Marketplaces like Bol, Amazon, and Zalando are no longer just sales channels; they are the new powerbrokers in the European e-commerce landscape. Their growth is unprecedented, fueled by AI and a relentless focus on customer experience. This article delves into the figures, technological advances, and strategic choices that brands and retailers must make now to stay relevant.
Marketplaces: the growth engine of European e-commerce
The European e-commerce market is robust and resilient. According to data from Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce, total European B2C e-commerce revenue in 2023 reached €887 billion, up 3% from the previous year. Growth remains steady despite inflation and a temporary return to offline shopping. For 2024, a turnover of €958 billion is expected (Ecommerce Europe, 2024).
Marketplaces are the absolute engine of growth. Forrester predicts that by 2030, marketplaces will account for more than 60% of total e-commerce growth. Traditional online stores are losing ground to platforms that are becoming ever more dominant through scale, technology, and data.
The Netherlands: mature market, new dynamics
The Netherlands is among the most mature e-commerce markets in Europe. In 2023, the market was valued at around €40 billion, with 92% online penetration (Eurostat, 2024). Bol.com, Coolblue, and Amazon are key players, with Amazon the fastest grower at 30% annual growth. The top three marketplaces together hold nearly half the market.
Belgium: acceleration driven by marketplaces and AI
E-commerce is rapidly growing in Belgium as well. According to EuroCommerce, the Belgian market will be valued at $9.36 billion in 2024, with annual growth of 5–10%. By 2030, a value of $14.36 billion is expected—a more than 50% increase in six years. Bol.com and Coolblue dominate, but Shein and Amazon are gaining ground quickly. Amazon is expected to overtake Bol.com in revenue in Belgium by 2026 or 2027. Notably, marketplaces already control more than a third of the Belgian market, while Belgian merchants remain underrepresented (EuroCommerce, 2024).
“The popularity of online marketplaces has significantly impacted the market, but Belgian merchants remain underrepresented.”
Becom, cited in EuroCommerce (2024)
Marketplaces: your fast-track to international growth
For brands with European growth ambitions, marketplaces are the springboard to new markets. Especially in emerging markets like Poland and Southern Europe, there are significant opportunities. In Poland, the e-commerce market is growing at 17% per year, led by Allegro and the rise of Amazon and Temu (Reuters, 2025). Southern European markets, including Italy, Spain, and Portugal, are experiencing around 14% annual growth, spurred by the increasing popularity of Amazon, Zalando, and niche fashion marketplaces (EuroCommerce, 2024). These regions offer both the infrastructure and consumer appetite to scale quickly via marketplaces. Smart brands use marketplaces not only for conversion but also as a channel for international expansion.
AI: de gamechanger of the marketplace era
AI is the engine behind marketplace growth. Through conversational commerce—chat, audio, and messaging platforms—the buying process becomes more personal, faster, and more effective. Amazon’s LLM-driven chatbots and Zalando’s AI assistants provide personalized advice, reduce choice overload, and can raise conversion rates up to 10x compared to traditional webshops.
74% of shoppers drop off due to choice overload—AI provides guidance and inspiration.
A staggering 74% of shoppers drop off because of choice overload. AI offers guidance and inspiration, making it easier for consumers to make decisions and reducing abandonment rates (EuroCommerce, 2024). Additionally, AI is changing search behavior: LLMs like ChatGPT mention a brand in 40% of prompts, providing new opportunities for brands to increase visibility on marketplaces (Forrester, 2024).
The role of AI in search behaviour and product recommendations
AI not only changes how consumers buy but also how they search and discover. With the use of large language models like ChatGPT, consumers increasingly begin their purchase journey directly via AI. This fundamentally shifts the dynamics of search engines and shopping platforms.
From our analysis, ChatGPT is mentioned in 40% of search results. For companies, this is a unique opportunity: by smartly positioning your brand for AI-driven searches, you increase your visibility on marketplaces—precisely where the consumer’s journey begins.
Marketplaces thus become the main source for AI search engines. By investing in the right AI strategies, you don’t just optimize your visibility, but also significantly boost your conversions. AI enables fully personalized product recommendations and search results, leading consumers to decisions more quickly and accurately.
Integrating AI in marketplaces means companies investing in data, content, and technology now gain a competitive edge. Optimally aligning your brand and products with the new AI-driven customer journey earns consumer trust—and purchases.
The rise of conversational commerce
Conversational commerce is the next step in optimizing the customer journey. Customers shop and interact via chat, audio, and messaging platforms, increasingly removing the traditional intermediary—like search engines or resellers—from the process. In the future, consumers will purchase directly via AI platforms like Perplexity and ChatGPT. As a result, marketplaces gain full control over the customer journey, from orientation to purchase.
“AI finally makes Conversational Commerce truly effective and improves the purchase process.”
Marketplaces put you in the driver’s seat
Traditionally, retailers or wholesalers played a crucial role as intermediaries between producer and consumer. As EuroCommerce states:
“Retail plays an important role as the intermediary between producer and consumer. Consumers must be able to trust that the products they buy are safe and compliant, that information is clear and reliable, and that their rights are protected.”
EuroCommerce, 2024
But the landscape is changing rapidly. The rise of marketplaces and the adoption of AI are shifting power towards platforms that manage the entire customer journey—from inspiration to purchase and delivery.
Today’s consumers expect direct interaction, fast delivery, and personalized service. Marketplaces deliver this, powered by smart AI that minimizes friction and choice overload. The role of the traditional intermediary is shrinking. Ecommerce Europe also observes that technological innovation and economies of scale are widening the gap between large platforms and smaller players.
“Technological advances widen the gap between large e-commerce companies and SMEs, as larger companies are better able to adopt new technologies.”
Ecommerce Europe, 2024
The future? AI-driven marketplaces and conversational commerce will enable direct purchases from a search or chat. The intermediary fades from view. Brands that want to win ensure they are visible and distinctive on the right marketplaces—right where the customer already is.
How AI makes marketplaces unbeatable
- Conversion: AI-driven personalization and guidance can boost conversion rates up to 10x.
- Customer Experience: Personalized recommendations, proactive customer service, and real-time interaction increase satisfaction.
- Data: Marketplaces gather and leverage massive amounts of data to manage both supply and demand, optimize campaigns, and automate inventory management.
- Innovation: Through continuous technological innovation, marketplaces stay ahead and widen the gap with traditional retailers.
Winning on marketplaces: three pillars of success
To be successful as a brand or retailer, a smart marketplace strategy is essential. Three pillars are crucial:
1. Integration
- Link your marketplaces with tools like ChannelEngine or Channable for optimal product data.
- Data is key: only complete, current, and relevant product information ensures findability and optimal conversion.
- Invest in inventory management and choose logistics solutions that fit your scale and ambitions.
2. Operations
- Set up solid logistics and customer service, tailored to each platform’s requirements.
- Flexible inventory management prevents out-of-stock or overstock and enables quick adaptation to market demand (own logistics, FBA, ZFS, 3PL).
- Use dynamic, real-time feeds to continually optimize pricing and content.
3. Content
- Create distinctive, relevant content in the local language, tailored to market needs.
- Deliver concrete, function-focused product content optimized per channel.
- Develop dynamic real-time feeds for pricing and content optimization. Invest in A+ content, storytelling, and branding to build trust and make your brand stand out.
Dare to lead: the future is now
AI makes marketplaces smarter, more personal, and more powerful than ever. By investing now in technology, data, and an integrated strategy, your brand will grow alongside the market leaders. Whether active in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, or Spain—scaling opportunities via marketplaces are enormous.
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