K5 2025 Recap: What we take away from two days of e-commerce innovation

Digital trading strategies at the center

The K5 Future Retail Conference took place at the Estrel Berlin on June 24 and 25, 2025. With around 5,000 participants, a new visitor record was set. K5 once again proved to be a platform for future-oriented strategies in digital retail. We at TESSA DAM were also there and took away many ideas that we will incorporate into our projects and product development.

Focus on flexibility and AI

This year's motto “Into the Flow” ran through many talks and sessions. The focus was on agility, networked systems and dynamic workflows. Instead of classic hierarchical structures. This was particularly evident in the topic of artificial intelligence. Many speakers and exhibitors presented practical applications for automated content creation, translation, product recommendations and personalized commerce processes.

At the same time, the topic of data structure became more central. Centralization is still important, but it is becoming increasingly clear that flexible, decentralized PXM and MDM models bring the decisive advantages, especially in complex omnichannel setups.

Practical knowledge in sessions and masterclasses

The lecture stages and master classes offered concrete insights into these developments. The session by Victorinox together with Syndigo and Advellence was particularly impressive. This was a live demonstration of what a decentralized PXM setup looks like in practice - with automated localization, AI-supported translation and a modeled customer journey.

The Fireside Chat with Matthias Wlaka, CTO of Bonprix, was also a highlight. He spoke openly about the digital transformation at bonprix, the challenges of the IT realignment and the role of AI in the strategic repositioning with a clear focus on customer orientation.

Exciting perspectives also came from Veronika Strotmann (Yepoda), Tomáš Čupr (Rohlik), Nina Pütz (parfumdreams), David Schröder (Zalando), Tarek Müller (ABOUT YOU), Jochen Krisch and Johannes Kliesch (Snocks). Their contributions provided insights into different growth models, organizational structures and the role of technology in their respective business models.

Another strong example came from Contentful and commercetools, who together showed how AI-based content management can be combined with omnichannel personalization - both technically and strategically.

Exchange with partners at eye level

In addition to the content on stage, personal interaction was a key element of K5 for us. We met many of our partners on site, including ChannelEngine, Akeneo, Webmatch, Atamya and InBetween. The discussions were constructive and forward-looking. We discussed specific project ideas, interfaces, requirements and, time and again, the question of how we can work together even more efficiently for you. For us, these partnerships are a key success factor.

Atmosphere and network

Feedback on the event was consistently positive. Many described the atmosphere as open, focused and solution-oriented. For us, it was particularly valuable that the professional exchange did not end at the stages, but also continued between sessions, at the stand or during the breaks. This is exactly what K5 is all about: It brings the right people together to concretize ideas and initiate joint projects.

Our most important findings

We take a lot of ideas with us. One thing is clear: if you want to be successful today, you need systems that not only master complexity, but actively manage it. Rigid structures quickly reach their limits. PXM and MDM strategies must be adaptable to real business processes and not the other way around. AI plays a central role here: not as an end in itself, but as a tool to work more efficiently, communicate in a more personalized way and create better customer experiences.

The personal level is also crucial. The exchange with partners and like-minded people shows us time and again how important real collaboration is and how many good ideas can emerge from it.