Why Join our Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum Community?

What makes GELF unique is our 100% focus on international retail expansion and cross-border DTC/ecommerce. 

GELF brings together the voices of US global ecommerce leaders and digital commerce thought leaders and influencers from across North America and all around the world. Since 2014, GELF has been producing content, research and networking opportunities that are 100% focused on growing international retail and cross-border DTC/ecommerce sales.

We are Specialists in Global Ecommerce

Digital innovation and global/cross-border DTC ecommerce are exploding globally – for all types of retailers and brands. 

Keeping pace with change in markets around the world can be as daunting as it is exciting for digital professionals. Whether it is digital innovation emerging from China or managing channel conflict in maturing markets like Western Europe, global trend watching requires a specialized community of digital professionals. Building and nurturing these connections is GELF’s mission and the passion of our community!

One of the GELF community’s most exciting dynamics is the upside potential of global omnichannel, which is growing. International ecommerce is still maturing, but gaining share quickly as the global economy rebounds from economic headwinds and digital transformation accelerates.

Other ecommerce conferences and communities look at the entire digital retail ecosystem. GELF brings together leaders that manage international retail expansion and cross-border DTC/ecommerce operations. We provide them a forum to learn and share information as they network and build their global business.

Speakers at GELF events hail from the world’s top retail ecommerce brands and include the most exciting innovators in the digital commerce world.  Their willingness to share their global ecommerce expertise and their passion for building cross-border community helps GELF deliver high quality content, actionable insights and valuable relationships.

We’ve learned a lot from the GELF community since we published the industry’s first benchmarking study on international ecommerce expansion on 2008. Since then, GELF founders have spoken at retail ecommerce conferences around the world including CommerceNext, Shoptalk, Shop.org, NRF, Global Ecommerce Summit (Spain), Online Retailer Conference (Australia), Retail Council of Canada, NACS (Singapore and the UK), and VTEX Day, LATAM’s premier ecommerce conference.  

GELF’s consultants have advised global brands and startups alike, including leading organizations like Nike, Adidas, Luxottica Retail, Harley-Davidson, Baccarat, Wahl Clipper, Chantelle and more.

How to Get Connected & Become Involved

Peer networking and sharing insights has helped drive community-building among digital retail professionals from the earliest days of ecommerce. This openness is one reason that the global ecommerce community is so unique. 

GELF is proud to provide a range of events and programs to encourage networking and raising the profile of our members.

Job #1 is to get involved! We’d love to hear your international ecommerce stories, past or present, and how they’ve shaped your career. Here is how you and your colleagues can become part of the growing GELF community:

1) Speak at GELF Events – If you’re interested in sharing your cross-border and international ecommerce experience, email us at speak@globalecommerce.co. GELF speakers represent a broad array of global brands, hot new DTC start-ups, beloved retailers and innovative marketplace sellers. Check out GELF’s past events for a much more expansive overview of GELF speakers!

2) Participate in GELF’s Regional Workshops – In 2019, GELF launched its Regional Workshop Series with GELF LATAM in May and GELF’s China Ecommerce Workshop in September. We’re always open to suggestions about new regional events, so don’t be shy to reach out with ideas! If you’d like to like to speak, sponsor or just attend our upcoming regional workshops, feel free to email us at speak@globalecommerce.co or sponsor@globalecommerce.co

3) Lend your voice to the Global Ecommerce Leaders Podcast – Get out ahead of the curve and join GELF’s podcast series.  Whether you’re a seasoned cross-border pro or an up-and-coming global ecommerce executive, we’d like to help you share your international insights. Email us at speak@globalecommerce.co and tell us your story!

4) Join GELF’s Executive Lunch Discussions and other Global Ecommerce Leaders Meet-ups – Do you miss networking at industry events and learning from old colleagues and new friends? GELF’s private virtual executive meetups offer a relaxed, informative and insightful environment where leaders can share insights, discuss industry research, ask questions and get to know each other.

5) Participate in Global Ecommerce Research and Benchmarking Studies – GELF’s mission is facilitate learning and sharing about cross-border expansion strategies and the supporting best practices driving global ecommerce growth. Primary research is core to this mission and we place the GELF community in the middle of every study we produce. 

• In 2009, GELF’s team produced the first international ecommerce benchmarking study. 
• More recently, we  collaborated with Internet Retailer on another GELF global ecommerce benchmarking study. 
• In 2018, our research partnership with the NRF created a groundbreaking study that explored how digital is disrupting global distribution. In TRANSFORMING INTERNATIONAL RETAIL DISTRIBUTION: GLOBAL ECOMMERCE’S LATEST WAVE OF DISRUPTION, we found that leading marketplace solutions are evolving into global digital distribution platforms (GDDP). In 2021, we’re planning to revisit the study and profile how these GDDPs are evolving into global retail ecommerce distribution ecosystems (GREDE). 
• In 2020, GELF’s research continued elevating the voices of global ecommerce leaders from around the world. In GELF’s Topline Findings Exec Summary of 2020 GELF China Ecommerce Research Findings, GELF published another chapter profiling how China serves as the headwaters of global retail.
• This 2020 report on the state of China ecommerce updates our 2017 GELF-China-Ecommerce Study.

6) Contribute to GELF’s Thought Leadership White Papers and Case Studies about Global Ecommerce Expansion

GELF has been creating thought leadership content articulating the importance of investing in cross-border ecommerce operations and international retail expansion for over a decade.

GELF’s content marketing services include a combination of publication formats ranging from research-centric reports and white paper to multi-media formats including video and infographics. Content marketing deliverables educate audiences about key global & cross-border retail & ecommerce trends, opportunities & market dynamics.

GELF’s Diversity Spans the Globe

As global retail brands redouble their efforts to connect directly with shoppers at home and abroad, GELF is committed to providing a digital forum where ecommerce leaders can share, learn and adapt their international strategies to these uncertain times.

GELF is pleased to see our community grow beyond its roots among global ecommerce leaders based in the US. We’ve been excited to see more leaders from DTC brands and traditional wholesale-focused retail distributors join the community in recent years. Titles attending GELF events are also diverse; spanning business disciplines and departments and representing the energy and passions that exist across retail organizations (as highlighted in the analysis below).

In the weeks and months ahead, GELF will be working closely with global ecommerce leaders, their solution provider partners and other industry influencers to create engaging and actionable content. Join us as we help the GELF community make new connections and tighten existing relationships.

Much like our speakers do at live events in LA and NYC – and at GELF’s private networking dinners across the country – the GELF community will use our GELF Tech Talks digital forums to deliver a mix of strategic insights and tactical cross-border To Dos about their global retail expansion practices.

If you’re passionate about global ecommerce, join us for an ongoing series of programming and timely content designed to help the GELF community continue to thrive. Bring your experiences and questions. Leave with insights and answers.

If you are an executive at an online retailer or brand selling direct to consumer and would like to share your cross-border and international ecommerce experiences during our GELF Tech Talks Spring Virtual Programming Series, please email us at speak@globalecommerce.co

Interested in being a sponsor? Please contact sponsor@globalecommerce.co.