Arjan van Oosterhout has been contributing to Ecommerce News Europe since the spring of 2023. He writes news articles for the website on a freelance basis.
Arjan is an experienced journalist in the field of ecommerce. After his student days in Utrecht, he began his career in 2004 at the South African newspaper, the Cape Argus, in Cape Town. Upon his return to the Netherlands, Arjan transitioned into trade journalism. He worked for MarketingTribune and, since 2008, served as an editor and later editor-in-chief of Twinkle, a well-known Dutch trade publication on digital commerce. He was also closely involved with the Twinkle100, an annual study of the largest online retailers in the Netherlands.
Since 2020, Arjan has been an independent entrepreneur. Under the company name Bureau AvO, he works for various journalistic and commercial clients, contributing to articles, magazines, books, and conferences, always at the intersection of content and commerce.
Temu has broken into the top 10 online retailers in almost every European country. In four countries, the platform owned by China’s PDD Holdings even ranks first, according to ECDB, based on its 2025 data. Worth noting that none of these countries has a local Amazon storefront or a major domestic marketplace.
Product carousels have almost entirely disappeared from Google’s shopping-related search results in the European Economic Area (EEA). For online retailers, a large part of their visibility in organic Shopping results has abruptly vanished.
Allegro plans to make selected tools and services available to selling partners for use outside its marketplace. These include logistics, financial and advertising solutions. Partners will be able to use them to boost sales in their own online stores.
Amazon has seen the number of recipients of its shopping services in the European Union decline slightly. In the first half of this year, the company reported an average of 193.9 million recipients per month, down from 195.2 million in the second half of last year.
Bol increased its lead over Amazon last year, according to a new ECDB ranking of ecommerce in the Netherlands. While the Dutch market leader recorded strong growth, Amazon.nl grew much more slowly.
Sellers from eight European Union member states will soon be able to offer their products to British consumers on TikTok Shop. Conversely, sellers will soon be able to sell to shoppers in continental Europe.
The organic visibility of large online stores in Germany is under pressure. Last June, on average, they were 16.7 percent less visible in Google’s unpaid search results than in the same month last year.
Amazon is requiring sellers to offer all their Pan-European FBA products on its Dutch marketplace. In six months’ time, a similar requirement will be introduced for Belgium. As a result, the international product selection on Amazon.nl and Amazon.com.be is set to increase.
Chinese ecommerce platforms such as AliExpress, Banggood, Shein, and Temu are more popular than average in Southern Europe, according to research by the European Central Bank (ECB). Shoppers are attracted by low prices and a wide product range.
Amazon Warehousing & Distribution, or AWD, will launch in five European countries this week. The service allows Amazon sellers to store products with the ecommerce giant for extended periods. From this bulk inventory, Amazon replenishes stock at FBA fulfillment centers based on demand.
After introducing a marketplace model in France, Zooplus has now also opened up its website to customers in Germany. The online pet retailer has pan-European platform ambitions, as its seller registration page makes clear: “Become our partner and unlock new markets across Europe!”
Argos, one of the United Kingdom's largest omnichannel retailers, has launched a marketplace. With the new platform, the retailer aims to better serve online shoppers in its home market. Applications are also open to selling partners from outside the United Kingdom.
Online retail sales are rising sharply in the United Kingdom. According to the country's Office for National Statistics (ONS), online retail sales values were 11.7 percent higher in the second quarter than a year earlier. In June alone, they increased by 14.4 percent year-on-year. The online share of retail sales reached its highest level since April 2021.
Notino, which describes itself as the market leader in European ecommerce for beauty and health products, increased its revenue by 11.5 percent in the past financial year. The company performed particularly well in the final months of the year.
Amazon is tightening its oversight of merchants that ship orders themselves (Fulfilled by Merchant, or FBM). In Germany, the company expects FBM sellers to maintain an On-Time Delivery Rate of 90 percent or higher and says it will enforce that threshold strictly. Similar policy changes are being introduced in other countries.