Italy

Amazon has received a record fine of 1.13 billion euros by Italian market authority AGCM. The ecommerce giant’s logistics service Fulfilment by Amazon has abused its market dominance and disadvantages competitors too greatly, according to the regulator.

Open-source ecommerce solution has been acquired by MBE (Mail Boxes Etc.) Worldwide, an Italian platform providing shipping and fulfillment. Through the acquisition, MBE will strengthen its position in Europe and Latin America, where most of Prestashop's customers are located.

Meal kit delivery service HelloFresh has launched in Italy. This is the second European expansion this year, after the company set foot in Norway this summer. The service is now active in 9 European countries.

Italian marketplace Everli announced that it will expand into Germany and Romania in early 2022. This news follows a period of rapid growth for the company. It is now operating in more than 80 cities across Italy, Poland, Czech Republic and France.

Online retailers that want to become cross-border sellers and focus on growth markets, should pick Italy. The Italian ecommerce is expected to grow exponentially on short notice. To become successful, international sellers should be aware of local consumer preferences.

BigCommerce has announced today it will expand to France, Italy, and the Netherlands. The expansion takes place in the form of a fully localized experience, letting merchants use the platform to manage their store in their local language. Local payment methods and currencies are also included.

Turkish grocery delivery startup Getir has acquired Blok, a similar rapid delivery service from Spain. The acquisition gives Getir immediate access to Spain and Italy, where Blok was available most in Madrid, Barcelona and Milan. Prior to the acquisition, Blok was preparing to launch in Portugal, so this country is on Getir's roadmap too now.

Italy is a developing ecommerce market in Europe. But although it's lagging behind on some other European markets, the online retail industry of Italy has lots to offer. Let's take a look at the opportunities for European ecommerce companies in Italy.

Wildberries has launched dedicated ecommerce websites in France, Italy, and Spain. The entry into these markets follows after Wildberries' launch in Germany last month. The major Russian online retailer is now available in several countries across Europe.

Amazon has launched its grocery delivery service Amazon Fresh in Italy. At first, it will only be available in Milan, but soon Rome and the rest of Italy will be added to its delivery region.

Secondhand fashion marketplace Vinted has launched in Italy. This is the 13^th market where the online platform from Lithuania has opened its digital doors.

Southern Europe, in this case defined as Spain and Italy, is lagging behind in ecommerce. Online sales as a percentage of total retail, for example, are far lower than in more northerly countries. But why is this?

Nexi, the biggest payments processor in Italy, has agreed to acquire fintech rival SIA for about 4.6 billion euros. The combined company will be one of Europe's biggest payments companies.

Ebay will bring its managed payments service to sellers in three new markets in Europe next year. In the first quarter of 2021, eBay will manage payments in France, Italy and Spain.

Checkout Charlie, a German company with many consumer and discount portals, is expanding in Europe again. The business, part of A company of the Media Group RTL Germany, has launched two new voucher portals: Buonisconto.it in Italy and Topdescuento.es in Spain.