Connecting the dots between online and offline: Zalando expands cooperation with local retailers

With the gax-system, partners can now ship clothing directly to Zalando customers

Berlin, 16.02.2018. Zalando, Europe's leading online fashion platform, is expanding its cooperation with brick-and-mortar retailers in Germany. As of today, the gaxsys software solution enables retailers to not only ship shoes but also textile items from their local store to Zalando customers. The expansion of the pilot, which was launched in autumn 2016, is yet another step for Zalando in its platform strategy, which aims to connect all players in the fashion market.

"With this cooperation, Zalando is primarily supporting small retailers with limited technological infrastructure in entering the online business and offering them an additional sales channel. The project has developed very positively. Some retailers shipped up to 300 orders per week directly from their store to Zalando customers," says Jan Bartels, VP of Customer Fulfillment and Logistics at Zalando. "By adding textile items as a new category, we are now opening our platform to additional partners."

The so-called gax-system offers retailers easy access to the Zalando platform. Instead of investing into their own technological infrastructure, retailers can easily enter the digital business and ship to Zalando customers in Germany. More than 100 local shops have already become part of the project.

"Customers are increasingly mobile and expect products to be available whenever and wherever they need them. At the same time, the majority of articles still lie in stores. Our Integrated Commerce pilot combines the strengths of online and offline by making it easy for stores to access the online business," says Jan Bartels.

The connection via the gax-system is just one solution within the larger Integrated Commerce pilot which was launched in summer 2016 to connect offline retailers to the Zalando platform. Retailers that provide the required technological infrastructure benefit from a deeper integration and can sell items through the Zalando Fashion Store by joining the partner program.

Find out what participating retailers say about working with the gax-system.