- Apr 21, 2017
Updated: Feb 17, 2021
Karoline and Miles headed to Berlin to attend Vizions by Zalando on the 20th April.
Vizions by Zalando is Europe’s platform conference run by the retail giant, exploring the challenges and opportunities afforded by digital platforms via a range of speaker talks, panels and workshops. In a nutshell, a company operating with a platform model facilitates exchange between producers and consumers, utilising technology to build networks and enable communication. More and more companies are making the transition to the platform model following the success of companies such as Amazon, Facebook, eBay and Uber. Vizions by Zalando was the perfect opportunity to hear insights from market experts.
One especially interesting talk we saw was given by Susan Danzinger (CEO & Founder, Ziggeo) on ‘Increasing Consumer Engagement: The Future is Video’. Susan discussed the benefits that retailers see by using videos to engage and connect with their consumers in just a few seconds, rapidly and accurately conveying the desired scene or feel. The popularity of video was described, backed up by figures such as the fact that 10 billion videos are watched on Snapchat daily. Of course, utilising the spread and popularity of videos as an advertising tool is key to Smartzer’s development, so to hear the future of video discussed in such a positive way was fantastic for us!
Hearing Andy Long (CEO, Pentland Brands) speak alongside Jan Wilmking (CEO & MD, zLabels) was also really engaging. They discussed businesses operating on a global scale and how there will always be a role for retailers and face-to-face connection. However, technology can be used to enhance this and create the omni-channel experience expected by the consumer.
Beyond attending these talks and others, we really enjoyed the opportunity to network with other attendees and speakers. We gained insights from not only well established businesses but also fellow start-ups. It’s also always great to share our work with others and to hear their feedback. To top off a brilliant event, the venue was the edgy Kraftwerk building, a piece of Berlin’s industrial history which was the perfect space for the event.
Thank you to Zalando for having Smartzer at this insightful and busy conference!