As trade policies continue to change by what seems daily, one thing is for sure; online business is still booming in the Commonwealth. 

While utilizing the UPS Worldport in Louisville, companies can reach 80% of the world’s population in less than 48 hours. Leveraging these types of assets can help eCommerce companies in Kentucky quickly scale up to meet growing online customer demand internationally and domestically. The Department of Commerce reported in May that the estimate of U.S. retail eCommerce sales for the first quarter of 2019, adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes, was $137.7 billion, an increase of 3.6 percent (±0.7%) from the fourth quarter of 2018. 

After identifying this business trend and need for more efficient online selling platforms, the World Trade Center Kentucky and UPS have partnered to create the 2019 eCommerce Conference in Louisville, KY on September 10th at the Olmsted.
Lisa Butters, General Manager, GoDirect™ Trade at Honeywell Aerospace will be keynoting the conference and will focus on Honeywell’s efforts to link the eCommerce and aerospace parts business. GoDirect™ Trade is an online marketplace designed to bring together buyers and sellers in the global aerospace industry in an intuitive and easy way. Butters said for any company to stay relevant, being innovative in the eCommerce space is crucial now more than ever. 

“This is a critical moment in B2B eCommerce,” said Butters. “Eventually, buyers will demand a consumer-like experience in a B2B transaction, but that’s just the start. The real innovation is figuring out how to take the complexities that come with a true B2B transaction and couple those complexities with a true consumer-like experience. Whether you’re a mom and pop shop, a medium size business or a multi-billion dollar aerospace enterprise, the future is digital. This means two things: You must digitize your back-end operations and you must enter the eCommerce channel, optimally through a consolidated marketplace.” 

The conference will feature panel discussions on topics ranging from understanding the consumer, attracting eCommerce customers; the risk associated with eCommerce, and includes a best-practices panel discussion at lunch. Speakers from across the industry will provide attendees with a wealth of knowledge to help them grow successful eCommerce operations in 2020. 

Jason Falls, with Cornett in Lexington and a conference moderator said, "You can drive eCommerce with nothing but paid search ads and affiliate marketing, but if you widen your marketing to include branding and awareness tactics -- those in less direct marketing avenues -- you don't have to pay as much for the necessary traffic to hit your numbers.”

Lowering the business risks associated with eCommerce requires a clear strategy. Martin Hjalm of Vaimo, a leading full-service omnichannel agency building digital experiences for clients across the globe, noted, “For most companies today, the biggest risk with eCommerce is to not have an eCommerce strategy or plan. This doesn't mean that you have to invest heavily in building your own eCommerce capabilities. But it does mean you need to understand where your competitors are and what your customers expect, to invest accordingly." 

Learn more about eCommerce Conference 2019: www.ecommercewtcky.com