The Future of Digital Commerce: A Collaborative Journey of Design and Innovation
At the crossroads of design and technology, “Design Forward: A Collaborative Vision for the Future of Digital Commerce” united visionary minds to redefine the future of ecommerce. Hosted at the Stanford d.school with SAP Design, this event illuminated how AI and design thinking can create meaningful, human-centered digital experiences
Written by Malini Leveque, VP of Business Insights & Advanced Research at SAP
The event served as a springboard for groundbreaking discussions on the intersection of design, technology, and human connection. Held at Stanford’s d.school, this event provided the perfect environment for bold ideas and collaboration, aiming to reshape the future of ecommerce through AI and cutting-edge design thinking.
Against the dynamic backdrop of Stanford’s fall quarter, the d.school became a hub of innovation. Attendees dove into hands-on sessions and dialogues that challenged traditional perceptions of digital commerce and its future direction. A key highlight of the event was a vibrant panel discussion, moderated by Justin Ferrell from Stanford’s d.school, featuring insights from industry leaders who shared a collective vision of transformation.
This panel didn’t just reflect individual expertise — it wove together the key themes of how AI and design are driving the evolution of ecommerce. Kyle Wong, CEO of Pixlee and StartX, emphasized the role of social media as a powerful force in building authentic connections between brands and consumers. In a world where user-generated content is becoming a cornerstone of marketing, Wong described how platforms like Instagram and TikTok allow brands to foster deeper, more meaningful engagements. But these shifts were only the beginning.
Marc Kirmoyan, Lead Product Manager at SAP Commerce Cloud, expanded the conversation by exploring the rise of hyper-personalization in B2B ecommerce. He painted a vivid picture of digital storefronts that are continuously adapting — real-time data and AI transforming product recommendations and pricing models to meet the specific needs of each client. The vision wasn’t just of smart, responsive platforms, but of a world where the boundaries between businesses and customers blur, driven by dynamic customization.
Lisa Kay Solomon, Author and Designer in Residence at Stanford’s d.school, brought the discussion into the future by underscoring the power of human-centered design. For her, design wasn’t just about meeting user needs today but shaping the very experiences that will define tomorrow’s commerce landscape. She argued that the focus should move beyond mere customization toward fostering genuine relationships — creating spaces where consumers feel truly understood and valued.
Kyle Haskins, Product Lead at SAP, rounded out the dialogue by offering a compelling vision of how design will reshape not only interfaces but the very stories behind them. He envisioned a world where personal assistants do more than perform tasks — they anticipate needs, creating seamless, intuitive experiences that blur the line between user and technology. Effective design, he emphasized, isn’t just functional but emotional, telling stories that resonate deeply and forge lasting connections.
This rich dialogue was only the beginning. The real magic happened when attendees moved from theory to practice. Breakout groups, centered around Design Thinking methods, transformed visionary ideas into actionable concepts that spanned the spectrum of digital commerce innovation. The “Evolving the AI Shopping Assistant” group redefined how AI can intuitively interact with consumers, while the “Intelligent Catalog” group reinvented product descriptions through storytelling. Finally, the “Boundary-Breaking Product Visuals” team stretched the limits of ecommerce imagery, turning static displays into immersive, narrative-driven visuals.
The “Design Forward: Reimagining the Future of Digital Ecommerce” event showcased the longtime relationship between Stanford’s d.school and SAP , embodying Hasso Plattner’s vision of mutual learning between academia and business to create impactful innovations. Plattner, who revolutionized design thinking and provided the original funding to build Stanford’s d.school, inspired this relationship, which not only imagines the future of digital commerce but actively shapes it. The event demonstrated how the fusion of creative minds and technological expertise can craft transformative solutions that engage, inspire, and elevate digital experiences in the modern age.
A special thanks to Arin Bhowmick, CDO at SAP, Balaji Balasubramanian, SVP and Global Head of Commerce and Industry Cloud at SAP, and Laura McBain, Managing Director at the Stanford d.school, for their invaluable support and sponsorship.
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