E-commerce: Contraction, AI and new strategies. Navigate in uncertainty.

We live in an era that feels like a paradox.
On one side, Artificial Intelligence promises to revolutionize the way we work.
On the other, the B2B and B2C e-commerce world is facing a period of contraction: budgets are shrinking, and consumers are becoming more cautious.

The result? A market that demands immediate ROI and smarter decisions.

In this article, you will discover three practical levers to turn uncertainty into a competitive advantage.

The Strategy to Break Free from Immobility: From Anxiety to Targeted Action

In a market dominated by fear, the most natural reaction seems to be standing still. Yet, it’s precisely in these moments that clarity of action is most needed—focusing on what we can truly control.

The first resource to invest in is the customer who has already chosen you: acquiring new ones is increasingly complex and costly, while the real wealth lies in the existing customer base. Improving customer experience, working on personalization, and strengthening loyalty programs means transforming a satisfied client not only into a repeat buyer but also into a valuable brand ambassador, especially when budgets are tight.

On this journey, Artificial Intelligence can become a tangible and effective ally. It shouldn’t be seen as an abstract concept or an inaccessible investment, but rather as a tool capable of generating measurable returns right away. Through intelligent automation, for example, you can deploy advanced chatbots that handle simple customer service requests, leaving your internal team to manage complex cases. AI algorithms can also analyze purchasing behaviors and deliver personalized recommendations, increasing the average order value. At the same time, AI can optimize advertising campaigns in real time, investing only in channels and segments that actually convert.

Optimizing Infrastructure: Invest Better, Not Less

With limited budgets, now more than ever, every euro spent on technology and infrastructure must deliver concrete, measurable impact. This is the time to aim for radical efficiency, starting with a critical assessment of your technological ecosystem. Too often, companies end up paying for platforms or features that are underutilized: consolidating tools, renegotiating contracts, and cutting the superfluous means building a leaner, more agile structure that’s cheaper to maintain.

In this direction, Composable Commerce represents a paradigm shift. The era of monolithic, rigid platforms is over: today you can select and integrate the best solutions for each individual function, from search to payments to reviews. This approach allows you to focus precisely on the areas that truly need improvement, achieving faster and more controlled ROI without having to overhaul the entire infrastructure.

Finally, the compass that must guide every decision is one: data. It’s the most valuable asset any company owns. Investing in advanced analytics tools means understanding with precision which products generate the highest margins, which channels have the lowest acquisition cost, and which actions deliver tangible results. Only then can every investment become a real lever for growth.

Is It Time to Rethink Outsourcing? Yes, but Strategically

In recent years, the word outsourcing has often been associated with a model to move away from—toward insourcing—based on the belief, which we generally share, that direct control over e-commerce assets is a valuable advantage.

However, there is also a conscious approach to outsourcing: manpower, operational and even strategic oversight are external, risks are external, and from the inside, the brand maintains clear and deliberate control.

The advantages of this approach:

• cost flexibility: transform fixed personnel costs into variable ones. Do you need a development team for a 3-month project? Outsourcing is the answer to avoid long-term structural burdens;

• access to elite expertise: hiring an AI expert, a data scientist, or a specialist in a complex platform is costly and time-consuming. With outsourcing, you gain access to top-level talent exactly for the time you need them;

• focus on core business: outsourcing complex but non-core activities (e.g., platform management, certain areas of digital marketing) allows your internal team to concentrate on what they do best: strategy, product knowledge, and customer relationships;

• what and how to outsource: the winning approach is selective and adaptive outsourcing. Instead of delegating entire departments, outsource specific functions, short-term projects, or highly specialized areas where you lack internal expertise. The key is choosing a partner who acts as an extension of your team, not just as a supplier.

The Calm of the Strong

The time we’re living in isn’t easy, but it hides a unique opportunity: the chance to build businesses that are more resilient, efficient, and intelligent. Market contraction forces us to eliminate waste, focus on real customer value, and use technology not as an end in itself but as a powerful means to achieve concrete results.

This is not the time to stop, but to navigate with greater awareness and strategy.

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— 30 September 2025