Zalando has expanded its Connect Retail Programme, which was launched on April 1, 2020, to three new markets, Poland, Sweden, and Spain. Commission fees were waived and payout cycles were shortened to weekly payouts; all to support brick-and-mortar stores as much as possible during the crisis. The offering has now been extended until the end of 2020.
For new partners, Zalando will waive commissions for two, respectively three months and continues with weekly payouts for all existing and new partners until the end of 2020.
Today, more than 1,800 stores are connected to the Zalando platform, shipping up to 41,000 orders per day. The most successful partners shipped 6,400 orders on a single day. Zalando has boosted retailer visibility on the platform with dedicated campaigns enabling customers to shop from local stores.
Zalando launched its Connected Retail Programme in 2016 to on-board brick-and-mortar stores to the Zalando platform. Connected Retail is open to every retailer and brand with physical stores contributing to a relevant assortment. Stores can easily connect their stock to our platform. Zalando provides online content, payment services, customer care, and dedicated support through a personal account manager and proprietary order management software, according to a media statement by the company.
“It was important for us to react quickly to support those during the crisis that suffered most in our industry: brick-and-mortar stores. However, the crisis is not over and retailers continue to see noticeable effects on their business: consumers are only slowly returning to the high streets. So we decided to not only prolong our offer in our existing markets, Germany and the Netherlands, but also to launch Connected Retail with a commission-free offer in three new European markets: Sweden, Spain, and Poland from July 2020. Together, we are tackling the challenges of the situation and creating an even more exciting and sustainable shopping experience for customers: broader, more localised assortments shipped from local retailers even faster,” Carsten Keller, VP direct to consumer at Zalando said
