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Fibre2Fashion
11-07-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Germany's Zalando & ABOUT YOU team up for pan-EU fashion expansion
Zalando SE ('Zalando') and ABOUT YOU Holding SE ('ABOUT YOU') today announced that they have completed their strategic combination, allowing them to serve customers and partners across Europe better. With their complementary Business-to-Consumer and Business-to-Business offerings, the two founder-led companies will build a pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce and cover a larger share of the European fashion and lifestyle e-commerce market. On 1 July 2025, the European Commission granted merger control clearance for the transaction including the voluntary public takeover offer to the shareholders of ABOUT YOU. Zalando has now acquired 91.45% of ABOUT YOU's share capital (excluding treasury shares). Zalando has completed its strategic acquisition of ABOUT YOU, securing 91.45 per cent of its share capital. The move aims to create a pan-European fashion e-commerce ecosystem, combining B2C and B2B strengths. ABOUT YOU will retain its identity, while synergies in logistics, software, and operations are expected to deliver €100 million (~$117 million) in annual EBIT gains. Zalando still has the firm intention as a next step to carry out a squeeze-out of the remaining minority shareholders of ABOUT YOU and to acquire the remaining ABOUT YOU shares against adequate cash compensation. The squeeze-out shall take place as part of a merger of ABOUT YOU into a wholly owned subsidiary of Zalando. Since announcing the intention to team up on 11 December 2024, both Zalando and ABOUT YOU have been preparing for this next phase. Each company has developed plans to ensure a smooth collaboration and clear focus on joint value creation after closing, aiming to combine their complementary strengths while preserving their unique identities. 'Both companies grew from local start-ups to European success stories by understanding the nuanced and diverse needs of customers across many markets, and driven by a relentless focus on quality and innovation. Together, we'll work to be an unbeatable team to lead the way in European fashion and lifestyle E-commerce,' said Robert Gentz, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Zalando . 'In B2C, we offer customers and brands two distinct and rich shopping experiences. In B2B, combining our complementary logistics and software capabilities ZEOS, Tradebyte and SCAYLE, will create an even more advanced e-commerce operating system that enables brands and retailers to manage their multi-channel business across Europe and beyond.' 'At the heart of this team-up is our shared commitment to redefining fashion and lifestyle shopping and creating real value for our customers and partners. We are excited to join forces with Zalando to drive innovation and realise new growth opportunities for SCAYLE and ABOUT YOU,' said Tarek Müller, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of ABOUT YOU. 'This strategic transaction opens the door to great collaboration, while allowing us to stay true to the individuality and energy that define ABOUT YOU.' ABOUT YOU's operations add scale and complementary capabilities, fully aligning with Zalando's ecosystem strategy, as communicated in March 2024, to build a pan-European fashion and lifestyle e-commerce ecosystem. The transaction presents compelling value creation opportunities that the two companies, operating in the same industry, can generate by collaborating in a wide range of areas, including B2B, logistics, payments, and commercial collaboration. In the longer term, Zalando targets significant Group EBIT synergies of around 100 million euros per annum. In the B2C growth vector, adding ABOUT YOU will enable Zalando to implement a dual-brand strategy. Each brand retains its distinct identity while leveraging synergies in logistics, payment infrastructure and commercial collaboration. This strategic move allows the combined entity to provide tailored and separate shopping experiences, effectively meeting the unique needs and preferences of customers. In the B2B growth vector, ABOUT YOU's SCAYLE complements Zalando's B2B vision to build an operating system for fashion and lifestyle. ZEOS, Tradebyte and SCAYLE join forces to help brands and retailers manage their multi-channel business across Europe and beyond with a suite of logistics, software and service offerings. ABOUT YOU's management board members Sebastian Betz, Tarek Müller, and Hannes Wiese will continue their successful work in their current roles as part of the combined group. Underpinning management's conviction in the value creation of this transaction, Zalando in December 2024 also confirmed its medium-term outlook for the combined group. Zalando, including ABOUT YOU, is expected to grow GMV and revenue until 2028 at a 5-year compound annual growth rate of between 5% and 10%1. The combined group expects an adjusted EBIT margin in 2028 in the corridor of 6% to 8%, yielding a significant increase in absolute profit by creating a combined group at a larger scale. Together, Zalando and ABOUT YOU aim to cover a larger share of the 450-billion-euro European fashion market in the long term. Zalando will provide a first outlook for the full year 2025 for the combined business when it reports second-quarter results on 6 August 2025. Born in Europe, Built to Grow The combination brings together two founder-led teams with a strong cultural fit, an entrepreneurial track record, and highly complementary capabilities. Both companies built their success on understanding Europe's unique complexity and hence reflect Europe's unique strengths – cultural diversity and collaborative innovation across borders and markets. 'Zalando and ABOUT YOU are proof that Europe can produce growth companies for the digital age,' said Gentz . 'We are excited about teaming up for the next stage of our joint journey to deliver exciting innovation and sustainable growth at scale across Europe.' Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
Associated Press
08-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
SCAYLE's ‘Conversion Killer' report reveals 71% of US consumers are uncomfortable with the way retailers are using AI
Research of over 1500 US shoppers highlights 71% uncomfortable with some of the AI tools being used by retailers, and 1 in 3 put prices over brand loyalty. HAMBURG, GERMANY, May 8, 2025 / / -- Consumer research released today by SCAYLE, one of the fastest-growing enterprise commerce platforms in the world, uncovers pain points for US shoppers, revealing 71% are uncomfortable with some of the AI tools retailers are using, and one in three are now putting prices before brand loyalty. Key findings from SCAYLE's survey of more than 1500 US shoppers include: - AI gone wrong: Only 18% of shoppers are not uncomfortable with certain AI-driven features when shopping. Nearly one-third of consumers are uneasy with retailers' use of facial recognition (32%), 30% with AI-created product images and models, and the same number with AI-powered customer service chatbots. - Missed opportunities for innovation: Shoppers are open to AI being used for customer service and product discovery. 25% rank customer service as the biggest positive effect of AI, while 19% say product discovery will be the top area for transformation. Meanwhile, only 8% believe convenience, e.g., voice commerce or shopping assistants, will have the greatest impact on their buying experience. - Loyalty drivers: Product quality trumps all else for 53% of consumers, followed by price competitiveness (38%) and good customer service (31%). When it comes to loyalty programs, 49% of consumers want to see regular discounts, and 36% want added incentives like free shipping, or buy now, pay later options – with 35% valuing loyalty programs that are free of costs. 'We know US retailers are facing a challenging landscape right now, with a turbulent economic climate reducing consumer purchasing power, and tariffs set to squeeze bottom lines even further,' said Daniel Fertig, Director Partnerships at SCAYLE. 'But our research shows that shoppers' concerns go beyond just costs. Many retailers are betting big on emerging tech like AI to improve customer experience, so it's interesting to hear that customers don't feel this is currently paying off. Brands need to continue investing in AI to get ahead – but it's clear customers want to see it used for product discovery and improving customer service, rather than AI-generated images or chatbots. The biggest takeaway is that – even during uncertain times – there are some immediate pain relievers for brands, like implementing AI solutions customers actually want, introducing incentive-driven loyalty programs, and prioritising product quality.' The research also highlights some interesting generational divides among US shoppers' behaviors and preferences: - Gen Z leads in subscription adoption: 67% of Gen Z consumers (ages 16-26) are likely to sign up for subscription services from retailers they shop with. This is more than double the number of Baby Boomer shoppers (ages 59-68) likely to sign up (31%), and significantly higher than the 56% average across all age groups. - Millennials are most open to discovering new brands: When shopping on a marketplace, 30% of Millennials (ages 27-42) are looking for new brands to try, compared to 18% of Gen X and just 9% of Baby Boomers. - Gen X and Baby Boomer Shoppers are most price-conscious: 59% of Baby Boomers and 57% of Gen X cite lower prices as their top reason for choosing a large enterprise retailer over a local or medium sized brand, compared to just 37% of Gen Z. 63% of Gen X and 67% of Baby Boomers would abandon a brand due to increased prices, compared to 44% of Gen Z and 45% of Millennials. - Baby Boomers remain sceptical of AI: 40% of Baby Boomers express discomfort with AI chatbots, compared to 24% of Millennials (ages 27-42) and 25% of Gen Z. Other findings: - The power of payments: 52% of consumers cite increased prices as their primary reason for abandoning brands. 76% of online shoppers are also likely to abandon their carts when their preferred payment method isn't available. Flexible payment options are no longer a 'nice to have' – they are an essential part of the shopping experience. - Omnichannel remains king: 57% of consumers prefer a mix of both online and in-store shopping, with 'buy online, pick up in-store' (38%) and 'buy online, return in-store' (37%) ranking as the most valued omnichannel features. Unless otherwise stated, all data are provided by YouGov Deutschland GmbH. 1.583 persons age 16-68 participated in the survey, which took place between the 21.1. and 28.1.2025. About SCAYLE SCAYLE is an enterprise shop system enabling B2C brands and retailers to create unique customer experiences with ease. Its extensive feature set includes PIM, Shop Management, Checkout, and OMS, as well as functionalities for omnichannel, advanced promotions, and search. And all is unified within one intuitive user interface. The modern architecture can be flexibly expanded via APIs. Leading brands such as Harrods, Manchester United, Deichmann, Fielmann, and FC Bayern choose SCAYLE to accelerate innovation speed and drive growth in commerce. SCAYLE GmbH is part of the ABOUT YOU Group. Millie Bound Ballou PR +44 7739 576315 email us here Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
