B2B Drove Growth in the Quarter

PARIS — B2B boosted Zalando in the third quarter of 2026, with active customers and average spend also on the rise.

On Tuesday, the German company reported gross merchandise volume rose 7.5 percent to 4.54 billion euros in the three months ended Sept. 30, while revenue increased 5.1 percent to 3.17 billion euros. The period also saw B2B revenue surge nearly 28 percent.

“One year in, the About You integration is progressing well and we kept our momentum in delivering synergies,” Zalando chief financial officer Anna Dimitrova said in a statement. “At the same time, our shift to a platform business model is accelerating, with our partner business and retail media growing at a double-digit rate and B2B revenue up almost 28 percent.”

Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes increased 10.6 percent to 106.5 million euros. The adjusted EBIT margin expanded to 3.4 percent from 3.2 percent a year earlier, supported by lower fulfillment costs, synergies from the About You integration and B2B growth. The company said synergies had reached the “mid-teens millions of euros” in the quarter.

B2B revenue grew to 354.4 million euros, while adjusted EBIT more than doubled to 42.2 million euros from 19.6 million euros. The division’s adjusted EBIT margin expanded to 11.9 percent from 7.1 percent.

Zalando said software unit Scayle added enterprise customers in the U.S. and U.K., while Zeos Fulfilment secured clients including Champion, LC Waikiki and Lascana.

In its consumer business, GMV increased across all three of Zalando’s apps, led by its core app as well as the scaling of partner business and “strong momentum” in the Lounge app.

Its partner business and retail media each grew at double-digit rates. Partner products accounted for 33.6 percent of business-to-consumer GMV, up 2.9 percentage points year-on-year, while retail media revenue grew nearly 18 percent.

Active customers reached a record 63.2 million, up 2.9 percent. Average spend per customer also rose 2.9 percent, to 308 euros.

The company said more than 22 million unique users had visited its Zalando Assistant this year. It announced the launch of Zalando Extended, with German home and lifestyle goods retailer Westwing as its pilot partner. The new AI agent will help users find products from other online shops directly through the Zalando app.

According to the German company, the service could help partner shops reach its customers without requiring complex technical integration or changes to their logistics. The company plans to begin with categories such as bulky home goods and gradually add products from more online shops.

Zalando confirmed its full-year 2026 guidance, expecting reported GMV and revenue growth in the lower half of its 12 percent to 17 percent range, and adjusted EBIT of 680 million euros to 720 million euros.