Understanding the Trade Customer and the Real Path to Digital Growth

The Grand Hotel, Birmingham

Thursday 7th May, 2026 | 12:00 – 5:00pm

The UK builders’ merchant sector is facing a structural shift. Trade customers are changing, expectations are evolving, and traditional operating models are under pressure. Yet many merchants are still trying to solve digital growth challenges by investing in platforms before fully understanding how their customers actually want to buy. This private industry session brings together senior leaders from national and regional merchants to explore:

1. Who today’s trade customer really is

2. How trade buying behaviour is changing across branch, phone and digital channels

3. Where trust, friction and lost revenue exist in today’s buying journey

4. How merchants can unlock growth by aligning their customer experience across channels

This is not a vendor showcase. It is a peer-led discussion and workshop focused on industry realities, shared challenges and practical learning.

What to expect

This half-day event is designed to give merchants practical insights, real-world examples, and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing that you can take back to your business straight away.

1. Lively panel discussions

Senior merchant leaders will share candid insight into how trade customer behaviour is shifting, where digital penetration is genuinely working, and where trust breaks down between branch and online, giving attendees the chance to benchmark their own strategy against peers.

2. Expert-led industry insights

Focused sessions exploring the generational divide in trade, why many eCommerce programmes fail to deliver commercial return, and what a sustainable digital growth model really looks like for UK merchants.

3. Real merchant perspectives

First-hand accounts from merchants already addressing these challenges, from improving digital adoption and hybrid buying journeys to aligning product, pricing and operations behind growth.

4. Open leadership discussion

A structured, peer-led conversation under Chatham House Rule, designed to encourage honest dialogue around the real commercial and operational challenges merchants are facing without sales pitches or slide decks

5. Exclusive networking opportunities

High-level conversations with merchants peers, Commerce, Pimbelry, The Journey and Brave Bison leadership, and industry experts in a boutique setting designed to encourage meaningful connections

6. Actionable strategies

Attendees leave with tangible ideas, frameworks, and approaches that can be implemented quickly to impact revenue, efficiency, and digital growth.

What You’ll Walk Away With

Understand the Generational Shift

Gain clarity on how trade customer behaviour is evolving and what it means for merchant growth.

Spot the Real Digital Opportunity

Learn where online and hybrid buying models are creating genuine commercial advantage.

Avoid eCommerce Pitfalls

Get a grounded view of why many merchant eCommerce programmes fail to deliver expected returns.

Head From Peers in the Market

Access honest perspectives from merchants already tackling these challenges head-on.

Meet the Speakers

Steve Collinge

Managing Director | Insight Retail Group

Gareth Thomas

Managing Director | DataYard

Adrian Gordon

eCommerce Director | JT Atkinson

John Godwin

Co-Founder | The Journey

Rupert Chappell

Sales Director | Commerce

Sam Crimes

Construction Customer Success Manager | Pimberly

Allan Ward

Managing Director | Brave Bison

Agenda

12:00 – 12:40 | Networking Lunch

Kick off with refreshments and informal networking with peers and speakers.

12:45 – 12:55 | The Changing Trade Customer

A short opening session setting the context for the day, outlining why understanding the evolution of the trade customer is now critical to merchant growth and why the event is focused on customer insight rather than technology solutions.

Speaker: Allan Ward, Managing Director, Brave Bison

12:55 – 1:25 | Expert Talk: Branch of the Future Industry Context

Industry research presentation exploring how trade customers are evolving, the generational shift in buying behaviour, and the growing expectations around speed, convenience and certainty that are reshaping merchant operating models.

Presenter: Steve Collinge, Managing Director, Insight Retail Group

1:30 – 2:10 | Panel Talk: Who is Actually Buying From You Now?

A merchant-led panel discussion exploring how different trade customer segments behave across branch, phone and digital channels, highlighting where expectations are changing and where merchants are seeing friction in the buying journey.

Presenter: John Godwin, Co-Founder, The Journey

2:10 – 2:40 | Panel Talk: Why So Much Trade Revenue is Still Offline

This session examines why online trade penetration remains low despite growing demand, exploring the role of product availability, pricing trust, stock accuracy and range completeness in enabling customers to confidently buy online.

Presenter: Sam Crimes, Customer Success Manager, Pimberly

2:40 – 3:00 | Break

A short break for refreshments

3:00 – 3:30 | From Counter to Click: How Loyalty is Being Re-Written

A discussion focused on how customer loyalty is evolving, exploring the balance between long-standing branch relationships and the increasing importance of convenience, availability and fulfilment performance in purchasing decisions.

Presenter: Allan Ward, Managing Director, Brave Bison

3:35 – 4:15 | Expert Panel: Why (Currently) Most Trade eCommerce Tends to Fail

A practical session exploring the structural challenges that often prevent merchant eCommerce programmes from delivering expected growth, including incomplete ranges, inaccurate product and stock data, pricing inconsistencies and legacy operational constrain

Presenter: Rupert Chappell, Sales Director, Commerce

4:15 – 4:55 | Merchant Focus: What We Changed and Why

Merchant leaders share how they began addressing customer experience and digital channel challenges, outlining what triggered change internally, what they prioritised first, and what they learned along the way.

Presenter: Sam Crimes, Customer Success Manager, Pimberly

5:00 - Close | Drinks & Networking

Time for informal networking with peers and speakers with drinks in a private space