Exhibiting at this year’s eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing was Greg Landon, Head of Marketing at lead conversion platform Leadoo, who we sat down with to discuss the most exciting trends he saw at the shows and his best advice for newcomers in the industry.

What industry trends excited you the most at this year’s eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing?

After the massive hype around AI over the past couple of years, it was good to hear more tangibly from attendees not just about the potential of AI in their organisations, but how it has actually transformed products, ways of working and their businesses generally.

Concrete case studies and data on the impact of AI in everything from supply chains to marketing were fascinating, as well as where those organisations see it evolving over the next 12 months. Last year, AI still felt like a forward-looking dream for many businesses. This year, it was good to see those dreams become reality.

Meet Greg Landon

What are the biggest challenges facing eCommerce retailers heading into Q4 and peak season?

Macroeconomic uncertainty remains high, and the government has already pointed to a ‘painful’ outlook for its October budget. So like last year, with Winter energy bills set to be high, it’s unclear how much disposable income people will be willing to spend in peak season.

For eComm retailers, one challenge this presents with their websites is low Conversion Rates. They may be driving consistent traffic levels to their sites, but the average consumer may be less likely to finalise a purchase. Or simply require more reassurance around it. So eComm who who have invested heavily in Conversion Rate Optimization, will likely fare better than those who haven’t.

What is most exciting to you about the eCommerce and digital marketing industry right now?

It has never had more practitioners working in it, and it is becoming increasingly open-source through online learning, AI tools, etc. If you’re willing to put in time, effort and creativity, it’s never been easier to become a marketer or set up an eComm store!

The flip side is this means there’s a lot of below-average marketing and practices out there. However, the barriers to entry and excellence for both marketing and eComm feel historically low right now. Which is a good thing. Especially if you can find a way to stand out!

Why is it important to bring the industry together at events like eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing?

I think since the pandemic there’s been a newfound appreciation of actually meeting and networking in person.

There are also more remote teams and job roles now. We at Leadoo are fully remote for example, so for us, being able to meet up at a big event is a real energiser.

While it’s possible to hear the same talks or check out the same suppliers via webinars and Zoom, it doesn’t have the effect as seeing them in real life. And the reality is that due to online saturation, marketers may be unlikely to actually find those same insights online anyway.

What’s the best piece of advice you would give to new people joining the industry?

Be creative, be bold and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. It’ll help you stand out, and in time, you learn it’s often not worth sweating over the little things!

When I started in marketing, I can remember being so anxious over individual press releases, email designs, ads, etc. The more senior you become, the more you realise it’s about doing things well at scale. Not making sure every little detail is exactly perfect. Especially if doing that takes up too much time and stops you from doing bigger things!