e-Commerce Day 2026 by Kaufland

On June 11^th 2026, Kaufland will once again host the 14^th edition of the e-Commerce Day at Cologne’s RheinEnergieSTADION. The trade fair has long established itself as one of the most important meeting places for the digital economy. With 2,000 international participants, more than 30 presentations by renowned speakers, and over 100 exhibitors, the event offers the ideal platform to discover business opportunities, discuss the latest trends in online retail, and network. One of the key themes for 2026: artificial intelligence – from AI agents that shop independently to the strategic importance of large language models like Gemini and ChatGPT for retail.

Why attend?

The e-Commerce Day is a trade fair for people who are enthusiastic and passionate about e-commerce. It offers

• over 100 exhibitors,
• 2,000 attendees,
• 4,000 m² of exhibition space,
• 3 stages,
• more than 30 presentations (with an English translation available on all stages),
• numerous masterclasses,
• a unique location,
• full catering throughout the day,
• the Beach BBQ event the evening before (June 10^th 2026),
• and the legendary after-show party!

The event has consistently served as a springboard for many long-term, successful partnerships and client relationships – which is exactly what the e-Commerce Day aims to be once again this year! That is why, in addition to engaging presentations and hands-on masterclasses, the event features a large exhibition area and plenty of networking opportunities. Here, visitors can forge the very partnerships that will make their businesses more efficient and successful.

AI in focus

Several items on the agenda directly address the topic of AI. In the expert panel discussion “AI in Online Retail”, Dr. Sascha Lobo (media critic, author, and podcaster) will join other guests to explore the questions currently on the minds of sellers and suppliers: Is AI set to transform the retail sector permanently, or is it mostly just hype? And what does this mean for day-to-day business?

In his presentation “AI, LLMs, and Agent-Based Retail”, Nicolas Neubauer, Director of Shopping Experience at Kaufland e-commerce, will discuss specific use cases: How do AI agents shop autonomously today? What new experiences does this create on websites? And are tools like Gemini and ChatGPT truly redefining retail – or are they mainly just generating headlines?

Additional items can be found in the e-Commerce Day programme: link.

More than 30 presentations by renowned speakers

In more than 30 presentations, top-tier speakers will share practical and business-relevant insights on the topics currently shaping the online retail industry. These e-commerce-specific topics will be complemented by fascinating insights from leading figures outside the industry.

Among the highlights awaiting participants this year are, for example, presentations by the following speakers:

• Reinhold Messner, mountaineer and pioneer – on the death zone, failure, and what pushing human limits teaches us about resilience.
• Dr. Sascha Lobo, author, columnist, and podcaster – on the expert panel discussing what AI means for the economy and society beyond the hype.
• Sarah Carroll, founder of Grow Global and e-commerce expert – on growth opportunities in European markets and the AI tools driving them.
• Aaron Troschke, host, content creator, and entrepreneur – on his journey from TV star to founder of digital companies.

German-language presentations will be simultaneously translated into English.

Event organiser

The e-Commerce Day is organised by the team behind Kaufland Global Marketplace. This all-in-one solution enables sellers to expand internationally quickly and easily and serves as the foundation for the Kaufland brand’s online marketplaces. With 13,000 sellers, 139 million potential online customers, and a clear focus on growth-oriented, collaborative partnerships with sellers and partners, the international Kaufland marketplaces are among the fastest growing in Europe.

With just one registration, online sellers can sell nationally and internationally on all the Kaufland marketplaces and seamlessly manage their listings, orders, and product data from a single portal. In addition, the Kaufland marketplaces offer sellers an ideal infrastructure for rapid growth through free internationalisation services, such as automated product data translation, assistance with payment processing in the respective local currency, and the provision of 1st-level customer support in the local language.