Breaking News
TikTok Shop grows rapidly in Germany
One year after its launch, around 15% of German online shoppers have already purchased via TikTok Shop, according to NielsenIQ. Depth of usage is also increasing. The average purchase frequency rose from 2.3 to 3.3 purchases per year, while spending per buyer increased by around 32%. TikTok is thus increasingly evolving from a discovery channel into a transaction platform. Find out more at NielsenIQ
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EU tightens rules for low-value imports
The EU is stepping up its actions against low-cost imports from China and plans to introduce a €2 handling fee in addition to the uniform €3 customs duty. The customs duty will apply from July 2026, while the handling fee is planned to be introduced from November 2026. See more on Transport-online
Temu owner PDD misses expectations
PDD Holdings reported revenue of $12.6 billion in Q4 2025, falling short of analyst estimates. The company cites intensifying competition in China as well as growing global uncertainties, such as tariffs in the US, as key factors weighing on its business – also impacting the international growth of Temu. Read more at Retailgazette
OnBuy expands into eight new markets
The marketplace OnBuy is launching in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, bringing its presence to 21 European markets. The expansion follows strong growth, with quarterly sales increasing by 152% last year. See more at Ecommercenews
Otto begins international rollout with the Netherlands
Otto Group is opening its marketplace to international sellers in phases. Partners from the Netherlands will be onboarded first in the first half of the year. Poland, Austria, France, and Spain will follow by the end of 2026, Denmark is planned for early 2027. At the same time, the business continues to grow, with GMV reaching €7.5 billion (+6%). The marketplace is expanding faster (+9%) than the 1P business (+3%) and now includes around 6,100 sellers. See the full story at LinkedIn
Kaufland bundles retail media in its own platform
Kaufland is launching “Kaufland Interact”, a central retail media platform that bundles all advertising offerings – from online shop to in-store screens. This includes display units at store entrances as well as checkout screens. The goal is unified booking across all channels. Read more on Invidis
Kingfisher posts strong growth
Kingfisher plc reported a pre-tax profit of £378 million for FY 2025/26, up 23% year-on-year. The increase was driven by cost-saving measures and strong performances from B&Q in the UK and Screwfix in the UK and France. See more on HarwichandManningtreestandard
Hype News
#BookTok drives book sales in Europe
More than 50 million books were sold across Europe in 2025 through the #BookTok community, generating around €800 million in revenue. Germany is the largest market ahead of the UK, with 28 million books sold and €482 million in revenue linked to the trend around TikTok. See the full story at ChannelX
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