Zalando, Amazon, Inditex lead in European cross-border fashion e-tail

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Sep 14, 2022

The European online fashion market is expected to grow by 50% by 2025, from €119 billion in 2021 to €175 billion in 2025. As a result, the e-tail channel’s share of fashion sales is expected to rise from 25% to 33%, according to a study conducted by Cross-border Commerce Europe (CCE), which has drawn up a ranking of the leading cross-border fashion e-tail sites operating in the EU. 

According to CCE’s estimates, the share of fashion within online consumer spending is expected to increase by 2025, confirming the role of apparel as a strong driver of online spending and of cross-border sales in particular. While fashion is currently said to account for 18% of total online sales in Europe, its share could grow to 27% in the coming years. “Online shopping has grown strongly during the pandemic, and this consumer behaviour will continue to be a predominant feature in the long term, so that online sales will remain significantly above pre-pandemic levels,” stated CCE’s report.

As for e-tailers, CCE data shows that German site Zalando tops the ranking of cross-border fashion e-tailers in Europe, with an 11.7% share of total sales. It is followed by US e-commerce giant Amazon with a 7.6% share, and Spanish group Inditex with 6.2%. CCE's ranking includes both individual brands selling through their e-shops, like H&M, Shein, Asos, Adidas, Boohoo, Pandora and others, and multibrand e-tailers/marketplaces like Ebay, Vinted, AliExpress, Farfetch, La Redoute and more. 

Interestingly, the current top-20 of Europe's cross-border fashion e-tailers includes four players that operate a C2C model: Ebay, which is fifth in the overall ranking, Vinted, Etsy and Vestiaire Collective. Ebay and Etsy also generate B2C sales, while Vinted and Vestiaire Collective specialize in second-hand fashion.

“Allbirds, Gymshark, Na-KD, Qwertee and Stitch Fix are new entries in online fashion sales, all of them web-born digital native vertical brands,” noted the report, adding that “they will play a key role in innovating fashion e-tail. Their mission is to change the way people find the clothes they love, by integrating digital technology into their online customer journey.”