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Zalando launches Connected Retail in Italy offering retailers the possibility to reach millions of customers on the platform

October 19, 2021
Company
A woman looks at clothes in a shop
  • Connected Retail offers an online solution for physical retailers of any size across all of Italy
  • To support stores and liquidity, Zalando offers a reduced commission scheme until the end of the year and continues weekly payouts 
  • Italian customers will soon be able to support local shops by using the “delivery from a shop” filter option

BERLIN, 19 October, 2021 // Zalando, Europe's leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, is further expanding its Connected Retail program to Italy. Starting today, Italian retailers can connect their stores directly to Zalando’s platform and sell their products to millions of customers online. Connected Retail’s move to Italy marks the fifth expansion in 2021 making it available in 13 of Zalando’s 23 European markets. Many retailers can achieve a daily increase in sales of 20 orders per store. To support retailers during the first months of the onboarding period, we have reduced commissions until the end of the year and offer weekly payouts to support the store´s liquidity.

Connected Retail is a central part of Zalando's platform strategy. Physical retailers connect their stores quickly, easily and without connection costs: Zalando provides the software for the connection, online content, payment options, customer support and personal account managers. Once entered into the program, the stores will be able to fulfill the orders that Zalando customers place on the platform. Poste Italiane will collect the orders directly from the specific store, as a customer would normally do, and deliver it to them. On request, partners can also make use of marketing services via Zalando’s 360 degree marketing unit, Zalando Marketing Services (ZMS). In addition, Italian Zalando customers will soon be able to support local shops directly by using the “delivery from a shop” filter option.

A man with folded arms is standing in front of a clothes rail

Riccardo Vola, Director Southern Europe at Zalando, adds: “Italy is one of the biggest fashion markets in Europe and very important for Zalando. I am very excited that we are launching Connected Retail and accelerating our investments in Italy. The Connected Retail network now comprises more than 5,000 active stores from 13 European markets. Expanding to Italy will enable us to offer support to the Italian retailers by helping them to reach millions of potential new customers. Moreover, Connected Retail will help us to further deepen our relationship with our Italian customers, offering an even larger assortment and giving consumers the choice to buy more locally.”

One of the first retailers to join Zalando Connected Retail in Italy is the store VITALE with several locations in Crotone. Together with Zalando Connected Retail, the VITALE shops will make it possible for Zalando customers across Italy to shop various products directly from its store.

“Our stores in Crotone have always held special significance for the area,” said Angela Vitale, CEO of VITALE´s shops. “We are excited to pioneer Zalando´s Connected Retail service in the country and to access new customers all over Italy.”

The Italian Connected Retail team will include Italian employees with a specific know-how to support local retailers. By the end of the year, Zalando aims to connect more than 6,000 shops in Europe. Zalando will invest 50 million Euros in the Connected Retail program in 2021 and a substantial share will be invested in Italy, which is a market of strategic importance for the company.

Retailers who are interested in the offer can find further information at www.connectedretail.it.

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About Zalando

Founded in Berlin in 2008, Zalando is building the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce around two growth vectors: Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B). In B2C, we offer an inspiring and quality multi-brand shopping experience for fashion and lifestyle products to about 50 million active customers in 25 markets. In B2B, we are using our logistic infrastructure, software and service capabilities to help brands and retailers run and scale their entire e-commerce business, on or off Zalando. As an ecosystem, Zalando aims to enable positive change for the fashion and lifestyle industry.