600 episodes Kassenzone, what a milestone! For twelve years, Alex Graf, with his insatiable curiosity and clear stance, has shaped the German e-commerce podcast like hardly anyone else. Karo Junker de Neui was added two years ago and has since designed around 50 episodes and enriched them with fresh perspectives. Kassenzone has become a permanent authority in the retail and digital sector. For this anniversary episode, they invited a very special guest, Jochen Krisch, founder of Exciting Commerce. Together, they not only look back on over a decade of e-commerce, but also celebrate this special moment, with lots of nostalgia, clear opinions and a glimpse of the future.
This special episode goes back to the beginning. How it all began with blogs, why QR codes were first ridiculed and then suddenly became useful due to Covid, and why the Amazon Dash Button sounded spectacular but failed in everyday life.
The shopping club era (Westwing, Best Secret, Limango) and social commerce attempts from the past are also discussed. This shows that many models were ahead of their time or were abandoned too quickly. TikTok store could be the next example. It has been ridiculed so far, but according to Alex, it has a real chance of becoming one of Germany's top shops. Prerequisite: better creator education and focus on the entertainment factor.
Innovation remains a central issue. The three discuss why retailers invest too little in inspiration and customer loyalty and how artificial intelligence can change this. According to Jochen, Agentic Commerce (personalized advice from AI agents) in particular offers enormous potential to take a fresh look at e-commerce, beyond tile layouts and conversion thinking.
Finally, they look together at international trends, the influence of China and new markets such as energy or defense.
This episode is an honest, partly nostalgic, partly visionary deep dive into 20 years of e-commerce, with the clear message: If you don't inspire, you lose. Congratulations Alex and Karo and thanks to everyone who makes Kassenzone possible. Here's to the next 600!
Our key insights from the 600th Kassenzone episode:
📦 From Dash Button to TikTok Shop: Many innovations came too early or were misplaced. Why formats such as live shopping still deserve a second chance.
🧠 Inspiration instead of optimization: If you want to be successful in e-commerce, you have to get out of funnel thinking and into real repurchase rate strategies & creative discovery mechanics.
👀 Agentic Commerce & AI: Whether it's shopping assistance, visual search or personalized interfaces, anyone who structures data correctly today will gain market share tomorrow.
🌍 China, South Korea, new markets: International pioneers show how dynamic commerce can be when technology, creator economics and platform thinking come together.
📻 More than commerce: Alex broadens his view, including the energy and defense industries. Why new markets are often reminiscent of the early e-commerce years.
%20(1).jpg)
