The world of retail is changing fast: new innovations, tools and methods are entering the market every day, offering retailers countless opportunities to expand and refresh their business. But is there even enough time to deal with all these new topics alongside the stressful day-to-day business?

“We want to provide visitors with relevant specialist information. Visitors are otherwise very caught up in their business. Here they have the time to get the information in a nutshell,” says Stefan Grimm, Managing Director of GKS Handelssysteme GmbH, which owns the platforms RESTPOSTEN.de and grosshandel.eu, among others. Grimm is organizing the E-Commerce Arena at this trade fair for the 20th time, which has been offering interesting facts, valuable input and exciting presentations for visitors for ten years now.

The keynote speech at the 20th E-Commerce Arena will be given by e-commerce expert Ronny Marx. With over 12 years of experience in online retail and as the author of the book “Amazon SEO Code”, he will provide valuable insights into the top retailer strategies on marketplaces and in stores for e-commerce in 2025.
Another highlight of this E-Commerce Arena is the presentation by Denis Luth. The multi-million Amazon seller with his agency Fullbrands is internationally regarded as one of the most respected Amazon experts and will share his experiences at the E-Commerce Arena on how retailers can maximize their profits on Amazon – from reseller to private label brand.

Annemarie Schuster, founder of the Amazon agency “Annythinks”, also presents useful strategies for companies that want to grow with Amazon. The long-standing expert talks about how retailers can achieve stable online sales thanks to concrete plans. New to this IAW edition is Mona Wildenberg, together with Andreas Mautz, two experts from WilMa Digital, who look at the topic of AI from a truly practical perspective for retailers in e-commerce.

Dr. Ralf Deckers, Head of Customer Insights at the IFH (Institute for Retail Research) in Cologne since 2018, offers in-depth insights into the retail industry. He has been working as a market researcher and consultant in the financial services, automotive and retail sectors for over 25 years. In his presentation “Never waste a good crisis – What’s in store for retailers”, Deckers will talk about the most important findings from consumer behavior, channel shifts, Temu & Co.

These and other interesting presentations in the zentrada Forum with the general theme ‘Everything remains different – status and development from different perspectives’ promise interesting insights and practical examples from different retail levels.

Important aspects from the perspectives of ‘wholesale/importer, retail and technology’ will be discussed under the direction of zentrada boss Martina Schimmel.

Last but not least, visitors can also expect some real treats in the E-Commerce Arena on the third day of the trade fair, e.g. from a deep dive on purchasing in Asia, to the topic of compliance as an important competitive factor and the perennial topic of fulfillment.

A total of over 20 speakers will be presenting at the 38th IAW trade fair from March 11 to 13, 2025 in Halls 6 and 9 of Koelnmesse. Participation in the lecture program is completely free of charge for trade visitors. Tickets can be booked via IAW International Trade Fair for Retail Promotions and Imports in Cologne |
Ticketshop.

Valuable insights from the world of retail: the e-commerce arena at the 38th IAW trade fair (PDF)