Name

Zalando Partner

Legal name

Zalando SE

Website

https://partner.zalando.com

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Fashion Marketplace (B2B Partner Ecosystem)

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (45811), Shoe Retailers (45821)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

Keywords

• Fashion marketplace platform
• Partner e-commerce services
• Logistics fulfilment solutions
• Digital advertising management
• Omnichannel retail integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Commission: Partners in the Partner Program and Connected Retail sell articles on Zalando's platform. Zalando earns commissions through the offer selection process where partners compete for sales.
2. ZMS Advertising Revenue: Partners pay for advertising through the Ad Manager to promote products via Sponsored Products and Sponsored Collections campaigns, driving visibility and sales.
3. ZFS Logistics Fees: Partners utilizing Zalando Fulfilment Solutions pay for warehousing, transportation, and returns services through the ZEOS logistics network.
4. ZSS/ZRS Logistics Fees: Partners using Zalando Shipping Solutions and Return Solutions pay for cross-border shipping and return handling services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zalando Partner is the B2B ecosystem that enables fashion and lifestyle brands and retailers to sell their products to consumers across 25 European countries through Zalando's online shops. It offers three partnership models (Partner Program, Connected Retail, and Wholesale) with integrated logistics via ZEOS (ZFS, ZSS, ZRS), marketing services (ZMS including Ad Manager), and a partner portal (zDirect) for analytics, order management, and self-service advertising.

Product overview

Zalando Partner is a B2B e-commerce platform offering three partnership models: Partner Program (third-party brands selling directly via Zalando's international online shops), Connected Retail (brick-and-mortar stores integrating stock locations with Zalando), and Wholesale (Zalando's own merchandise). The platform is anchored by zDirect — a free partner-facing portal providing aggregated KPIs, analytics, and access to the ZMS Ad Manager. Logistics are managed through ZEOS, which provides three sub-services: Zalando Fulfilment Solutions (ZFS) for end-to-end warehousing and delivery, Zalando Shipping Solutions (ZSS) for cross-border transport using Zalando's infrastructure, and Zalando Return Solutions (ZRS) for returns management. Marketing capabilities include Zalando Marketing Services (ZMS) with Creative, Media, and the self-service ZMS Ad Manager supporting Sponsored Products (conversion) and Sponsored Collections (consideration) campaigns. Operational performance is governed by the Customer Experience Model (CXM) — a KPI framework tracking delivery on target, reimbursement on target, cancellation rate, and tracking coverage. Additional tools include the Zalando Partner University (ZPU) knowledge base, Brand Home (for branded storefronts), the Partner Assistant AI chatbot, and APIs including the Fashion Connector Importer (FCI) for inventory integration and Order Events API for webhook-based order notifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zalando Partner University (ZPU): Knowledge database and educational portal for partners to learn about onboarding, platform compliance, logistics, marketing, profitability and growth on the Zalando platform.
• ZEO
• Zalando Fulfilment Solutions (ZFS)
• Zalando Return Solutions (ZRS)
• Zalando Shipping Solutions (ZSS)
• Ad Manager
• zDirect
• Connected Retail
• Partner Program
• Zalando Marketing Services (ZMS)
• Customer Experience Model (CXM)

Products and services

• Partner Program Sales channel enabling third-party fashion and lifestyle brands and retailers to sell their products directly in Zalando International Online Shops across 25 European markets, managed through zDirect with access to logistics, marketing, and analytics tools.
• Connected Retail Partnership model and integration services allowing partners to integrate their brick-and-mortar store stock locations with Zalando International Online Shops, enabling multi-store inventory management and local delivery from physical stores.
• Wholesale Zalando's own wholesale business of selling goods directly to customers, competing alongside partner offerings in the platform's offer selection system.
• ZEOS Logistics Services Logistics service provider offering Zalando Fulfilment Solutions (ZFS), Zalando Shipping Solutions (ZSS), and Zalando Return Solutions (ZRS) for partner order fulfilment across European markets.
• zDirect Partner Portal Free partner-facing portal providing aggregated KPIs (sold items, return rates, tracking coverage, delivery performance, conversion), entity-related data, commission details, on-site behaviour data, ZFS reports, and access to ZMS Ad Manager for self-service advertising campaigns.
• Zalando Marketing Services (ZMS) Suite of marketing services including Creative (content creation), Media, and the ZMS Ad Manager self-service advertising tool, helping partners reach customers through inspiration and entertainment across Zalando's platform.
• ZMS Ad Manager Self-service advertising tool within zDirect enabling partners to create Sponsored Products and Sponsored Collections campaigns in under five minutes, reaching over 50 million engaged shoppers with 24/7 performance reporting and automated campaign optimization.
• Zalando Partner University (ZPU) Knowledge database providing educational content, articles, webinars, onboarding guides, and tool documentation for partners across both the Partner Program and Connected Retail.
• Fashion Connector Importer (FCI) API API for Connected Retail partners to send inventory information (stock, quantities) periodically in a compliant format for stock feed integration with Zalando's platform.
• Order Events API Webhook-based API allowing all partners to receive order notifications on state changes, containing order information, store details, order lines, delivery tracking details, and customer billing address.
• Partner Assistant (AI Chatbot) AI chatbot providing partners with instant answers to general questions about the Zalando Partner platform, operating as an autonomous support agent.

Quantifiable outcome

• On sportswear brand achieved 107M impressions and +153% uplift in PDP Views
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration42 records

AI capability9 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• lululemoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal athleisure brand lululemon partnered with Zalando for a fresh collaborative content approach. Partnership led by SVP EMEA Sarah Clark. Features personal storytelling connecting movement to business across both organizations.
• adidascoreStrategic or Co-development Partneradidas partners with Zalando to reach female footballers. Featured in 'Perfect Fusion' campaign showcasing partnership value for sportswear brands.
• LIEWOODcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLifestyle brand LIEWOOD scales on Zalando through partner services and marketing support.
• OncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSportswear brand On launched on Zalando achieving 107M impressions, 103M unique users reached, and +153% uplift in PDP Views. Case study demonstrates platform marketing impact.
• The North FacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe North Face partnered with Zalando at LAAX OPEN event for brand visibility and customer engagement.
• Designers RemixminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive collection partnership creating limited edition fashion pieces for Zalando customers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• About You: About You operates a European fashion and lifestyle marketplace with Partner Program and Connected Retail-like models across DACH and other European countries. It is the closest direct peer to Zalando Partner in terms of multi-brand marketplace structure, target audience, and partner onboarding mechanics.
• Otto (Otto Group): Otto is a leading German and European multi-category marketplace with a strong fashion and lifestyle assortment and partner seller programs. It is a direct peer to Zalando Partner in DACH and competes for the same German-speaking fashion brand budgets and consumer base.
• ASOS Marketplace: ASOS Marketplace enables third-party fashion and lifestyle brands to sell alongside ASOS-owned inventory to a large European and global customer base. It mirrors the hybrid Wholesale + Partner Program + Connected Retail structure of Zalando Partner while targeting a younger fashion audience.
• Yoox-Net-a-Porter: Yoox-Net-a-Porter runs multi-brand luxury and premium fashion e-commerce with partner brand onboarding and integrated fulfilment. It is a direct peer to Zalando Partner in the multi-brand marketplace-plus-logistics model, though it skews more luxury than Zalando's mainstream assortment.
• Farfetch (Coupang): Farfetch operates a global luxury and premium fashion marketplace with brand partner onboarding, brand-hosted storefronts, and integrated fulfilment services. It is directly comparable to Zalando Partner in the marketplace-plus-logistics model, though with a luxury tilt and broader geographic reach.

Regional players

• Bol.com: Bol.com is the leading Dutch and Benelux multi-seller marketplace with a significant fashion and lifestyle category and partner seller programs. It is a regional peer because it competes with Zalando Partner in Benelux and shares the marketplace-plus-logistics DNA, but is geographically narrower.

Emerging players

• Mirakl: Mirakl provides B2B marketplace platform technology used by retailers and brands to launch third-party seller programs. It is an emerging peer because it operates in the same B2B marketplace layer that Zalando Partner represents, but as a SaaS enabler rather than as a direct consumer-facing fashion marketplace.
• THG (The Hut Group): THG operates technology-driven beauty, wellness, and lifestyle e-commerce platforms with brand partner onboarding and proprietary fulfilment infrastructure. It is an emerging peer because its platform-plus-logistics model overlaps with Zalando Partner's ZEOS-plus-marketplace approach, though its primary category is beauty rather than fashion.

Broad incumbents

• Amazon Fashion Marketplace: Amazon operates the broadest generalist e-commerce marketplace with a substantial fashion and apparel category in Europe. It is a broad incumbent peer because it competes for the same fashion brand budgets and consumer attention, but fashion is one segment within a much larger portfolio rather than its core specialty.

Others

• Shopify Plus: Shopify Plus provides enterprise commerce platform infrastructure that many fashion brands use as an alternative or complement to selling on Zalando Partner. It is an adjacent peer because it competes for the same brand technology and operations budgets, but it enables direct-to-consumer rather than operating its own consumer marketplace.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zalando-partner

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Zalando Partner