Shein has massively expanded its product range. In addition to fashion, shoes, accessories and beauty items, the platform now also offers jewelry, electronics, sports and outdoor, home & living, DIY, pet supplies, office supplies and even car accessories. The assortment in these new verticals seems to be sold almost exclusively by marketplace partners.
The time has come: TikTok Shop has opened its seller portal for merchants in Germany. At the same time, TikTok is working on expanding Fulfilment by TikTok to Germany. In France and Italy, too, merchant registration is now possible.
A good year for Amazon: Amazon has generated an operating income of 68.6 billion US.Dollar after 36.9 billion US-Dollar in the previous year. Net income almost doubled to 59.2 billion US dollars, with Amazon posting a net income of 20 billion US dollars in the fourth quarter alone.
Amazon.de is entering the optical business and is now also selling prescription glasses. With “Amazon optics”, Amazon is attacking established players such as Mister Spex – however, many additional services such as virtual try-on are missing.
Discover the 23 most important B2C marketplaces in Poland, and explore the country’s evolving e-commerce landscape! Featuring Allegro, Amazon, Vinted, empik, Modivo, morele and many others.
New year, new costs: Amazon has published the fees that merchants will have to pay for marketplace sales, storage and shipping in 2025. In addition to the prices, existing structures in individual segments have also been significantly revised.
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 habits of Europeans and the role different platforms play across the region. Transparency REports shed a light on User Numbers By relating these user numbers to the internet-active population in each country, analysts can calculate the “penetration rate” — the percentage of internet users engaging with a platform at least once a month. This metric provides a clearer picture of a platform’s importance in specific markets. Amazon’s Uneven Footprint Among the Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), Amazon has long been the sole retail giant on the list. However, its influence varies significantly by country. For instance, 70% of internet users in Germany and 81% in Italy use Amazon monthly, making it a dominant player. In contrast, its penetration drops to 25% in Portugal and barely 10% in Poland. Interestingly, these figures are not static. Just six months ago, Amazon boasted a penetration rate of over 90% in Italy, while in Poland it hovered below 7%. While these fluctuations may reflect seasonal trends or reporting nuances, they also underline the challenges Amazon faces in consolidating its position in less-established markets. The inclusion of Chinese e-commerce platforms Temu and Shein in the DSA reports marks a turning point in understanding their European footprint. Temu’s Consistent Growth Temu’s penetration rate exceeds 20% across most EU countries, meaning about one in five EU internet users visits the platform monthly. Its relatively even spread suggests that Temu is approaching Europe as a unified market, deploying a standardized strategy across the continent. Shein’s Targeted Strategy In contrast, Shein has concentrated its efforts on specific “lighthouse markets” such as Spain, Italy, Portugal, and France, where it commands over 40% penetration. These are the same countries where Shein has already become the leading online fashion retailer, reflecting its focused investment in these regions. Meanwhile, Shein’s presence in markets like Germany and Poland remains comparatively modest. TikTok Shop: A Parallel Expansion Retailers are also closely monitoring the growth of TikTok Shop, which recently expanded to Ireland and Spain. Intriguingly, TikTok’s strongest markets in Europe often align with Shein’s: countries like Spain and Italy where both platforms are thriving. This overlap suggests these markets could become battlegrounds for social commerce. What’s Next? The DSA-mandated reports provide a rare glimpse into the competitive dynamics of the European online landscape. Amazon’s entrenched dominance, Temu’s pan-European approach, and Shein’s strategic focus illustrate diverse strategies for capturing market share in a complex region. As the data evolves, it will offer valuable insights into how platforms adapt to changing user preferences and regulatory landscapes. With expansion plans from TikTok Shop and growing competition among global players, Europe’s digital marketplace promises to remain a fascinating arena for innovation and rivalry. The next set of transparency reports will undoubtedly reveal even more about the shifting sands of online commerce in the EU.
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 as Zalando and other European e-commerce fashion players face mounting pressure from rapidly growing Chinese competitor Shein, whose innovative “on-demand” production model and ultra-low pricing has disrupted the market and taken Europe by storm. A Deal Years in the Making Hamburg-based About You was launched in 2014 by Tarek Müller, Sebastian Betz, and Hannes Wiese as a subsidiary of the Otto Group. Despite an initial IPO share price of €23, the company has struggled to maintain investor confidence, with shares trading near €4 before the announcement. The economic challenges of 2023 hit Otto Group and About You hard. Once a flagship of Otto’s digital transformation, About You has struggled with exploding costs, shrinking user numbers and a more pressing need for profitability. Now, Otto Group, which held 64.7% of About You through the Michael Otto Foundation, has committed to selling its stake, along with About You’s co-founders and other major shareholders, bringing Zalando’s secured control to 73%. Zalando plans to maintain About You as an independent brand under a dual-brand strategy. While Zalando appeals to over 50 million customers across 25 countries, About You is supposed to continue catering to a younger, style-driven audience through its trend-setting and influencer-heavy platform. SCAYLE: A Key Asset in the Deal A significant component of the takeover is SCAYLE, About You’s B2B e-commerce software platform, which has established itself as a fast-growing and profitable SaaS solution in the fashion and lifestyle segment. SCAYLE provides tailored e-commerce infrastructure for over 200 online shops in Europe and North America. As part of the deal, SCAYLE will be integrated into Zalando’s existing software environment, complementing its ZEOS platform. Together, these systems are supposed to form a unified multichannel ecosystem designed to streamline operations for brands and retailers, offering a seamless platform for logistics, payments, and e-commerce services. Synergies and Strategic Alignment Zalando expects long-term annual synergies of approximately €100 million, leveraging About You’s strengths in both the B2C and B2B sectors. The integration of SCAYLE alongside ZEOS represents a pivotal part of this strategy, providing brands and retailers with a unified platform to optimize their multichannel operations. The Co-CEOs of About You—Müller, Betz, and Wiese—will retain their leadership roles. “This partnership creates something truly unique: two distinct B2C brands tailored to specific customer needs while combining our strengths in B2B to offer comprehensive solutions,” said Tarek Müller. What the deal will mean for the marketplaces of both Zalando and About You, if selling partners will benefit from it, and how the platforms will change due to the merger, is yet unknown. We have asked both Zalando and About You for comments and will update this article as soon as we learn more. Market Response The announcement sent About You’s stock soaring by 64%, nearing the offered price of €6.50 per share. However, Zalando’s shares fell by 7.5%, reflecting investor caution over the significant investment amid a challenging retail landscape. Navigating a Changing Market The acquisition underscores Zalando’s determination to strengthen its foothold in the €450 billion European fashion and lifestyle market. While the entire fashion industry has struggled in 2023 due to economic uncertainties and Shein’s meteoric rise, this deal signals Zalando’s commitment to scaling its operations. Especially SCAYLE could be the crown jewel of the deal for Zalando’s future as a e-commerce tech company. For Otto Group on the other hand, the sale of About You and SCAYLE represents a difficult yet pragmatic decision. By cutting off About You, it rids itself of a struggling sub-company and the huge investments it would need to stay competitive in a difficult market. But with SCAYLE it loses an important and very promising tech component which might have turned out to be vital for Otto’s future success. As the transaction progresses, expected to close by summer 2025 pending regulatory approval, the European fashion e-commerce sector braces for further disruption. Whether this strategic consolidation will be enough to fend off competition from agile newcomers like Shein remains to be seen, but it marks a bold step forward for Zalando in a turbulent industry landscape.
Black Week 2024 broke records across all platforms, with the fashion and beauty sectors being the top performers. 60% of purchases occurred on marketplaces, with Amazon leading at 85% of users. TikTok Shop generated $100 million in sales in the US and a 179% jump in sales in the UK, while OTTO had its best Black Friday yet.
Shein has presented its annual figures for Europe: according to these, the platform recorded a whopping 68% increase in 2023. The Ireland-registered European entity of Shein has reaches a turnover of 7.684 billion Euros, profit after tax has more than doubled to 99.5 million Euro.
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