Marketplace Series: Marketplaces as a growth engine: “This is how we help sellers to grow with us in a way that conserves resources”

Kaufland is an old hand in the retail business but a comparatively young player in the marketplace. Nevertheless, the company is already expanding its offering into other countries. In an interview, Julia Lehnkering, Senior International Sales Coordinator at E-Commerce Berlin Expo exhibitor Kaufland Global Marketplace, explains what services retailers can expect and where the journey is headed for the company.

>>> GFM News in conversation with Julia Lehnkering, Senior International Sales Coordinator at E-Commerce Berlin Expo exhibitor Kaufland Global Marketplace.

Hi Julia, what potential do marketplaces hold for manufacturers and retailers?

Marketplaces are a growth engine and offer great revenue opportunities for sellers and manufacturers. According to the latest marketplace study by ecom consulting, 52% of e-commerce sales in the DACH region are expected to be generated via online marketplaces by 2024.

As an experienced marketplace, we offer technically mature solutions and services to grow successfully online. From 2023, Kaufland Global Marketplace will not only provide three marketplaces under the well-known Kaufland brand but will also take over services such as: 

• payment processing,
• multi-channel marketing
• first-level customer support in local languages

In this way, we’re helping sellers grow with us in a resource-efficient way and position themselves more broadly in their sales channels.

Can you tell us what companies should pay special attention to here and what developments should not be lost sight of in 2023?

One significant trend that sellers and manufacturers should not ignore is international expansion. According to a study by CBCommerce, online marketplaces accounted for 58% of €199 billion in cross-border online retail sales in Europe in 2020, making up €115 billion of total sales.

With the Kaufland Global Marketplace, Kaufland has created a solution enabling sellers to expand their online business internationally via a single system and supporting services. Particularly when your own company is growing nationally, international sales offer the opportunity to reach new markets and target groups and ultimately increase sales even further.

What makes your marketplace the first choice for manufacturers and retailers?

Starting in 2023, there will be marketplaces in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in addition to the German marketplace. This means that Kaufland will not only have one of the fastest-growing marketplaces in Germany but will also add two more fast-growing e-commerce sales channels in other countries in the future. 

We offer retailers and manufacturers marketplaces with high reach and access to 32 million visitors per month on Kaufland.de alone. In addition, the 1,450 Kaufland stores in eight countries contribute to the excellent brand awareness of our marketplaces.

As well as the technology that makes it possible to sell on all Kaufland marketplaces simultaneously with one registration, Kaufland Global Marketplace offers retailers and manufacturers individual and personal retailer support in several languages. 

In addition, Kaufland Global Marketplace provides many services such as payment processing in the local currency and multi-channel marketing in the relevant price search engines of the various countries. A product data translation service will also be offered free of charge.

BE THERE

Want to learn more about where the marketplace market is headed? Then mark your calendars now for February 23, 2023 – on this date, numerous exhibitors and speakers await visitors to the E-Commerce Berlin Expo (EBE) in Berlin.