Beyond Checkout: Tim Böker on the Future of Ecommerce
Tim Böker, CEO of Gartenhaus.com, on the future of ecommerce and how AI is fundamentally transforming processes and why profitability is emerging as the key KPI when the rules of the game in the market are shifting.
From use cases to impact: How AI is redefining value creation in ecommerce
“Scaling Intelligence” has been chosen as the motto for DMEXCO 2026 to signal an inflection point: Artificial intelligence is going from being an experiment to a driving force for value creation. It’s no longer a case of whether or not to use AI; it’s now about how effectively the technology is embedded in processes, business models, and decisions – and how much measurable added value it creates.
This is where our interview series “Beyond Checkout: Leading Minds in Commerce” comes in: Influential figures in the industry shed light on the crucial issues for the future of ecommerce, from technology to differentiation to sustainable growth.
Tim Böker is CEO of Gartenhaus.com, one of the leading companies in the DIY sector in Europe. The online retailer specializes in garden houses, saunas, carports, and related products. Tim Böker is also Chief Growth Officer of the YDEON Group, the parent company of Gartenhaus.com. In this role, he has strategic responsibility for growth and internationalization for digital consumer brands.
What’s the most overrated development in commerce in 2026 – and what’s greatly underestimated?
The speed at which users’ product search behavior will change is overestimated from my point of view. It’s going to take time for new search mechanisms to really catch on. In terms of the future of AI in ecommerce, agentic commerce is also overrated in my opinion. The idea of completely automating and delegating purchase processes isn’t new. Voice commerce was going in that direction, too. But I think customers don’t want to give up control entirely.
What’s underestimated with AI in retail is the technology’s disruptive potential for businesses. Its impact on processes, cost structures, and the dynamics of competition is significant – and it will change many business models more profoundly than people assume today.
In what areas has AI truly brought about structural change in the ecommerce business, and where has it been more of a well-intentioned experiment?
We’re just at the beginning, but AI is set to transform ecommerce fundamentally. It’s not only access to customers that is changing – the relevance of offerings and products is now being completely reevaluated because of AI. And that’s a good thing. It means that customers’ needs are really central to the purchase process now, and we as retailers need to respond to those needs. For the future of ecommerce, one positive development is the breakup of Google’s monopoly, which has existed for several decades. We’re seeing new opportunities open up as a result.
For retailers today, it’s more important than ever before to be authentic, to be distinguishable as a brand by customers, and to know exactly what customers are looking for, what questions they have about a product, and to provide answers to them.
When was the moment that you realized that AI has to be integrated into core processes rather than simply being an add-on?
The crucial moment was when I saw that our employees were starting to integrate AI tools independently and organically into their everyday work to increase their efficiency.
From that point on, it was clear to me that AI is evolving of its own accord into an integral component of our processes – and that it should be structured and strategically embedded accordingly.
If you were to redesign your digital business model today, what would be conceived as AI-native from the outset?
I’d rethink tech infrastructure and processes as AI-native from the beginning.
What decisions do you still deliberately choose to make without AI?
For me, AI is primarily a research tool and assistant. I take the actual decisions. AI can prepare information, present options, and provide the basis for decision-making – but it’s still people who take responsibility and form judgments.
How much can the customer experience be automated before it feels impersonal?
Ecommerce automation is all about finding the right mix. People want to interact with people – that’s going to remain a crucial factor in the customer experience. One of the ways we’ve seen this is when customers are using our chatbot, many of them actively ask if they are speaking to a human or a bot.
Trust varies hugely depending on what kind of inquiry you have. Automation makes sense for increasing speed and accessibility and for handling simple inquiries. At the same time, you always need to have the option to hand off to an actual person – especially for more complex and emotional issues. The best customer experience design is achieved when the two poles are combined intelligently.
If everyone has access to the same tools, how will commerce businesses differentiate themselves in the future?
Differentiation will be based on two factors: product and/or service. Technology – especially UX – is increasingly becoming a hygiene factor. It’s got to work, but it hardly offers any real opportunities for differentiation. The crucial differentiator is either the product itself – that is to say, genuine innovation or effective product ownership – or outstanding service and advice. Retailers who control their own products or develop them exclusively will have a clear advantage. For everybody else, service is emerging as the decisive lever: Anyone who provides customers with better advice and support and creates added value will be able to hold their own in the competition even without unique products.
Are online shops still the center of digital commerce in 2026, or just one touchpoint among many?
An online shop is clearly just one touchpoint among many now – the actual center of the commerce business is shifting to platforms. Platforms combine reach, attention, and transactions in a single place. Developments such as TikTok Shop show how quickly new players can become relevant – within a very short time, they’ve established themselves in the market. Online shops account for only a small proportion of the total volume of the digital trade. The crucial thing is to be present where your customers are. That’s not going to change in the future.
Who will set the rules of the game in commerce in the future: platforms, brands or whichever retailers have the best access to customers?
All three of them. In many cases, platforms have the strongest lever because they control direct access to customers and hence dominate reach as well as distribution. Strong brands come directly behind them. Any company that manages to build real brand equity will become more independent of individual distribution channels. Such products work across channels – in principle, they can be sold wherever there is demand for the brand itself. The ultimate winners will be companies that either have access to customers or those that have built such a strong brand that they don’t necessarily need that access anymore.
Which is currently more dangerous in ecommerce: being too slow to adopt AI – or too quick?
On an operational level, being too slow is currently much more dangerous; in this area, there’s no such thing as too quick. Developments in the AI space are extremely dynamic – tools, use cases, and best practices are changing on a monthly basis in some cases. Anyone who doesn’t adapt quickly and isn’t ready to switch up solutions because there’s yet another even better one will miss out on valuable potential efficiency gains and become less competitive.
Looking at the future of AI in ecommerce on the customer side, the situation is more nuanced. Customer behavior is changing much more slowly and is highly sector-dependent. A sense of proportion is needed here: sticking with it without jumping on every bandwagon. The key thing about using AI in retail is to deploy it where it creates added value – without overloading the customer experience.
Which KPI will be more important in the years ahead than anything we’re optimizing for today?
Profitability is emerging as the decisive KPI. Before, the focus was on growth in sales and market share; today, it’s increasingly about showing that a business model is viable on a sustained basis. In the scaling phase, many companies put cost structures in place that will be hard to reduce. The key question is therefore: Is our business model profitable without ongoing investment? If you can’t prove that, you’re going to find the competition increasingly tough.
The takeaway: The future of ecommerce is about more than just AI
In commerce, AI has evolved from being an experiment into a scalable impact factor, even if viral trends such as new search mechanisms or complete automation are not catching on as quickly as anticipated. Already today, the biggest levers are efficiency, cost structures, and data-driven relevance.
In the future, technology will be the essential prerequisite in ecommerce, while platforms will carve up access to customers in new ways. Businesses will be able to differentiate themselves by having strong products, excellent service, and genuine proximity to their customers.
The crucial thing is to integrate AI systematically into core processes and, at the same time, to make sure your customer experience is absolutely compelling.
You don’t just want to understand the future of ecommerce – you want to shape it as well? Then DMEXCO 2026 is just the place for you: Meet decision-makers and pioneers to refine strategies, exchange lessons learned, and shape the next chapter in commerce together.
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