The Best Ecommerce Conferences for 2022

The in-person conference industry wasn’t immune to the impacts of COVID-19, and just as quickly as things began shutting down, event management companies quickly shifted their conference focus to going virtual. 2020 brought its fair share of long-lasting challenges, and as a result, we continue to adapt to new standards. 

At Jungle Scout, we love virtual conferences, and it has allowed for some semblance of normalcy. However, there’s nothing more powerful than in-person, human interaction, and networking. Fortunately, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel (we’re optimists). With that, in-person conferences are starting to take place, and this is why we’re sharing our curated list of the top ecommerce conferences for 2022. We’ll also be covering our best tips and practices to ensure a successful conference.

Before we dive into the top ecommerce conferences for 2022, let’s first talk about why it’s important to attend conferences at all. For starters, whether you’re a beginner seller or an established brand, conferences are the perfect place to level-up your knowledge of how to sell on Amazon and on any other marketplace online. Conferences cater to any business model — whether private label, wholesale, retail arbitrage, or dropshipping. They also add an interactive layer to your seller education and give you a live arena to discuss and explore what you’ve been learning from blogs, videos, and courses.  

Lastly, conferences are an excellent way to stay up to date with the latest industry practices for key aspects of your business such as advertising and product research. You get a front-row seat to industry expert strategies for ecommerce challenges such as inventory management and competitor analysis, and being able to network and discuss matters with other sellers in real-time is an invaluable experience that you wouldn’t get anywhere else. 

In this article, we’ll cover:

• The top ecommerce conferences for 2022
• Our favorite virtual conferences
• How to prepare for your conference
• What to focus on while at your conference
• How to end your learning experience on a high note

Read on for our primer on the best conference contenders for 2022, and we’ll show you how to have a productive and enjoyable experience when you’re ready to attend one next year.

 

The top ecommerce conferences for 2022

These are our picks for next year’s ecommerce conferences, and each one has its unique features and strengths. They all take place in the US and are listed according to key dates and locations.

NRF 2022: Retail’s Big Show & Expo

Date: January 16 – 18, 2022

Location: New York City, New York

In their words:

“The National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, passionately advocates for the people, policies, and ideas that help retail thrive. For over a century, NRF has been a voice for every retailer and every retail job, educating, inspiring, and communicating the powerful impact retail has on local communities and global economies.”

Why you should attend: 

• It is expected to have 38,000+ attendees
• The agenda highlights retail trends and topics for 2022

Price: $1000+

The Outdoor Retailer Snow Show

Date: January 26 – 28, 2022

Location: Denver, Colorado

In their words

​​”Outdoor Retailer brings together retailers, manufacturers, industry advocates, and media to conduct the business of outdoor recreation through tradeshows, product demo events, and web-based business solutions.”

Why you should attend:

• It offers brands an opportunity to reach a larger, more diverse, and valuable retail audience
• Outdoor Retailer will combine the “Winter Market” with the Snow Show

Price: Free – $650

The Prosper Show

Date: March 13 – 16, 2022

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

In their words:

“The Prosper Show is the largest continuing education conference in the US for established Amazon sellers. Join us in Las Vegas for two days of intense training from 30 industry leaders, including a dozen former Amazon business leaders. We offer hands-on training to guide you through the key processes that will help you expand your business, make more margin, and reduce the amount of wasted time you put into developing your business.”

Why you should attend: 

• It focuses on conference sessions and networking opportunities for established Amazon sellers
• Amazon sellers can further develop their business with up to date information shared by Amazon business leaders

Price: $199+

Shoptalk

Date: March 27 – 30, 2022

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

In their words:

“Shoptalk’s in-person event is widely regarded as retail’s best show.  With 8,000+ attendees, including more than 750 CEOs, and the world’s best speaker lineup and agenda, we help you get smart about the innovation and trends that continue to transform the sector globally.”

Why you should attend:

• It averages 8,000+ attendees and is the fastest-growing conference in retail history 
• It brings together established retailers and brands, direct-to-consumer and tech startups, large tech, and Internet companies, venture capital investors, analysts, and media

Price: $1,950+

Ecommerce Operations Summit

Date: Apr 12 – 13, 2022

Location: Orlando, Florida

In their words:

“Operations and Fulfillment provides the expert strategic advice and practical techniques that Operations professionals urgently need to improve efficiencies, productivity, cost savings, and customer service. The O+F Advisor covers the entire fulfillment process from the moment an order is entered to its delivery at the customer’s doorstep.”

Why you should attend: 

• It is exclusively about direct-to-customer and omnichannel operations and fulfillment
• Gain insights into your entire direct-to-customer operations and how to improve customer experiences

Price: $695

Sellers Summit

Date: May 4 – 6, 2022

Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

In their words:

“The Sellers Summit is the ultimate “ecommerce learning experience” where you will get inspired not by stories, but by gaining all of the knowledge required to run your own successful ecommerce business.”

Why you should attend: 

• It aims to offer a curriculum-based experience where attendees can learn practical, up-to-date, and actionable ecommerce strategies
• You’ll have access to successful entrepreneurs who are deep in the trenches and proficient at their craft

Price: $899 – $1,499

Retail Innovation Conference & Expo 

(Formerly RetailX)

Date: May 11 – 12, 2022

Location: Chicago, Illinois

In their words:

“Executives from omnichannel retailers, disruptive DTC brands, and the most innovative platforms in commerce will come together for the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo. Built upon a strong heritage in the retail community, we are taking the best of past events and bringing them to the next level.

Why you should attend: 

• It’s the largest e-commerce trade show in the industry featuring nearly 600 top solution and technology vendors from shipping to payment solutions
• Their agenda is created in part with editorial experts from Internet Retailer magazine and has over 130 sessions covering various topics and trends

Price: $195 – $1,095

Accelerate

Date: June 15 – 16, 2022

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

In their words:

“Accelerate: The Global Ecommerce Acceleration Summit is bringing together the brightest minds from around the world to chart the future of the exploding $6 trillion global ecommerce market. There will be two full days of content, networking, and game-changing experiences.”

Why you should attend:

• Hello Bello Founder and acclaimed actress Kristen Bell, digital marketing specialist Neil Patel, and NatGeo photographer Jimmy Chin are headliners
• Attendees will include CEOs, C-suite members, sales, marketing, and ecommerce leaders, and teams of every size

Price: $450 – $750

CommerceNext

Date: June 21 – 22, 2022

Location: New York City, New York

In their words:

“CommerceNext is a community, event series, and conference for marketers at retail and direct-to-consumer brands. We harness the collective wisdom of our community to help marketers grow their businesses and advance their careers.”

Why you should attend: 

• The 2-day conference brings together 1,200+ attendees, and sessions from leading and innovative retailers, direct-to-consumer brands, and tech companies
• It aims to help top-tier retail and ecommerce brands share, learn, and evolve their customer acquisition strategy

Price: $995 – $1,295

eTail East

Date: August 8 – 10, 2022

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

In their words: 

“eTail is a three-day conference designed to help you increase the profits from your business. You’ll get action-packed stories, disruptive strategies, strategic conversations, and connections with top minds at America’s most successful retailers. No commercials. No egos. We cut out the fluff to give you hundreds of strategic takeaways.”

Why you should attend: 

• It brings in 1,200 retailers and 600 different retail companies to address the trends and topics for retail in 2022
• It brings in attendees with significant experience, with over 59% of attendees being directors and above

Price: $999+

White Label World Expo NYC

Date: September 29 – 30 2022
Location: New York City, New York

In their words: 

“The White Label World Expo is the biggest gathering of online sellers in one place in the world. Thousands of leading Amazon, Ebay, and online sellers meet to hear from world-leading experts on the latest ways to steal a march on the competition, learn new tricks, and become inspired with the hottest new trends. It is also the date in every online seller’s calendar to go to the only place to find thousands of white label products and meet the manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors.”

Why you should attend:

• Entrance is free!
• With over 400 exhibitors you can find new product ideas
• Meet the suppliers and ask them all the questions you need about price, margins, minimum orders, etc.

Price: Free

 

 

Virtual Conferences

We may be a bit biased, but the best virtual conference in the Amazon seller space is JungleCon. But in the pursuit of fairness, we’ll share a couple of our top picks of virtual conferences that will take place in 2022.

Ad World

Date:  May 2 – 3, 2022

Location: Virtual

In their words: “World’s largest online advertising event.”

Why you should attend: 

• 70,000+ attendees come to learn, share secrets and connect online with top leaders in the advertising industry
• It streams 10+ digital advertising tracks consisting of hyper-focused speeches, panels, and live Q&A sessions to help take your business to the next level

Price: $269+

Ecom World

Date: May 4 – 6, 2022

Location: Virtual

In their words: “​​Ecom World is gathering the world’s most innovative founders, brightest minds, and trailblazing DTC brands. Over two days, they’ll share exclusive knowledge, tactics, and actionable strategies.“

Why you should attend:

• Expect 40,000+ attendees
• It streams 10+ tracks of in-depth speeches, panels, workshops, and live Q&A sessions

Price: $154+

 

How to prepare for your conference

Okay, now that you’ve picked which conference you’ll be attending in 2022, let’s go over some practical strategies to get the most out of each one. First, let’s do some pre-conference planning and begin with the end in mind by asking the following questions:

What’s your budget?

• Be sure to register early as all conferences start at a lower price (“early bird special”) and as the conference draws nearer the price increases. Sometimes, it’s worthwhile to go with a premium registration package as it gives you access to VIP seating, networking events, exclusive dinners with speakers, etc. Weigh out the pros and cons.
• Plan to fly in a day early and stay a day later as many networking events occur during these hours, plus you’ll be nice and rested for opening day and not stressed about missing your return flight home.
• If the conference is in a hotel, plan to stay there. Book a room with two single beds just in case you can convince your business partner or a friend to join you. Lastly, ship any extra/overweight luggage directly to the hotel mailroom to save a few bucks and any strain on your back.
• Have a way to track your expenses, as many of your incurred costs may qualify for a tax deduction. An excellent option is to use an app like Expensify and make the entire expense tracking process painless. Note: take a picture of your receipts as soon as you receive them; you’ll have so many things going on that you may lose a few of them in the process.

What measurable outcomes can you use to validate the time and money spent for this conference? 

Create a list of what success should look like for you and your business. It could be the number of keynotes you attended, the number of business cards collected, or the discovery of new products and ideas — or all of the above! Having conference goals will help keep you focused, and you’ll come away productive.

What talks and keynotes are a must-attend?

Research all speakers online. Check out the conference’s agenda to discover which presentations resonate with you. Start scheduling your days using a good ol’ day planner (technology is great, but sometimes the internet at conferences can be spotty, and electrical outlets are likely inaccessible). Lastly, get a floor plan and start mapping out your days.

Who do you want to meet in person?

Scour the conference’s social media channels and begin reaching out to attendees. This is also a great time to design and print eye-catching business cards (with a QR code) and establish a system to collect and enter new contacts/business cards into your address book.

What partnerships do you plan to make?

The best place to meet like-minded people is at networking events. Everyone is on the same page and is eager to meet you. For this reason, you need to plan to attend networking events, meetups, cocktail hours, and whatever is available. Also, this is an excellent time to remind you that you need to plan your meals and never eat alone.

What is your elevator pitch?

Say I bumped into you in the elevator and asked you what you do for a living. What would you say? You must rehearse your short and long-form pitches. It also doesn’t hurt if you have your company’s pitch deck on standby. Bonus points: have a one-pager brochure readily available that highlights your company’s value proposition (make sure it has a QR code).

 

What to focus on while at your conference

Awesome! You’ve done an excellent job preparing for your conference, and now you are ready to hit the ground running, but let’s start with the most critical factor in this equation: YOU!

We know conferences are all about making connections and putting others first, but if you aren’t in the best mental and physical state, you will not make the best of your travel journeys. This is why you must keep your health a top priority. Here are some things that need to be top of mind while at your conference:

1. Make sure you get plenty of sleep
2. Eat healthily 
3. Drink plenty of water (not just coffee)
4. Exercise
5. Get up between presentations, stretch, and go for brisk walks

Now that we’ve got that out the way, let’s talk about some other things you can do to optimize your time and navigate the conference efficiently. Here’s our shortlist:

• The night prior, make sure all your devices are fully charged and connected to the internet (laptop, mobile devices, smartwatch, etc.). We would also recommend bringing a portable charger and a power strip.
• Show up early and get a front-row seat so you don’t miss a second. Get out of your comfort zone and start talking to everyone around you. Remember, attendees are just as nervous as you are. Have some conversation starter questions at the ready and make your chats about them, not you.
• Live in the moment and absorb as much of the content as possible. You can take pictures of the slide presentation at some conferences, save yourself time and snap photos, then take detailed notes.
• Stay involved and connected with the conference. Use the conference’s social media hashtags. Create tons of content to share. Pictures of speakers. Pictures with attendees. Make tons of noise! Get to know everyone!
• At the end of each day, go over your notes and attach the corresponding photos. Reflect on what you learned and who you met. How do you plan to implement the things you learned? How do you plan to follow up with the new contacts you made?

 

How to end your learning experience on a high note

Wow! We’re all so proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone and taking full advantage of everything your conference had to offer. What’s next?

Now it’s time to put all that hard work into action. Here’s how:

• Write about your experience and upload all your files to the cloud (we want this information readily available to share with our newly made contacts).
• Follow up with your contacts. Thank them for their time and share the content you created while at this conference. You must give before you receive.
• Create mastermind groups with the individuals you met.
• If you need to present to your team, provide them with all relevant information. Go the extra mile and put your key learnings into a visual presentation.
• Lastly, begin taking massive action!

 

Harness the benefits of each ecommerce conference

In-person conferences are optimal learning opportunities and a powerful way to create long-standing relationships and partnerships. Always plan ahead, and ensure that you document everything you experience. All documented material will serve you in planning out your next steps and will make a great reference for future events. 

Be sure to step outside of your comfort zone and make earth-shattering relationships. Remember, being prepared is the key to a successful conference.

Now go out and make some noise! Got any questions about e-commerce conferences? Let us know in the comments below!