“Europe is not a homogeneous market”
Regional manager Christoph Lütke Schelhowe explained on Emerce eRetail that the
Polish decision does not mean the service will
come to other countries as well. “It depends on the circumstances and the
culture. We do not consider Europe to be a homogeneous market and we wish to
emphasize local differences”, he said.
It is no surprise Zalando wants to simplify the act of returning goods. “We
strive to offer the best experience, as a satisfied customer always comes
back”, Lütke Schelhowe said. At this moment in time, on average 50 % of purchases are returned. Zalando sees no issue
with that number, as it is impossible for customers to try on the products
beforehand.
Zalando manages to be break-even in German markets, but in total the company
still has an operating loss of 80 million euro. “We are not there yet, but profitability is in sight”, Lütke
Schelhowe stated hopefully on the e-tail event. Zalando has put the international
expansion on hold, to concentrate on improving the current infrastructure.
