Zalando wants to be Europe’s number one tech company

Zalando wants to become an open fashion platform and eventually even the number one tech company in Europe. That’s what co-founder Robert Gentz said this week, answering questions about the future of Europe’s biggest online fashion retailer.

Gentz answered questions from Wired, whose annual one-day summit he will attend as a speaker. The man, who is responsible for the company’s tech business as well as strategy and management of new clients, thinks very highly of mobile commerce. When asked what he thinks could be the most significant challenge and development in the field of online fashion retail over the next five years, he says for him it’s all about mobile.

‘Zalando needs to live mobile’
“Mobile completely changed the consumer behavior: how we communicate, how we shop and how we live”, he says. “Mobile fashion technology is still very much in its developmental stage. But we’re rapidly approaching a point where the majority of purchases will be done through the press of a button in an app.”

60% of visits come from mobile
Currently, almost 60 percent of visits to Zalando already come through smartphones and tablets, but Gentz says they need to live mobile to really understand what drives their customers. “We will have to be up to the challenge to make sure we can keep them happy.”

In terms of goals, Zalando eventually wants to become the number one tech company in Europe. In order to achieve something as big as that, Zalando needs to remain agile and innovative, Gentz says. “We’ve seen Google and Facebook become the flagbearers for tech in the United States, but nobody in Europe has taken on the baton to anywhere near the same level.”