Zalando offers independent retailers opportunity to sell on their platform

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Oct 21, 2016

Europe's giant fashion and shoe e-tailer Zalando will offer independent retailers the opportunity to sell their mechandise on the Zalando website based on the retailers' stocks and resources. The concept will be powered by the Gax-System.
 

The system is part of Zalando's #IntegratedCommerce strategy, and has been tested in operational conditions since June 2016, with Adidas retailers in Germany. The objective is to support retailers in their transition to digital business, notably by emphasizing the possibility of generating in-store traffic via the online store. And also to stimulate repeat purchases, whose importance has been increasingly demonstrated by click-and-collect systems. For the time being, a dozen stores are planning to adopt Gax-System.
 
“With its platform strategy, Zalando is working on different ways to not only connect big brands and retailers, but to connect local stores with limited technological infrastructures for the first time," explained Jan Bartels, Zalando's Vice-President of Logistics Products.  "This way, Zalando can be a digital solution for smaller retailers who are facing the challenges of digitalization and offer them a further sales channel. We see the future of commerce as a seamless shopping experience for customers, whether fashion items are available online or in local stores. This is why we are continuously testing new Integrated Commerce initiatives, which connect both worlds.”

He added: "In terms of the customer experience, the future is an unconstrained buying journey, irrespective of whether the goods sought by consumers are available online or in physical stores.This is why we keep testing new initiatives consistent with the Integrated Commerce approach, in order to link together these two complementary worlds."
 
In 2015, Zalando recorded about 1.65 billion website visits, with over 55 million orders. The average number of orders per active consumer was 3.1, compared to 2.8 a year earlier. As for the average order basket, it was rather stable, with €67.8 in 2015 compared to €66.6 in 2014.