E-commerce leader urges focus over expansion in digital retail shift

Marcus Diekmann, Chief Strategy, Digital & E-Commerce Officer at Sanicare Group, has learned over a decade in the e-commerce sector that flexibility—not clinging to past achievements—is essential for long-term success. His professional background spans fashion, furniture, and healthcare, and his approach centers on replacing outdated strategies with data-backed experimentation, even when those strategies once delivered strong results.

Shifting from broad expansion to targeted focus

Diekmann’s early career was shaped by an industry-wide assumption that rapid growth required chasing every emerging trend and participating in every available event. This approach, however, often prioritized presence over meaningful impact. Today, he argues that e-commerce effectiveness depends on concentration, not indiscriminate scaling.

This strategic pivot mirrors broader industry trends. Companies that once spread resources across multiple markets are now prioritizing precision over breadth. Sanicare, where Diekmann leads strategy, exemplifies this shift by focusing on specific customer segments rather than competing broadly. For him, success today means positioning yourself clearly in a niche, finding a true market fit, and then becoming the most relevant and important player in that space. Not trying to be everything to everyone, but being maximally relevant for a clearly defined target group.

Diekmann’s views on change reject sentimentality about the past. Change is not a criticism of a glorious past; it’s a necessity. His perspective stems from past failures where rigid adherence to successful formulas stifled necessary innovation. Now, his leadership emphasizes flexible business models that rely on short-term cycles instead of long-range planning. “Test, learn, build bigger” has become his operational philosophy, applied consistently across Sanicare’s operations and the startups he advises through the Founders League platform.

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Social commerce and AI-driven guidance

The future of e-commerce, according to Diekmann, will be defined by the integration of social platforms with AI-powered personalization tools. Traditional product listings are being replaced by AI advisors that help customers discover products based on inspiration rather than direct searches. Inspiration happens on social platforms, and the shop then automatically finds the perfectly matching product for you. This transition forces businesses to rethink marketing, shifting focus from transactional efficiency to alignment with evolving consumer behavior on social channels.

Sanicare’s implementation of this approach differs from conventional retail practices. The company avoids traditional business planning, opting instead for continuous testing and rapid adjustments. Investment decisions are made based on immediate insights from short-term experiments, a departure from the industry’s reliance on long-term forecasting.

His leadership style balances intuition with data validation, a principle that has remained constant despite industry shifts. Listening to his gut, and then validating it together with the team, has guided his decisions. “I’m not guided by fear, but by conviction,” he stated.

Industry outlook for the coming years

Looking ahead, Diekmann expects the next decade of e-commerce to be shaped by large platforms and strong direct-to-consumer brands that grow primarily through social channels. The traditional retail model will continue to evolve as consumer interactions become increasingly AI-driven and social-first.