Europe

Ecommerce giant Zalando is streamlining its range. As a result, it will remove products of brands on June 30. After that, the brand will be completely deleted from the platform’s data.

Amazon increased the costs of its multi-channel fulfilment service. The new fees will be in effect for European sellers starting next month. According to the ecommerce giant, the increase is due to rising operational costs due to inflation.

From now on, fashion e-tailer About You only offers free shipping with a minimum order amount of 30 euros. Customers with smaller orders will have to pay 4,90 euros delivery costs. The new fees are already in effect in Germany, but will eventually be introduced in all markets.

Fashion marketplace Saclàb has raised 1.6 million euros in seed funding. The company wants to use the capital for product development as well as HR and marketing activities. The platform is also planning a launch in the United States.

Seventeen European trade organizations have recently published an open letter to the European Union to express their disapproval of a new withdrawal button. This button allows consumers to undo a transaction after placing an order. “This button exceeds its purpose”, said Marlene ten Ham of Dutch ecommerce association Thuiswinkel.org.

In the FT 1000-ranking of fastest-growing European companies, 95 are ecommerce businesses. The vast majority of these companies is from Germany, such as WLDOHO and KoRo. Italy (24) and France (12) are also well-represented.

Used cars retailer Autohero.com generated 1 billion euros in sales in 2022. That is an increase of over 80 percent compared to the year before. This is mostly due to raising prices of used cars following supply chain shortages.

Fashion retailer Yoox is adding a secondhand category on its marketplace. The pre-owned category is available in nearly 30 European countries. Later this year, the marketplace is planned to launch in the United States and Middle East as well.

Otto Group has an expected revenue of 12 billion euros for 2022. This is a 2 percent decrease compared to the year before. In Germany, ecommerce sales fell as much as 8 percent, while international sales have increased.

Zalando is introducing a base rate for third-party sellers and brands starting July 1st. Partners will have to pay a monthly 40 euros. In addition, the fashion retailer will increase commissions per sold item for certain products.

Zalando is planning to cut up to 5 percent of its employees. The online fashion giant said in a note to staff it would eliminate hundreds of jobs. This makes Zalando part of a growing list of ecommerce companies laying off staff due to the current economic situation.

Slovenia-based startup CartFox is launching a new feature: post-purchase SMSes. The company offers automated abandoned cart text messages to online retailers. With the new function, sellers can give customers additional discounts after placing an order.

The European Union is implementing the Digital Services Act and the Digital Market Act, which impact online marketplaces and social media platforms. This package of rules will create a safer digital space for users and fight rogue sellers.

Ecommerce giant Amazon has decided to skip wholesalers in Europe. Instead, it will focus on sourcing products from brands. By doing so, it wants to ensure low prices for consumers.

Nearly 40 percent of online shops in Europe uses so-called ‘dark patterns’. These are ways of encouraging customers into making a purchase under false pretenses, such as hiding costs and false countdowns.