Hundreds of senior figures in Israel’s e-commerce sector gathered today at the 14th Go E-Commerce conference, organized by SE Summit Experts, to discuss how AI, uncertainty, and fast-changing consumer behavior are reshaping the industry. Speakers said brands now need to rethink strategy, data, and customer experience rather than rely on old digital commerce models.
One of the strongest warnings came from Yaron Cohen, head of marketing and digital at Israel Post. He said younger shoppers are buying less online and that e-commerce is becoming part of the problem rather than the solution. “We see a drop in online purchasing. Young people have reduced their digital purchases. We stopped exciting them. They are going to the mall. Trying things on. Not necessarily buying,” he said. Cohen added that Israel’s e-commerce sector must “change everything” it knows and make a major infrastructure investment in AI, while using its data advantage.
Naor Mann, CEO and founder of ActiveTrail, said AI cannot create real value without strong first-party data connected to customer behavior. He argued that as marketing becomes more automated, linking data, AI, and customer journeys is becoming a basic business need, not just a technological edge. Eli Ben Yosef, co-CEO of youleap, said many companies have adopted AI tools for chat, content, images, spreadsheets, and product recommendations, but still have not seen a real leap because the tools operate separately. He said the next step is a single “commercial brain” that learns continuously and acts across sales channels.
Other speakers said AI and consumer expectations are already changing retail. Yael Kender of BDO described a shift toward decision support, authenticity, subjective pricing, and treating returns as learning rather than failure. In a panel on loyalty clubs, Hila Baron of SodaStream Israel said her team sometimes shoots six ad versions to stay flexible, while Rotem Nahmani of Delta Israel Brands stressed long-term planning, multiple channels, and adding special online products to avoid harming stores. The conference closed with optimism from K. express founder and CEO Eliran Bar Menashe, who said success in Israel requires faith, persistence, and commitment to employees.
The event also held its annual excellence awards, open for the first time to public nominations as well as industry managers and professionals. Winners were ActiveTrail for innovation and AI, Wolt for breakthrough initiative, K. Express for logistics excellence, and Shopeaks for customer experience.
