Welcome to another week in e-commerce, where the only constant is chaos and cash flow. GenAI is taking over boardrooms, second-hand is the new black, and Asia’s platforms are eating Europe’s lunch. If you’re looking for the playbook to survive 2025, don’t blink—retail media, live commerce, and AI shopping are either breaking records or breaking budgets. Buckle up.

INSIGHTS🧠
📊 EU5’s Ecommerce Playbook
🚀 Germany’s Re-Commerce
🚀 AliExpress Climbs the EU Charts
🗺️ Europe’s Grocery Giants, Mapped
🤖 UK Hits E-Commerce Ceiling?
💥 Britons Rank US as Top Threat to Peace

NEWS📖
🇺🇸 Walmart bets big on dark stores pilot
🇪🇺 Amazon skips EU Parliament hearing again
🇨🇳 Shein files for Hong Kong IPO in secret
🇦🇹 Austria targets ultra-fast fashion giants
🇨🇳 Alibaba folds Ele.me & Fliggy into core group
🇪🇺 Rohlik spins out Veloq for grocery tech push

+ 15 other handpicked news from the last week you need to know 🔥

LET’S ENTER THE MAZE!
- Artur Stańczuk, MarketMaze Founder

GenAI is eating e-commerce for breakfast. If you want to know where the real bets are, check the “Moral Barometer of Spanish E-Tailers and the Economic Situation in 2025” by FEVAD-Adigital. This data pulls back the curtain on what EU5 execs are actually doing, not just saying. You want to survive and scale? Here’s your playbook.

GenAI is the clear favorite, with 64% of EU5 execs calling it “highly promising.” The metaverse and NFTs? Barely make a ripple at 6%. Buy Now, Pay Later lands in second place at 20%. Live Shopping and Voice Commerce fail to ignite, and blockchain is barely on the radar at 7%. Execs are betting big on automation and margin, not Web3 pipe dreams. This is about cash flow, not crypto.

IT and cyber are the safest bets in 2025, with 66% planning to increase spend. The push for global growth is real, with 47% ramping up international expansion. Logistics gets 43% boosting budgets. R&D, HR, and marketing all see double-digit increases, but retail media and CSR are far less urgent, with nearly a quarter not even concerned about retail media. Smart execs are putting cash into tech, reach, and resilience.

Second-hand is the new gold. 67% of EU5 execs predict a surge in used goods. Asian players are the new power brokers, with 69% expecting growth. Site closures are trending up too, at 52%, while 62% say more partnerships and e-tailer alliances are on the way. Fundraising and IPOs are the last kids picked, with just 15% and 16% expecting increases. The game now: consolidate, go global, and ride the second-hand boom.

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Everyone loves a good comeback story. In Germany, used is the new new, and the numbers prove it. All the data below comes straight from the latest Bevh report. Let’s dive in.

Kleinanzeigen.de owns the resale crown with 74% of sellers, eBay is right behind at 59%. These two platforms are Germany’s e-commerce twin towers—undisputed market makers. But don’t sleep on the challengers: momox and Vinted clock in at 26% and 22%, while rebuy pulls another 22%. Amazon is barely in the ring at 7%. This is a classic case of local heroes beating global giants at their own game. If you want scale, you start here.

Re-commerce in Germany comes in three main flavors:

eBay and Kleinanzeigen are Swiss Army knives, covering C2C and B2C, with eBay adding refurbished for bonus points. Amazon and Back Market play strong in B2C refurbished, while Zalando and Decathlon blend new and secondhand. The lines between thrift store, outlet, and tech shop? Blurred. In 2025, expect even more platforms to mix and match models for maximum reach.

The Germans have a type: 59% buy used books, and 51% snap up pre-owned clothes. Tech isn’t far behind—30% go for used electronics, and 28% pick up furniture. Games and phones are a hot commodity, with 26% and 23% respectively. Even categories like DIY, collectibles, jewelry, car parts, and sports get double-digit love. Translation: German re-commerce buyers will buy almost anything, but they’ll always start with books and a fresh shirt.

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ECDB dives into how AliExpress muscled its way into Europe’s top marketplace rankings. The report shows Alibaba’s cross-border machine quietly rising, now outranking legacy players in markets from Spain to France. The main insight: European e-commerce isn’t just Amazon vs. local heroes—China’s giants are running the table. 👉 ECDB

Brilliant Maps visualizes the largest supermarket chains across Europe, revealing who really feeds the continent. It’s not just Tesco and Carrefour—Aldi, Lidl, and Mercadona dominate billions in grocery sales and shape how 400M+ consumers eat. Why care? Because supermarket power equals negotiating clout, pricing muscle, and deep shopper data. 👉 Brilliant Maps

Online’s share of UK retail is stuck at 27% after COVID, making Britain the first to flatline on digital sales. The question: Is AI shopping the next big unlock or just more hype? The market’s watching to see if tech can juice new growth or if the UK has hit peak e-com. 👉 Linkedin

The Financial Times breaks down a NatCen poll showing 72% of Britons now see the US as a serious threat to world peace—up from just 36% in 2024. Only Russia scores higher, pushing the US past Iran, Israel, and China on the global risk leaderboard. Surprised? The world’s policeman just got voted most likely to break the vase. 👉 Financial Times

🇺🇸 Walmart bets big on dark stores pilot. Walmart is testing dark stores in Dallas and Bentonville to speed up online orders and cut delivery costs. The move is part of a plan to reach 95% of the U.S. with 3-hour delivery, after e-commerce became profitable for the first time in early 2025. 👉 Retail Dive

🇺🇸 Walmart Deals goes head-to-head with Prime Day. Walmart’s six-day summer sale starts July 8, matching Amazon’s Prime Day and Target’s Circle Week. The event covers electronics, home, and more, with early access for Walmart+ members and a direct fight for U.S. consumer dollars. 👉 Retail News DE

🇪🇺 Amazon skips EU Parliament hearing again. Amazon missed a key hearing in Brussels, marking its third absence in recent years. Lawmakers and unions are pushing for new sanctions, saying Amazon refuses to answer questions about labor practices and has lost its Parliament badges. 👉 Euronews

🇲🇽 TikTok Shop lands in Latin America. TikTok Shop launched in Mexico and Brazil, taking on Shein, Temu, and AliExpress in a $1T market by 2027. Local sellers use TikTok’s huge user base and affiliate model to earn, but face tough competition from MercadoLibre and Amazon. 👉 Rest of World

🇵🇱 Polish sellers triple on AliExpress. The number of Polish sellers on AliExpress has tripled since fall 2024. Local merchants now make up 30% of sales in Poland, with electronics, appliances, and FMCG leading the way thanks to AliExpress’s push for more local listings. 👉 Fintek

🇮🇳 Flipkart bets on live commerce for Gen Z. Flipkart ramps up live-stream shopping and video, with two-thirds of Gen Z in India preferring video commerce. Its new “Creator Cities” campaign helps influencers boost sales, driving major growth in smaller towns and rural markets. 👉 Business Standard

🇺🇸 Walmart fulfills orders for rivals’ sellers. Walmart now lets third-party sellers ship orders from Amazon, eBay, Temu, and Shein using its warehouses. The new service claims up to 15% lower shipping costs and reflects Walmart’s push to become a major logistics player for online retail. 👉 EcommerceBytes

🇨🇳 Shein files for Hong Kong IPO in secret. Shein, valued at $66 billion, filed a confidential draft for its Hong Kong IPO after failed attempts in the US and UK. The listing would keep financials private until approved and comes as Shein faces tariffs, supply chain scrutiny, and pressure from regulators. 👉 Reuters

🇦🇹 Austria targets ultra-fast fashion giants. Austria’s Handelsverband wants new rules for Shein, Temu, and AliExpress, including a €5 penalty per toxic item, ad bans, and €2 fees on imports. The plan follows France’s June vote and aims to curb overconsumption and protect EU producers. 👉 Handelsverband

🇩🇪 Westwing expands in Europe. Westwing Group SE announced plans to grow its European footprint, following a June 25 investor update. While specific countries and financials were not disclosed, the move signals a broader strategy to tap into ongoing e-commerce growth. 👉 Westwing IR

🇩🇪 Flaconi enters five new European markets. Berlin’s Flaconi now sells to Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Belgium. CEO Bastian Siebers says this expansion is part of a drive to be Europe’s top beauty retailer. 👉 EcommerceNews Europe

🇹🇷 Temu promises one-day delivery in Türkiye. Temu launched local ops in Istanbul, offering one-day delivery and local invoicing to win Turkish customers. The company set up a new entity for compliance and logistics, mirroring its aggressive global rollout. 👉 Daily Sabah

🇬🇧 ASOS bans high-return shoppers for good. ASOS is closing accounts with over 70% return rates and cracking down on repeat offenders, citing cost control and abuse. New rules include a £3.95 return fee, sparking backlash from users upset by the sudden policy. 👉 Modaes

🇨🇳 Alibaba folds Ele.me & Fliggy into core group. Alibaba is merging food delivery platform Ele.me and travel platform Fliggy into its main China e-commerce division. CEOs Fan Yu and Zhuang Zhuoran will now report to e-commerce chief Jiang Fan, aiming to boost instant commerce and fight off rivals like Meituan. 👉 SCMP

🇪🇺 Rohlik spins out Veloq for grocery tech push. Czech e-grocery leader Rohlik has launched Veloq, a separate AI-driven fulfilment tech business, after reaching €1.1 billion in revenue and 1.3 million monthly orders. Veloq offers modular robotics and software, led by ex-Ocado exec Richard McKenzie. 👉 Retail News DE

🇦🇪 Talabat, Flyby launch smart food lockers in Dubai. Talabat teamed up with Flyby to roll out app-controlled delivery boxes in Dubai, starting with 10 pilot sites. Customers can now pick up hot meals from smart lockers, part of a wider push to expand across the UAE and the Middle East. 👉 Zawya

🇨🇳 China’s delivery war squeezes profits. Meituan, Ele.me, and JD Daojia are battling for market share as new players enter on-demand delivery. Meituan leads with 70%, but higher wages and subsidies mean shrinking margins and talk of more M&A as smaller firms get squeezed. 👉 The Asset

🇪🇬 Talabat Egypt launches rider support program. Talabat Egypt started new long-term initiatives to help over 15,000 riders, offering safety training, micro-insurance, community forums, and loyalty bonuses. The program aims to improve earnings stability and job satisfaction for delivery partners. 👉 Follow ICT

🇦🇪 Deliveroo opens rest hubs for riders in GCC. Deliveroo is rolling out rest-area hubs in the Gulf, including free water, shaded seating, and health kits for riders. The plan covers 20+ sites in Dubai, Riyadh, and Doha, aiming to protect delivery workers from extreme summer heat. 👉 Caterer ME

🇪🇸 Ocado to build robot warehouse for Bon Preu. UK’s Ocado will build a robotic warehouse for Spanish grocer Bon Preu, able to handle up to 12,000 items per hour with Ocado’s tech. The move helps Bon Preu scale online orders and reduce waste in Spain. 👉 Checkout

🇮🇳 Swiggy Crew launches lifestyle concierge. Swiggy unveiled Swiggy Crew, a travel and lifestyle concierge for premium users in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Users get booking help for flights, hotels, events, and more, with national rollout planned by year-end. 👉 Inc42

That's it for today! Before you go we’d love to know what you thought of today's maze to help us improve!

See you next time in the maze!
MarketMaze team