Axios What’s Next Summit 2024: Experts talk the future of e-commerce

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The e-commerce landscape continues to boom as consumers and companies take advantage of new tools to buy goods and market their products.

Why it matters: Emerging technologies and social platform trends ranging from AI to fintech to the rise of the influencer and creator economy are changing shopping experiences online for consumers, forecasting methods for the industry and marketing tools for retailers themselves.

• Yes, but: In-person experiences are still a valuable part of reaching consumers, attendees echoed at an Expert Voices roundtable discussion during Axios' What's Next Summit moderated by Axios reporters Kerry Flynn and Alex Fitzpatrick.

What they're saying: The group of experts emphasized how retailers are reaching consumers with a mix of physical and digital experiences in today's market.

Post-pandemic life has pushed brands to rethink how they integrate physical and digital experiences, The RealReal head of brand marketing and experience Caroline Garnder said. "Actually as humans, we live digital and physical experiences, and for a long time brands weren't bringing the two together," Gardner said.

• "I think it forced a lot of brands to move out of the world where you're bolting on this digital strategy or e-commerce strategy to your existing apparatus and really thinking about how to integrate it."

Hello Sunshine senior vice president of growth Kristin Perla said a recent partnership with Sheraton allowed them to bring in-person programming to libraries where people can listen to authors or read books on their own. "It's really bringing this virtual, digital brand to life in the physical space," Perla said.

Thank you to Zip Co. for sponsoring this event.