THeCommerce

What THeCommerce does

THeCommerce GmbH is a Munich-headquartered direct-to-consumer (D2C) e-commerce service partner for non-fashion brands, operating under the Fortuneglobe Group alongside sister companies GUTEMARKEN (fashion brands) and Connect Your Store (omnichannel bridge for brick-and-mortar retailers). Founded in 2021 as a spin-off from Fortuneglobe — itself established in 2000 by Thorsten Höllger — THeCommerce serves nearly 100 brands by executing their complete D2C operations across the company's own online shops and 120+ online marketplaces including Amazon, eBay, Otto, Kaufland, Zalando, About You, plus specialized platforms like Saturn, MyToys, Manomano, cDiscount, bol.com, Allegro, eMAG, and Galaxus. The company is structured as a commissionnaire under HGB §383-406, a legal status that allows brands to retain control over pricing, assortment, and brand presentation while outsourcing execution — avoiding the cartel conflicts of traditional distributor relationships.

The company's underlying technology is a Managed Platform that integrates middleware, PIM (Product Information Management), ERP, CRM, and WMS (Warehouse Management System) into a unified D2C commerce stack, augmented by a configurable Business Intelligence layer for KPI tracking and repricer tools for marketplace Buy Box optimization. Service delivery is sales-led: each brand is assigned a dedicated Success Manager who runs structured onboarding (kick-off, strategy, implementation), recurring 'Jour Fixe' reviews, and workshops, with the ability to scale from a German-language starting point into multilingual European and global selling.

THeCommerce's revenue model combines a 10% commission on marketplace and online shop sales (with tiered reductions for brands exceeding six-figure monthly GMV), plus pass-through setup, listing, logistics, and platform costs at cost with no markup, and pass-through performance marketing spend subject to minimum monthly budgets (€1,000 for marketplace ads, 15% of turnover for online shop ads). The target customer base spans A and B brands, omnichannel retailers with physical store networks, and non-German brands seeking entry into the EU's largest e-commerce market, with geographic reach across DACH, broader Europe, the UK, the US, and Asia.

Name

THeCommerce

Legal name

THe Commerce GmbH

Website

https://the-commerce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

THeCommerce is a Munich-based D2C e-commerce service partner that operates non-fashion brands across 120+ online marketplaces and brand-owned online shops. Operating as a commissionnaire under HGB §383-406, it handles sales, marketing, logistics, and IT infrastructure for approximately 100 brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

D2C eCommerce Services

NAICS

General Merchandise Retailers (455)

SIC

Retail-Nonstore Retailers (5960), Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wholesale/B2B Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAF)

Keywords

• D2C eCommerce services
• Marketplace management
• Online shop operations
• ECommerce strategy
• Multichannel retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sales Commission: THeCommerce earns a 10% commission on all sales made through marketplaces and online shops. The commission rate reduces for brands selling more than six figures per month, aligning company incentives with client success.
2. Setup and Service Fees: One-time costs for system setup, online shop building, marketplace onboarding (setup costs), product range preparation according to marketplace specifics (listing costs), and logistics costs. These are passed through at cost without markup.
3. Performance Marketing: Digital marketing costs for online shop and marketplace advertising, including SEO, SEA, performance and brand marketing, passed through at cost with minimum budgets of 1,000 EUR per month for marketplace advertising and 15% of turnover for online shop advertising.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

THeCommerce operates as an outsourced D2C eCommerce partner for non-fashion brands, selling their products on all relevant online marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Otto, Kaufland, Zalando, About You, and 120+ specialized marketplaces) and through brand-owned online shops. The company handles the complete D2C sales operation including strategy development, online shop creation and operation, marketplace onboarding, sales processing (setup, listing, logistics, shipping, returns, invoicing, customer support), unified monthly reporting, and SEO/SEA performance marketing.

Product overview

THeCommerce is a D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) service partner operating under the Fortuneglobe Group. The company offers an integrated suite of services including Strategy consulting, Online-Shop creation and operation, Marketplaces sales (Amazon, eBay, Otto, Kaufland, Zalando, and 120+ niche marketplaces), Sales Processing (setup, logistics, returns, invoicing), Reportings (monthly unified reporting), Profitability optimization, BI systems, Marketing (SEO/SEA), and IT Infrastructure (middleware, PIM, ERP, CRM, WMS). The company operates from Germany with three sites and four logistics locations, serving approximately 100 brands with over 100 employees since its 2021 spin-off from Fortuneglobe. THeCommerce specializes in non-fashion brands, while sister companies GUTEMARKEN handles fashion brands and Connect Your Store bridges brick-and-mortar with eCommerce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy (D2C eCommerce Strategy Development) D2C eCommerce strategy development tailored to brand needs, coordinated across all sales channels including online shop and marketplaces. Used by brands to build a profitable online presence without disrupting traditional retail distribution.
• Online-Shop (Brand Online Shop) Creation, optimization, and operation of brand-owned D2C online shops with full backend management, SEO, SEA, multiple payment and logistics options, and customer support. For brands seeking their own dedicated eCommerce storefront.
• Marktplätze (Marketplaces Sales) Sales on online marketplaces including Amazon, eBay, Otto, Kaufland, Zalando, About You, and 120+ niche and specialized marketplaces nationally and internationally. Covers Buy Box optimization, repricing, and country-specific marketplaces for European expansion.
• Verkaufsabwicklung (Sales Processing) Complete sales process management including setup, listing, logistics, shipping, returns handling, invoicing, credit notes, and customer support across all communication channels. Brands achieve Top-Seller status and meet marketplace service-level requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of German online consumer sales occur on marketplaces, making D2C marketplace presence essential for brand competitiveness
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Intershop: Intershop is a long-standing German-headquartered enterprise e-commerce platform serving B2B and D2C brands across Europe. It addresses a similar customer base to THeCommerce's brand clients but at a more enterprise, software-led tier.
• Mirakl: Mirakl provides enterprise marketplace platform software used by retailers and brands to launch their own third-party marketplaces. While not a pure services play like THeCommerce, it addresses the same brand-side D2C and marketplace enablement space at significantly larger scale and enterprise tier.

Direct peers

• Sana Commerce: Sana Commerce provides B2B and D2C e-commerce platforms tightly integrated with ERP systems, supporting multi-channel commerce for brands and distributors. It is comparable to THeCommerce in targeting brand/enterprise e-commerce operations with deep systems integration.
• Lengow: Lengow is a French-headquartered e-commerce integration platform that connects brands to marketplaces and feeds, with PIM and catalog optimisation tooling. It directly competes with THeCommerce's multi-marketplace listing and feed-management capabilities, particularly in the DACH and wider European market.
• ChannelEngine: ChannelEngine is a marketplace integration platform that helps brands and retailers list, sell and sync inventory across hundreds of global marketplaces. It is the closest direct comparable to THeCommerce's managed marketplace offering for non-fashion brands in Europe.
• FrontRow Group: FrontRow is a European D2C and marketplace operations partner offering brand strategy, content, performance marketing and marketplace management. Its full-service D2C partner model for brands across multiple European countries is structurally analogous to THeCommerce.
• PlentyONE (plentymarkets): plentymarkets is a German-headquartered e-commerce ERP that natively integrates with dozens of European marketplaces and is widely used by brand sellers for multi-channel D2C operations. It overlaps with THeCommerce's managed platform stack (PIM/ERP/WMS + marketplace listings).

Others

• Dept: Dept is a global digital agency with a sizable e-commerce and D2C practice providing strategy, technology and marketing services to brands. It is adjacent to THeCommerce in competing for outsourced D2C and marketplace engagements but at much larger scale and broader scope.
• valantic: valantic is a European digital consulting and solutions provider with a strong e-commerce and supply chain practice serving brand and retail clients. It overlaps with THeCommerce's brand D2C transformation services but typically at enterprise consulting scale rather than as a dedicated marketplace operator.

Emerging players

• Shopware: Shopware is a leading German open-source e-commerce platform used by mid-market brands to operate their own D2C online shops. It is comparable to THeCommerce's own-shop creation and operation service, although Shopware sells software rather than operating the storefront on the brand's behalf.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-commerce-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about THeCommerce