Camilla Rossi

This week's updates in eCommerce and retail 🛍️ ▪️On Running has lifted its 2025 sales and earnings outlook after a stronger-than-expected Q2, with premium sneaker demand surging in Europe and Asia. ▪️Zalando posted another strong quarter, growing revenue, profit, and adding 3.1m customers YoY to reach 52.9m total. The German platform has launched a new personalised feed to drive engagement and retention, signalling a push to become more of a daily destination than a pure transaction site. ▪️ Douglas, the German beauty chain, returned to growth in Q3 with +3.2% sales to €1bn after a weak start to the year, with online performing strongly. ▪️ adidas continues to lean on sneakers, which made up 58% of Q2 sales, but is betting heavily on global football for both brand heat and commercial growth. ▪️ Ralph Lauren smashed expectations with +30.7% net profit to $220m and revenue up 14% to $1.7bn, driven by price increases. The brand warns H2 will be tougher due to import tariffs, a reminder of the ongoing geopolitical risk to margins. ▪️ Amazon is bringing fresh groceries into its core Prime same-day delivery service for 1,000+ US cities, aiming to double that by year-end. The move integrates grocery seamlessly with general merchandise, stepping up competitive pressure on Walmart, Target, and Instacart. ▪️ Walmart has entered the hype collectibles market via StockX, listing 50+ Labubu dolls (some priced at $200+). It’s an unusual but telling move - tapping into limited-edition culture to attract younger, trend-led shoppers. ▪️ Iceland Foods has partnered with Olio • Share More, Waste Less and Gander to roll out real-time yellow-sticker discount alerts to UK shoppers. The scheme, spanning 900+ stores, aims to cut food waste while driving in-store traffic from cost-conscious consumers. ▪️ ZARA has debuted its new high-tech flagship concept in the UK, opening a 32,291 sq ft store in Manchester’s Trafford Centre. Customers will be able to access real-time inventory, locate products, and arrange online order collection via the Zara app or website. The flagship is also the first in the UK to feature Zara’s in-store automated clothes sorter, which sorts items into sections and restocks the rails automatically. ▪️ Waterstones has secured £125m in financing to support future growth, a sign that well-run book retail can still attract investment in the digital era. ▪️ FatFace will close all US physical stores to go online-only, refocusing investment where it sees the most scalable returns. ▪️ Frasers Group has acquired tech retailer ebuyer out of administration, adding another vertical to its fast-expanding empire. ▪️ Oasis’ reunion tour has driven an unexpected £1bn boost to UK high streets, proving live cultural events can be powerful retail catalysts. 🫶 Follow Sue Azari for weekly insights on eCom and retail innovation. 📩 Sign up to my newsletter The Commerce Brief for weekly industry news: www.thecommercebrief.com

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Bloq.it × InPost: a new chapter in Europe’s out-of-home delivery. InPost operates the largest parcel-locker network in Europe — and is widely regarded as the company that made parcel lockers “work.” We’ve signed a strategic, multi-year plan to accelerate their expansion with off-grid NEXT lockers. Under this plan, InPost will add 20,000 units across France, the UK, Italy, Iberia, and Benelux. First units are already deployed in France (Mondial Relay) and the UK. This solidifies Bloq.it’s position as the undisputed leader in out-of-home delivery solutions — and puts us a step closer to our ultimate goal: reshaping the broken e-commerce delivery paradigm. We're just getting started. #bloqit #inpost #parcellocker

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What’s next for AI in Europe? I am very pleased to share our latest issue of FORWARD Magazine, which is dedicated entirely to this topic. It offers in-depth insights, diverse perspectives, and case studies that highlight AI's significant impact and remarkable potential throughout the region. Discover all the ways AI is fueling innovation, boosting competitiveness and helping solve society's most profound challenges from expert voices such as Lila Ibrahim, Dr. Marianne Janik, Amaryllis Verhoeven, Rodolphe Gelin, Nina Olesen, Gerhard Hammerschmid, Richard Stirling, Commissioner Michael McGrath, Minister Niamh Smyth and many more here: https://lnkd.in/eB3vPVDM A fantastic read for anyone invested in the future of European technology and what it means for us in Ireland. #FORWARDMagazine #AIpolicy #EuropeAI

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Why was it so hard? Because in retail, the psychology is as tough as the operations. When AI enters a sector that’s been run the same way for decades, the resistance is deeply human: - Fear of losing control or authority (“If the system knows more than me, where’s my value?”) - Cognitive rigidity (“This is how we’ve always done it.”) - Fear of public failure (“If the system fails, it’s on me.”) - Organizational inertia (“Better the devil we know than the uncertainty of change.”) Meanwhile, the pain on the floor keeps growing: - At any given time, 8% of products are missing from shelves - 46% of shoppers walk away when they can’t find what they came for - Globally, that’s a $730B leak every single year The breakthrough was proving to retailers that AI can run on the infrastructure they already have, using existing cameras, with no new hardware, no disruption, and very low risk for a very fast ROI. And once the results started coming in, the conversation changed: - 79% fewer out-of-stock events in 30 days - Restock speed 4.5× faster than legacy processes - 3-7% revenue recovered per store That’s when fear shifted into trust. Retail penetration with AI means moving from hope to certainty, from firefighting to execution, from blind spots to clarity. The next era of retail will be defined by those who close the loop between data and action. And once you cross that shelf, there’s no going back. ShopperAI | Lanor Daniel #AgenticCommerce #RetailTech #Marketing #DigitalTransformation #AI #FutureOfRetail #SmartRetail #RetailOperations #US

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The CEP Reckoning Series # 1 The Flaw in Category Entry Points (CEPs): Time to Rethink Everything for the AI Era ❓Is there a single category where all leading brands grew simply by chasing more occasions, regardless of how they stand out? ❓When you analyse your best campaigns, did they win because you ticked every “entry point,” or because you did something distinctive and memorable? ❓If every competitor in your space is flooding the same AI-driven occasions, who wins? And who vanishes in a sea of sameness? The Uncomfortable Truth: CEPs Don’t Always Drive Growth   The Flaw, Explained With a Real Example 🟡 Suppose you’re a large FMCG brand selling energy bars. The traditional “CEP” advice: ➡️ Map out every occasion: pre-workout, breakfast-on-the-run, afternoon pick-me-up. ➡️ Build reach for each entry point. ➡️ Invest in mental availability across the board. What happens? ➡️ You and every competitor all race to own the same occasions. ➡️ The consumer’s mind is overloaded with “me-too” messaging; nobody stands out. ➡️ AI systems see a flood of identical context-targeted content, and start to surface whichever brand got there first, or has better engagement stats, not necessarily the best or most differentiated offer. 🚫 Result: The more you chase every generic CEP, the more you blend in. What the New Research Shows “When everyone targets the same CEPs, no one wins. 1% of CEP-driven campaigns yield a real business lift. Growth is coming from brands that create new entry points or radically differentiate by maximising for every occasion.” Prof. Felipe Thomaz, Oxford University 🟢 Egg-and-Chicken Problem: CEP strategies assume mental availability causes growth, but the evidence indicates it may just measure behaviour that differentiation has already created. 🟢 Homogenisation: Models guarantee defensibility only in undifferentiated, static markets-yet real markets are dynamic, disrupted, and reward uniqueness. 🟢 Algorithmic Blindness: AI search favours the most authoritative or distinctive signals. If AI platforms can’t tell what truly sets you apart, you’re just another tile in the content mosaic. Ask Yourself: ❓Are you seeing declining campaign ROI as the market rushes to “own” identical occasions? ❓Do your most memorable launches stem from a differentiated edge - or from saturating every possible entry point? ❓Have you noticed your AI mentions are flat or falling, even as you hit every possible “category context”? Why This Matters Now ✅ AI search floods consumers with brand answers for every occasion. If you aren’t meaningfully and distinctively present, you’ll be surfaced only by luck or budget, not by choice. ✅Authenticity and uniqueness surface in AI signals. Community-driven platforms and unprompted mentions drive authority, not endless entry-point repetition. ✅ Competitive advantage is about contrast, not coverage.

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Zalando Accelerates Growth: +3.1M New Customers, AI Innovation & Strategic Expansion Fuel Momentum Zalando has just reported an exceptional Q2 (ending June 30, 2025), showing what’s possible when cutting-edge tech, sharp execution and bold corporate moves work in sync. Key results at a glance: • 52.9 million active customers (+6.1% YoY), with 3.1 million new customers in just one quarter • Revenue up 7.3% to €2.835 billion • GMV up 5% to €4.06 billion • Adjusted EBIT of €185.5 million, margin steady at 6.5% Why is Zalando thriving right now? 1️⃣ AI-powered shopping experience The new discovery feed transforms Zalando’s app from a static shop window into an editorial-rich, social-media-style experience, complete with lifestyle boards, personalised recommendations, livestreams and curated content. This keeps customers engaged for longer, improves conversion and opens up new marketing revenue streams. 2️⃣ Loyalty and premiumization The Zalando Plus membership now exceeds 10 million members across 17 markets. Members shop more often, spend more and are more likely to explore higher-margin categories like Designer, Beauty and Lounge, broadening Zalando’s revenue mix. 3️⃣ Growing B2B ecosystem Zalando’s ZEOS logistics and software platform is expanding fast, supported by About You’s Scayle technology. With Shopify integration and cross-platform fulfilment services, Zalando’s B2B arm grew revenue 12% YoY to €262 million, with EBIT margins surging to 59%. 4️⃣ ABOUT YOU takeover: the game-changer Completed in July for €1.13 billion, the acquisition has already prompted Zalando to raise its 2025 outlook: GMV growth now expected at 12–15% (previously 4–9%) and EBIT guidance lifted to €550–600 million. This move adds: • A younger, trend-driven audience and stronger market share in the DACH region • Scayle‘s advanced commerce software, enriching the B2B toolkit alongside ZEOS and Tradebyte • Synergies in logistics, marketing and tech targeting €100M annual EBIT benefits from 2029 • A dual-brand strategy, keeping Zalando and ABOUT YOU distinct yet leveraging shared scale and infrastructure The bigger picture Zalando’s momentum is built on three pillars: • Digital innovation that enhances engagement and monetisation • Channel and category diversification across B2C, B2B, loyalty tiers and premium verticals • Strategic M&A, with ABOUT YOU accelerating scale, capabilities and market reach This isn’t just a strong quarter, it’s proof of a long-term vision paying off. Zalando is no longer just Europe’s leading online fashion platform; it’s becoming a connected commerce ecosystem with consumer, partner and technology layers reinforcing one another. Kudos to the Zalando and ABOUT YOU teams, this is how you combine innovation with execution to lead an industry.

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How I help boost Google store ratings for E-commerce brands: ⭐️ There's a bonus strategy in the comments! In my years working with fast-growing DTC brands, I've seen store ratings impact everything from CTR to conversion rates, search ranking growth and now... AI search visibility. Those little stars in search results? They're becoming trust signals that AI uses to pick winners. Here's what you need to get Google store ratings + what actually moves the needle: The complete checklist covers: - Review management (AI reads these now) - The importance of live support - Post-purchase engagement (the goldmine most miss) - Comprehensive FAQs (structured for AI parsing) - Customer experience optimisation (speed + clarity) - Enhanced trust signals across the store - Hassle-free returns (builds confidence + reviews) Now/The Future: > AI agents scan reviews for outcome data > Response patterns affect visibility > Review velocity and sentiment matters more than volume > Structured review data feeds AI recommendations The brands winning? They treat reviews like a product feature, not an afterthought. What strategies have moved the needle for your store ratings? Special shout-out to Kelly Sheppard for the original store rating URL lookup hack, it's changed slightly but still super useful! (updated URL on slide 4). #Ecommerce #SEO #Shopify #TechnicalSEO

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