E-commerce peer community Digital Commerce Finland launches annual summit and award gala

The eCom Summit & Awards event, to be held in Helsinki in May, will be the biggest annual e-commerce event in Finland. The event will begin with a seminar, with prominent speakers such as Anna Carolina Wiklund, Capability Manager from Inter Ikea; Benjamin Lang, North Europe Lead at Shopify; Mikki Inkeroinen, CTO of Marimekko; and Peter G. Jørgensen, co-founder and CCO of Boozt.com. The evening award gala will give recognition to e-commerce success stories, on both company and individual level.

The event is organized by Digital Commerce Finland, a peer community for Finnish companies engaged in e-commerce as well as those providing services to e-commerce companies or otherwise interested in and influencing digital commerce. The community was founded in 2023 by the Finnish Commerce Federation, the Association for Finnish Work, postal, logistics and e-commerce operator Posti, media companies Keskisuomalainen and Sanoma, and online payment service company Paytrail. Its mission is to support the growth and development of digital commerce in Finland.

Ville Simola, CEO of Digital Commerce Finland:

“Commerce is becoming more and more digital, which is both a challenge and an opportunity for SMEs and brand giants alike. This is why Digital Commerce Finland was founded – to allow e-commerce companies to share experiences and best practices and learn from each other for the benefit of all. The eCom Summit & Awards is a way to recognize the hard work behind success stories and inspire others”

Digital Commerce Finland wants to support its members’ growth and internationalization. The community arranges coaching seminars and training sessions, networking events and international hub visits. The first training and networking event, focusing on the possibilities of marketing automation, was held in January 2024. Additionally, the community hosts online retailer clubs around Finland, where members can share experiences with local peers. There are currently 23 clubs in operation. Later on, Digital Commerce Finland plans to establish an eCommerce Hub in the center of Helsinki and an accelerator program for the most promising digital commerce companies.

Simola says:

“Our organically run e-commerce peer clubs around Finland are the backbone of our community’s day-to-day activities. Digital commerce has the major advantage of being more flexible than traditional retail when it comes to location. In digital commerce, we only need our mobile devices and laptops to make a purchase, so a successful online store can operate from practically anywhere. However, peer support is appreciated by entrepreneurs wherever they are, and getting together to exchange experiences is just as important in smaller towns as it is in metropolitan areas”

Digital Commerce Finland has been granted the right to use the Finnish Social Enterprise Mark as an indication that the company has been established to promote social interests and that it uses most of its profits to promote its societal goal.