The e-commerce landscape is changing rapidly – and today, staying ahead requires more than just a wide product range and fast deliveries. At Qliro’s annual E-Com Summit 2025, held at Moderna Museet under the theme Growth through customer obsession, some of the Nordics’ most influential e-commerce leaders gathered to share their experiences and strategies in discussions led by Björn Påhlman Spenger from the podcast Framtidens E-Handel.
Here are the key takeaways from the event for those looking to future-proof their e-commerce business:
Automation and AI were highlighted as essential tools for scalability – but not at the expense of customer dialogue. Instead, the emphasis was on using technology to enable the right conversation at the right time.
"We use AI to streamline flows. Not to reduce customer dialogue, but to create the right dialogues and WOW experiences when something goes wrong", says Antonia Lindmark, Head of Brand and Strategy at Lyko.
For many companies, keeping customer service in-house is a clear competitive advantage, as it fosters closeness to the customer and provides rapid feedback to the organization.
Several D2C brands that were previously fully digital have now invested in physical flagship stores – not as traditional sales channels, but as experience-driven marketing platforms. Antonia continues:
"When we open a physical store, we immediately see an effect in our brand trackers, and it drives online sales."
Stores function as hubs for community-building, events, and loyalty-driving activities – especially important in markets where brand awareness is still low.
Fast delivery is now a hygiene factor, and complete control over logistics is becoming increasingly crucial to customer satisfaction. That’s why more companies are choosing to manage their warehouses in-house.
"To me, e-commerce is a logistics project – the most complex part of our business. That’s why I want it in-house. Being able to pack and ship an order within 20 minutes of purchase has become a competitive advantage in itself", says Joel Löwenberg, CEO at Gymkompaniet.
Growing profitably sometimes demands tough decisions, and many companies have taken bold steps, such as halving their workforce or product range, even when it goes against industry "truths".
"We cut half of our assortment, even though everyone said it wouldn’t work in e-commerce. But it did, and our profitability increased significantly. Daring to make unpopular but data-driven decisions can be crucial for both survival and growth", says Helena Karlinder-Östlundh, CEO at Nelly.
Helena also stressed the importance of avoiding a "channel-first" mindset. Successful e-commerce businesses define themselves by customer experience and product value – not distribution methods.
"E-commerce is just a channel. The core is the customer journey and the experience. My drive is to create an outstanding experience for the customer," Helena adds.
Helena Karlinder-Östlundh (Nelly), Antonia Lindmark (Lyko), Warner Nickerson (C’est Normal), Benjamin Lau (Ninepine), Hanna Lindblad (Houdini), Nic Staeger, Joel Löwenberg (Gymkompaniet), John Ekman, Elin Ledenvik, Fredrik Degerman (Conversionista), Christoffer Rutgersson, Evelin Kaup (Qliro) and Björn Påhlman Spenger (Framtidens E-handel).
Watch all panel sessions:
Listen to the conversations on the Framtidens E-Handel podcast (episode 310):