CommerceNext
CommerceNext operates a community and event platform for digital, marketing, and technology leaders at retail and DTC brands, anchored by its annual Growth Show conference and supplemented by year-round webinars, specialized forums, research content, and a network of 50+ industry advisors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CommerceNext does
CommerceNext is a privately held community and event platform serving digital, marketing, and technology leaders at retail and direct-to-consumer brands. The company's flagship offering is the annual Growth Show conference, which drew more than 2,500 attendees and 150+ speakers in 2026 and is scheduled to relocate to the larger North Javits venue in New York City for 2027. The product portfolio extends beyond the flagship to include the AI Forum, the Post-Purchase Forum, the Consumer Tech Playground (an NRF-affiliated showcase), Topgolf networking receptions, in-market dinners, recurring Wednesday webinars, and a steady cadence of podcasts, research reports, blog content, and a video archive. The community is anchored by an advisory board of 50+ senior retail executives drawn from brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Avolta, B&H Photo, AAA Growth Agency, and many others, providing brand and content credibility.
The business operates a two-sided monetization model. Technology vendors and SaaS partners pay sponsorship and booth fees to access the retailer decision-maker audience and generate leads — exemplified by IPSY's CTO publicly stating that the conference produced a same-show vendor contract. Retailers and brand-side attendees largely attend free, with the company offering up to $1,200 in travel credits and complimentary tickets as a customer acquisition incentive. There is no disclosed proprietary technology stack; the operational backbone is event production, a self-service registration system (growthshow.commercenext.com), and owned digital marketing channels across LinkedIn, X, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. The company shows no app, public API, SDK, or AI/ML product capabilities.
CommerceNext is a privately held, for-profit corporation headquartered in New York City, operating with 11–50 employees and no publicly disclosed funding rounds, parent company, acquisitions, or institutional investor backing. The founder/co-founder Veronika Sonsev is identified in source materials. Historical milestones include the 2026 Growth Show scaling, the October 2025 Post-Purchase Forum, the AI Forum launch, and the announced 2027 venue relocation, all consistent with an event business investing in flagship scale and vertical product-line diversification rather than geographic or M&A expansion.
CommerceNext firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CommerceNext
- Legal name
- CommerceNext
- Website
- https://commercenext.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CommerceNext operates a community and event platform for digital, marketing, and technology leaders at retail and DTC brands, anchored by its annual Growth Show conference and supplemented by year-round webinars, specialized forums, research content, and a network of 50+ industry advisors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CommerceNext industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail Industry Events and Community
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional & Association Conferences (MPAGAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Virtual Trade Shows & Expos (Digital Booths, Lead Capture) (MPAGAOAB), Partner, Channel & Vendor Conferences (MPAGAGAL)
Keywords
Where CommerceNext is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CommerceNext business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Event Tickets and Attendance: Revenue is generated through paid tickets to the annual Growth Show conference, with free tickets offered selectively to retailers and brands as part of travel incentive programs.
- Sponsorship: Technology partners and brands sponsor events to gain access to the retailer community. The partnering ecosystem enables sponsors to demo products and sign contracts with attending retailers.
- Speaker and Content: Content programming including research reports, podcasts, video archives, and blog content creates demand generation opportunities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Retailer/Brand Attendee Program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels9 records
CommerceNext product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CommerceNext operates a community and event platform for digital, marketing, and technology leaders at retail and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands. Its core offering is the annual Growth Show conference held in New York City, complemented by year-round programming including weekly webinars, the AI Forum, Post-Purchase Forum, Consumer Tech Playground, in-market dinners, networking receptions, podcasts, research reports, and a video content archive.
Product overview
CommerceNext is a community and events platform for retail, digital marketing, and ecommerce professionals, operating as a single unified offering rather than a modular software platform. The core product is the annual Growth Show conference, supplemented by year-round events including webinars, in-market dinners, the AI Forum, and Post-Purchase Forum. Supporting content products include podcasts, research reports, and a video archive. The company facilitates peer-to-peer networking and knowledge sharing among retail leaders from brands like Tapestry, Estée Lauder, J. Crew, Home Depot, Walmart, and Sephora.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CommerceNext Growth Show The annual flagship conference for retail and ecommerce marketers, featuring sessions on AI, personalization, customer acquisition, and technology strategies, with peer networking opportunities for senior retail executives.
- CommerceNext Webinars Virtual educational events held Wednesdays at 2pm ET/11am PT, offering ongoing content for retail and ecommerce professionals between major conferences.
- AI Forum A focused forum event dedicated to artificial intelligence applications in retail, scheduled for October 14.
- Post-Purchase Forum A specialized event addressing post-purchase customer experience and optimization strategies for retail brands.
- Consumer Tech Playground An in-person event showcase at NRF, part of CommerceNext's portfolio of gatherings for retail technology exploration and networking.
- Topgolf Reception A networking reception combining entertainment with peer connection opportunities for retail leaders.
- In-Market Dinners Curated peer-to-peer dinner events for retail executives to discuss industry trends and strategies in local markets.
- CommerceNext Podcasts An audio content series featuring retail industry insights, trends, and expert interviews available to the CommerceNext community.
- Research Reports Published research and industry reports providing data-driven insights on retail and ecommerce trends and strategies.
Quantifiable outcome
- Attendees sign contracts with technology partners met at the conference
Companies that use CommerceNext
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CommerceNext technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CommerceNext partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, advisory and community.
- Connections HousingsupportingExclusive housing partner for CommerceNext events. Responsible for booking accommodations for conference attendees. Also serves as the only trusted source for event housing to prevent scams from unauthorized providers.
- AAA Growth AgencyadvisoryAdvisory board member: Shawna Hausman, Founder & CEO of AAA Growth Agency, contributes strategic guidance to the CommerceNext community.
- Abercrombie & Fitch Co.advisoryAdvisory board member: Samir Desai, EVP Chief Digital + Technology Officer, provides retail industry expertise and perspective.
- AvoltaadvisoryAdvisory board member: Vijay Talwar, Chief Commercial and Digital Officer, contributes commercial and digital transformation expertise.
- B&H PhotoadvisoryAdvisory board member: Jeff Gerstel, Chief Marketing Officer, provides marketing and retail technology perspective.
- TapestrycommunityBrand mentioned as part of organic peer-to-peer community connections; senior executives actively participate in CommerceNext community.
- Estée LaudercommunityBrand mentioned as part of organic peer-to-peer community connections; senior executives actively participate in CommerceNext community.
- J. CrewcommunityBrand mentioned as part of organic peer-to-peer community connections; senior executives actively participate in CommerceNext community.
- Home DepotcommunityBrand mentioned as part of organic peer-to-peer community connections; senior executives actively participate in CommerceNext community.
- WalmartcommunityBrand mentioned as part of organic peer-to-peer community connections; senior executives actively participate in CommerceNext community.
- SephoracommunityBrand mentioned as part of organic peer-to-peer community connections; senior executives actively participate in CommerceNext community.
- GapcommunityBrand mentioned as part of organic peer-to-peer community connections; senior executives actively participate in CommerceNext community.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CommerceNext competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Advertising Week: Advertising Week is a major B2B conference and community platform for marketing, media, and advertising professionals. It shares CommerceNext's event-plus-content business model and audience overlap with retail marketers, though it focuses more broadly on the advertising ecosystem.
- Money 20/20: Money20/20 is a leading B2B conference for the financial services and payments industry. It shares CommerceNext's high-end conference-and-sponsorship monetization model but operates in an adjacent vertical (fintech rather than retail martech).
- MACH Alliance: MACH Alliance is an industry group and community for vendors using composable (MACH) commerce architecture. It is comparable to CommerceNext as a B2B retail-tech community, but focused on a specific architectural standard rather than the broader retail marketer audience.
- Retail TouchPoints: Retail TouchPoints is a media and events organization covering retail innovation and customer experience. It is comparable to CommerceNext as an adjacent retail-industry content-and-events community, though it does not run a single flagship conference of comparable scale.
Direct peers
- Shoptalk: Shoptalk runs large-scale B2B conferences for retail and ecommerce technology buyers and vendors, including Shoptalk Spring and Shoptalk Fall. It is the most direct competitor to CommerceNext's Growth Show, targeting the same retailer-and-martech audience with similar sponsorship and ticket economics.
- eTail: eTail is a long-running conference series focused on retail and ecommerce executives, with events on both U.S. coasts. It overlaps directly with CommerceNext in audience (retail digital and marketing leaders) and monetization model (tickets plus sponsor booths).
- Digital Summit: Digital Summit runs a multi-city conference series for digital marketing and ecommerce professionals. It competes for the same marketing-and-retail attendee base as CommerceNext's Growth Show, using a similar regional-tour conference and sponsor model.
Broad incumbents
- Informa: Informa is a global B2B events, media, and research group operating hundreds of trade shows including retail and technology events. It is comparable as the operator of competing retail/tech trade shows and as an incumbent consolidator in the B2B events space.
- National Retail Federation (NRF): NRF operates the largest annual retail trade show ('NRF Big Show' / 'NRF Annual Convention & EXPO') and serves as the industry's primary trade association. It competes with CommerceNext for retail executive mindshare and sponsor dollars but at much larger scale and broader retail scope.
- Web Summit: Web Summit is a global technology conference operator (Web Summit, Collision, Web Summit Rio). It is comparable to CommerceNext as a large-scale B2B conference business but addresses the broader tech ecosystem rather than retail specifically.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CommerceNext social profiles
Digital presenceCommerceNext financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CommerceNext leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CommerceNext funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CommerceNext M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CommerceNext
What does CommerceNext do?
CommerceNext operates a community and event platform for digital, marketing, and technology leaders at retail and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands. Its core offering is the annual Growth Show conference held in New York City, complemented by year-round programming including weekly webinars, the AI Forum, Post-Purchase Forum, Consumer Tech Playground, in-market dinners, networking receptions, podcasts, research reports, and a video content archive.
Is CommerceNext a public or private company?
CommerceNext is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was CommerceNext founded?
CommerceNext was founded in 2024. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CommerceNext based?
CommerceNext is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does CommerceNext make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Event Tickets and Attendance is the primary driver. The others are sponsorship and speaker and Content.
Who are CommerceNext's main competitors?
Others on record are Advertising Week, Money 20/20, MACH Alliance and Retail TouchPoints. Direct peers are Shoptalk, eTail and Digital Summit. Broad incumbents are Informa, National Retail Federation (NRF) and Web Summit.
Does CommerceNext have an API?
No public API is recorded for CommerceNext.
What industry is CommerceNext in?
CommerceNext's product category is Retail Industry Events and Community. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAGAB, Professional & Association Conferences, with a secondary code of MPAGAOAB, Virtual Trade Shows & Expos (Digital Booths, Lead Capture). Its NAICS code is 56192.