Online store

British brands Topshop and Topman will launch on the fast-growing fashion website Zalando. This will happen in September and is part of the brands’ expansion drive, as they will launch in selected European countries, not including the United Kingdom.

Home24, the online furniture company from Rocket Internet, has doubled the number of its customers to 1 million and had started with optimizing and redesigning its online store so customers get more inspiration when buying furniture online.

German consumers increasingly rely on information they found online when they want to make a purchase in-store of via the Internet. As a matter of fact, 41% of all information that's relevant to purchasing decisions now comes from digital media.  But the Internet does not only give relevant information, it also delivers better recommendations than the trusted dealer around the corner. Stationary retailers are warned!

The Netherlands is not only famous because of its wooden shoes, tulips, Anne Frank House and Louis van Gaal, it’s also known for its high internet penetration and consumers who love to shop. We give you 5 reasons why you should start your ecommerce company in The Netherlands.

Staples has drastically improved the ecommerce experience on their key websites in Europe, including Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. This got combined with a refreshed look and feel of the online storefronts. With the update, omni-channel shopping must be easier for Staples' customers.

The ecommerce industry is constantly changing. Similarly in Spain, where ecommerce still isn't as mature as in other big European countries. As a matter of fact, ecommerce in Spain only accounts for 5% of total ecommerce sales in Europe. But maybe the next six ecommerce trends may change this…

Click and collect is getting more and more popular in the United Kingdom. As a matter of fact, there are more customers who pick up their orders in-store in the United Kingdom than there are in the United States.

The rapid growth of ecommerce in Spain (and pretty much everywhere) has been a great incentive for small and medium businesses to step into the online world. But although a large percentage of companies already have an online presence, yet few have an ecommerce website.

Hema is expanding its online presence in Europe by selling items via marketplaces Amazon and La Redoute. This is Hema's way to test the water in countries like Spain and the United Kingdom. By selling via popular marketplaces Hema can get foreign shoppers acquainted with the Dutch company.

Starting the 30^th of June, 3Si Group will abandon the services of 3Suisses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The management wants to shut down smaller activities in order to concentrate more on the core markets France and Belgium. The decision is part of the modernization strategy of the 3Suisses brand.

Inditex gets some serious competition, now Amazon has opened an online clothing store in Spain. It offers a 700,000-item catalogue featuring 2,000 labels. It's the fourth online clothing store Amazon opens in Europe, after the United Kingdom, Germany and France got their own Amazon clothing stores.

Swiss underwear brand Calida is continuing its expansion strategy by opening an online store in Italy. Later this year, its offering will also be extended to France. The Swiss lingerie manufacturer already has online stores in Switzerland, Germany and Liechtenstein.

Today, Casino Group announced a project to create an ecommerce platform which combines businesses of Cdiscount and Nova Pontocom. With this transaction a major global ecommerce pure-player arises and the goal is to file for an IPO. Cause that may be a lot easier when the ecommerce division of Casino Group is independent from the supermarket division of the France company.

The Otto Group finally revealed its longtime secret project Collins. Using an open platform for third-party developers and contributors, the startups wants to attract young buyers. According to chief Benjamin Otto its claim is to make shopping for the younger generation as unique and inspiring as their digital world already is. "Ecommerce is still at the beginning of a new digital era."

Russian consumer electronics chain M.video wants to grab more market share and in order to achieve this the retailer plans to bring its prices into line with rivals like Ulmart. “Only the price factor can still potentially limit shopping with us, so we will take this issue off the table," says M.video’s CEO Alexander Tynkovan.