In this quarterlyStützle update, Karo once again talks to Vanessa Stützle, CEO of the LUQOM Group, about the most exciting developments in German e-commerce. Every three months, the two report on market trends, challenges and opportunities — this time with a particular focus on consumer sentiment, AI and agentic commerce.
To get started, it's about the latest indicators from GfK and ifo: Income expectations are falling, consumer sentiment is subdued — i.e. noticeable at this year's DMEXCO. Vanessa also reports on how LUQOM is developing despite the difficult environment: high-single-digit growth, increasing profitability and a successfully completed refinancing.
Karo and Vanessa then take up the theme of the last episode: Sheglam on DM. Surprisingly strong consumer reactions have shaped the debate — but both remain convinced: dm's move is strategically correct and future-oriented.
This time, there is a focus on AI and Agentic Commerce: The two talk about how companies manage to successfully launch pilot projects, why the right mindset and corporate culture are decisive for the success of AI integration, what role Agentic Commerce could play for retailers and why Vanessa sees a close connection to new hardware such as the Glasses Smart from Meta and Oakley.
Our key insights:
🌐 Agentic Commerce is more than just a hype: AI agents can personalize customer interactions and automate processes.
🧠 Mindset beats experience: Culture and organization are crucial for successful AI integration.
🕶️ Agentic Commerce + Hardware: Smart glasses and similar technologies can completely redesign commerce experiences.
🛍️ Sheglam at dm is causing a stir: The drugstore market shows how to deal confidently with criticism and attention.
An overview of the conversation:
(2:35) Market Situation and Sentiment Indices
(7:07) LUQOMS Successes and Challenges
(13:36) Sheglam at dm and customer responses
(17:51) Looking into the future with AI
(23:38) Agentic Commerce and Customer Experience
(28:52) Challenges for trade
(35:25) Future Visions in E-Commerce
From isolated AI prototypes to scalable AI transformation
Many retailers are currently testing new technologies, but often get stuck in isolated pilot projects and silos. To successfully bring these initiatives to a strategic corporate level, you need more than just the joy of experimenting. When it comes to successful AI implementation in companies, we never think of technology as an end in itself. Through a well-founded AI Strategy We identify the biggest economic levers along the value chain and transfer isolated use cases into scalable, enterprise-ready solutions.
Technical requirements are changing massively, particularly with regard to the upcoming Agentic Commerce, in which digital agents will curate and shop for the customer. In the future, retailers will not only need excellent, machine-readable product data, but also high-performance system landscapes. To ensure that companies remain relevant in this new ecosystem and are found by agents, we support them end-to-end through digital transformation.
From commerce platform implementation to strategic CDP implementation and digital process automation: We ensure that data architecture and technology work seamlessly together and help retailers reduce costs, increase efficiency and position themselves as pioneers in tomorrow's e-commerce.
