E-Commerce Strategy & Business Models Masterclass

E-Commerce Strategy & Business Models The two-day seminar for founders and shop decision-makers who want to build their business model on a strategically sound footing: market analysis, positioning, revenue logic, margins and a viable growth model.

E-Commerce Strategy & Business Models at a glance

• Format: 2 days on site + self-learning track
• Level: Fundamentals for strategy
• Participants: Max. 16 people
• Language: German
• Certificate: AEI certificate of participation
• Investment: €1,490.00 plus VAT

Many shops start with one product, one platform and the hope that growth will appear at some point. But successful e-commerce companies are not an accident. They have a clear business model, clean positioning, fitting revenue logic, realistic margins and a system that brings customers, offer, channels and operations together.

This seminar makes your shop strategically sound: you will understand which business models work in digital commerce, how successful providers occupy their market and how to develop a clear, viable growth model for your own e-commerce venture from that.

Who is this seminar for?

For founders, shop owners and digital entrepreneurs who do not just want to start an e-commerce business technically but want to build it as a viable business model.

• You want to understand why some shops scale while others stagnate despite good products.
• You have a product idea or an existing shop and need strategic clarity before the next investment.
• You lack a dependable model for target group, positioning, margin, channels and growth.
• You do not want to decide your range, pricing and market role on gut feeling.
• You want to set up your e-commerce venture so that it makes economic sense rather than only generating revenue.

Your learning objectives

After this seminar you can:

• analyse which e-commerce business models fit your product, market and target group.
• assess whether your shop model has margin, demand and repurchase potential.
• decide which positioning makes you distinguishable in competition.
• structure how range, pricing, channels and operations work together.
• develop which growth logic is realistic for your business model.
• calculate which metrics decide the viability of your model.
• prioritise which strategic decisions come before the next tool or marketing investment.
• build an understanding of how a shop idea becomes a clear business model with a roadmap.

Business model fields at a glance

• Model — Place D2C, marketplace, subscription, curated commerce and hybrid models.
• Positioning — Sharpen market role, target group and value proposition clearly.
• Margin — Review contribution margin, cost logic and scalability realistically.
• Customer — Understand buying motives, repurchase and customer journey strategically.
• Growth — Think channels, retention and expansion as a system.
• Roadmap — Translate strategic priorities into concrete implementation.

Programme — 2 days

Day 1 – Business model, market & positioning

09:30–10:45 — E-commerce business models

• Comparing D2C, marketplace, subscription and hybrid models
• Understanding revenue logic, cost structure and scalability
• Recognising typical patterns of successful e-commerce companies
• Using the AEI Business Model Canvas as a working basis

11:00–12:30 — Market, target group & competition

• Assessing market dynamics and competitive pressure realistically
• Structuring target groups by need, buying motive and willingness to pay
• Analysing direct and indirect competitors sensibly
• Identifying strategic gaps and opportunities in the market

13:30–15:00 — Positioning & value proposition

• Developing a clear value proposition for shop and range
• Building differentiation beyond price and product features
• Connecting brand logic, category and buying arguments
• Formulating a positioning statement for your own model

15:15–16:45 — Range, pricing & margin logic

• Assessing range architecture and offer logic
• Understanding pricing as a strategic lever
• Thinking margin, returns, discounts and costs together
• Checking first business model hypotheses by calculation

Day 2 – Growth, metrics & strategic roadmap

09:30–10:45 — Growth architecture

• Placing growth channels that fit the business model
• Connecting acquisition, conversion and retention as a system
• Recognising risks of scaling too early
• Deriving strategic growth priorities

11:00–12:30 — Metrics & decision logic

• Understanding AOV, CAC, CLV, contribution margin and payback
• Using metrics for decisions rather than collecting them
• Structuring a business case for an e-commerce model
• Recognising warning signals for unviable models

13:30–15:00 — Operating model & organisation

• Planning roles, processes and service providers strategically
• Preparing make-or-buy decisions cleanly
• Deriving tool and platform decisions from the model
• Controlling strategic complexity early

15:15–16:45 — Your strategy roadmap

• Setting priorities for the next 90 days
• Translating strategic assumptions into tests
• Separating quick wins from fundamental decisions
• Finalising your personal business model roadmap

Our approach

AEI does not treat e-commerce strategy as abstract theory. You work on the decisions that later determine profitability, focus and scalability: model, market, margin and momentum.

The self-learning track prepares you with model examples, metric fundamentals and short strategy checks, so the live days are used for real decisions.

• MODEL CLARITY You make visible which business model really sits behind your shop.
• MARGIN REALITY You check whether revenue, costs and growth fit together economically.
• GROWTH LOGIC You derive which growth paths fit your model and market.

What you take with you

• AEI Business Model Canvas for e-commerce companies.
• Strategy check for D2C, marketplace, subscription and hybrid models.
• Positioning framework including target group, value proposition and differentiation.
• Margin and contribution margin check for your business model.
• Competition and market logic matrix for better strategic decisions.
• Growth architecture map for acquisition, conversion and retention.
• Metric set for AOV, CAC, CLV, payback and profitability.
• Personal 90-day strategy roadmap for your e-commerce venture.
• Exclusive: AEI business model stress test for shop ideas and existing models.

Investment and dates

• Regular price: €1,490 plus VAT
• Early bird price: €1,190 plus VAT up to 30 days before the seminar starts
• Bundle offer: 15% discount in combination with „E-Commerce Setup“
• Format: 2 days on site + self-learning track
• Participants: Max. 16 people
• Language: German
• Location: Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Hamburg

Dates are added continuously. On request we will name the next available date and advise on on-site, live online or self-paced.