Bournemouth’s eCommerce Leaders Gather for Insight-Packed Lunch & Learn

This June we hosted 25 of the South Coast’s top eCommerce retailers at Patch in Bournemouth for an afternoon of sharp insights, good food, and genuinely useful conversation.

Our Lunch & Learn events are designed to bring together focused groups of ambitious Dorset eCommerce professionals and this one truly delivered on these objectives. From practical growth tactics to honest stories from the front line, every session had something a retailer could take away and actually use.

Real Stories, Real Strategies

The afternoon featured four speakers covering what’s working right now in eCommerce, from brand building to CRO, paid social and subscriptions.

We kicked off with Olly Whittle from Swarm Social who shared his take on what’s changing in Meta Ads. With reduced impulse buying and rising costs, creative strategy matters more than ever. One stat that stood out: emotional, benefit-led headlines can drive 40% more clicks than product-led ones.

Adam King, co-founder of Real Agency, then took the room into the world of CRO and user experience, showing how subtle changes like micro-animations on ‘Add to Cart’ buttons can increase click-through by up to 9%, and how tweaks in typography can help reduce abandoned carts. Smart, fast-win ideas that often go unnoticed.

Marcus Wincott, our Client Services Director, followed up with a practical look at subscriptions. What makes them stick, how to avoid ‘subscription fatigue’, and why flexibility and communication matter just as much as price. A reminder that recurring revenue only works if it works for your customers.

Finally, Rupert Holloway, founder of Conker Spirit, who shared his story of ditching the day job to start Dorset’s first gin distillery. His session gave a raw and honest look at what it really takes to grow a DTC brand, including how Conker shifted its strategy during the pandemic and now obsessively tracks the three revenue drivers: number of customers, order frequency, and average order value.

What People Said

Feedback from the day was brilliant – here’s what people said about the event:

What’s Next?

There’s clearly strong momentum building across the eCommerce South Coast scene. With the room full, the conversations flowing, and a clear appetite for more – we’re already looking ahead.

Keep your eyes peeled for future events hosted by Real Agency, your eCommerce agency for growth, conversion, and design. Whether you're in eCommerce Dorset, eCommerce Bournemouth, or anywhere along the South Coast, we’re here to help you grow.