Online product spending in Germany grew by 3.2 percent last year, reaching 83.1 billion euros. This growth is significantly stronger than had been forecast a year earlier. Even stronger growth is expected for the current year. “Online retail is a rare bright spot in the German economy.”
Asian companies selling on TikTok Shop in Europe can now outsource their logistics to the platform. Fulfilled by TikTok will be available to them through warehouse locations in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. In addition to being a sales platform, TikTok is increasingly positioning itself as a logistics service provider.
Finnish ecommerce platform Wolt has launched an update for its app. With the update, the company wants to take a step towards becoming a multi-category commerce platform. It gives retailers more opportunities to showcase their products to a wide audience.
In a short period of time, Temu has become a dominant player in global ecommerce. Nearly a quarter of consumers (24 percent) made their most recent cross-border purchase on the Chinese platform. This puts Temu on par with Amazon.
This week, eBay announced that it is launching eBay SpeedPAK in Germany. The service offers sellers a customs-cleared shipping, with import duties already paid. It makes international shipping easier for German sellers.
Polish ecommerce company Allegro is selling its subsidiaries in Slovenia and Croatia, to German private equity firm Mutares. This means that Mimovrste, a well-known online retailer in Slovenia, will get a new owner. The sale is an effort to streamline Allegro Group’s financial results.
Digitec Galaxus has had a strong year, with sales across its platforms up by 17 percent. This growth is partly driven by the addition of half a million new shoppers, bringing the total customer base to around 5 million. The Swiss ecommerce giant also outperformed the market in EU countries.
The European Union has published new rules on alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The revised directive marks the definitive end of the central European ODR platform. The focus is shifting to national and sector-specific ADR bodies.
Ceconomy, owner of MediaMarkt and Saturn, reports online revenue of more than 5.7 billion euros for the past financial year. This means the online channel now accounts for more than a quarter of total revenue for the first time. Growth is largely driven by MediaMarkt’s marketplace.
Online marketplaces dominate almost every stage of the purchase journey of consumers in the United Kingdom. In high-value purchases of more than 90 euros, 30 percent of shoppers in the country use marketplaces, ahead of physical stores and other websites.
TikTok Shop is significantly increasing its sales commission in the five EU countries where the service is active. As of 8 January, merchants in Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Ireland will no longer pay 5 percent, but 9 percent per sale.
Amazon is the go-to place for Germans to do their Christmas shopping. Two-thirds of gift buyers shop at the American online retail giant during this holiday season, according to a new study. And 15 percent of consumers shop on one or more platforms from China, with their potential market share being even larger.
Amazon has announced a reduction in seller fees across a range of popular categories. Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) fees will also decrease in many European countries. The lower fees will apply to items such as low-priced clothing and home products. This move is part of Amazon’s strategy to compete with platforms like Shein and Temu.
Temu has recently entered into a large number of partnerships with logistics service providers for the delivery of products across Europe. This week, deals with the United Kingdom’s Royal Mail and Belgium’s bpost were announced.