we use them in a practical way?
89% of consumers consult online reviews before making a purchase, 93% are influenced by them when it comes to purchasing decisions, and 75% expect to share their experiences.
Reviews should not be seen as an end, as a means that companies can use for all marketing activities, in paid search or in organic results (reviews indexed by Google allow to receive up to +16% click to rate, users click on ads that show a star rating), but also in the Google Shopping section or to stand out in local search for stores or branches.
"Reviews ," concludes Giacomo Bettazzi, " are not only a sales tool, but also a source of important information not only for end users. They show us what the critical issues are or what works very well.
Once we bring the user to our site, it is important to continue to convey trust on all pages of the site, even the most critical ones such as check out where there are usually the highest subscription rates, but also on the homepage, or in the product tab, this allows us to increase the conversion rate, in social ads, even with A/B tests using different types of reviews."
"Ecommerce HUB is not only important to create partnerships and connections, but also to work on skills if we want to continue to grow and meet market trends, such as Artificial Intelligence," recalled Valeria Fascione, Councillor for Research, Innovation and Startups of the Campania Region.
"Campania is the first region in southern Italy for the number of ecommerce merchants and the third nationally in the Top 5,000 ecommerce merchants in Italy ranking, after Lombardy and Lazio. A supremacy brought mainly due to the size of the region, but also due to the density of digital initiatives given that in the ranking of ecommerce merchants per 1,000 inhabitants, it maintains the supremacy in the south and also surpasses Lazio at the national level."
Digital export also represents anet wealth for the territories. In the Campania region, exports represent a strategic supply chain with 47 percent of high-tech products such as automotive, components, pharmaceuticals and much B2B. While more than 50 percent is represented by local products and our world-famous 'taste,' a perfect combination that we must continue to push.
An ecommerce you know, is not simply a site. There are so many choices to be made related to organizational processes, we are talking about platforms, procurement, but also Marketplace, payments, logistics and professional figures.
Processes need to be revised, so it takes a great deal of openness, ability and humility to get back into the game! A great employment opportunity also for our young people, it's great to work on it all together!"