Zalando Shipping Solutions
Zalando Shipping Solutions
Grow internationally, ship quickly across borders and deliver on customer promises with ZSS.
Grow internationally, ship quickly across borders and deliver on customer promises with ZSS.
Key figures
12
markets
1
integration, contract and invoice for all markets
>3.6m
shipments dispatched
What it is
Zalando Shipping Solutions is a fast, seamless and pan-European shipping service available to our partners on Zalando Partner Program. It enables you to grow your business by leveraging Zalando's transport and carrier infrastructure while retaining control over your brand and fulfillment processes. Ship customer-ready parcels to our central facility and we’ll provide quick, last-mile delivery to your customers across Europe.
How it works
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Customer places an order.
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You receive order fulfillment data, shipping labels and all other required shipping documents (delivery slips, returns instructions and labels, etc.) via the integration interface* of your choice.
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You deliver the labeled, consumer-ready parcels to Zalando’s Outbound Parcel Sorting Center (OPSC) in Hamburg, Germany, within 48 hours of receiving the shipping label.
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Once the shipments are received in the OPSC, Zalando sorts the parcels, and forwards them to the carrier network hub for last-mile delivery.
The entire shipping process is managed by Zalando and executed by Zalando’s trusted carriers in each market.
*This includes Direct Integration via API (currently not available to new Zalando Partner Program partners), a service provider or a third-party integrator. Our preferred integrator is Tradebyte.
Benefits for Partners
Internationalize easily through our efficient Europe-wide carrier network
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Expand your business reach by leveraging Zalando’s robust carrier network
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Access more markets across Europe. Reach customers in Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Czech Republic
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Live up to customer expectations and deliver on convenience propositions
Save up to 15% on transport costs and build brand love
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Streamline your operations by keeping inventory within your own warehouse, shipping orders promptly upon customer order and receiving consolidated returns directly to your warehouse
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Retain your own branding and packaging while selling on Zalando
Save resources with our seamless operational experience
- Set up one single integration for all ZSS markets and avoid the complexity of managing a range of contracts, integrations and relationships with different service providers
Return options with ZSS
When leveraging ZSS, you can choose to manage your returns in one of two ways:
1. You choose to have your returns shipped back to your warehouse.
In this case, we still process the return and trigger the customer reimbursement for you. Your returns are then collected and sent back to your warehouse in bulk.
2. You choose to combine our Shipping Solution with our returns service: Zalando Return Solutions (ZRS).
No matter which option you choose, we handle your returns while you benefit from reduced costs and your customers enjoy a seamless shopping experience.
Add-on services
Within the Partner Program, partners can leverage our add-on services in customer logistics, marketing and off-price.
FAQs
What is included in the price for ZSS?
The service offer includes logistics costs (Sort, International Linehaul, Last Mile) as well as label provision and account management. Returns options of your choice are offered and invoiced separately.
What are the options of bringing goods to Zalando? Where do I need to deliver the shipments to?
You have three options when shipping your goods to our sorting center (i.e. First Mile delivery): you can use a dedicated van or truck, a pallet solution, or a parcel-in-parcel solution via Express service.
The main criteria to determine which option best fits your needs are your total daily volume and the location of your fulfillment center. The injection node is in Hamburg, Germany.
I have live operations in one or more markets. Is it possible to onboard for the ones I do not currently have in the portfolio but are covered by ZSS?
Sure! For example, let’s say you plan to expand your business to the Nordics and have the logistics capabilities to go live in Denmark*. In this case, ZSS can facilitate market expansion to Finland and Sweden while you continue using your existing setup in Denmark.
You can also decide to switch your existing setup in Denmark to ZSS or Zalando Fulfillment Solutions (ZFS) at any time, or choose to combine ZFS and ZSS across and even within respective markets.
However, it is of course more efficient to utilize ZSS via accumulation of volumes across markets, as this drives down logistics costs due to economies of scale.
*Please note that if you choose to leverage your own logistics in certain markets, your set-up will need to comply with Zalando requirements.
Is German VAT required if my company and warehouse are not located in Germany?
No, it isn’t. With ZSS, we won’t be storing your stock in our warehouses, which eliminates the need to have a German VAT number (given that your entity and warehouse are not located in Germany).
How much time do I have as a partner to introduce my shipments into the Zalando network?
To ensure a best-in-class customer experience, you are required to inject your shipments into the Zalando network within 48 hours after receiving the order confirmation.
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