Zalando: Brand, Online Store & Fashion for Women and Men
Zalando is Europe’s leading online fashion platform — a German startup that, within a few years, evolved from a shoe shop in the basement to a billion-dollar e-commerce platform. What began as an experiment in Berlin in 2008 is now a digital infrastructure for fashion, connecting brands, models, designers and millions of customers. In this article, you’ll find everything about Zalando: its history, strategy, partnerships and what the platform means for the modelling world.
The Founding Story: Shoes from the Basement
David Schneider and Robert Gentz founded Zalando in October 2008 from a simple idea: buy shoes online, order conveniently, return them uncomplicatedly. The first order came from a repurposed office basement in Berlin — without a large warehouse, without its own logistics, without guarantees. What remained was a vision.
The decisive boost came from the Samwer brothers as investors. Through their platform Rocket Internet, capital, know-how and a network flowed in. A third founder joined: Rubin Ritter, another classmate from the WHU — Otto Beisheim School of Management.
“We knew we wouldn’t be the nicest startup in Europe. We wanted to be the biggest.” — Robert Gentz, co-founder Zalando
The advert that divided Germany
Zalando’s first major TV commercial became a cultural moment: a loud, screaming shoe shock with the slogan “Shout with joy!” In the Netherlands, the campaign won the title “most annoying advert of the year” twice in a row — and was still gold for brand awareness. Nobody forgets Zalando after this spot.
From shoe shop to fashion platform: expansion in stages
Range expansion from 2010
At the start of 2010, Zalando expanded its range far beyond shoes: clothing, accessories, sportswear, and finally beauty. Each expansion followed the same logic: what does the target audience buy in fashion, and how can we deliver it better than high street retail?
International rollout in 17 markets
Zalando expanded across Europe in waves. Each country received a localised version: its own language in customer support, local payment methods, local logistics partners. This was not a simple copy-paste — it was real localisation. Today, Zalando is active in 25 European markets.
IPO 2014
With its IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Zalando officially became one of Germany’s most important tech companies. The share price fluctuated initially, but then stabilised at a level that justified the ambitious valuation. The founders remained in the company — a good sign of long-term commitment.
Beauty Category 2019
In 2019, Zalando entered the next growth phase with its own beauty concept store in Berlin Mitte. The store concept “Beauty Station” was an experiment: an offline experience as a complement to the digital platform. At the same time, the online beauty range grew to over 6,000 products.
What makes Zalando successful: The 5 most important factors
- Free returns: This was Zalando’s strongest differentiator at the beginning. Customers could order, try on and send back — without cost, without hassle. This eliminated the biggest barrier to purchase in online retail: the uncertainty of buying.
- Wide range of products: Zalando quickly understood that breadth is key. Almost 2,000 brands on one platform — from basics to luxury, from streetwear to formal business look.
- Fast delivery times: The logistics infrastructure with its own warehouses (Erfurt, Stradella, Mönchengladbach, among others) enables deliveries within 1–2 days.
- Apple logic in marketing: Like Apple, Zalando invested early in elaborate campaigns — not primarily product-based, but emotion-based. Result: A brand that you don’t forget.
- Samwer network: The investors brought not only capital, but also operational excellence from the e-commerce ecosystem of Rocket Internet.
Zalando and sustainability: Pre-owned and Green Initiative
Zalando has begun to use sustainability as a strategic differentiator. The key initiatives:
Pre-owned by Zalando
Secondhand fashion on the platform: customers can sell and buy worn clothing on Zalando. This is not a small add-on — it is a strategic commitment to a circular fashion economy.
Do.More Strategy
Zalando’s official sustainability strategy focuses on three areas: offering more sustainable products on the platform (currently over 6,000 products labelled), reducing its own carbon footprint and encouraging brands to adopt more sustainable practices.
- Sustainable materials: organic cotton, TENCEL, recycled fibres
- Viktor & Rolf capsule collection made from Zalando surplus stock
- Packaging: increasingly recyclable and reduced packaging
Zalando as a platform for models and campaigns
Zalando is not just a retailer — it is a media company. The platform produces its own campaigns, content formats and collaborations, in which models play a central role. Anyone who wants to
E-commerce shootings for platforms like Zalando are among the most common and stable booking types in the modelling business. They require professionalism, speed and adaptability — no dramatic catwalk performance, but technical precision in front of the camera.
Typical figures for e-commerce bookings
- Daily rate e-commerce: €1,100–€1,700 (excluding agency fee)
- Number of outfits per shooting day: often 50–100 look changes
- Camera guidelines: front, side and back shots per outfit
- Location: usually studio production, rarely outdoor
For those wanting to specialise in this field: A clear, up-to-date
Campaign: Cara Delevingne x Topshop x Zalando
In the award-winning „Wherever You Are” campaign with Topshop, Zalando managed to connect a global supermodel (Cara Delevingne) with its own local promise. Delevingne tried to pronounce the names of cities where Zalando delivers — local, charming, authentic. Result: Viral reach without traditional advertising pressure.
Campaign: Zalando x Under Armour — Let’s get Bam
Under the title “Let’s get Bam”, Zalando and Under Armour presented their first joint collaboration. Presented by actress Emilia Schüle, the collection combined lifestyle and workout wear made from functional Under Armour materials. The combination of a tech brand and platform reach was a success model for further collaborations.
The Zalando Outlet in Berlin
REPEAT (Attempt 4). The previous attempt was faulty. The previous attempt returned the German text unchanged. That is the most serious error. Translate EVERY sentence completely into British English (British English, NO Welsh despite ISO code cy). No German sentence may remain. Proper nouns, brands and established technical terms remain unchanged, everything else not.
In 2013 Zalando opened its first physical outlet on Berlin’s Köpenicker Straße. Spread over three levels and covering around 1,000 square metres, registered members can choose from over 500 brands. The product range includes B-grade goods and regular items with discounts between 30 and 70 per cent — a physical counterbalance to the digital platform.
History at a Glance
- 2008: Founded by David Schneider, Robert Gentz and (shortly afterwards) Rubin Ritter
- 2009: First television advertisement — the famous “Shout of Joy” ad
- 2010: Expansion into clothing and accessories; expansion strategy across Europe
- 2012: Launch of the first Zalando app in Germany, over 1 million downloads in three months
- 2013: Opening of the outlet in Berlin Köpenick
- 2014: IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
- 2019: Launch of the beauty category and the concept store Beauty Station
- Today: 25 European markets, Topshop own brand acquired, pre-owned platform active
Q&A about Zalando
Who founded Zalando?
Zalando was founded in 2008 by David Schneider and Robert Gentz. Shortly afterwards, Rubin Ritter joined as the third founder. All three studied at the WHU — Otto Beisheim School of Management and met the Samwer brothers there, who acted as the first investors.
In which countries is Zalando active?
Zalando is currently active in 25 European markets — including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland and others. A global expansion outside of Europe has not yet taken place.
How does Zalando make money?
Zalando earns money in two ways: first, through the direct sale of its own stock (classic e-commerce model). Second, through its partner programme, where external brands sell their products via the Zalando platform and Zalando receives a commission. The partner programme now makes up an increasing share of the revenue.
Why is Zalando so successful?
Zalando has always prioritised customer focus: free returns, fast delivery, wide range of products. Early investments in technology and a smart marketing strategy added to this. The result is a platform that has established itself as the standard for online fashion in Europe.
Does Zalando acquire brands?
Yes — Zalando has deliberately acquired brands in recent years. The most prominent example is Topshop, whose online rights and inventory Zalando acquired together with Asos after the insolvency of its parent company Arcadia. In addition, the Danish children’s fashion label Zircle was integrated.
Brands like Zalando: Similar platforms in comparison
Asos: The British counterpart
Asos is Zalando’s biggest European competitor — also strongly targeted at young audiences, also online-first. Where Zalando thinks European-local, Asos is British-global. Both now operate their own brand labels alongside their platform business. More about Asos:
Topshop: Now part of Zalando
Following Asos’ acquisition of the Topshop brand, Topshop is now also available on Zalando. The British cult brand has thus become part of the Zalando ecosystem. More about the brand:
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