Europe

If Zalando acquires About You, the company will not only strengthen its position in the consumer market but also become the new owner of Scayle, a provider of ecommerce software. This acquisition would create "the next B2B powerhouse for the ecommerce industry in Europe".

With 16.3 million monthly users, Temu is more popular in Germany than anywhere else in the European Union. The more well-known Shein attracts more attention in France, Spain, and Italy, but generates the most revenue in Europe in Germany.

According to Eurostat figures, 58.1 percent of all consumers in the European Union made a recent online purchase last year. Ecommerce is most established in the Netherlands and least in Bulgaria. In many parts of Southeast Europe, adoption remains below 35 percent.

Ecommerce giant Amazon is currently having capacity problems in its logistics centers in Europe. It is now warning sellers that it cannot accept all shipments. This means that merchants might have issues getting their inventory to the marketplace in time for the holidays.

The Platform Group collaborates with approximately thirteen thousand sales partners, the German company behind several vertical marketplaces reports. In the first nine months of this year, trading volume increased by 30 percent. Profits grew even more significantly.

Of the thousand largest online sellers in Europe, 49 percent have their headquarters on the continent. A majority are based elsewhere, primarily in the United States or China. The share of online traffic for these non-European companies is even higher.

Click and collect is becoming a standard option for online shoppers. A majority (54 percent) of the top thousand European online retailers offer a pick-up option, enhancing their appeal to shoppers.

Last year, fashion platform Shein generated 7.68 billion euros in sales in Europe. This was an increase of 68 percent, compared to a year earlier. Its profitability has also increased significantly.

The European Commission is starting a formal investigation into Temu, to see if the platform does enough to combat the sale of illegal products, amongst other issues. It also has ongoing investigations into other platforms, like AliExpress.

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.

Next year, Asian online marketplaces Shein's and Temu's growth rates will drop significantly. This is predicted in a report published by Forrester. The expected decline is related to current complaints about the marketplaces.

Last year, B2C ecommerce in Europe generated a nominal turnover of 887 billion euros. This was a slight increase of 3 percent compared to a year earlier, when the turnover reached 864 billion euros. However, there are large regional differences.

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.

Ecommerce giant Amazon has announced that it is implementing a temporarily extended return period. The longer return period is coming into effect during the holiday season. According to the marketplace, it will help merchants increase their sales.

In the financial year 2023/2024, the whole European online cross-border market achieved sales of 326 billion euros. A large majority, 69 percent, or 225 billion euros came from online marketplaces.