IRCE 2013 brought together eRetailers in different fields to collaborate, learn and share. Here are our takeaways from the event.
It is safe to say the internet has changed the way we do business– cross-country meetings are conducted via webcam, an order placed online today has the potential to arrive in the mail tomorrow, connections are made with each other online through social platforms, and the world of eCommerce is booming.
With this understanding, the Forefront Staff set out to learn more about this new business frontier at the Internet Retailers Conference and Exhibition at McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill. This three day event, starting June 4, brought together leaders and partners in the internet retail industry to discuss the rapidly changing future of business. We had the opportunity to speak with Sarah Veit Wallis, COO of Indochino and David Gilboa, Co-Founder and CEO of Warby Parker.
Down on the exhibition floor, it was full of vendors and great giveaways. We were sure to take advantage of the delicious smoothies and other great samples provided.
Overall, we had a great experience at the IRCE event. Being an online publication, we related to many of the things, but also realized that even though it was for eCommerce, the business take-aways were not completely different compared to other retailers; the customer needs and service should come first.
“I think there’s growing trend where people are realizing that consumers are not going to do all their shopping online and they’re not going to do it all offline,” Gilboa said. “So if you want to be a great brand or a great retailers, just really focus on great customer service and want to be where your customers are and want to figure out a way to have a presence on both channels.”
Stay tuned, we’ll be posting our interviews with David Gilboa and Sarah Veit Wallis soon.