Event Report: B2B trends at Internet World EXPO in Munich, Germany

For the 23rd time Munich Messe hosted the Internet World EXPO. Combining a trade fair and conference, Internet World EXPO is one of the most important events for professionals in the eCommerce and digital marketing business in Germany. Very present at the trade fair were logistics and packaging solutions. Also, eCommerce services and shop software providers used the opportunity to show their portfolio for B2B shops. Payment providers, online marketing agencies and solutions for omnichannel businesses complete the lineup.

After continuous growth in the last couple of years, Internet World EXPO 2019 seemed smaller this year with only 2 halls open. Nevertheless, the trade fair reports 19.000 visitors on two days, a plus of 11 percent from 2018. The number of exhibitors remained stable with 420 booths. This year, many big names in the eBusiness were missing, leaving many smaller companies enough space to present their solutions.

Purchase after hours and delivery into vehicle

We took the chance to check out some of the most innovative offerings in the eCommerce business. For instance, a pilot project by distributer Würth. A store was implemented by Wanzl, which was rebuild at the Internet World EXPO as a walk-in demo store. In this store, the company demonstrated their new after hours service. Using a QR code, a registered B2B customer can enter the digitised branch. The store will even greet the customer with their name on a display. The customers are able to restock on much needed parts and tools at night. The products are checked out by the customer in a tunnel scanner, and an invoice is automatically delivered to the company’s address a few days later.

Other distributors are working on deliveries into a parked car. This service is already being tested by Großhandels Kontor GmbH. For instance, it will allow craftsmen, who are constantly on the move working for their customers, to order and receive missing parts into their van or company car.

Highlight: Exciting talks at Internet World EXPO

The info arenas turned out to be a visitor magnet again. Professional visitors were able to peek into exciting trends at many talks or dive deeper into special topics with workshops and sessions. 250 speakers held more than 200 talks and sessions this year at the Internet World EXPO.

Some of these talks addressed personalisation in an online shop, that will allow for one version of the home page for new customers and another version for returning customers. Especially for B2B shops a delegate function like the one in silver.eShop was presented. A sales representative can log into the shop as the customer during an on-site consulting and order products in the name of the customer. Alternatively, the sales person can add products to the cart and send the cart via email to the customer. They can now decide weather to place the order and, if so, easily complete the process.

Already working in the US, the Amazon Parts Finder was another great example of exciting new shop functions that make life easier. Because sometimes when searching for a small part, the name of that part is unknown. Using a search box, it would take many tries or not get you the result you need. With Amazon Parts Finder though, it's as easy as taking a photo of that part. The app matches the picture to fitting products to bring up search results in the online shop.