The Event

IRX 2026 NEC Birmingham · 19-20 May 2026

Internet Retailing Expo 2026 brought 3,500+ ecommerce professionals to NEC Birmingham over two days, with a dedicated cross-border commerce strand confirmed via the Cross-Border Commerce Association. The event also confirmed a 2026 restructure, splitting off its eDelivery arm and launching a new IR B2B Conference and IRX Digital track.

Organized by Clarion Events, the cross-border strand and de minimis/customs context make this especially relevant for brands focused on cross-border expansion and tax/compliance planning. Worth noting: as the eDelivery arm splits off to Multimodal and UK Logistics Week, IRX's own logistics-specific content is likely to thin out going forward, even as the event's cross-border commerce content stays relevant.

View event site → What this means for EU expansion

The Room

Who was in the room at IRX 2026

IRX draws a wide cross-section of UK ecommerce, retail, and logistics professionals, with the 2026 cross-border strand adding a specific audience of teams working on international expansion. At 3,500+ attendees, it's one of the biggest single days on the UK ecommerce calendar for a US brand to scope out.

Particularly relevant for tax/compliance and cross-border expansion conversations, given the confirmed cross-border strand and de minimis/customs context. Logistics-specific content is likely to move elsewhere in future years, since the eDelivery arm is splitting off to a separate event.

Ecommerce Directors Cross-Border Trade Teams Logistics & Fulfillment Leads Retail Technology Buyers Marketplace Sellers

Cross-Border Commerce Teams

The Cross-Border Commerce Association's dedicated strand pulled in teams specifically focused on international expansion and customs.

Logistics & Fulfillment Professionals

Even with eDelivery splitting off for 2026, logistics remained a strong theme across the main expo floor.

Retail Technology Vendors

Technology vendors used the expo floor to showcase tools spanning fulfillment, marketplace management, and customer experience.

B2B Ecommerce Teams

The new IR B2B Conference track reflected growing demand for B2B-specific ecommerce content within the wider IRX audience.

Programme

What IRX 2026 told us

Four takeaways stood out from the confirmed post-event coverage.

Cross-border commerce got its own dedicated strand

The Cross-Border Commerce Association-confirmed track gave international expansion its own sessions rather than folding it into general ecommerce content, a first for the event at this scale.

IRX is restructuring around specialization

Splitting eDelivery off to join Multimodal and UK Logistics Week, and launching a standalone IR B2B Conference, signals the event is moving toward more focused, specialist tracks rather than one broad expo.

IRX Digital extended reach beyond the show floor

Adding an online track let attendees who couldn't travel to Birmingham still access cross-border and ecommerce content, widening the event's practical reach.

3,500+ attendees confirmed IRX's scale in the UK market

The turnout kept IRX among the largest UK ecommerce trade events, useful context when weighing which shows are worth attending in person.

Live Intelligence

What's being said about IRX 2026

What the post-event coverage confirmed.

3,500+ ecommerce professionals confirmed

ECOMMERCE EVENTS CALENDAR · MAY 2026

The confirmed turnout places IRX among the largest UK ecommerce trade events of 2026. That scale, paired with the new cross-border strand, makes it a strong barometer for UK-based international trade sentiment.

Dedicated cross-border agenda strand confirmed

CROSS-BORDER COMMERCE ASSOCIATION · MAY 2026

The Association's listing confirmed a dedicated cross-border commerce track ran at the event, directly relevant to brands assessing UK and EU market entry.

IRX restructuring confirmed for future years

ECOMMERCE EVENTS CALENDAR · MAY 2026

The eDelivery arm splitting to join Multimodal and UK Logistics Week, alongside a new IR B2B Conference and IRX Digital track, was confirmed as part of the event's 2026 evolution. Brands tracking this event should watch where the cross-border content lands as the show splits into more specialist events.

Logistics-specific content expected to thin out at IRX post-restructure

ECOMMERCE EVENTS CALENDAR · JUL 2026

With the delivery/logistics arm splitting off to Multimodal/UK Logistics Week, IRX remains especially relevant for brands focused on tax/compliance and cross-border expansion, though 3PL-specific content is worth tracking separately once the 2027 scope is confirmed.

Expandly perspective

Cross-border commerce is now its own agenda item

IRX giving cross-border commerce a dedicated strand, backed by the Cross-Border Commerce Association, confirms that UK retail now treats international expansion as a specialist discipline, not a side conversation. That's a useful signal for any US brand weighing the UK as an entry point.

A dedicated cross-border track at a 3,500+ attendee event signals mainstream UK retail demand for expansion expertise.
The July 2026 EU customs changes on low-value orders were part of the wider cross-border conversation at events like this.
IRX's split into more specialist events, logistics, B2B, digital, mirrors how expansion itself needs separate compliance, logistics, and VAT workstreams.
Attending or tracking these specialist strands beats trying to cover cross-border as an afterthought at a general ecommerce event.
Expect IRX's logistics-specific content to thin out as that side moves to Multimodal and UK Logistics Week, so watch both if logistics is your priority.

If cross-border expansion is on your roadmap, this is the kind of event, and the kind of specialist content, worth tracking year over year.

Attendance

IRX 2026 confirmed a turnout of 3,500+ ecommerce professionals at NEC Birmingham, making it one of the largest UK ecommerce trade events of the year.

3,500+

New Tracks for 2026

IRX 2026 launched three new or restructured strands, including a dedicated cross-border commerce track and a new IR B2B Conference.

3tracks

Event Length

IRX 2026 ran across two days of in-person sessions at NEC Birmingham, alongside a new IRX Digital track extending its reach online.

2days

Good to Know

Questions about IRX 2026

How many people attended IRX 2026?

IRX drew 3,500+ ecommerce industry professionals to NEC Birmingham, making it one of the largest UK ecommerce trade events of the year.

Did IRX 2026 cover cross-border ecommerce specifically?

Yes. The Cross-Border Commerce Association listing confirmed a dedicated cross-border agenda strand, directly relevant to US brands assessing UK and EU market entry.

How is IRX changing for future years?

2026 marked a restructure: the eDelivery arm is splitting off to join Multimodal and UK Logistics Week, a new IR B2B Conference is launching, and IRX Digital was added as an online track.

How do EU customs charges affect shipping from the US?

Customs rules on low-value goods shipped into the EU are tightening, raising the landed cost of shipping direct from the US. Holding stock inside the EU avoids per-order import friction.

Is the UK a good first market for US brands entering Europe?

The UK is the usual first market for US brands: shared language, mature ecommerce infrastructure, Amazon UK as an established marketplace, and rules that are detailed but well documented. Since Brexit it is a separate customs and VAT regime from the EU.

Is IRX still the right event to track for 3PL and logistics content?

For now, yes, but that's expected to change. With the eDelivery arm splitting off to join Multimodal and UK Logistics Week, logistics-specific content is likely to migrate there over time, while IRX itself remains especially relevant for cross-border and tax/compliance content.

Make Your Move

Cross-border commerce now has its own stage

IRX 2026 confirmed that cross-border expansion has become a specialist discipline within UK retail, not a side note.

Our Global Expansion Pathway (GEP™) covers the compliance, VAT, and fulfillment steps a cross-border launch needs, so you're not piecing it together from separate providers. Want to talk through what a structured cross-border plan looks like for your brand?