Zalando’s takeover of About You gets greenlight from EU
It’s official: The EU Commission has approved Zalando’s acquisition of About You, roughly six months after the initial announcement. The deal is valued at €1.2 billion. Together, the two fashion platforms now serve around 65 million customers across Europe. With the merger, Zalando aims to better respond to pressure from Shein and Temu – and prepare for a future shaped by AI-powered commerce. More on LinkedIn

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US tariffs slow down Temu & Shein – Amazon gains ground
New tariffs imposed by the US government are hitting ultra-cheap platforms like Temu and Shein hard. Early market data suggests that Amazon is benefiting from the shift. While many Chinese Amazon sellers ship from US-based FBA warehouses, Temu and Shein still rely heavily on long-distance shipping. Read more at Retail Dive 

Amazon and dm eye pharmacy market potential
Amazon continues to expand its US pharmacy business with new digital prescription services and Medicare offerings. In Europe, however, entering the market remains difficult. Even established players like Redcare and DocMorris are still posting losses – partly due to strict regulation. Meanwhile, drugstore chain dm is increasingly moving into the OTC space. See more at Forbes (Amazon)  Stores-Shops (EU-Market; German) 

dm in talks with Shein – Sheglam cosmetics may hit store shelves
German drugstore chain dm is reportedly in negotiations with Shein to bring its viral beauty brand Sheglam into physical retail. If talks are successful, Sheglam products could appear in dm stores as early as October 2025. dm says the move is driven by high demand among younger consumers. More at Manager Magazin (Geman)

Zalando has brought back product recommendations

For a long time, they had disappeared – but now Zalando is testing product reviews, recommendations, and verified purchases again. It seems to be a response to the rise of AI-powered search, which increasingly relies on high-quality content and contextual information. See more on LinkedIn (German).

Bol opens up to non-EU sellers
For the first time, Dutch marketplace bol is allowing sellers from outside the European Union to join the platform. Around 100 non-EU merchants are expected to onboard in 2025, provided their goods are warehoused within Europe. With nearly 87% of Dutch consumers shopping online, the Netherlands has the highest e-commerce penetration in Europe. Full story at Ecommercenews: bol and online shoppers.

Robotic News

Amazon: more robots than humans soon?
Amazon now has more than 1 million robots deployed in its logistics centers worldwide – and automation is ramping up quickly. Projections indicate that the number of warehouse robots may soon surpass the number of human workers. The company currently employs around 1.5 million people globally. Read more at Wallstreet Journal. 

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Der Beitrag Marketplace Universe News 07.07. 2025 – About You takeover approved / dm negotiates with Shein / bol opens for Non-EU-Sellers erschien zuerst auf Marketplace Universe.

Between Platform Thinking and Retail Media: How the Pharmacy Market Is Changing

A Market in Transition: Between Scaling, Platform Strategies, and New Competitors

The online pharmacy market in Europe currently resembles a testing ground for new sales approaches. While electronic prescriptions are slowly taking hold, Amazon, DocMorris, Redcare Pharmacy, and most recently dm are repositioning themselves.

The focus is less on prescription-only medicines and more on OTC (over-the-counter but pharmacy-only) products and drugstore items. These segments open up new opportunities for brands—through platform models, retail media, and innovative logistics solutions.

Amazon Pharmacy: Gaining Speed, Securing Market Share

In the U.S., Amazon plans to offer free same-day delivery of prescription medications to 45% of the population by the end of 2025. Highly automated distribution centers will make this possible.

In Europe, Amazon already generates EUR 374 million in pharmacy product revenue (2024), ranking fourth in the e-pharmacy segment. In Italy, the company launched a “Beauty & Health Store” in early 2025—putting additional pressure on pharmacy-related brands.

“Amazon is highly ambitious in Europe,” says Gregor Leopold of the agency GlobalAMZ. “Retail media, DSP, streaming—many brands are trying it out for the first time now.”

Redcare vs. DocMorris: A Duel with Clear Signals

Redcare expects a 25% increase in revenue for 2025, including 18% growth in the non-Rx segment. In Germany, Rx revenue is expected to double to EUR 500 million. The platform remains highly curated—sellers report complex onboarding processes.

DocMorris grew by 6.7% in 2024, with 6.7% growth in OTC and 2.1% in Rx. Leopold comments:

“Redcare has overtaken DocMorris in many ways. Brands should allocate budgets strategically across both.”

dm’s Push: A Platform Strategy Through the Back Door

dm plans to launch its online pharmacy in the second half of 2025, fulfilling orders via a company-owned pharmacy in the Czech Republic. The focus will be on pharmacy-only OTC products, formally offered by a third-party seller in the shop. Orders will be shipped together with dm’s standard product range.

“The bundling with regular products is particularly interesting—it reduces costs and increases average order value,” says Leopold. dm also emphasizes trust, customer advice, and potential in-store pickup—without explicitly branding it as a marketplace, but structurally aligned with platform logic.

Marketplace, Media, Delivery: New Playing Fields for Brands

Amazon operates an open model; Redcare and DocMorris curate heavily. dm is testing third-party models. Retail media is becoming a strategic arena, with growing interest from cosmetics and OTC brands.

Logistics is becoming a key differentiator: Amazon offers same-day delivery for select OTC and drugstore products. DocMorris and Redcare rely on partner pharmacies. dm is planning Click & Collect via physical stores—offering a true omnichannel experience.

Conclusion: A Market Searching for Direction—with Signals for Brands

Platform logic, regulatory boundaries, and new business models are converging in the pharmacy market. Amazon is investing in speed and media, Redcare is performing strongly, DocMorris is stabilizing, and dm is entering the game with brand power.

For manufacturers in the OTC and personal care sectors, close observation is worthwhile—and placing a first strategic bet could pay off. Those who learn how digital health retail works today will be ready to act tomorrow.

Der Beitrag What is going on in Online Pharmacy? erschien zuerst auf Marketplace Universe.

TikTok chaos in the US: Facing an impending ban, TikTok shut itself down on Saturday, only to start up again on Sunday after Donald Trump declared that he would issue an executive order on Monday immediately after taking office to delay it. He can imagine a joint venture in which the US would hold half of TikTok’s shares. In the meantime, many users have fled to the Chinese app RedNote in protest. Sueddeutsche (summery) NY Times (ban) LinkedIn  (RedNote)

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According to preliminary figures, Zalando increased its GMV by 4.5 percent to 15.3 billion euros in the year-end quarter, with operating profit expected to be around 510 million euros. This puts Zalando well ahead of its own forecasts from last fall. Retail News

Galaxus is also growing strongly: across the group, Digitec Galaxus increased its revenue by 18% to 3.228 billion francs in 2024. Galaxus.de grew by 27% to 362 million euros. Galaxus

The drugstore chain dm is reaffirming plans for an online pharmacy, which is scheduled to launch in the second half of the year.  Onlinehaendler-News

110 employees, or almost a quarter of the workforce, have to leave the luxury watch platform Chrono24. Handelsblatt

Amazon wants to further monetize its retail media technology and is now opening it up to third-party retailers with a new “Amazon Retail Ad Service”. CNBC

Final News

Amazon Prime is discontinuing its “try before you buy” clothing program on January 31. Also known as “Prime Wardrobe,” the service allowed customers to try on items of clothing at home and keep and pay for only the selected ones. The growing prevalence of AI alternatives and the lack of scalability probably led to the end of the program. The Verge

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Der Beitrag Marketplace Universe News 20.01.2025 – TikTok chaos in USA / Zalando exceeds forecast / Amazon stops “try before you buy” erschien zuerst auf Marketplace Universe.

Wayfair is pulling out of the German market. The German online shop has already closed, and Wayfair marketplace sales partners can no longer reach their contacts. The Berlin office is also being closed, costing all employees there their jobs – unless they move to London or Boston, which Wayfair is offering about half of the workforce. LinkedIn

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First sales figures for TikTok Shop: According to estimates, TikTok Shop in the US is said to have reached a trading volume of 9 billion US-Dollar in its first full year. In the UK, it is now estimated at 1.5 billion US-Dollar, up from 900 million US-Dollar in 2023. The global trading volume in 2024 was therefore 32.6 billion US-Dollar. Exciting Commerce

Decathlon has relaunched its e-commerce platform in Germany and wants to score points there with expanded services, including a universal shopping cart with just one payment process across all offers, as well as a rental service and repair instructions. Stores-Shops

Zalando has massively shortened its returns deadline in Germany: As implemented in France and Switzerland before, German customers now need to return their goods within 30 days – before the deadline was 100 days. LinkedIn

According to new figures from Shop Apotheke (12.5 million) and About You (12.8 million), both have a similar number of customers, but the drugstore Shop Apotheke is valued at twice the amount of About You. This means that Shop Apotheke could also take over its struggling competitor DocMorris – if the drugstore chain dm does not snap it up first. Exciting Commerce (Shop Apotheke)  Exciting Commerce (DocMorris)

Meta is testing the integration of eBay listings into its Facebook Marketplace – ostensibly to increase reach for sellers and offer users more choice. In reality, however, it is probably an attempt to circumvent EU requirements. Winfuture   LinkedIn

Hot shit cee News

More than one eighth of Czechia’s e-commerce turnover – or 1,2 billion euro – went to international marketplaces in 2024, Czech e-commerce expert Jitka Dvorakova estimated. The strongest international players for Czech customers are Amazon, Temu, Shein, Allegro and Kaufland. Thanks to David Cikanek for making us aware of these interesting numbers! LinkedIn

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Der Beitrag Marketplace Universe News 13.01.2025 – Wayfair quits Germany / Figures for TikTok Shop / eBay partners with Facebook Marketplace erschien zuerst auf Marketplace Universe.