{"id":7700,"date":"2024-02-01T07:59:22","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T17:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/made-in-hawaii\/?p=7700"},"modified":"2025-04-16T14:26:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T00:26:52","slug":"amazon-and-shopify-to-headline-made-in-hawaii-e-commerce-conference-on-february-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/amazon-and-shopify-to-headline-made-in-hawaii-e-commerce-conference-on-february-21\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon and Shopify to Headline Made in Hawai\u02bbi E-Commerce Conference on February 21"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"7700\" class=\"elementor elementor-7700\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70bbfd25 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"70bbfd25\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ob_use_container_extras&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_column_hoveranimator&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_glider_is_slider&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_column_has_pseudo&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d9e064 ob-harakiri-inherit ob-has-background-overlay elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9d9e064\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ob_use_harakiri&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;_ob_harakiri_writing_mode&quot;:&quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;_ob_postman_use&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_widget_stalker_use&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_poopart_use&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;_ob_shadough_use&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_allow_hoveranimator&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\"><strong>DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\"><strong>BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT DIVISION\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\"><strong>JOSH GREEN, M.D.<\/strong><br \/>GOVERNOR\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\"><strong>JAMES KUNANE TOKIOKA<\/strong><br \/>DIRECTOR\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\"><strong>DENNIS T. LING<\/strong><br \/>ADMINISTRATOR\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>February 1, 2024\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>AMAZON AND SHOPIFY TO HEADLINE<\/strong> <strong>MADE IN HAWAI\u02bbI E-COMMERCE CONFERENCE ON FEBRUARY 21<\/strong><br \/><em>Industry Leaders to Present on Cutting Edge E-Commerce Strategies<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>HONOLULU \u2013 The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), in collaboration with industry leaders Amazon and Shopify, announced today that the first-ever \u201cMade in Hawai\u02bbi Presents: Your Future in E-Commerce\u201d conference will be held at the Ala Moana Hotel on Wednesday, February 21.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>As the global marketplace continues to shift toward online platforms, this conference will guide Hawai\u02bbi manufacturers and retailers on how to tap into markets beyond the state\u2019s borders to succeed in the world of e-commerce. Recent challenges such as the devastating Maui wildfires also highlight the importance of e-commerce as a seamless replacement for traditional stores during crises.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>An esteemed lineup of key speakers will share expertise and insights to help local businesses create or strengthen their e-commerce channels. Speakers include:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bobby Co, Amazon Marketplace seller growth team leader\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<li>Chris Schmicker, Shopify brand marketing director\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<li>Ellen Ng, founder of Inoa.ai\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>\u201cThis conference offers a unique opportunity for participants to gain invaluable strategies and practical knowledge that will fuel their success in e-commerce,\u201d said James Kunane Tokioka, director of DBEDT. \u201cWe are proud to partner with Amazon and Shopify to help move our local businesses forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Participants will attend plenary sessions then break out into smaller discussions tailored to different company levels, ensuring that businesses of all sizes can benefit from expert guidance.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>The plenary sessions include:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bobby Co, Amazon Marketplace team leader, will share the story behind the growth of independent sellers for Amazon Stores.<\/li>\n\n<li>A panel featuring Shopify Milestone Winners, facilitated by Chris Schmicker, Shopify director of brand marketing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>The breakout sessions include:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Beginner Level <\/strong>\u2013 Bobby Co will explain the basics of e-commerce, covering key concepts such as working with a third-party platform, setting up an online store, product selection, and basic marketing strategies.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Intermediate Level <\/strong>\u2013 Chris Schmicker, director of brand marketing at Shopify, will discuss strategies for optimizing conversion rates, implementing advanced marketing tactics, and retaining customers effectively with Hawai\u02bbi-based companies who have found success with Shopify.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Advanced Level <\/strong>\u2013 Inoa.ai founder Ellen Ng, Rodeo Agency founder Brittney Cunningham, Hibiscus Interactive founder Ted Saihara, and Hidden Gears founder Paolo Vidali will discuss the transformative power of automation, data-driven decision-making, and artificial intelligence in e-commerce and digital marketing.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>To learn more about the upcoming conference and to register, please visit <a href=\"\/hawaii-made\/ecomm\">invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/ecomm<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>About the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>DBEDT is Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s resource center for economic and statistical data, business development opportunities, energy and conservation information, and foreign trade advantages. DBEDT\u2019s mission is to achieve a Hawai\u02bbi economy that embraces innovation and is globally competitive, dynamic and productive, providing opportunities for all Hawai\u02bbis citizens. Through its attached agencies, the department fosters planned community development, creates affordable workforce housing units in high-quality living environments, and promotes innovation-sector job growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">###\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Media Contacts:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Laci Goshi\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism\u00a0<br \/>808-587-9006\u00a0<br \/><a href=\"mailto:lacianne.a.goshi@hawaii.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lacianne.a.goshi@hawaii.gov<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Lyle Fujikawa\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>Made in Hawai\u02bbi Program Manager\u00a0<br \/>Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism\u00a0<br \/>808-222-3498\u00a0<br \/><a href=\"mailto:lyle.h.fujikawa@hawaii.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lyle.h.fujikawa@hawaii.gov<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Bianca Kahele-Fontanilla\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>iQ 360\u00a0<br \/>808-829-0651\u00a0<br \/><a href=\"mailto:bkahelefontanilla@iq360inc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bkahelefontanilla@iq360inc.com<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), in collaboration with industry leaders Amazon and Shopify, announced today that the first-ever \u201cMade in Hawai\u02bbi Presents: Your Future in E-Commerce\u201d conference will be held at the Ala Moana Hotel on Wednesday, February 21.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[175,176,177],"class_list":["post-7700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-e-commerce","tag-hawaii-manufacturers","tag-hawaii-small-business"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7700"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8882,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7700\/revisions\/8882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}