Last week, our IFGlobal team attended the Ecommerce Expo 2025, held at ExCeL London. The event brought together over 10,000 professionals from across the digital retail ecosystem, featured more than 200 exhibitors, and included 200+ sessions. The buzz was real; AI, data, omnichannel strategies, and customer experience are shaping the future of digital retail.
But one theme came up repeatedly. None of these innovations matter without the operational foundations to deliver them. From fulfilment and logistics to customer touchpoints, high-growth brands are realising that scale, efficiency and experience all hinge on how well their back-end connects to their front-end, and impact depends on strong operations.
Here are our biggest takeaways from the Expo, and how fulfilment is now firmly in the spotlight.
AI was everywhere at this year’s Expo. Speakers showed how artificial intelligence is reshaping customer engagement, from hyper-personalised product recommendations to predictive service models. The brands investing in AI are saving time, whilst delivering experiences that feel effortless for customers.
McKinsey estimates AI-driven personalisation can boost revenue by 10–15%.
At IFGlobal, we see the same trend within fulfilment. By automating pick-and-pack, forecasting stock levels, and reducing human error, automation, AI and Machine Learning make fulfilment smarter and faster. For brands, that means they can scale personalisation without scaling complexity and create customer experiences that feel frictionless, not strained.
Customers don’t think in channels. They expect a smooth experience whether they’re on your website, a marketplace, or in-store.
At the Expo, the warning was clear. Fragmented operations erode trust and limit growth. Companies with strong omnichannel strategies retain 89% of customers, compared with 33% for those with weak ones (Aberdeen Group).
That’s why at IFGlobal, we align inventory, packaging, and fulfilment across every channel. This help brands deliver a consistent service no matter where a customer shops, and pays out with fewer errors behind the scenes, higher conversion rates, and customers who come back.
Many high-growth brands we spoke with admitted that scaling fast while maintaining service quality is one of their toughest challenges. Growth often exposes weaknesses in operations; returns, batch management, or stock control, it’s the ‘unglamorous’ areas that can quickly impact reputation.
Scalability is built into our fulfilment model at IFGlobal. From FEFO/FIFO and batch tracking to multi-site fulfilment across our international fulfilment centres, we design operations that can flex as brands grow. The result is growth that doesn’t just happen fast, it happens with confidence and without customer experience taking the hit.
Data was another hot topic, with plenty of discussion around analytics, forecasting and AI-powered insights. Brands that harness their data effectively can predict demand, optimise inventory and refine customer journeys. As Gartner puts it, “data-driven organisations are 23 times more likely to acquire customers and 19 times more likely to be profitable.”
We give brands that visibility across the fulfilment lifecycle, from real-time stock levels to expiry tracking and performance analytics via our BladePRO fulfilment software. That means spotting trends early, reducing waste, and making smarter decisions faster.
Of course, we report on what’s happened, but predicting what comes next and setting brands up for smarter growth is what makes a proactive fulfilment partner.
Sustainability ran through a good number of Ecommerce Expo discussions and not just as a ‘nice to have’. If 66% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable brands, it’s no surprise that ESG considerations are increasingly influencing investors, too.
For IFGlobal, sustainability isn’t a separate initiative; it’s embedded in every touchpoint. From optimising shipping routes to cut carbon, to offering eco-friendly packaging, to reducing waste with smarter inventory management practises, we help brands scale responsibly. Aligning profit with purpose isn’t just possible, it’s quickly becoming essential.
We believe sustainability shouldn't be treated as a bolt-on, it’s a growth strategy. We’ve seen this firsthand with our client, SURI, the pioneering sustainable electric toothbrush brand. Their mission is to design products that are repairable, recyclable and genuinely better for the planet - though delivering on that promise requires the right operational backbone.
By helping brands like SURI scale responsibly, we've proven that aligning profit with purpose is not only possible, but also what today’s customers expect.
Global expansion was another hot issue, especially the US. For many brands, it’s the ultimate growth market, but also one filled with complexity. Conversations quickly circled back to the same nervousness... tariffs, regulations and the complexity of cross-border fulfilment. Add in the recently shifting trade policies, and it’s clear why even established brands hesitate before making the leap.
This is where fulfilment and logistics become true growth enablers. With over a decade of hands-on experience operating in the US, and 20+ years' experience across the board, IFGlobal helps brands navigate compliance, streamline shipping and build fulfilment models that adapt to changing regulations.
Check out our page for ecommerce brands expanding into the US.
As Ryan Grimshaw, our Head of Marketing and Communications, put it, "What we saw at the Expo is how fulfilment has become a board-level conversation. Brands are thinking about how fulfilment operations can unlock new revenue streams, reduce environmental impact and deliver experiences customers come back for.”
He continued, “For brands eyeing international growth, logistics isn’t the blocker anymore, it’s the bridge. With the right partner, entering new markets like the US becomes less about risk and more about opportunity. One of our roles is to remove barriers that slow down global expansion, and for those ambitious brands, help them realise logistics as a lever for competitive advantage."
The Ecommerce Expo 2025 was a reminder of how fast ecommerce is evolving, and how much opportunity lies ahead for ambitious brands.
The conversations we had showed that the challenges may be complex, but the appetite for innovation is stronger than ever. From AI and omnichannel strategies to sustainability and global growth, the conversations made one thing clear; the brands that win are those combining innovation with strong operational foundations.
A huge thank you to everyone we met, learned from, and exchanged ideas with during the event. Technology and strategy may spark innovation, but it’s the connections we build and the knowledge we share that shape the future of ecommerce.