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Episoden
31.07.2025
36 Minuten
The marketplace business continues to produce remarkable success
stories – such as those of Carolin Langer and LaCaTho. With an
average shopping cart value of only $4, her business is
profitable, scalable, and growing. In this episode, she talks
about how she started out on eBay and now supplies over 40,000
customers a year with bee-friendly seeds. For her, automation is
a must, not an option. Many tools make her work easier, but they
are all reviewed every six months. There are clear
responsibilities in her small team, with everyone having a
specific area of responsibility – for eBay, Amazon, and Shopify.
And because Carolin loves to shoot short videos of seeds,
flowers, trees, and bees everywhere she goes, she is able to
market her products without expensive ads – which are simply not
feasible with such low-priced products. Instead, they generate a
decent amount of sales in their own shop via TikTok. She also
reveals how she manages her time – she works full-time as a
mechanical engineer.
Note from the sponsor exporto:
Internationalization and its challenges are a big concern to
brands and sellerrs. Shipping, returns processing, tax
regulations and one-stop shop procedures – all of this can cause
quite a headache. Service providers such as exporto can help.
exporto has spezialised cross-border e-commerce logistics in
Europe. With automated technology and a strong partner network,
exporto ensures that online retailers can ship internationally as
smoothly as they do in their home market. And the best part?
Exporto has an attractive discount for you: If you register with
exporto by August 31 and sign a contract, you won't pay any basic
fees for the first two months. Register right now here:
https://mag.exporto.de/marketplace-universe-offer
Note from the sponsor base:
Base is a SAAS e-commerce solution provider originally founded
2006 in Poland. The platform offers features such as automations
for order management, inventory management and fulfilment, a
marketplace management tool for lots and lots of B2B and B2C
channels, and integration options to include other backend tools
in real-time. Base is present in 11 countries, the solution is
already used by companies such as OBI, Kärcher, MediaMarkt,
Samsung, Decathlon, Intersport, Develey. If you would like to
learn more about Base, join us at our Connect Event with Base on
September 17 in Cologne. Register right now:
https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/1wBV5bM8AALuEq8GfFLwj7tLJ80w9AZL4cf4DN1nvG4uMLrSOfA5NxaV1X0qvNAC7
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Marketplace Dynamics
02:46 Carolin Langer's Journey: From Side Hustle to CEO
06:38 The special market situation of LaCaTho
12:27 Marketplace Strategies: Automation and Customer Experience
17:32 Volume in the main and off-season
21:06 Bestsellers and the tricks of algorithms
24:31 The power of Videos and of TikTok
31:46 Scaling and Future Plans for LaCaTho
Mehr
24.07.2025
21 Minuten
ChatGPT is testing in-chat shopping – from product search to
recommendations and even checkout via Stripe. No webshop, no
marketplace – just conversation. Shopify reacts immediately,
blocking AI shopping agents. The battle for the customer
interface has officially begun. In this episode, Ingrid and
Valerie discuss how AI agents are shifting the power dynamics in
e-commerce – and what this means for marketplaces, sellers, and
brands. They also unpack the stories behind these headlines:
Galaxus pushes international expansion despite heavy losses
Tesco builds a massive new distribution center
bol.com opens up to non-EU sellers
Zalando & About You – merger approved, but many questions
remain
Note from the sponsor eBay:
Selling internationally sounds easy – but the reality often tells
a different story. Because shipping abroad is not the same as
being truly ready to scale across borders. That’s why our partner
eBay has put together a super helpful whitepaper that helps you
check your international readiness with a detailed checklist and
gives concrete advice on pricing, customer service, inventory,
returns – and even how to identify the right markets and
products. One highlight: With the eBay Product Research Tool, you
can analyze three years of sales data by country and category. So
if cross-border commerce is on your radar, download the free
whitepaper “From Germany to the World” by eBay right now:
https://www.ebay.de/sml/whitepaper-internationalverkaufen
Note from the sponsor base:
Base is a SAAS e-commerce solution provider originally founded
2006 in Poland. The platform offers features such as automations
for order management, inventory management and fulfilment, a
marketplace management tool for lots and lots of B2B and B2C
channels, and integration options to include other backend tools
in real-time. Base is present in 11 countries, the solution is
already used by companies such as OBI, Kärcher, MediaMarkt,
Samsung, Decathlon, Intersport, Develey. If you would like to
learn more about Base, join us at our Connect Event with Base on
September 17 in Cologne. Register right now:
https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/1wBV5bM8AALuEq8GfFLwj7tLJ80w9AZL4cf4DN1nvG4uMLrSOfA5NxaV1X0qvNAC7
Chapters:
01:00 AI's Impact on Marketplace Shopping
07:40 Galaxus's Internationalization Strategy
09:41 Tesco's New Distribution Strategy
11:49 Zalando and About You Merger
15:30 Bol's Expansion to Non-EU Sellers
Mehr
17.07.2025
38 Minuten
What do you do when wholesale for brick-and-mortar sales suddenly
causes you to lose the Buy Box? There's only one thing to do: get
out of brick-and-mortar sales. That's exactly what Anna Maria
from BabyForte did after large online pharmacies snatched the Buy
Box away from her on Amazon. Local pharmacies reacted immediately
and negatively to her cautious price adjustment. Since then, she
has been focusing fully on her online business again. In this
podcast episode, she talks about the three phases a D2C brand
goes through when it is being built up, why she continues to
invest in her web shop, why she relies on a clearly defined brand
portfolio, and why she is not looking for investors at the
moment. She also reveals why her team spends every week analyzing
click rates.
Note from the sponsor Taxdoo:
Every marketplace trader can tell you a thing or two about it:
different tax rates, different responsibilities, tax advisors who
are inexperienced in e-commerce. The taxtech company Taxdoo wants
to remedy this situation. Taxdoo offers a comprehensive platform
for online retailers who need to carry out legally compliant and
efficient sales tax reporting and accounting processes. The
software analyzes all sales, fees, and payments, resulting in a
transparent and audit-proof solution, is seamlessly integrated
with many marketplaces and can handle all EU and UK sales tax
processing, including OSS exports. If you want to know more about
VAT, read our blog article, in which you will also find a table
with all VAT rates in the EU, UK, and Switzerland. Find out more
here:
https://marketplace-universe.com/vat-traps-7-critical-rules-every-marketplace-seller-in-europe-needs-to-know/
Note from the sponsor MediaMarkSaturn:
Even though it's only summer, Cyber Week is coming around faster
than you think! That means: Plan early. Because the time between
November 24th and December 1st is not just a sales boost – it’s a
full-on operational challenge. The most common mistakes? As
Alexander Klinger from MediaMarktSaturn knows it’s not enough
stock, no prep for returns and customer inquiries, poor product
content and shipping KPIs all over the place. MediaMarktSaturn
shares participation details 4 to 6 weeks ahead. Secure
visibility, top homepage deals are handpicked – only sellers with
strong KPIs and competitive prices stand a chance. And use Retail
Media wisely. They work, but only if you book them early. For
more practical tips see the full interview on Marketplace
Universe:
https://marketplace-universe.com/good-cyber-week-preparation/
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Supplements in Marketplaces
02:32 Anna Maria Silinger: Founder Insights
08:38 The Evolution of BabyFORTE
13:11 Transitioning from Startup to Mature Company
18:56 Profitability vs. Growth Strategies
23:31 Exploring New Marketplaces
25:56 Shipping and Fulfillment Strategies
27:06 Regulatory Challenges in the Supplement Industry
29:49 Lessons from Physical Pharmacy Partnerships
33:17 Future Growth and Brand Development
Mehr
10.07.2025
36 Minuten
What happens when a traditional company like plant protection
specialist Neudorff enters the international D2C market? Sure,
the first step is Amazon. But what's the second? Local heroes
like bol in the Netherlands. In this episode, Tamer Memis and
Hassan Imran report on how a digital offshoot becomes a
speedboat, why in-house logistics is part of the core business,
and how it is possible to go live on bol in less than three
weeks. (Spoiler: They did their homework beforehand.) Patricia
Lay from bol explains why this is only the case for a few
sellers, how bol helps foreign retailers get started, and why bol
now also allows non-EU sellers.
Note from the sponsor Taxdoo:
Imagine this: 1,000 orders and one incorrect VAT rate, and
suddenly you've lost $4,000. This is a real risk for many
cross-border sellers in Europe. That's because VAT in e-commerce
is complex. That's why we've teamed up with our partner Taxdoo to
break down what marketplace sellers really need to know about
VAT. In our detailed analysis, we discuss when OSS helps and when
it doesn't, when a marketplace collects VAT and when you as a
seller are still liable, and why an incorrect VAT rate has a
direct impact on your prices and margins. You can find the
article with a complete overview of EU VAT rates as well as tax
rates for the UK and Switzerland here:
https://marketplace-universe.com/vat-traps-7-critical-rules-every-marketplace-seller-in-europe-needs-to-know/
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to bol and Neudorff
07:55 The Onboarding Process for International Sellers
10:47 Underestimated market: Netherlands
14:27 Market Dynamics: The Dutch E-commerce Landscape
21:22 Challenges for International Sellers in the Dutch Market
25:01 Future Prospects for bol and International Sellers
27:05 Turning logistical necessity into a success
Mehr
LTM 118: AI vs. Social - Who’s winning the future of commerce? Insights from K5 conference on debate
03.07.2025
32 Minuten
Men focus on AI, women on community and content – that was the
impression left by this year’s K5 keynote. While the male
speakers see AI as the ultimate game changer that could make
online shops obsolete and secure the dominance of large
platforms, the female speakers envision the future in creator and
content-driven commerce. In this episode, Ingrid and Valerie
discuss these perspectives and highlight where the common ground
lies: in action, in speed, and in the importance of content. They
also take a closer look at a perspective that is often completely
overlooked – that of the consumer who simply wants, - or needs- ,
to buy at the lowest possible price.
Note from the sponsor PlentyONE:
Selling on Amazon, Ott0, Zalando, or Kaufland? Then you already
know: every marketplace has its own rules, fees, and
expectations. But what if you had one clear, structured overview
that compares them all – side by side? Our partner PlentyONE, has
created exactly that: a free whitepaper that helps you find the
right platforms for your products, categories, and strategy. It
covers Marketplace access requirements, fees & commissions,
fulfillment rules & SLAs - and much more – from Amazon to
Zalando. It provides many insights into multichannel commerce and
helps you to work out your individual roadmap for a successful
multichannel strategy. Get the white paper right here:
https://www.plentyone.com/de/multichannel-whitepaper?utm_source=marketplaceuniverse&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=CP_MKT_Whitepaper_Multichannel
&utm_content=podcast-spoken-ad
Note from the sponsor bol:
Bol has established itself as a local hero in the Netherlands and
Belgium and has become the market leader in the region thanks to
a clear focus on customer satisfaction and innovation. It offers
more than 42 million products in 28 categories and access to more
than 13 million customers. This also makes bol attractive for
retailers from neighboring countries. Want to know more about
bol? Then look forward to our podcast episode 119 next week, in
which we talk to Patricia Lay, Partnership growth manager at bol
and, Hassan Imran, e-commerce manager at Neudorff ePeformances,
about his experiences with selling on bol.
Note from the sponsor eBay:
On July 10, we’re inviting a select group of decision-makers to
join us for our final live Connect Event before the summer
break – the eBay „Entscheider Dinner“. This exclusive dinner is
designed for meaningful conversations, new connections, and fresh
marketplace insights in a relaxed setting. A few seats are still
available for brand representatives who want to be part of this
handpicked group. If you’d like to join us for an inspiring
summer evening full of ideas, exchange, and excellent food –
register now:
https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/2XDfDE0vbHe8h96aXSfyWrvp8zpVs4yHFNCmobskstDVlYZklO5oapv41ZpvF2zPJ
Chapters:
00:00 Adventures at K5 Conference
03:10 Insights from the K5 Conference
05:23 The Future of E-Commerce: AI and Shopping Agents
12:00 The Role of Community and Content in Commerce
18:03 Speed vs. Strategy in E-Commerce
23:54 Understanding the Average Consumer
30:01 Final Thoughts and Future Directions
Mehr
Über diesen Podcast
More than half of all e-commerce sales are generated on online
marketplaces - if that's not reason enough for a regular talk show!
Marketplace specialists Valerie Dichtl and Ingrid Lommer take up
the challenge.
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