Marketplaces

All boxes, bags and envelopes used by Amazon for deliveries in Europe are now recyclable. The company also states that an increasing number of products are being sent to customers without any additional packaging.

Otto expects slightly higher revenue for the upcoming year-end period compared to the same period last year. According to CEO Marc Opelt, the platform model is the "key growth engine" of the online department store.

Amazon has recently frozen funds of legitimate sales partners. The company has now acknowledged that mistakes were made. The blockade is being lifted, but sellers continue to face problems.

The European Commission has asked the Alibaba subsidiary, AliExpress, for a clarification. Brussels wants to know what the platform is doing to combat the trade in illegal products, including counterfeit medicines. AliExpress has been given three weeks to provide an explanation.

Zalando expects its revenue to be 0.5 to 3 percent lower this year compared to 2022, when the company already saw a 0.1 percent decrease in revenue. While the bottom line loss is narrowing, Zalando is struggling to attract buyers. Particularly in the DACH region, spending is under pressure.

Secondhand fashion platform Vinted is considering a secondary share sale, worth more than 200 million euros. The platform, which is currently operating at a loss, is looking into its capital structure. This means that is currently not planning an IPO.

Based on turnover, many of the 30 biggest brands sold on Dutch marketplace Bol are brands that sell products in consumer electronics and domestic appliances. However, when looking at the amount of sales brands in toys and personal hygiene dominate the top-30. At the same time, brands that are sold by Bol itself have 64 percent share of the total turnover.

Amazon’s renewable energy initiative across Europe had a recent addition of 39 new projects that have significantly bolstered the continent's clean energy capacity. In 2022 alone, these endeavors brought about 2.4 billion euros in economic investment and created over 3,900 jobs.

Last year, the total online cross-border market in Europe generated a turnover of 265 billion euros. At least 63 percent, 167 billion euros, was generated by marketplaces. These data include global cross-border sellers, such as Amazon and AliExpress.

After two years, Mango has stopped selling other brands on its own marketplace. The Spanish fashion retailer had been offering products from brands like Rituals through its own channels. This decision comes after Mango recorded an online sales growth close to 10 percent during the first half of 2023.

Fnac Darty and CEVA Logistics are establishing a joint venture, called Weavenn. The new venture will offer SaaS marketplace technology solutions, as well as logistics. It is set to be operational as of 2024.

Boohoo Group reflects on a meager half-year in which revenue declined by 17 percent. Particularly in the United Kingdom, which accounts for most of its revenue, the company suffered significantly. The group's loss (adjusted EBIT) amounted to 3.9 million pounds.

Overstock is a big challenge in the fashion industry. German startup Smatch has recently launched a B2B platform to tackle this problem. Retailers can offer their excess stock for sale through the platform. Currently, the platform is active in the textile sector, but it wants to add other sectors soon.

Adevinta, the parent company of many leading European classified marketplaces, is in discussions regarding a potential sale. A consortium led by investment firms Permira and Blackstone is reported to have made a multi-billion-dollar offer.

More and more individual businesses are selling on marketplaces or do dropshipping. This caused a massive growth of these platforms. Brands and retailers see it as a huge opportunity toreach new audiences or work together with other retailers.