As e-commerce sales grow, the industry is increasingly competitive as new players seek a piece of the pie, and entrenched ones aim to garner a bigger one. But one key for the most successful online retailers is that they never stop learning and adjusting the way they operate.

Real-time, expert-driven practical guidance is key to success and, from the start, that’s been the centerpiece of the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition, which is the world’s largest e-commerce event. IRCE 2018 expands on that tradition with an agenda that’s packed with retailers sharing their perspectives on perennial business challenges and the latest trends.

IRCE keynote sessions

Take Warby Parker, the eyewear company co-founded in 2010 by co-CEO Dave Gilboa, who on Wednesday delivers the opening keynote address.

The idea that sparked the creation of the company occurred when one of the company’s founders asked the question, “Why are eyeglasses so expensive?” Turns out, they didn’t have to be–if Warby Parker could find a way to change the traditional production and distribution approach.

Eight years after its founding, the retailer is worth an estimated $1.7 billion, thanks to its disruptive business model, technology development and social entrepreneurship.

If questioning the status quo was the spark that lit the way to the founding of Warby Parker, the same approach ignited the career of IRCE’s special guest speaker. Seth Godin, former business executive, internet pioneer and intellectual provocateur, is a writer and thought leader whose 18 best-selling books cover topics such as the way ideas spread, marketing, leadership and, most of all, changing everything.

Seth Godin

During his presentation Wednesday morning, Godin will deconstruct the complicated relationship between fear and freedom, explain how to stop hiding behind what feels “safe” and how to get “unstuck.” It’s OK to have some bad ideas on the way to lasting change, Godin argues. “To make change happen, don’t wait for permission, just get started,” he says.

That’s the same kind of initiative that turned a remodeling project on Alon Cohen’s own home into Houzz, a $4 billion company that Wall Street has called a “trifecta of content, community and commerce.”

After Cohen and his wife successfully tackled the task of sourcing materials and the right professionals for their own remodel, they began receiving requests for help from others. They launched Houzz.com in 2010.

Today, Houzz’s website, apps and online forum enable consumers to get design inspiration, hire professionals and shop for products and materials for their home renovation and design projects. In his presentation Thursday morning, Cohen will explain how listening and responding to homeowners and home pros created a vibrant community of more than 40 million monthly unique users.

Listening to and understanding customers also is critical in the retail fashion world. Plus-size women’s clothing is a $20 billion retail market, and IRCE’s featured speaker on the main stage Thursday morning will share how her company is reinventing in the fast-growing category. Eloquii has established itself as a leader in plus-sized retailing online—revenue topped $50 million after just four years—and CEO Mariah Chase will share with IRCE attendees how her company’s distinct blend of fashion and data science is maximizing the company’s success.

IRCE conference track sessions

In addition to the main stage speakers, IRCE attendees will find inspiration and insights in the conference’s 16 topic-focused tracks and breakout sessions scheduled Tuesday to Friday.

For instance, IRCE’s Amazon & Me workshop on Tuesday explores Amazon and its outsized influence across e-commerce. Sessions address the retailer’s latest changes and offer advice on how to get the most out of Amazon while staying on the right side of its terms of service.

The latest developments in online marketing will be addressed across three marketing-related tracks: The New Tactics (Thursday), Brand Building (Thursday) and Proven Winners (Wednesday). Each highlights success stories across a full spectrum of today’s most pressing questions in the online marketing of stores, products and brands.

On Wednesday, the Strategies for Top Executives track will feature speakers examining consumer behavioral changes and how to foster innovation in-house. The track also will offer a focus on profitability, with sessions on investment valuation and contribution analysis.

IRCE’s Omnichannel Leadership track on Wednesday will address the challenges and opportunities that multichannel retailers face.

The B2B market also is changing, with a growing percentage of sales shifting online. Expert insights and examples in the Friday B2B workshop will help pave the way for wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers looking online to create operating efficiencies, reduce costs and meet online business buyers’ changing expectations.

And, for the first time, IRCE will offer a workshop specifically targeting the interests of those newer to e-commerce, the New Recruit Boot Camp. This interactive workshop on Tuesday will address key foundational aspects of e-commerce—from design to marketing to fulfillment and technology.

With 130 sessions, more than 200 speakers and an expansive range of exhibitors, IRCE’s roughly 10,000 attendees spanning 3,000 companies this week will be able to examine what’s working in e-commerce today, what’s new and what’s next.