Tuesday, August 4 2020 | 45 minutes | 09:00 GMT / 11:00 CET Institutions that reinvent themselves throughout a global pandemic, by making the most of better insight, and foresight, will disproportionately succeed. The online world of contactless commerce could be bolstered in ways that reshape consumer behaviour forever. The crisis will shed light on company vulnerabilities but also opportunities to improve performance. This is also a new strategy for companies today to futureproof against global economic shocks by exploring different methods of production and delivery to customers. One of the key technologies for industries to tackle the global pandemic is the Internet of Things (IoT) and its integration with e-commerce platforms. COVID-19 has caused a drastic shift in customer purchasing behaviour; forcing most companies to establish an e-store. It is important for manufacturer’s today to leverage the increasing preference of consumers to purchase online and reflect the purchasing patterns to predict and plan future production requirements in order for the business to thrive. Moreover, cloud computing provides manufacturers with remote access to a virtual command and control centre that is able to monitor and operate multiple facilities simultaneously from anywhere in the world.

• How can manufacturers integrate IIoT and e-commerce in a meaningful way that creates sustainable growth and product innovation?
• What is required for SMEs to enter the e-commerce market successfully?
• What restriction will be imposed on companies in terms of data collection and analysis?
• How will this integration affect consumers?
• As e-commerce platforms become increasingly essential during pandemics, which sectors would win, and which sectors would lose?