The Best Ecommerce Conferences for 2023: Dates, Locations & Tips

Whether you’re a beginner seller or an established brand, ecommerce conferences are the perfect place to level-up your knowledge of how to sell on Amazon and on any other marketplace online.

Ecommerce conferences cater to any business model — whether private label, wholesale, retail arbitrage, dropshipping, and even handmade. 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 ecommerce 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 2023
• How to prepare for your conference
• What to focus on while at your ecommerce event
• How to end your learning experience on a high note

Read on for our primer on the best ecommerce conferences for 2023, and we’ll show you how to have a productive and enjoyable experience when you’re ready to attend.

The top ecommerce conferences for 2023

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 U.S. and are listed according to key dates and locations.

CommerceNext

Date: June 20 – 21, 2023

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 21 – 24, 2023

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

In their words: 

“eTail is a four-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 2023.
• It brings in attendees with significant experience, with over 59% of attendees being directors and above.

Price: $999+

White Label World Expo NYC

Date: August 29 – 30, 2023
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

Amazon Accelerate

Date: September 13 – 14, 2023

Location: Seattle, WA and virtual

In their words: “Amazon Accelerate is our premier annual seller conference. Whether you’re currently a selling partner or interested in selling in Amazon’s stores, this is your chance to connect with Amazon experts and other sellers in person. Come expand your network, listen to inspiring speakers, and learn about exciting new innovations to Accelerate Your Growth!”

Why you should attend:

• An Amazon seller conference that is run by Amazon!
• Meet with Amazon product and account managers.
• Connect with Amazon experts and other sellers in person.

Price: $599 (Virtual is free)

AMZ Innovate

Date: November 13 – 14, 2023

Location: New York City 

In their words: “Sellers will be coming from all over the world looking for new connections, innovative tactics, cutting-edge technologies, and to get a better understanding of the ways in which the best Amazon businesses are leveraging new ideas to improve their bottom line.

As an attendee, you will have the opportunity to build invaluable face-to-face relationships and understand what is working RIGHT NOW in the Amazon marketplace.”

Why you should attend:

• Opportunities to network with multiple 7 & 8 figure sellers with over 5 billion in revenue for 2023.
• Learn from industry leaders who sell millions of dollars worth of product on Amazon per year.

Price: $700+

How to prepare for your ecommerce conference

Okay, now that you’ve picked which conference you’ll be attending in 2023, 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?

• Registration. 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.
• Travel. 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.
• Lodging. 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.
• Expenses. 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 are the measurable outcomes? 

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 keynote 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 ecommerce 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:

• Charge up. 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.
• Be punctual. 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.
• Be a sponge. 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.
• Connect. 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!
• Reflect. 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:

• Debrief. 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. 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.
• Report back. 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.
• Act. 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!