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Bringing together online store owners, directors and experts in digital marketing, logistics, payments and technology, as well as other stakeholders actively contributing to the development of the e-commerce market, the eighth edition of the CRO Commerce conference (powered by Shipshape), the largest regional gathering dedicated to online retail, was held yesterday at Zagreb's Mozaik Event Centre. Attendance was limited to 500 participants to ensure the highest quality networking and exchange of experiences. The day-long program took place across three stages, offering lectures, panel discussions and concrete business practice examples, alongside numerous opportunities for knowledge sharing and building new business contacts.
In his opening speech, Marcel Majsan, president of the eCommerce Hrvatska association, which organizes the conference, pointed out that robotics and technological development will significantly alter how we work in the future, with robots potentially becoming far more productive than humans. Under these circumstances, the question arises as to what our role will be and how we will distinguish ourselves from machines. The answer, according to Majsan, lies in what makes us human: the ability to connect, meet new people, develop partnerships and form friendships. "It is precisely this human-to-human contact, or direct human connection, that is one of the core ideas behind the CRO Commerce conference. I therefore invite all participants to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the conference, step outside the frame of daily business duties and get to know the people around them, because personal relationships and connection will remain important even in an increasingly automated world," Majsan stated.
Silver tsunami on the horizon
Andrija Čolak from Čolak Business Brokerage (CBB), keynote speaker at the CRO Commerce conference, dedicated his presentation to buying and selling companies, with a special emphasis on the specifics of selling an e-commerce business. "When determining a price, sellers often start from their own expectations and plans, but it is crucial to understand the buyer's perspective and the realistic market value of the business. The final price always depends on how much a buyer is willing to pay for a specific business, taking into account its performance, potential and risks," he stressed.
Čolak also warned of a generational transition currently prompting a growing number of owners to sell their businesses, which simultaneously opens up significant opportunities for buyers. According to CBB's experience, around 60 per cent of owners sell their business due to fatigue after running the company for 20 to 30 years, while about 30 per cent retire. In Croatia, as he noted, there are more than 17,000 companies whose owners are older than 60, with the vast majority having no heir interested in taking over the business. The remaining 10 per cent of sales are driven by health issues, relocation and other life circumstances. This generational wave, which he called a quiet "silver tsunami", is creating opportunities that were hard to imagine a decade ago.
Reflecting on his participation in the CRO Commerce conference, Čolak emphasized that specialized gatherings dedicated to specific market segments are particularly valuable because they enable a more targeted focus and the exchange of information tailored to participants' needs. "Precisely this approach allows the audience to gain practical knowledge they can apply to their own business, whether they are considering selling their company or identifying new growth opportunities through acquisitions," Čolak highlighted.
Prepare in time
One of the central themes of this year's conference was the timely preparation of online retailers for Black Friday, the most important sales period of the year. For this reason, a month and a half before the most critical day for e-commerce, leading experts took the CRO Commerce conference stage to share key advice and experiences during a panel discussion.
Participating in the panel "How to prepare for Black Friday 2026" were Dario Begonja, Goran Blagus, Marko Pačar, Robert Petković, Aron Stanić and Dino Oreški. From campaign planning and online store optimization to logistical challenges, inventory management, customer experience and performance analysis, conference participants received actionable recommendations that they can immediately apply to their business.
Panel participants emphasized that a successful Black Friday campaign starts well before November, and preparations should involve all relevant departments, from sales and marketing to procurement, logistics, customer support and technical teams. The foundation of success is not merely the size of the discount, but an appealing offer, a clearly defined strategy and timely coordination of activities, which is why a campaign should not be launched simply because competitors are doing so.
An essential part of preparation involves analyzing last year's results and understanding customer behavior prior to purchase. Rather than relying solely on sales metrics, online retailers should track the entire buyer journey, the role of individual marketing channels and changes in visitor behavior, adapting their campaigns based on these insights. In doing so, it is important to prepare stock in good time, ensure the visibility of promotional items across the entire web store and utilize permanent Black Friday pages that can maintain organic authority year after year.
Panelists also warned of the importance of a reliable customer experience: product availability, fast delivery, quality communication and efficient customer support can be just as important as offering the lowest price. Special attention should be paid to the technical stability of the online store, avoiding code, checkout or application changes immediately before the start of the campaign. The concluding message was that Black Friday should not be viewed as a few days of sales, but as a comprehensive process encompassing preparation, execution, analysis and customer re-engagement after the promotion ends.
AI is no longer an add-on, but part of business strategy
Artificial intelligence is shaping online retail ever more strongly, from automating business processes and decision-making to personalizing offers and managing marketing activities more efficiently. Its application was therefore a prominent topic at this year's CRO Commerce conference, where discussions focused on turning new technologies into concrete business results while preserving human creativity, strategic thinking and quality customer relationships.
This exact perspective was highlighted by Ernest Antolović, partner at the Shipshape agency - which served as the conference's main partner for the second consecutive year, and Phil Draper, Chief Executive Officer of Manago AI, which acted as a gold partner this year. Their message suggests that competitive advantage will not come merely from adopting AI tools, but from their meaningful integration into business strategy, effective data utilization and the ability to use automation to free up space for activities where human knowledge and creativity hold the greatest value.
Antolović highlighted artificial intelligence as one of the key components in the future development of e-commerce. According to him, competitive advantage will stem not only from automating existing tasks, but also from better data integration, faster decision-making and more effective business management. "The Croatian e-commerce market is entering a new phase where retailer success is increasingly based on profitability, quality of business processes and adaptability. The most successful will be those who integrate artificial intelligence into their business strategy and daily decision-making, rather than viewing it as a standalone technology," Antolović stressed.
Phil Draper from Manago AI shared a similar view, pointing out that artificial intelligence should simplify marketing and enable retailers to turn data into business results more effectively. According to him, AI enables offer personalization at the individual customer level and faster execution of marketing campaigns, freeing marketing teams for strategic planning, creativity and customer relationship building. He identified data quality, clearly defined accountability for decisions and customer trust as key prerequisites for successful implementation, emphasizing that automated communication must remain relevant and tailored to customer needs.
Payments and security as foundations of e-commerce development
Monri Payments and Blackwall, which supported the conference in cooperation with its partner FastServer, demonstrated their support for the development of the Croatian online retail market as gold sponsors of this year's CRO Commerce. Their participation highlighted the importance of two areas directly affecting online store operations and customer experience: simple, reliable payment solutions and secure digital infrastructure.
Dijana Majić, Sales Manager for the Croatian market at Monri Payments, noted that the CRO Commerce conference enables the exchange of experiences and a better understanding of merchant needs, which is vital for the further growth of the Croatian e-commerce market. She emphasized the importance of customer experience, trust and ease of purchase, where modern payment solutions play an essential role. As an example, she cited Click to Pay, which Monri Payments is the first to offer in the region in partnership with Mastercard, enabling customers to make faster and simpler online payments without re-entering card details manually.
Francisco Carvalho, Vice President of Business Development and Sales at Blackwall, highlighted that supporting the CRO Commerce conference in collaboration with partner FastServer presented an opportunity to engage with the local e-commerce community regarding the growing security challenges of digital infrastructure. He warned of the rise in automated internet traffic, which strains server resources and increases costs for merchants without necessarily bringing in genuine buyers. "Security must be the foundation of infrastructure, not a reaction to problems that have already occurred. Blackwall is therefore developing proactive solutions that analyze visitor intent and stop unwanted traffic before it reaches the server, while ensuring a seamless experience for legitimate customers," Carvalho said.
Networking as the foundation for new business collaborations
The EXPO zone was one of the central meeting places for participants at the eighth CRO Commerce conference, where over 30 exhibitors presented their solutions and products designed for the development of online retail. In addition to showcasing innovations, the emphasis throughout the day was on connecting business entities, sharing experiences and ideas and opening up opportunities for new business collaborations.
Networking was once again an important part of the conference experience this year, ranging from meetings with exhibitors and discussions with industry peers to informal gathering after the official program concluded. The closing party provided an additional opportunity to continue conversations and establish contacts in a more relaxed atmosphere, rounding off a day dedicated to knowledge, experience sharing and the growth of the e-commerce community.
Partners of the eighth CRO Commerce conference (powered by Shipshape) included Manago AI, Fastserver.hr, Monri, Sirvis, SalesSnap, BOX NOW, Meraxes, Lesnina, Marker, euShipments.com Croatia, Hisense and many others.
