Marketplace Talk: April's ecommerce news 

🛒 Marketplaces dominate European ecommerce growth

Marketplaces accounted for 61% of total ecommerce GMV in Europe in 2025, up from 56% in 2023, according to ECDB. While this is lower than the global average of 83%, the share is expected to continue rising as marketplace adoption accelerates across the region.

The model is especially dominant in cross border trade, where marketplaces generated 70% of online revenue between 2024 and 2025. Amazon remains the leading player in Europe, supported by strong growth in key markets like Germany and the UK.

“Marketplaces are no longer just a channel, but the default infrastructure for ecommerce growth, especially in cross border expansion.”

Dex van Hofwegen,
Director Sales (Europe)

📱 TikTok Shop eyes expansion into Poland and Benelux

TikTok Shop is preparing to expand into Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium, as shown by new job listings and early setup of seller environments. While not yet live, the groundwork suggests launches in these markets are approaching quickly.

The move follows rapid growth across Europe, where TikTok Shop is already active in major markets like Germany, France and Italy. The company is focusing on onboarding key merchants and building local market readiness before going live.

“TikTok is moving fast from testing to scaling in Europe, turning social commerce into a mainstream sales channel across more markets.”

Niels Floors,
Director Strategic Development

⚠️ eBay faces marketplace outages impacting operations

Since Sunday, April 26, eBay has experienced significant technical issues, with parts of the platform and even the full marketplace going offline at times. The company has not disclosed the exact cause, but confirmed teams are working to restore full functionality.

The disruption affects a platform that processes over 230 million dollars in GMV per day, highlighting the scale of potential impact on sellers and buyers during outages.

🚚 Amazon expands fuel and logistics surcharges globally

Amazon is introducing temporary fuel and logistics surcharges across North America, following similar moves in Europe. From April 17, a 3.5% surcharge will apply to FBA fees in the US and Canada, with additional services like Multi Channel Fulfillment and Buy with Prime following in May.

The increase is driven by rising fuel costs and supply chain disruptions linked to geopolitical tensions, with oil prices nearly doubling in recent months. While Amazon states the surcharge is lower than competitors, it signals a broader trend of carriers passing rising costs onto sellers.

“Shipping costs are becoming more volatile and increasingly passed through to sellers, making margin management and pricing strategy more critical than ever.”

Niels Floors,
Director Strategic Development

🌍 Zalando continues expansion into Southeast Europe

Zalando is accelerating its European rollout, with Portugal and Greece now live and Bulgaria expected to launch on August 1, 2026. The platform is already preparing supply through its Partner Program, a strong signal that the market entry is imminent.

The expansion follows Zalando’s step by step strategy, where partner onboarding and logistics are established before a full consumer launch. This approach allows brands to enter new markets quickly without holding local inventory.

“Zalando’s expansion shows how marketplaces are scaling efficiently across Europe, using partner driven models to unlock new markets with minimal friction.”

Mitchell Dröge,
Alliance Manager

📱 TikTok Shop gains traction in Germany

TikTok Shop is rapidly growing in Germany, with over 15% of online shoppers making a purchase within a year of launch, according to NielsenIQ. After a slow start, adoption accelerated quickly, with the platform now ranking among the top 15 online retailers in the country.

The platform is also maturing beyond impulse buys. Both average order value and purchase frequency are increasing, with categories like electronics and home goods gaining share alongside fashion. Notably, Generation X accounts for the largest share of revenue.

📦 ChannelEngine adds integrated fulfillment through Monta

ChannelEngine is expanding its partnership with Monta to offer integrated fulfillment services, combining marketplace connectivity with local logistics across key European markets. Brands can now manage everything from product listings to storage, picking and shipping within one ecosystem.

The move enables faster market entry and more efficient cross border operations, particularly in competitive markets like Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands. By reducing reliance on multiple partners, brands can simplify operations and improve delivery performance.

“Expanding into new marketplaces is one thing, executing locally is another. With fulfillment capabilities now available across Europe and the UK through our partnership with Monta, we’re enabling our customers to start faster and scale more effectively in some of the world’s most competitive ecommerce markets.” 

Jorrit Steinz,
Founder & CEO

🛒Walmart doubles down on ecommerce and AI growth

Walmart reported strong ecommerce momentum in fiscal 2026, with global online sales growing 24% to $150.4 billion. In the US, ecommerce contributed 4.3% to comparable sales, driven mainly by store fulfilled pickup and delivery, as the company continues to scale its omnichannel model.

At the same time, Walmart is investing heavily in both physical retail and technology. Spending on new stores surged to $1.4 billion, while AI initiatives like its shopping assistant Sparky are driving higher basket sizes and helping capture demand more effectively.

🤖 AWS and OpenAI deepen partnership to scale enterprise AI

AWS and OpenAI are expanding their partnership to bring advanced AI models and agents directly into Amazon Bedrock. Enterprises can now access OpenAI models, deploy coding agents like Codex and build production ready AI agents within the same infrastructure they already use.

The integration combines OpenAI’s frontier models with AWS security, governance and scalability, allowing businesses to develop and run AI applications without changing their existing cloud setup. This lowers barriers to adoption and accelerates enterprise use of agentic AI.

🐾 Amazon expands promotional calendar with Pet Days

Amazon is extending its Pet Days event to five days this year, running from May 11 to 15. Originally a 24 hour sale, the event has steadily grown and now features thousands of deals across pet categories, from food and toys to grooming and accessories.

The move reflects Amazon’s broader strategy of creating more category specific sales moments throughout the year, rather than relying solely on major events like Prime Day. While open to all shoppers, Prime members benefit from faster delivery options.

“Amazon is turning niche events into major traffic drivers, creating more frequent purchase moments and increasing customer engagement beyond traditional peak periods.”

Jordi Vermeer,
Director Revenue (North America)