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🧠 Big Story: 
EU Shopper Insights 🚚

📊 Key Data:
Every year is the year of mobile 📱

📖 Ecommerce ecosystem news:
🇺🇸 Google's Meridian with open-source MMM
🇺🇸 Meta enhances AI ads, cutting lead costs by 10%
🇺🇸 Google updates ad quality to enhance user navigation
🇺🇸 Amazon's ad revenue hits $56B, grows 18% in 2024
🇺🇸 Google CTRs hit record lows amid AI Overview impact


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

Germany’s ecommerce is shrinking - penetration fell from 17% in 2021 to 12% in 2024, while total retail keeps growing. Amazon dominates (€14.7B), Otto is fading (€4.2B), and Shein is skyrocketing (34% CAGR). Marketplaces now control 55% of online shopping, squeezing smaller retailers. Read the full Germany Ecommerce Report here

You can also check all other reports we published so far here.

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EU Shopper Insights 🚚

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• 📚Sources: shipping.amazon.co linkedin linkedin 

A survey of 6,000 EU shoppers by Retail Economics reveals most prefer in-store shopping, except in the UK. High-income earners shop online more, peaking at ages 35-44.

🛍️ In-Store Still Rules, Except in the UK

Despite e-commerce growth, in-store shopping remains dominant across Europe. 53% of shoppers in France and Italy, and 59% in Spain, prefer physical stores for non-food purchases. The UK, however, leads in online shopping—41% shop mostly online, with 16% buying exclusively online. Convenience and product availability drive this shift, making the UK an outlier in the EU market.

📈 Wealthier Shoppers Buy Online More

Income plays a major role in online shopping. High earners (€73K+) make the most e-commerce purchases, peaking at 35-44 years old with over 3 orders per month. Lower-income groups remain price-sensitive and prefer in-store shopping. For retailers, this signals a key opportunity: premium delivery and fast shipping services appeal most to affluent, high-frequency buyers.

🎯 Shopper Personas: Who’s Buying What?

Two major shopper types lead EU retail trends. Value Hunters (31%) prioritize deals and cost savings, while Mission-Specific Shoppers (26%) adjust their delivery preferences based on what they buy. Other key groups include Speed Seekers (18%) who demand fast shipping and Convenience Cravers (15%) who value flexible delivery. Tailoring services to these segments can significantly boost customer loyalty.

Every year is the year of mobile 📱

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• 📚Sources: linkedin oberlo mobiloud 

In 2024, mobile web traffic hit 60.4%, up from just 10.7% in 2012. Mobile commerce now accounts for 57% of e-commerce sales, surpassing $2T globally.

For the past decade, mobile has dominated digital commerce, and 2025 will be no different.

✅ Mobile web traffic: 📊 2012 → 10.7% 📊 2024 → 60.4% (overtaking desktop)

✅ Mobile ad spend outpaces traffic & sales: 🔹 2025 projections: 📢 69% of Google Ads spend 📱 63% of total web traffic 🛍️ 59% of e-commerce sales

Brands are investing more in mobile ads than actual mobile usage! This proves mobile isn’t just a channel—it’s the battleground for digital business.

🚀 Key milestones: 📈 2016 → Mobile surpasses desktop for the first time 💰 2024 → M-commerce reaches $2T, now 57% of all online sales 📅 Black Friday 2024 → 70% of transactions happened on mobile

Even during downturns—like 2020, when mobility dropped 40%—mobile kept growing. This isn’t a trend. It’s the defining story of digital commerce for this generation. 🔥

Marketplace KPIs 🎯

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• 📚Sources: mostlymetrics

Public marketplaces like Uber and Airbnb report GMV, take rate, and profitability. Mostly Metrics highlights which metrics are disclosed and guided, revealing industry trends.

Revenue & GMV → All marketplace companies report revenue, and most disclose GMV or Gross Bookings to show transaction volume. Etsy and eBay emphasize GMV, while Uber reports Gross Bookings to reflect platform scale.

Take Rate → Companies like Airbnb, Etsy, and eBay disclose take rates, but none provide guidance. This metric reveals how much of GMV converts into revenue and is crucial for understanding monetization.

Profitability Metrics → Adjusted EBITDA and Non-GAAP Net Income are key indicators of financial health.

User & Transaction Metrics → Companies report user engagement (Active Riders, Hosts, or Freelancers) and transaction volumes (Trips, Nights, Orders) to show platform activity. These figures indicate demand but are rarely guided due to variability. Unit Economics &

Cash Flow → Average Order Value (AOV) and Contribution Margin measure per-transaction profitability, while Free Cash Flow (FCF) reflects long-term sustainability. Investors watch FCF closely to assess financial stability as companies scale.

💡 Companies guide on metrics they can predict, like revenue and EBITDA, while transaction and user data remain disclosed but not forecasted.

📣Marketing

🇺🇸 Google's Meridian with open-source MMM. On January 29, 2025, Google launched Meridian, an open-source Marketing Mix Model, enhancing data-driven decisions across channels. This initiative aims to help marketers better allocate budgets in today's complex landscape.

🇺🇸 Meta enhances AI ads, cutting lead costs by 10%. Meta upgrades Advantage+ with AI-driven optimizations, lowering lead costs by 10%. These features will integrate into Ads Manager later in 2025.

🇺🇸 Google updates ad quality to enhance user navigation. Google's new prediction model evaluates if Search ads lead to unexpected destinations and lack helpful navigation options, aiming to reduce negative user experiences. Advertisers are advised to ensure their landing pages are navigable and relevant.

🇺🇸 Amazon's ad revenue hits $56B, grows 18% in 2024. Amazon's ad business hit $56.2B in 2024, an 18% YoY increase, driven by Prime Video ads. CEO Andy Jassy highlighted a $69B run rate, as Amazon Ads expands globally.

🇺🇸 Google CTRs hit record lows amid AI Overview impact. A study by Seer Interactive found organic CTRs dropped from 1.41% to 0.64% year-over-year when AI Overviews appeared. Paid CTRs also fell, but brands featured in AI Overviews saw higher engagement.

🛠️Tools

🇺🇸 Stripe acquires Bridge in $1.1B deal, expanding crypto reach. On February 6, 2025, Stripe completed its $1.1 billion acquisition of Bridge, a fintech startup specializing in stablecoin payments, marking a significant move into the cryptocurrency sector.

🇬🇧 Symphony Commerce secures $2.6M to expand B2B platform. The Stockport-based startup raised $2.6M from NPIF II, GMCA, and private investors to scale operations and enhance its platform. The company rebranded from Shopblocks and aims to triple ARR in three years.

🇺🇸 Palona AI launches with $10M to revolutionize sales. Ex-Google and Meta leaders introduce AI agents to enhance D2C businesses, securing $10M in seed funding from investors like UpHonest Capital and Fusion Fund.

🇺🇸 Kepler's PDP+ Doubles Ecommerce Conversions. Kepler's new AI-driven PDP+ technology enhances product pages, doubling conversion rates and increasing revenue by 6%, according to early adopters.

🇦🇪 Prosus Ventures leads qeen.ai’s $10M Seed funding. qeen.ai raised $10M, led by Prosus Ventures, marking one of MENA’s largest seed rounds. The funding supports AI-driven e-commerce automation.

🚚 Logistics

🇨🇳 China hits U.S. with tariffs, probes Google.. In retaliation to U.S. tariffs, China imposes levies on American energy and machinery imports and launches an antitrust investigation into Google.

🇺🇸 USPS reverses China parcel ban in just 12 hours. USPS briefly halted Chinese packages due to new tariffs but quickly resumed handling them, citing cooperation with Customs and Border Protection to ensure minimal disruptions.

🇸🇬 FedEx expands e-commerce shipping to Singapore. FedEx launches its International Connect Plus service in Singapore, enabling local e-tailers to ship to the U.S. and Europe in 2-3 days, boosting global trade.

🇩🇪 Deutsche Post DHL lifts 2021 profit forecast to $8.05B . The logistics giant raised its outlook after Q1 profits tripled to $2.2B, driven by booming e-commerce and a rebound in global trade. CEO Frank Appel expects further growth.

🇷🇸 Temu partners with Post of Serbia to enhance deliveries. On February 6, 2025, Temu announced a strategic partnership with Post of Serbia to improve delivery services, offering faster and more reliable options for Serbian consumers.

🇬🇧 Parcel2Go Achieves 100,000 Five-Star Reviews Milestone. Parcel2Go, the UK's top parcel delivery platform, celebrates surpassing 100,000 five-star reviews on Trustpilot, highlighting its commitment to customer satisfaction and reliable service.

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