Grow! 2023 Recap
Key takeaways and highlights from Znode’s industry-leading B2B ecommerce event
Grow!, Znode’s annual customer event, was held September 18 - 21, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Attendees had the opportunity to network and learn from the growing community of Znode customers and partners, as well as see what’s next in the world of B2B ecommerce.
Key Takeaways
- Customer success stories – Customers demonstrated winning ways to leverage Znode’s B2B ecommerce platform to deliver even better ecommerce experiences, enable channels and customers, and drive more commerce.
- Partner insights – Znode partners shared successful strategies for navigating the nuances of B2B ecommerce, from integrating new technology with legacy systems to fueling more multi-channel commerce and saving time with AI.
- New features announced – Znode announced new innovative features designed to help companies scale business faster, including B Stores, Commerce Portal, and Dynamic Tables.
Event Highlights
Day 1 – Welcome Reception
Networking with B2B ecommerce experts
What better way to kick off an event in Milwaukee than at a local craft brewery? Customers, partners, and the Znode team gathered at Good City Brewing for great conversations and great brews to start off Grow! in true Milwaukee style.
Day 2 – Learn & Connect
Discover winning strategies for B2B ecommerce
Day two of Grow! was held at The Trade Hotel in downtown Milwaukee and offered a robust lineup of engaging presentations, customer success stories, and winning strategies for B2B ecommerce.
Opening Remarks
Znode’s CEO Rupesh Agrawal and CCO Tom Flierl kicked off the event with a warm welcome, a preview of what’s to come, and announced Znode’s new on-demand learning platform Academy.
Land & Coates Success Story
Mike Amato, Ecommerce & Marketing Manager, shared how Znode allowed Land & Coates to centralize its ecommerce and help B2C and B2B customers find parts more easily. The power equipment retailer is now growing a national customer base through multiple B2B and B2C multi-brand ecommerce experiences all centrally managed on Znode.
Watch the full replay of the Land & Coates presentation:
How PIM and DAM Empowers eCommerce Maturity
Andy Didyk from Ntara explained the key differences between PIM and DAM systems and showcased how managing product data accurately and efficiently is critical to accelerating multichannel sales. Ntara specializes in PIM, DAM, and product experience strategy to help manufacturers and brands sell more, faster.
Supercharging CMS Capabilities
Walter Bloch and Miles Koller led a technical track breakout session diving into the details on how manufacturers, distributors, and retailers can supercharge CMS capabilities with Znode’s advanced CMS feature.
Hyster-Yale Group Success Story
Audra Cox, Ecommerce Manager, shared how Hyster-Yale Group, a lift truck manufacturer, created a personalized and easy-to-use ecommerce experience to support customers and an expansive dealer network. With a combined catalog of more than one million parts SKUs, Hyster-Yale is leveraging Znode as an enterprise ecommerce platform to enable channels and scale globally. Audra walked through recommended best practices for implementing an ecommerce platform, including conducting primary research, optimizing existing software, optimizing product processes, maintaining organizational buy-in, and tackling change management.
Watch the full replay of the Hyster-Yale Group presentation:
Building a Winning Organization
Michael Belot, Senior Vice President with the Milwaukee Bucks, gave an inspiring keynote presentation about building a winning organization through the lens of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Deer District success story. With clear parallels to driving ecommerce success, Michael showcased how the Bucks organization is building not only a winning team, but also developing the Deer District neighborhood to foster year-round community engagement and pride in the city of Milwaukee.
Equinavia Success Story
Henrik Monfort and Timon Wagner, shared Equinavia’s ecommerce journey to centralize multiple B2C and B2B storefronts on one flexible, feature-rich platform. Equinavia is leveraging Znode to power direct-to-consumer, B2B immediate ship, and B2B pre-booking ecommerce experiences for horse-riding products.
Watch the full replay of the Equinavia presentation:
Exploring Generative AI’s Potential in B2B Commerce
Ante Grgić from Grgić Consulting Group showcased potential use cases for generative AI in B2B ecommerce, including product descriptions, categories, variants, and SEO, and how to apply these time-saving tools directly in Znode. Grgić’s recommendation? Start small and start now.
Why Customers are Buying Using eProcurement
Kevin Kazenmayer and Adrienne Hartman from TradeCentric presented on the power and value of offering eprocurement integrations for buyers. TradeCentric automates transactions and accelerates trade through the integration-platform-as-a-service for B2B commerce.
Dexter Success Story
Kasey Giddens and David Pyck from Dexter and Cara Bourdage from The Office of Experience teamed up to present Dexter’s ecommerce success story that is driving enhanced customer experiences and freeing up customer service resources. The presenters shared how Dexter, a leading manufacturer of highly engineered axles, chassis, and other components, is using Znode to build a foundation for ecommerce excellence.
Watch the full replay of the Dexter presentation:
Evening Reception at The MECCA
After a powerful lineup of presentations at The Trade Hotel, attendees gathered at the MECCA for beverages, BBQ, and networking. It was a beautiful evening to connect with smart, like-minded people in the B2B ecommerce industry.
Day 3 – Explore & Discover
What's next for B2B ecommerce?
Attendees joined for another morning of informative breakout sessions concluding with an exciting look at Znode’s product roadmap.
B2B eCommerce Success: Demystifying Taxation
Jeremy Andrias and Octaviea Gerbe from Avalara shared tips on navigating the nuances of taxation, exemption management, nexus reporting, and international sales. Avalara automates the complexities of tax compliance to help improve accuracy while reducing costs.
Navigating Modern Digital Tech in a “Legacy” World
Jacobi Zakrzewski and Matt Wozniak from Luminos Labs asked thought-provoking questions and shared insights on navigating modern digital tech in a legacy world. With more than 12 years of experience delivering complex ecommerce re-platforming to businesses, Luminos Labs offered valuable insights to Grow! attendees.
Digital Maturity Bingo
Carlose Manalo, co-CEO at The Office of Experience, led a game of bingo that was much more than a game. It was an innovative approach to evaluating digital maturity, complete with prizes and a fresh perspective for attendees working to drive ecommerce success.
Artifi Session
David Willey and Yash Shah dove into customer success stories leveraging Artifi’s product customization capabilities. The in-depth presentation offered use cases and tangible ways to drive elevated ecommerce experiences for customizable products.
Znode Product Roadmap
To conclude Grow! Znode’s CEO Rupesh Agrawal and Director of Product Development Frank Connelly showcased the product roadmap and vision for how Znode is driving innovation for B2B ecommerce now and in the future. New, exciting features were announced, including B Stores, Commerce Portal, and Dynamic Tables.
Watch the full replay of the Znode Product Roadmap presentation:
Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, asked questions, shared insights, and made Grow! 2023 such a success!
Keep an eye out for video replays of Grow! 2023 sessions coming soon on Znode’s YouTube channel. Subscribe for updates!