SuiteWorld

SuiteWorld! - Anchor Group Podcast | Episode: 24

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• Caleb Schmitz, CRO at Anchor Group
• Michael Mueller, eCommerce Account Executive at Anchor Group
• Anchor Group (Company Page)

Podcast Transcript:

Michael (00:00)
Hey everybody, thank you for joining episode 24 of the Anchor Group Podcast. We've got an exciting one today. Caleb and I are going to be recapping SuiteWorld 2025 that happened last week in Vegas. We're now back in the upper Midwest where Anchor Group is based, and we’re going to share some of our key takeaways in case you weren’t there. So with that, let’s dive right into it.

Caleb, as we get rolling, just to set the stage for everyone listening—this was my first time attending SuiteWorld. How many times have you been there?

Caleb (01:08)
Four or five times. Since it switched to being in the fall, I sometimes have to skip it because my son’s birthday falls during SuiteWorld. I don’t like to miss his birthday, but whenever possible, I try to go every year—so probably five times or so.

Michael (01:26)
Dude, just bring him to Vegas! That’d be a good birthday. No, just kidding—I know he’s on the younger side, don’t do that. But sweet. My first time being there, and for those listening who haven’t been, let’s set the stage for what SuiteWorld actually is.

Michael (01:52)
So, Caleb, I’ll go ahead and start this off, but feel free to jump in—you’ve been there more times than I have. SuiteWorld is really the one week each year when the entire NetSuite ecosystem gets together for a big convention. It’s all about platform updates, use cases, and training sessions. It’s a huge gathering of everyone in the ecosystem—people evaluating the software, companies using it to run their businesses, agencies like Anchor Group providing services, and companies with SuiteApps or features that bolt onto the NetSuite environment.

It’s a mix of all that, plus some fun in Vegas. It makes for an entertaining week full of great conversations and shared knowledge between people from all over the country—and even internationally. I met several people from Europe, for example. It’s a good blend of everyone all in one spot.

Caleb (03:11)
Yeah, it’s a good-sized event. I don’t know how many people attended this year, but typically it’s around 10 to 15,000 every year. It’s big enough to have major headliners—this year was Pitbull, in past years it’s been Journey or the Black Eyed Peas.

It’s not a small conference by any means, which makes it a great place to build relationships and meet a ton of people in one week. You can connect with more people than you’d ever have time to on a regular basis. It’s the perfect opportunity to meet everyone in person across the ecosystem.

Michael (03:58)
Yeah. One thing I was unsure about going into this year was how the week is structured. I’ve been to plenty of conferences before—they all have similar elements but their own vibe. Sometimes you need to be there from day one, sometimes the tail end focuses on niche topics.

At SuiteWorld, Monday through Thursday are the main days. On Monday morning, they host training sessions for people currently using NetSuite—especially for admins who want to learn more about specific functions or features. Oracle sets up hands-on training for that.

When I met with people who attended those sessions, they said they were extremely valuable—actual, hard-hitting knowledge they could bring back to the office right away to help them manage NetSuite better. So if you’ve never been but you’re a NetSuite admin or have one on your team, check out those early-week training sessions next year. You’ll probably find them very helpful.

Caleb (05:32)
I agree. In general, there are a few types of events: the keynotes—those are bigger announcements and fun to see live; the training sessions, which are great for admins and end users; the expo floor, where you can see the whole ecosystem and learn what tools and integrations exist.

That helps you visualize what’s possible and connect dots later when you’re solving problems for your business. The other sessions—beyond the training ones—focus more on creative thinking and strategy. They help business leaders think outside the box. You might not get “click-by-click” tutorials, but you’ll walk away thinking bigger. That’s how I’d categorize the different components of SuiteWorld beyond the social aspect.

Michael (06:44)
Yeah, and to that point—these sessions physically put you in proximity to the people we normally only interact with over Zoom or Slack. For example, Anchor Group does a lot of work in the SuiteCommerce space. We help clients with SuiteCommerce websites and other eCommerce platforms like BigCommerce and Shopify.

There were breakout sessions on things like integrating Shopify with NetSuite or optimizing SuiteCommerce for B2B businesses. These put you in rooms with people facing the same challenges or with experts who can help. You don’t need to email or call—you can just walk up and start a conversation. That kind of access is super valuable.

Caleb (08:01)
Exactly. Most sessions outside of those Monday trainings are more strategy-based—focused on thinking differently about processes and high-level business strategy rather than step-by-step tutorials. That’s what makes them useful for leaders.

Personally, I go to SuiteWorld mainly to build relationships. I’ll walk the expo floor, catch up with people I’ve known for years, and meet new ones. Over time, that’s become my favorite part—because when clients need something specific, I know exactly who to call.

Even though we’re an in-office culture, most of our client work is remote. SuiteWorld gives us a chance to meet clients and partners face-to-face. That relationship-building is invaluable. I think business leaders sometimes underestimate that—it’s not just about transactions, it’s about the human connection.

Over the years, I’ve learned to weigh relationships even more heavily because they directly affect success. The humanity side of building and delivering products matters. If we can’t communicate well with someone, the project suffers.

Michael (10:40)
Yeah.

Caleb (10:49)
Then the delivery will fall flat, and it’s not as useful. Relationships and that communication through relationships are important in every industry—and that’s how I tie it to ours.

Michael (11:00)
Yeah, and I’d say in the space we work in—software, whether it’s NetSuite or eCommerce—a lot of people get comfortable behind their computers. But I totally want to echo what you’re saying, Caleb: meeting people in person is huge. They’re no longer just a LinkedIn headshot. When you actually meet them, have a meal with them, you get a much better sense of who they are, how they think, and how they operate.

Especially in the agency world, that’s invaluable. Understanding who we’re working with on a human level is incredibly important.

Caleb (11:40)
Exactly. Even when I’m talking with a prospective customer about our NetSuite services—whether it’s optimization, new implementations, or B2B eCommerce—it gives them the chance to shake my hand and see for themselves whether I’m someone they can trust. They can gauge if I’m competent, if I know what I’m talking about.

That personal interaction helps people feel more comfortable with their decision to hire our team in the first place. Meeting in person gives you insight into someone’s values and ethics, which all plays into building that level of trust.

Michael (12:45)
Yeah, that’s right. With all that being said, whether you’re someone who uses NetSuite and has thought about going to SuiteWorld but hasn’t yet, or you’re a company offering services in the NetSuite ecosystem, it’s valuable to get yourself in proximity to prospects, customers, and clients.

So that’s part one of our conversation. For part two, Caleb, I want to talk about some of our biggest takeaways coming out of SuiteWorld.

Like any conference, the Oracle NetSuite folks got on stage in front of thousands of people to highlight what’s changing in their product and business. And one thing I’m sure everyone could’ve guessed would take the spotlight this year was the dawn of AI. It was everywhere—from the keynotes to the breakout sessions—AI was in every conversation.

Caleb (13:59)
Yeah, it kind of got annoying at a certain point.

Michael (14:10)
Fair. But during the keynotes, the demos were impressive. Think about the AI tool you use most—and now imagine that baked directly into NetSuite. You’d have an AI agent helping you understand data, build reports, analyze customer needs, and more.

It’s wild how much more powerful businesses could become with that level of insight. My first big takeaway was that it could be amazing—if it all comes to fruition.

Now, there’s a caveat. The roadmap was longer than I would’ve liked—about a year for some of the features they demoed. As an agency, we’d like to see that timeline move faster, and I know others felt the same way. But if they truly deliver what they showcased and roll out those AI tools to NetSuite clients, it’ll be a real game changer.

People will have more control, deeper understanding of their operations, and the ability to surface insights that are normally buried under the day-to-day busyness of running a business.

Caleb (16:04)
Yeah, and honestly, that timeline makes sense given the size of Oracle and how they handle their release cycles. It’s just how NetSuite operates. But it does create an opportunity for agencies like us to move faster.

Anchor Group already has AI development services for NetSuite, and we’ve implemented AI projects that help clients get up and running without waiting for Oracle’s official rollout. There are already ways to access and connect data to AI tools—so we can deliver value now while everyone else waits.

It’ll probably be a year before we see widespread adoption, but the real value will come as businesses start applying AI creatively. We’re already using it in areas like supply chain optimization—helping companies better understand reorder points—and in eCommerce, integrating AI-powered search and data enrichment.

What’s holding people back isn’t the technology—it’s creativity. Too many people get stuck on “wouldn’t it be great if AI could do X?” instead of focusing on what AI does best right now.

For example, playing to AI’s strengths today means leveraging its descriptive and analytical power. In our case, we’ve used AI to convert purchase orders into quotes or sales orders, or to take another company’s product descriptions and generate our own.

Let’s say you have a list of 100 items with generic descriptions—you can use AI to match and generate a quote instantly. Those are use cases where AI shines today. If you focus on those strengths instead of waiting for futuristic features, you’ll get far more out of your investment. Otherwise, a lot of AI spending will go to waste chasing what’s next instead of using what’s already possible.

Michael (19:30)
Those are great callouts, Caleb—really smart ways to leverage AI right now within the NetSuite environment. Beyond AI, were there any other noteworthy things that stood out to you through your conversations? Anything outside of that topic?

Caleb (19:36)
Yeah. In the eCommerce space, Anchor Group works with SuiteCommerce, BigCommerce, and Shopify—especially on the B2B side. We cover the B2B ecosystem across both NetSuite and eCommerce, and this year Oracle released the B2B connector for the NetSuite connector.

There are pros and cons to that connector—it’s not always my favorite—but it’s good that they released a version for Shopify B2B. It creates a new path forward. Personally, I often prefer bringing in third-party middleware options for B2B integrations because they tend to offer more flexibility, and B2B requirements often demand that.

Still, it’s interesting to see Oracle strengthening its relationships with Shopify and other eCommerce platforms like BigCommerce. SuiteCommerce had some excellent sessions this year focused heavily on the B2B side. I think it continues to play to its strengths and holds a strong position in the market as a B2B-only or primarily B2B solution. It can handle B2C, but I’ve always believed it performs best when focused on B2B—and this year reaffirmed that.

Overall, I think each of those three platforms—SuiteCommerce, BigCommerce, and Shopify—continues to have a solid place in its respective ecosystem. That was one of my big takeaways from this year’s SuiteWorld.

Michael (21:41)
Yeah, that’s fantastic. I sat in on some of those breakout sessions too, where they talked about SuiteCommerce and integration platforms. One thing I want to emphasize: if you’re looking to connect NetSuite to an eCommerce platform—or if you already have an integration that’s not working properly—you actually have a lot of options.

I’ve met people who feel stuck with what they’re using because “that’s just what we have,” even if it’s not working well. But the whole purpose of an integration is to automate processes and workflows. If that’s not happening, it might be time to explore alternatives.

As Caleb mentioned, we have a lot of experience working with iPaaS and middleware solutions, and we’re happy to share what we learned at SuiteWorld and help businesses find what fits best.

The last thing I’ll say as we wrap up this episode is about the atmosphere at SuiteWorld. Sometimes at conferences, you meet people who clearly don’t want to be there—they’re attending because their boss told them to. But that wasn’t the case here.

Caleb (23:04)
Is that what you felt like, Michael?

Michael (23:06)
No, not at all! I genuinely enjoy conferences. I like stretching my legs every once in a while and getting out from behind the computer. But what stood out to me was that everyone else seemed to enjoy it too. The people I talked to were engaged and happy to be there, which isn’t always the case at big events.

That speaks volumes about the NetSuite ecosystem—the people who use it, the partners, and the technology providers. So if you’ve ever been hesitant about attending a massive conference like SuiteWorld, just know that you’ll be in good company if you make the trip to Vegas.

Caleb (24:10)
There’s a reason NetSuite is a top ERP solution. Not only is it a strong product, but it also has one of the best ecosystems around it—and that should never be underestimated. SuiteWorld really highlights that. The sheer number of people who attend shows how large and connected the community is.

The bigger the ecosystem, the more niche problems it can solve. It’s a powerful thing to be part of.

Michael (24:50)
Okay, one final thought—if you’re ever in Vegas, you’ve got to check out The Sphere. The Anchor Group team went, and it was incredible. The sheer size of it is mind-blowing. When you fly in at night, it looks surreal from the outside, but once you’re inside, it’s just as impressive.

If you’re afraid of heights, just be warned—some of the upper-level seats are way up there. We were in the 300 or 400 section, and I definitely had to hold on to the railing a few times. But seriously, the experience was amazing—the technology, the visuals, the scale. Highly recommend checking it out.

Caleb (25:32)
Yeah, Michael was standing right in the middle of the escalators—he couldn’t handle it.

Michael (25:47)
True! But seriously, it’s awesome in every sense of the word. The scale and innovation of it are unreal.

Caleb (25:58)
Agreed.

Michael (25:59)
Thank you all for tuning into this episode of the Anchor Group Podcast. Hopefully, you took away something new—especially about SuiteWorld. If you’ll be at any conventions soon or SuiteWorld next year, we’d love to connect.

If you have questions about B2B eCommerce, NetSuite integrations, or anything within that ecosystem, that’s where we fit in. Thanks for listening, and we’ll catch you on the next episode of the Anchor Group Podcast.

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Oracle NetSuite Alliance Partner, BigCommerce Certified Partner

As both a BigCommerce Certified Partner and an Oracle NetSuite Alliance Partner, Anchor Group is ready to handle BigCommerce and NetSuite projects alike! Whether you already have one platform and are looking to integrate the other, are considering a full-scale implementation of both platforms, or simply need support with ongoing customizations, our team is ready to help answer any questions you might have! Get in touch!