Zalando, a European fashion and lifestyle e-commerce giant, has recorded strong growth in both its growth vectors Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) in the third quarter, driven by increasing consumer demand amid an industry-wide strong start to the autumn/winter season. The company’s gross merchandise volume (GMV) rose 7.8 per cent in the third quarter to €3.5 billion (~$3.77 billion) compared with a year ago, revenue increased 5.0 per cent to €2.4 billion (~$2.58 billion) and adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (adjusted EBIT) climbed from €23 million (~$24.79 million) to €93 million (~$100.13 million).

The adjusted EBIT margin increased by 2.9 percentage points to 3.9 per cent. The number of active customers increased by about half a million quarter on quarter, bringing the total number of active customers to 50.3 million in the third quarter.

“Consumers love the quality brands we are adding, spend time with our exciting digital experiences, and embrace our expanding lifestyle offerings in areas such as sports, beauty and kids & family,” said Dr. Sandra Dembeck, chief financial officer. “To capture further growth opportunities, we are investing into initiatives such as evolving our Plus loyalty programme, offering more inspiring content, ramping up our tech hub in China and driving localised convenience for customers via our European logistics network.”

Zalando has reported strong Q3 growth with a 7.8 per cent rise in GMV to €3.5 billion (~$3.77 billion), a 5 per cent increase in revenue to €2.4 billion (~$2.58 billion), and a jump in adjusted EBIT to €93 million (~$100.13 million).
Active customers grew to 50.3 million.
The company expanded its B2C offerings with new brands and launched a revamped loyalty programme.

For Zalando’s first B2C growth pillar, aiming to differentiate itself through quality and offer the best possible shopping experience, the company added new brands like Remain, A-Cold-Wall, and Marine Serre to its curated lineup. Zalando also evolved its Plus programme from a paid membership to a free, points- based system designed to reward customer loyalty, the company said in a press release.

In France, Zalando’s new fulfilment centre near Paris shipped its first parcel at the start of October. This latest addition to Zalando’s logistic network helps to provide customers across France and neighbouring countries with even more localised offerings and convenience.

Zalando’s second B2C growth pillar around making Zalando a lifestyle destination saw strong growth in sports, beauty, and kids & family. The company is working to elevate these categories into powerful lifestyle propositions with comprehensive assortments, personalised inspiration, and seamless convenience. Zalando’s partners continued to increase their own sales generated via the company’s platform, with the partner business recording double-digit growth in the third quarter.

For the third B2C growth pillar – introducing new content formats into commerce and offering personalised inspiration and entertainment – the company further evolved Stories on Zalando, the content hub that engages customers around exciting fashion and culture trends. Fashion influencers like Caro Daur, Linda Tol, and Jordan Anderson are now offering exclusive content and showcasing their curated fashion selections.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)