Europe

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.

Online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay and Vinted will now have to report sales made on their platforms by end users to the tax office. This is part of a new EU law. Private sellers will be reported when they make over 2,000 euros or have over 30 transactions per year.

Most European countries have an average of daily time spent using social media below the worldwide average of 2:31 hours. Romanians use it a bit more often, 2:32 hours a day. Additionally, almost 26 percent of social media users worldwide use it to find products to purchase.

Leading ecommerce platform Shopify has increased its prices for new customers in the United States. The change is expected to be implemented in Europe soon, as well. Current customers will notice the price change in three months.

In the three weeks up to Black Friday, Zalando’s product prices increased by 8 percent. At the start of Black Friday week, prices dropped again by 18 percent. At the end of the week, prices had dropped 23 percent.

Google will provide more transparency for consumers buying products through the company’s ecommerce platforms, such as the Google Store. The tech giant is doing so to comply with rules set by the European Union. However, the company still breaches EU laws on geo-blocking.

Dutch product information management platform Gepard has launched a new feature called Digital Shelf Analytics. This feature helps brands effectively track content coverage by supervising content providers, monitoring their enriched product listings on retailers’ websites, and fully controlling content completeness and accuracy. It is one of the biggest updates in 2022 which has already brought real results to their clients.

Dutch startup VonWood, a trade platform for wood, has raised 2.7 million euros. The company aims to connect wood buyers and lumbers more directly online, while offering more product transparency. With the funds, VonWood wants to accelerate growth.

Amazon has reached a settlement with the European Commission. The ecommerce giant says it will not use data from partner sellers for its own products. It will also add a second Buy Box. By doing this, the platform avoids a billion dollar fine.

The selling of pre-owned items is growing in popularity. In 2021, the European recommerce market was worth 75 billion euros. It is expected to grow 60 percent by 2025, to 120 billion euros.

Correct product information is important in online shopping, according to 94 percent of consumers. Compared to last year, this is an 11 percent growth. A lack of good product information even makes 53 precent of buyers want to shop elsewhere.

International marketplace AliExpress has continued its decrease in turnover in Q3 this year. According to the company, this stems from a decrease in orders after the new EU VAT rules came into effect. Overall, the Alibaba group reports a loss of 2,8 billion euros.

Online fashion giant Zalando has discontinued its pre-owned online store Zircle. Customers can still access the category pre-owned in Zalando’s own platform if they want to buy second hand items. As of this week, Zircle is no longer accessible.

Most Europeans shop online every week or more, spending an average of over 340 euros a month. They mostly buy fashion, pay for bills or order food. One in three purchases is made crossborder. Ireland, Germany and Israel buy internationally the most, while France is the least likely to buy outside of the country.

While B2B sellers are increasingly turning to ecommerce solutions, customers still encounter issues when trying to order online. At least 32 percent of B2B buyers said that finding products is the biggest online issue. A more personalized shopping experience could solve that issue.