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The ambition with which e-commerce giant Amazon is striving to consolidate its position in the pet supplies segment speaks volumes. It is not without reason that economists, corporate consultants and industry insiders are all saying that the future is digital. How can pet product retailers protect their market standing in this landscape? What opportunities are available to manufacturers of pet products for improving their position and becoming more customer-oriented in a globalised world? These questions will form the focal point of the next International Pet Conference, which takes place in Budapest on 9 and 10 October. Once again, well-known figures from trade, industry and the service sector are expected to speak at the conference, which is titled "The pet business in the digital world". 
The talk by Andrea Skersies should be a highlight of the conference. As chief marketing officer at Zooplus AG, Europe's leading online retailer of pet products, she has been on hand to witness the successful development of this dynamic company from the outset and is probably one of the foremost experts in online business in the international pet sector. Another interesting contribution is likely to be that of Hubert Wieser, the regional director of the central region at pet food manufacturer Nestlé Purina PetCare. Wieser will speak about the digital transformation in the pet supplies sector. This is the process of change rooted in digital technologies that will affect society as a whole and companies in particular in the next few years.

As at the International Pet Conference in Barcelona two years ago, some of the most prominent pet product retail firms will present themselves to the audience in Budapest. Lionel Desclée, president and chief executive officer at Tom & Co., will report on the pet store chain's expansion in Belgium and France together with Thierry le Grelle, CFO and co-shareholder of the chain. Attending the International Pet Conference for the first time will be Rafael Martinez-Avial from Spain, the chief executive officer of Tiendanimal. This pet product chain currently operates around 30 stores in Spain and is one of the country's fastest-growing companies. In Budapest Martinez-Avial will chart the rise of his company, assess the Spanish pet supplies market and talk about the company's future plans. 
Daniel Marko, the owner and sales manager of Slovakian wholesaler blue gray (Petpark), is likewise appearing for the first…