Welcome to MarketMaze, the #1 newsletter for staying on top of the latest in Ecommerce & Marketplaces. Get all the insights you need in just 5 minutes!

🧠 Big Story:
Used, Loved, and Lucrative👗

📊 Key Data:
Marketplace Opportunity🏠

📖 Ecommerce players news:

🇩🇪 Amazon Cuts Middle Management in Germany.
🇮🇪 Amazon Launches Irish Website with Prime.
🇺🇸 Forever 21 Files for Bankruptcy Again, Blames Shein, Temu.
🇬🇧 Superdrug Plans 25 New Stores Across UK in 2025.
🇺🇸 GrubMarket Bags $50M to Boost AI in Food Biz.
🇮🇳 Swiggy’s Assure Takes on Zomato in B2B Game.

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

As next big send out we will unpack the ecommerce fundamentals: the underlying economies and e-commerce drivers. In the coming weeks, we'll break down key market drivers like Population trends, Internet penetration, eShoppers growth. Ultimate goal? A database for each market where MarketMaze+ readers can check basic data.

Without further ado, let’s dive into this week’s issue

The secondhand apparel market isn’t just thriving — it’s detonating. What started as thrift-store treasure hunting is now a $367B goldmine, proving that yesterday’s wardrobe is tomorrow’s profit. Lets look at new ThreadUp report.

The secondhand apparel market will hit $367B by 2029, almost tripling the pace of overall fashion. By 2024, it will claim 9% of global spend, having grown 15% from $141B in 2021. A 10% CAGR is on the horizon, fueled by savvy shoppers chasing curated finds and thrift bargains.

Stateside, secondhand apparel is set to reach $74B by 2029 in the US, expanding 9% annually. In 2024, it rose 14%, five times faster than traditional retail. Valued at $35B in 2021, it reflects surging acceptance of pre-owned items.

The US online resale market is projected to hit $45B by 2029, growing 13% annually. By 2024, it will stand at $25B, having almost doubled from $14B in 2021. While offline resale remains stagnant at $3-4B, online platforms drive growth. Curated online offerings are fueling this momentum, combining convenience with trend-driven selections. For brands and shoppers alike, resale is no longer fringe — it’s a rising retail force.

In 2024, 56% of secondhand apparel buyers turned to online channels, outperforming offline’s 44%. Managed marketplaces (31%) lead the pack, followed by social media (27%) and direct brand purchases (18%). Livestream shopping (8%) and peer-to-peer platforms (5%) remain niche but growing. Digital platforms are becoming the primary hunting ground for pre-owned fashion, reshaping resale into a tech-first, consumer-driven landscape.

Marketplaces have already reshaped ecommerce, but they've barely scratched the surface in some of the categories. The next billion-dollar gold rush could be in your garage, bathroom, and backyard as reported by OC&C

Marketplaces aren't done reshaping industries. Sure, food delivery marketplaces has gobbled up the lion's share, accounting for 62% of global spend in '24, followed distantly by books (37%) and ticketing (34%). But there's a buffet of overlooked sectors ready for their marketplace moment: furniture (6% of spend via marketplaces), DIY/garden/pets (5%), personal care (3%), vehicles (2%), and home & personal services (1-2%). If you're hunting unicorns, these could be your fields.

Home & personal services are the marketplace equivalent of Taylor Swift tickets—massively popular but still hard to get online. In '24, marketplace penetration in this sector will barely scratch 1-2%, translating to only about $5-15B. But bump that penetration to around 20%, comparable to categories already thriving online, and we're staring at a staggering $100-150B opportunity. It's time to Airbnb-ify your plumber.

When it comes to home & personal services, marketplaces have three clear winners: home maintenance, child/adult care, and health & beauty. They combine high average order values ($100-200) and juicy take rates of 15-25%. Think of it as the marketplace version of HBO—premium, profitable, and binge-worthy. Fixing sinks and babysitting never looked so lucrative.

🇩🇪 Amazon Cuts Middle Management in Germany. Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy is slashing middle management to speed things up, blaming them for delays, while KPMG and EY consultants say they’re vital for big firms. Job data shows a slight rise in demand for these roles in Germany in 2024, despite the cuts. 👉 t3n.de

🇮🇪 Amazon Launches Irish Website with Prime. Amazon.ie offers 200M+ products, low prices, and Prime for €6.99/month, boosting local firms with €170M in exports in 2023. It employs 6,500 in Ireland and uses 100% recyclable packaging, cutting weight by 43% since 2015. 👉 aboutamazon.com

🇨🇳 Temu’s Owner PDD Misses Revenue Goals. PDD Holdings hit 110.61B yuan in Q4 2024 revenue, below the 115.38B expected, due to weak China demand despite discounts. Shares dropped 3%+ premarket, facing tough competition from Alibaba and JD.com, says co-CEO Chen Lei. 👉 reuters.com

🇲🇾 Shopee Rolls Out Standalone ShopeePay App. Shopee’s new ShopeePay app in Malaysia, on iOS and Android, offers QR payments and bill pay, taking on local e-wallets. Plans include adding cross-border transfers and ticket buys later in 2025, per Shopee’s press release. 👉 lowyat.net

🇺🇸 Walmart Misses 2025 Packaging Targets. Walmart’s at 68% recyclable packaging by 2023, missing its 100% goal, with virgin plastic up 6% instead of down 15%. Only 8% PCR content achieved versus 20% target, blamed on laws and supply issues, despite 81% recycle-ready design. 👉 packagingeurope.com

🇨🇦 Shopify Switches to Nasdaq from NYSE. Shopify moves its US listing to Nasdaq on March 31, 2025, after a 31% revenue jump to $2.8B in Q4 2024. Market cap soared 55% to $121B, keeping its Toronto listing intact, with no clear reason given for the switch. 👉 techcrunch.com

🇨🇳 Alibaba’s 1688 Drops Refund-Only Policy. Alibaba’s 1688 ends “refund only” in late March, judging disputes by buyer credibility and funding payouts itself. It tackles 33.96% of 2024 e-commerce complaints, following Kuaishou, Taobao, and PDD’s lead, balancing buyer-seller needs. 👉 technode.com

🇺🇸 Etsy Loses 1.4M Sellers in a Year. Etsy’s active sellers fell from 7M to 5.6M, with 600K gone in Q4 2024, and new sign-ups halved to under 20K monthly. CEO Josh Silverman pushes creativity as buyers dip from 92M to 89.6M, while Amazon and Walmart grow fast. 👉 marketplacepulse.com

🇺🇸 Forever 21 Files for Bankruptcy Again, Blames Shein, Temu. Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 on March 17, 2025, its second bankruptcy in six years, saying Shein and Temu’s cheap imports via a trade loophole crushed them; no buyer emerged after contacting 200+ firms, losses hit $400M over three years. 👉 CNBC

🇬🇧 Superdrug Plans 25 New Stores Across UK in 2025. Superdrug will open 25 big, experience-focused stores in 2025, creating 600 jobs, after a 25% sales jump in top 100 stores last year; first store hit Leeds in February, with 65 more getting upgrades. 👉 Retail Gazette

🇧🇪 Zalando Fixes Website After Misleading Discount Claims. Zalando tweaked its site after 180 complaints to Belgium’s FPS Economy since 2020 flagged fake discounts; changes follow a 2024 EU ruling, ensuring real price cuts, says spokesperson Étienne Mignolet. 👉 Delano

🇩🇪 Momox Revenue Up 8.6% to 377M EUR in 2024. Momox SE, a secondhand goods seller, grew revenue 8.6% to 377M EUR in 2024, with fashion sales up 10%, and named ex-Asos exec Mark Batty as Chief Growth Officer; CEO Heiner Kroke calls it crisis-proof. 👉 Fashion United

🇬🇧 Debenhams Launches Credit Service DebenhamsPay+. On March 18, 2025, Debenhams rolled out DebenhamsPay+, letting buyers split costs over months or use a 29.9% APR card after a January trial; CEO Dan Finley says it’s about choice, eyeing Boohoo brands next. 👉 Drapers

🇩🇪 About You, Kaviar Gauche Launch Fleur Collection. About You and Kaviar Gauche dropped Fleur by Kaviar Gauche, a 43-piece bridal line, on March 14, 2025, led by founders Alexandra Roehler and Johanna Kühl; it’s exclusive online, mixing elegance and modern vibes. 👉 About You

🇬🇧 Asos Shares Jump 11% as Povlsen Ups Stake to 28%. Asos stock surged 11% in March 2025 when Anders Holch Povlsen raised his stake from 27% to 28%, hinting at a takeover; analyst Dan Coatsworth sees it going private, with Frasers Group’s 22% in play. 👉 Retail Gazette

🇬🇧 Vinted Opens Luxury Secondhand Pop-Up in London. Vinted’s House of Vinted pop-up hit London on March 22, 2025, with vintage Prada and Gucci from influencers like Susie Lau; invite-only, items go online March 25, says Creative Director Emma Sullivan. 👉 Viva

🇺🇸 GrubMarket Bags $50M to Boost AI in Food Biz. GrubMarket raised $50M in March 2025, hitting a $3.5B valuation to power AI in the $1T food distribution world. The U.S. startup, with $2.4B in projected 2025 revenue, aims to grow globally and snap up competitors. 👉 TechCrunch

🇮🇳 Swiggy’s Assure Takes on Zomato in B2B Game. Swiggy launched Assure in September 2024 to rival Zomato’s Hyperpure, helping restaurants buy fresh goods. Backed by Scootsy Logistics, it’s part of Swiggy’s push that saw Instamart hit INR 576.5 crore in Q3 FY25 revenue. 👉 Inc42

🇬🇧 Co-op Extends Uber Eats Deal for 3 More Years. Co-op locked in a 3-year extension with Uber Eats in March 2025, covering 1,300+ stores. Over 6M members save on 200 products, with deliveries boosted by Uber Direct and the Peckish app. 👉 Retail Gazette

🇪🇸 Glovo Names Connie Kwok to Lead Quick Commerce. Glovo tapped Connie Kwok as VP of Quick Commerce in early 2025 to grow grocery and retail. With 20 years at Bain and Amazon, she’s set to expand services across Europe and beyond. 👉 ESM Magazine

🇦🇹 Lieferando Cuts 600 Jobs, Goes Freelance. Lieferando in Austria will axe 600 jobs in 2025, shifting 966 drivers to freelance gigs. The move, matching rivals like Foodora, aims to stay competitive while still investing locally. 👉 Vienna.at

🇺🇸 Instacart Rolls Out AI for Smarter Shopping. Instacart launched AI tools like Smart Shop on March 19, 2025, using 2B product data points for personalized picks. Features like Health Tags help shoppers filter 17M items for diets and health goals. 👉 Pymnts

🇺🇸 DoorDash Teams with Klarna for Flexible Pay. DoorDash joined Klarna on March 20, 2025, offering U.S. customers “Pay in 4” or “Pay Later” options. It builds on a $16.7M settlement with NY Dashers, adding payment ease for food and retail. 👉 Pymnts

🇭🇰 Deliveroo Quits Hong Kong After 9 Years. Deliveroo shut down in Hong Kong on April 7, 2025, as it couldn’t turn a profit after 5% of its sales came from there last year. The exit hits local customers and workers, with Foodpanda filling the gap. 👉 SCMP

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