Europe has lagged behind the US in growth of online marketplaces. This comes as no surprise, as the original – Amazon – is a US-based phenomenon that now dominates American e-commerce. Amazon established a presence in key European markets early on, but its success in Europe has varied. At the same time, German Zalando has grown to become a European marketplace for fashion, sports and beauty, and now has a presence in many countries.

Respondents to the survey “E-commerce in Europe 2020” specified the marketplaces where they shopped online, and this reveals an interesting pattern. The surveyed countries can be divided into three groups, based on whether shoppers prefer Amazon, Zalando, or both. There is an Amazon-dominant group (UK), a Zalando-dominant group (Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Nordic countries), and a marketplace-dominant group (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) where shoppers to a large extent use both marketplaces.

It is also clear that Zalando on average has a larger presence in the surveyed countries than Amazon. In most markets, 30–45 percent of respondents state that they shopped online at Zalando (with the exception of the UK). For Amazon, the corresponding figure is 80–90 percent in a few large countries, but considerably lower in others.

To learn more about the diverse European e-commerce market, order your free copy of the ”E-commerce in Europe 2020” report.

Olof Källgren, Market Information Manager, Direct Link