Posts by Arjan

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.

Background

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.

– Arjan van Oosterhout on LinkedIn

Shein and especially Temu popular among Swiss online shoppers

By Arjan - November 4, 2024 - Subject(s): Consumer behavior, Cross-border, Statistics.

The rise of shopping platforms from China is making a strong impact in Switzerland. In a top 10 list of popular online shopping destinations, three names from China are included. While AliExpress was the only Chinese player in the Swiss top list three years ago, it has now been surpassed by Shein and Temu.

Alibaba introduces seller protection program in Europe

By Arjan - October 31, 2024 - Subject(s): Marketplaces, Payments, Trustmarks.

With Trade Assurance, Alibaba introduces what it calls a new standard for safe and transparent digital B2B trade in Europe. The service portfolio is initially available for businesses in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

Amazon UK tightens return policies for international sellers

By Arjan - October 28, 2024 - Subject(s): Cross-border, Logistics, Marketplaces.

Amazon is introducing new return policies in the United Kingdom on November 11. International sellers will be required to provide a domestic return address or issue a return label; otherwise, the customer will receive a refund without needing to return the item.

Austrians place four in five orders with foreign stores

By Arjan - October 25, 2024 - Subject(s): Cross-border, Marketplaces, Statistics.

Parcel volumes in Austria are growing significantly. However, the majority of packages, around 80 percent of the total, come from abroad. Amazon accounts for a large share of this parcel surge, and the influence of Chinese platforms is increasing. Local online retailers are losing out.

OnBuy prepares for European expansion

By Arjan - October 21, 2024 - Subject(s): Cross-border, Laws and regulations, Marketplaces.

OnBuy, a popular pure marketplace from the United Kingdom, has announced its international growth plans. By the end of this year, the rollout of 'The Cashback Marketplace' will begin across continental Europe, with the United States following next year.

eBay launches Top-Service label for German sellers

By Arjan - October 17, 2024 - Subject(s): Launch, Marketplaces, Trustmarks.

eBay has introduced a new label in Germany, allowing commercial sellers to stand out on the platform. The eBay Top-Service designation provides shoppers with insights into certain aspects of the service, such as timely shipping. This label can be compared to Amazon's Prime.

‘Great news for online retailers in the United Kingdom’

By Arjan - October 14, 2024 - Subject(s): Statistics.

Spending at major British online retailers was 3.2 percent higher in September than in the same month last year. This marks the first growth since April 2021. After nearly 3.5 years, a turning point has been reached, just as in other European countries.

Amazon nearing top 3 in Dutch ecommerce

By Arjan - October 10, 2024 - Subject(s): Consumer behavior, Statistics.

Unlike most European countries, local players generate the most online revenue in the Netherlands. The top 3 in online spending for 2023 is led by online department store bol. Supermarket chain Albert Heijn, a sister company of bol, takes second place, and electronics retailer Coolblue is in third. Amazon rises in the new ranking and claims fourth place.

Mytheresa frees Richemont from Yoox Net-a-Porter

By Arjan - October 8, 2024 - Subject(s): Acquisition, Funding.

The rumors had been circulating for a while, but now it’s official: Mytheresa wants to acquire industry peer Yoox Net-a-Porter from Richemont. This will create a “leading, global, multi-brand digital luxury group”, according to the involved parties. As part of the deal, Richemont will acquire a 33 percent stake in the rapidly growing Mytheresa.

German ecommerce seems ready for a new growth phase

By Arjan - October 3, 2024 - Subject(s): Consumer behavior, Marketplaces, Statistics.

The days of declining online sales in Germany appear to be over. Last year the net sales of the top thousand webshops fell by 0.2 percent, not adjusted for inflation, compared to a 2.8 percent decline in 2022. A nominal growth is expected for this year.

Live shopping known but still little loved in Germany

By Arjan - September 30, 2024 - Subject(s): Consumer behavior.

More and more Germans are becoming familiar with live shopping. Six out of ten consumers know what the term means, which is twice as many as three years ago. However, live shopping is still used by only a small portion of German consumers.

Lack of digital skills widely felt by Dutch ecommerce employers

By Arjan - September 26, 2024 - Subject(s): Online store.

Nine out of ten Dutch employers in ecommerce are missing digital skills among the people who work for them. Especially in the areas of cybersecurity and innovative technologies, the shortcomings are significant. Employers expect that in the coming years, it will remain difficult to keep up with the development pace of AI.

‘Otto’s marketplace is losing sellers and is in crisis’

By Arjan - September 23, 2024 - Subject(s): Marketplaces.

With the opening of its website to third parties in 2020, Otto hoped to regain market share in the online retail market. In the initial years, the company enjoyed the benefits of the platform model, but now it has hit a snag. Fee increases, disputes with selling partners, and internal changes have led to a crisis.

DHL and Poste Italiane launch joint venture for parcel lockers

By Arjan - September 19, 2024 - Subject(s): Logistics.

DHL eCommerce has formed a joint venture with the state postal company Poste Italiane. Together, they aim to build a network of ten thousand parcel lockers across Italy. The opening of the first parcel locker in Rome marks the start of Locker Italia, the name given to the joint venture.

Mytheresa reports 10% revenue growth

By Arjan - September 16, 2024 - Subject(s): Cross-border, Statistics.

Mytheresa, the luxury ecommerce platform rooted in Germany, saw its revenue increase by 9.8 percent in the past fiscal year. Sales especially surged in the second half of the fiscal year, and profitability also improved over the course of the year.