According to Fashion Network, H&M are trialling their online marketplace model in Germany and Sweden. This news was highlighted by the appearance of third party sellers on the platform.
It was first revealed that H&M would be embracing a marketplace model following the likes of retail heavyweights such as Amazon and ASOS in 2019. With third party sellers finally taking to the H&M platform it looks like we are seeing the initial stages of H&M becoming a marketplace.
The choice to begin their tests in Sweden and Germany is down to the longstanding history of the retailer in both countries. H&M was launched in Sweden in 1998 and they have been operating for 15 years in Germany. Eventually the marketplace model will be introduced to more markets.
H&M have a tendency to keep their plans under wraps. When they first announced the marketplace model a few years back they remained hush when we tried to contact them for more information. Similarly they seem to be keeping quiet about their expansion plans. We could place bets on France or even the UK considering it’s high rank amongst other fashion retails in those markets.
Both Sweden and Germany have a long tradition of catalogue shopping, and in Sweden we launched our online shop in 1998, while in Germany the online shop has been operating for 15 years. This is why we started our test with these two markets, and we will gradually add more markets online.
– H&M spokesperson
One Response
No. Just no. I do not want every online retailer being another eBay. Greed. Pure greed. Amazon and ASOS have ruined their own platforms with marketplace models.