Earlier this month, a colleague asked me what I was most excited about regarding the upcoming Marketplace Summit by Mirakl. I have been heads-down on planning and coordinating that it seems I hadn’t had a chance to really step back and look at the event as a whole and take in all of the topics that will be hit on. Viewing the full agenda makes me realize just how ambitious this event is. Not only will we examine the strategic nature of the marketplace model and how it powers some of the world’s most successful platform businesses, but we will also highlight the operational benefits that Mirakl customers gain from their marketplaces. The summit is a chance to learn not only why businesses should launch marketplaces, but how they should do it. This event is a “must-attend” show because, as one of our expert panelists – Marc Vicente of Cdiscount – said, “marketplace is not some trendy, fancy project – it is the next generation of eCommerce.”
Different people will get excited about different aspects of the Summit, and there will be something for everyone in the digital commerce space. Here are some of the highlights:
- Paris in April. What could be nicer than Paris in the spring? I for one am looking forward seeing the Eiffel Tower in the background while I learn about how companies are using marketplaces in innovative ways.
- Respected industry pundits. The summit features presentations by several analysts and consultants in the retail and eCommerce space. Sucharita Mulpuru will deliver a keynote address on the impact of the marketplace model in retail. Olivier de Panafieu of Roland Berger will showcase exciting new research on B2B companies and their ability to compete in digital commerce. And, Forrester Research’s Andy Hoar will present findings from recent research about how B2B manufacturers can reap the benefits of selling direct, without creating channel conflict.
- Partner Tracks. Mirakl’s alliances have grown very strong over the last year. Technology and service partners will present best practices on exciting topics such as payments, services marketplaces, and more. This really is the place to get a broad education on marketplaces and how they impact all aspects of digital commerce.
- A special “Watson” keynote. Richard Hearn from IBM’s cognitive commerce team will deliver a day 2 keynote about the exciting ways that more information from marketplaces can deliver actionable information to immediately improve the customer experience.
- B2B and B2C tracks. Digital commerce isn’t just about B2C retail any longer. All kinds of B2B companies are transforming their models and companies via marketplaces. There is so much going on that we needed to create separate tracks on day 2 to focus in on the best practices for both B2B and B2C.
- Expert panel. Sometimes, there is nothing better than hearing it from those that have done it. We will close out the summit with experts from Airbnb, Alibaba, Cdiscount, and Groupon talking about how the marketplace model shot their businesses into the limelight faster than ever and how it plays into their strategies going forward.
If you are on the fence about attending the summit, I strongly urge you to come. Don’t wait a whole year for the next time. The platform revolution is well underway and no business can afford to delay embracing the marketplace model. Click here to register.
Topics : B2B eCommerce B2C eCommerce Mirakl Summit
Written by Barry Murphy
Barry Murphy is the Director of Content and Product Marketing at Mirakl. In this role, Barry leads the alignment of Mirakl's offerings to market needs for the next generation of online commerce. Barry previously ran product marketing organizations for X1 and Mimosa Systems (now part of HPE). Barry also had a highly successful stint as Principal Analyst at Forrester Research. Barry received a B.S. from the State University of New York at Binghamton and an M.B.A from the University of Notre Dame.
