Retail and e-commerce - May 2019

29 May 2019

EU webshops generate €1.6 billion in the Netherlands
In 2018, NL consumers purchased around 1.6 billion euros (excl. VAT) worth of products from foreign EU webshops. This is 17% more than in 2017. The growth rate of purchases made by Dutch consumers in EU webshops is slightly less marked compared to previous years. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of ongoing research.

Development of cross-border e-commerce through parcel delivery
Efficient and demand-oriented parcel delivery services are an important factor for the dynamic development of cross-border e-commerce in Europe. A study by WIK-Consult explores developments and trends in the supply of and demand for delivery solutions in the context of cross-border e-commerce. You can read more in the report (6.7 MB).

Germans send 1 out of 6 parcels back
Germans like to shop on the Internet. As a result, around 280 million parcels and 487 million articles were returned to online merchants in Germany in 2018, i.e. approximately every sixth parcel delivered. These figures were collected by the research group Returns Management at the University of Bamberg (in German) in their second Return Survey. You might also be interested in more of their statistics (in German).

Home-delivered meal kits are greener than you thought, new study concludes
Meal kit services, which deliver a box of pre-portioned ingredients and a chef-selected recipe to your door, are hugely popular but get a bad environmental rap due to perceived packaging waste. A new study from University of Michigan reveals that meal kits have a much lower overall carbon footprint than the same meals purchased at a grocery store, despite more packaging. You can read more in the abstract of an article published in Resources, Conservation and Recycling.

Walmart brings SF in retail to earth
Over the past few months, a Walmart Neighborhood Market in New York, has been quietly transforming. With artificial intelligence-enabled cameras, interactive displays and a massive data center, this store suggests a retail future that seems like science fiction. Read more here.

Zalando stops with free shipment
Ecommerce News reports that Zalando is introducing shipping costs in the UK, Ireland and Spain. The fashion giant has taken this step after an earlier test in Italy. Although Zalando claims there are no plans to further expand this measure, it seems like the end of an era.

Expensive label design: €200M fine for AB InBev
The European Commission has fined AB InBev €200 million for breaching EU antitrust rules. AB InBev has abused its dominant position on the Belgian beer market by hindering cheaper imports of its Jupiler beer from the Netherlands into Belgium (especially interesting for cross-border retailer AholdDelhaize) through adapting its multi-language label design among other things.

Picnic star performer in food grocery e-commerce
An AD article (in Dutch) reports that Picnic, the novel grocery delivery service in The Netherlands, is rapidly overtaking AholdDelhaize’s delivery service. Wherever Picnic has been active for a year or more, the delivery service has conquered half of the online market, according to research by GfK commissioned by Distrifood.

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