Deep Dives
Profound insights into the Marketplace World
- Deep Dives
Thanks to the EU: European REach of Online Giants Become Transparent The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) has introduced a new era of transparency for online platforms, requiring those with over 75 million active monthly users in the EU to disclose their user figures twice a year, broken down by country. This data reveals fascinating insights into the online…
Fashion Bombshell: Why Zalando acquires About You Zalando, Europe’s largest online fashion retailer, has announced its acquisition of competitor About You, marking a major shakeup in the European fashion e-commerce and marketplace industry. The deal, valued at €1.13 billion, includes a purchase price of €6.50 per About You share—a 107% premium on the stock’s three-month average price. The acquisition comes…
Internationalization in 28 markets and within just a few months? That sounds utopian, but it is feasible. The Fulda-based lighting specialist Lampenwelt has proven this with its internationalization.
Why “Pre-loved” gets a lot of love this season Secondhand Christmas gifting is no longer a niche activity—it’s becoming a significant part of holiday shopping around the world. Driven by shifts in consumer attitudes, economic factors, and the growing focus on sustainability, the market for pre-loved goods is seeing strong growth. Platforms like eBay, Vinted, and Back Market are leading…
What does the marketplace landscape look like in Central and Eastern Europe? Allegro, Heureka, eMAG and Skroutz are strong generalists in the CEE markets. In addition, there are other important players in each country.
Why Internationalization Has Been the Key Growth Factor in 2024 One of Marketplace Universe’s key predictions for marketplace business development in 2023 and 2024 was clear: internationalization would drive growth, even in a challenging economic environment. Now, as we review the first set of available data, we can say confidently: our predictions were spot-on. While e-commerce markets across Western Europe…
eBay's Free C2C Strategy: How a bold move in Germany boosted private sales and expanded to the UK. Insights from eBay's leadership.
Western Brands Unknowingly Flood Shein: A New FrontieR in Unauthorized Sales Western luxury and sports brands are facing an unexpected dilemma as their products appear on Shein, the fast-fashion giant known for low prices and questionable sourcing. The likes of Adidas, Puma, Nike, Ray-Ban, and Calvin Klein are being sold on the Chinese platform—at deep discounts and with shoddy product…
Major Innovations in AI, Social Commerce, and Supply Chain Every year, Amazon Accelerate sets the stage for the latest trends and innovations for the Amazon landscape, and 2024 was no exception. Held in Seattle, the event draws sellers and business leaders eager to learn how Amazon’s new tools can help them succeed in a rapidly changing retail environment. This year,…
Amazon’s big vendor clean up Many brands selling on Amazon are finding a nasty surprise in their inboxes these days: termination notices from the e-commerce giant, signaling an abrupt end to long-standing vendor relationships. Amazon’s email to affected brands reads, “We’ve made the decision to stop sourcing products from your company as part of our regular review of product offerings,…
Retail Media is the fastest growing advertising channel worldwide at the moment – and online-marketplaces are profiting strongly from this new trend. Marketplace Universe spoke with Retail Media expert Thomas Philip-Bashar, Product manager at eCommerce solution provider Channable, about current trends in this highly dynamic field. Thomas, why is Retail Media advertising so attractive for marketeers at the moment, especially…
German premium fashion retail chain and marketplace provider Breuninger is on sale. Several international competitors are interested.
This has been a long time coming: In March, Temu first invited sellers to their US platform, moving slightly away from their factory-to-consumer model to tentativley open towards a more traditional marketplace model. From then on, US based sellers can list their products on Temu, sending orders from their own warehouses. Now, Temu has brought this new approach to Europe.
A comparison of Amazon, Zalando and About You: The three major B2C marketplaces are characterized by their different approaches and scales. Understanding these differences is essential for any seller considering where to allocate their marketplace efforts.
Amazon also has an outstanding position for local e-commerce in Germany, other Western and Central European countries. But things look different in other nations. That's why an internationalization with Amazon is sometimes not enough.
Looking back on the 2023/2024 financial year, it is clear that even industry leaders such as Zalando and About You were not immune to the general economic challenges that shook online retail. Both companies reported slight declines in sales, but showed a strategic focus on healthy growth. Profitability at Zalando and AboutYou is a necessity in today's competitive environment.
No new form of advertising has grown so quickly in the last 20 years: this year, global spending on retail media is likely to increase by 20 percent. The ongoing conflict between advertisers' demands for detailed data and marketplaces' control over it highlights the tensions in this rapidly evolving industry, signaling that retail media's impact is still unfolding.
54% of German e-commerce sales were generated via online marketplaces in 2023 - according to the HDE in the new edition of its Online Monitor 2024. The overview of sales shares by channel simply shows at a glance, how incredibly dominant Amazon is in German e-commerce and how difficult it is to do without online marketplaces in the sales mix.
Eastern Europe is emerging as a critical growth market for e-commerce, driven by the stagnation in Western Europe and Germany's recession. Challenges such as language barriers, logistics complexities, and price sensitivity can be solved, double-digit growth rates beckon.
What news: Shemu now has over 180 million monthly users in the EU.What's the story behind the rise of Shemu - our new term for the succesful Chinese players Shein and Temu.
Platform Building: Online as quickly as possible or step by step? BILD launched its marketplace within 11 weeks, but the speed has left its mark. Others such as Hornbach or Popken Fashion are taking much longer. The question of which is better was discussed by the panel at the Mirakle Platform Summit.
Zalando's marketplace strategy: The annual figures for 2023 reveal a lot about the strategy for the Berlin-based company's marketplace business. We therefore take a critical look at the figures, the most striking changes and the targets that Zalando has now set for the future.
Despite the success of the marketplace, which has recorded double-digit growth and achieved a GMV of over 2 billion euros, the traditional retail business is suffering from declining sales. The departure of marketplace boss Bodo Kipper suggests different views on the strategic direction.
Mädchenflohmarkt, a secondhand fashion platform, declared bankruptcy last summer after over 15 years in business. Christian Wegner, the ex-founder of Momox, stepped in as an investor with plans to streamline operations and open the platform to B2C sellers. His goal is to transform Mädchenflohmarkt into a profitable company by tightening logistics processes and expanding revenue streams.