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eDesk is built for commerce. eDesk is reshaping customer service for online retailers with an AI-first approach built for eCommerce. From their Smart Inbox to an eCommerce-focused chatbot and AI Assist, they help brands deliver faster, more personal support across the buying journey. Trusted by thousands of businesses, eDesk enables teams to spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time creating real customer experiences.

Our ecosystem carries strong logos, but what matters most is the community behind them.

What went down in London, last week

We made it (again). This time in London.

Last week, EVOLVE Commerce Club held another in-person dinner.

Curated. Personable. Small. Hand-picked.

I believe this is the future of business.

At big conferences, proximity is rare.
And proximity creates trust the foundation of real opportunities.

Not everyone thrives in a room of 500.
When everything happens at once, focus scatters.
That’s why we design our dinners differently.

We’ve hosted enough of them now to know what success looks like.

Success is the conversations and relationships forged during and after the event.

It’s creating a space where accomplished people can share openly, without becoming the product of another pitch.

Let’s be honest: when you’re invited somewhere for free, you’re usually the product. Facebook and others taught us that.

At EVOLVE, it’s different.

We know the value our community creates, and we’re not shy about it.
We have our private club, meetups, and dinners, experiences people choose to invest in.

So yes, from time to time, EVOLVE will make you an offer.
Because it works, and because we know the value and opportunities it creates.

We also bring together members, non-members, and sponsors.
That’s how real conversations happen.

But the dinner is just one of our touchpoints.
After it ends, the connection continues.
You are now in the same community as the people who shared that table.
No longer strangers.
You’re part of the same collective.
You can reach out via WhatsApp or share questions directly in one of the groups we moderate.

The result?
Genuine connections, partnerships, and opportunities that grow naturally.

We don’t protect brands, and we don’t protect people.
The space itself is the “protection.”

Inside it, the focus is on people with real experience, willing to share honestly.
That’s where the value lies.

I don’t reduce people to logos, in fact, I dislike that very much.
But in case you’re wondering, here are some of the professionals who sat at the table:

• VP of Solution Engineering, Marketplacer

• Former Head of Transformation, Tesco

• Head of Creators & Influencers, Amazon

• CEO, Nibble

• Head of Product, EE

• Principal of AI Engineering, Currys

• And many others

The reason they chose to be with us that evening is simple.
They understand the value of proximity and meaningful conversation.
And that is priceless.

Evolve for Senior Leaders

London Dinner — Live & Conversational Commerce

This time we invited 25 senior leaders to explore one of the most pressing themes in commerce today: Live & Conversational Commerce.

We were joined by two remarkable voices:

• Angela Cretu, former Global CEO of Avon, who shared with honesty and wit what it takes to bring bold ideas to the boardroom and transform a global organisation built on conversations and trust.

• Gareth Cummings, MD at eDesk, who brought the operator’s lens from working with 5,000+ brands on the daily realities of conversational commerce.

The unexpected twist

What surprised me most wasn’t the theme it was the engagement.

I had planned to keep questions for the end.

But after my very first questions to Angela and Gareth, the room erupted.

Hands went up, and leaders around the table started firing their own questions immediately.

I had to adjust on the spot. And honestly, that’s what made it special. It wasn’t a panel delivering to a silent audience. It was a collective conversation exactly the kind of environment EVOLVE is designed to create.

Quick facts we shared to frame the discussion

• Conversational commerce is already a $11.5B market in 2024.

• In Asia, livestream commerce is mainstream — hundreds of billions in transactions flow through live shopping in China alone.

• Europe is experimenting: WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram Live.

• In North America, retailers embed chat and live features to cut friction.

• In Brazil, Magie, a bank built entirely on WhatsApp, processed R$140M in less than a year with ~14,000 customers.

• Africa & the Middle East: infrastructure is uneven, but behaviour is entrenched — people already live in messaging apps.

This is no longer about if. It’s about how, when, and where.

Angela — the boardroom lens

Angela reminded us what leadership looks like when navigating transformation at scale:

1. Don’t ask for money first. Frame the opportunity, not the budget. Her boardroom question: “Are we ready to lose £500m this year by not moving on this opportunity?” That reframes the entire debate.

2. You can’t control the narrative. But you can set the context and earn the right conversations.

3. Communities are strategic assets. Avon’s roots in direct selling map directly to today’s micro-communities and creators. Nearly everyone can be a creator.

4. Leadership is choreography. It’s aligning boards, investors, and operators by connecting experiments to measurable business outcomes.

Gareth — the operator lens

Gareth grounded us in execution:

1. Integration is the bottleneck. Not the chat widget, but inventory, fulfilment, returns, CRM.

2. Scaling multiplies complexity. More service volume, fraud vectors, exceptions.

3. AI helps, but isn’t the story. Real value is in predicting behaviour and removing friction.

4. Measure what matters. New KPIs: chat-to-purchase rate, resolution time, repeat purchase.

5. Think ahead of customers. Don’t just meet them where they are — anticipate where they’re going.

My takeaways

As tech evolves, people will seek environments where trust reigns.
Communities like EVOLVE will only grow in importance.

Commerce is following conversation.
Customers live in chat, messaging, and social.

The brands that win won’t just experiment. They’ll integrate. Scale. Measure. And evolve.

Our Gratitude to

Angela Cretu — for boardroom clarity, courage & for accepting our invitation.
Gareth Cummings & eDesk — for showing us the trenches and for trusting EVOLVE
EVOLVE UK members — for showing up with questions and curiosity.
Gustavo Valle — for making the night seamless.
Laís — for unwavering support since day one.

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