If you’re in ecommerce, it’s easy to stay locked inside your own business.
Your store. Your margins. Your conversion rate. Your next campaign.
But every now and then, it’s worth stepping out of the day-to-day and listening to what’s happening across the industry.
Last week, I spent two days in London at DTC Live — and for the first time, I attended as the CTO of The Cabin Luggage Company.
The panels were strong, the conversations were real, and the lessons were clear.
Here are the 7 points I noted that I believe will shape how ecommerce wins over the next few years.
1) Your Brand and Culture Are Your Main Asset
Tactics come and go.
Platforms change.
Algorithms shift.
But brand and culture are what remain when everything else gets noisy.
If your business doesn’t stand for something internally, it won’t stand out externally.
The strongest ecommerce companies aren’t built on discounts.
They’re built on identity, values, and standards that customers can feel.
2) The Founder’s Personal Brand Is Still Underrated (But It’s Powerful)
Personal founder brand is one of the most underestimated marketing channels in ecommerce.
It’s also one of the most valuable.
Founders who show up consistently earn trust faster, build stronger relationships, and create attention that paid media can’t replicate.
The impact compounds over time.
3) Know Your Customer Base and Define Your Brand Voice
If you don’t know who you’re serving, you can’t speak clearly.
And if you don’t speak clearly, you don’t convert as well as you should.
Your brand voice isn’t just “tone.”
It’s clarity.
It’s decision-making.
It’s the way customers understand your product, your values, and why they should buy from you instead of someone else.
4) When Marketing Budgets Are Tight, Creativity Wins
Most brands are feeling pressure on ad costs.
That means you can’t rely on spend alone.
In a world of shrinking budgets, creativity becomes the advantage:
- better offers
- better angles
- better hooks
- better storytelling
- better content distribution
When the budget is limited, the thinking has to improve.
5) Customer Loyalty Is Hard-Earned (But It’s the Goal)
Loyalty isn’t automatic.
It’s earned through consistency, trust, and experience.
But once you have loyalty, you own something extremely valuable:
Repeat customers.
Lower acquisition pressure.
More stability when markets shift.
Brands that invest in loyalty early tend to survive longer and scale cleaner.
6) Multi-Channel Isn’t Optional Anymore
Customers move across platforms constantly.
If you want to serve them properly, you need to be available where they are:
- marketplaces
- social platforms
- email and SMS
- live shopping
- offline touchpoints
Multi-channel isn’t about “being everywhere.”
It’s about being present in the right places, with a consistent message, and a connected customer experience.
7) On-Site Personalisation Is Now a Must-Have
Personalisation isn’t a luxury anymore.
Customers expect relevant experiences.
They want stores that feel tailored, not generic.
That doesn’t mean “complex AI systems” on day one.
Sometimes it starts simple:
- better recommendations
- smarter merchandising
- more relevant messaging
- better segmentation
- improved repeat visitor experience
But the direction is clear: generic ecommerce is getting weaker every year.
Great Talks, Strong Atmosphere, and Real People
Beyond the lessons, there were great speakers, strong panels, and a genuinely good atmosphere.
I also had a great discussion with Luke Bream (Valente), and I appreciated the chance to connect with so many people across the space.
Events like this matter because they help you zoom out and see where ecommerce is heading — not just what’s happening inside your own store this week.
Next Step: We’re Breaking These Down in Our Next LiveTalk
We’ll be doing a deeper dive into these 7 points during our next eCommerce Camp UK LiveTalk, with John Burke.
If you want to stay ahead of ecommerce trends and connect with builders who are doing real work, follow along and join the community.