Last June, our colleagues Ward Hagenaar and Oriane Zandvliet had the opportunity to attend the Becom Summit in Brussels. The event was a dynamic blend of inspiration and education, featuring over 300 participants, 25 speakers, and 2 keynote sessions focused on the rapid evolution of e-commerce and strategies for Belgian webshops to thrive in this fast-paced world.
Ed Sander, co-founder of ChinaTalk and an expert on digital technology in China, delved into the impact of Chinese e-commerce giants like Temu and SHEIN on the Western market. Drawing from his extensive experience as a marketing consultant in China, Ed provided valuable insights into the strategies these companies employ to disrupt traditional e-commerce paradigms.
Dado Van Peteghem, a digital innovation expert, closed the summit by exploring how companies can stand out in an AI-dominated landscape by prioritizing community and human connections. He emphasized that by focusing on the needs and desires of their communities, businesses can foster greater engagement and loyalty, leading to sustainable growth. Dado illustrated his points with examples of successful community-driven companies, offering practical inspiration for attendees.
"The session by Ed Sander on cross-border e-commerce was particularly eye-opening. His analysis of Temu and SHEIN highlighted companies' aggressive strategies to capture market share." - Ward Hagenaar, Head of Consulting at PaymentGenes.
Visa presented an insightful analysis of PSD3 and PSR. Those contain mostly refinements of the current regulation. Still, merchant initiated transactions (MIT) will remain out of scope for SCA but will be under review as this is too often misused as an exemption.
Wero introduced its proposition to the Belgian e-commerce market. The first use cases will go live with P2P. A promising set of use cases will be supported via a single API.
"Dado Van Peteghem's keynote on the importance of community was incredibly insightful. He shared real-world examples of companies that have thrived by focusing on human connections, even in an AI-dominated era. We're now looking at ways to strengthen our community engagement and build a more loyal customer base." - Oriane Zandvliet, Senior Recruitment Consultant.
The Becom Summit was a rich source of knowledge and inspiration, covering crucial topics such as the impact of Chinese e-commerce giants and the importance of community in a tech-driven world. Ward and Oriane returned with fresh insights and actionable ideas to enhance our strategies.
If you're interested in learning more about the event or discussing e-commerce strategies, feel free to contact Ward Hagenaar. Join the conversation and let's explore how we can navigate the ever-evolving e-commerce landscape together.
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The Adyen Experience event showcased how leading brands like JET, Rituals, and Adyen are pioneering new approaches in payments. JET shared its recent replatforming to a unified payments system, accelerating new payment method launches and adapting to regional differences like tipping. Rituals focused on enhancing in-store customer journeys with tap-to-pay and tailored recognition features, while Adyen unveiled “Adyen Uplift,” an AI-driven initiative for conversion optimization, alongside practical advice on adopting AI solutions incrementally. This event underscored the importance of strategic, adaptable approaches in payments, inspiring businesses to explore similar advancements.
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At Visa’s Issuer Enabler Open House, industry leaders highlighted key advancements in payments. Revolut is advancing a global retail banking model to overcome traditional barriers, while B2B payments in Europe remain an underutilized growth opportunity. Europe stands out with low fraud rates, driven by secure technologies like 3DS and tokenization, and Visa has enhanced A2A payment security to combat APP fraud. Visa’s partnerships with over 100 EU fintechs and the launch of Visa Flex, a single-credential solution for streamlined card management, reflect its commitment to innovation, integration, and robust security in payments across the region.
