The Future of Retail Is in Combining Online and Offline Commerce, Says Fashion Retailer Exec

The future of retail is in combining online and offline commerce, said Carsten Keller, a vice president at Berlin-based online fashion retailer Zalando SE.

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Keller spoke at Calcalist’s WeTechBerlin conference, held last week in collaboration with real estate company Aroundtown Property Holdings PLC, Bank Leumi, one of Israel’s two largest banks, its tech banking subsidiary LeumiTech Ltd., accounting firm KPMG, and European investment fund Target Global.

Founded in 2008, Zalando is active in 15 countries in Europe. Over the years, the company shifted from purely virtual retail to a hybrid service offering the comforts of both online and in-store shopping, Keller said. Zalando operates by collaborating with brick and mortar fashion retailers to increase availability and speed of delivery and compete with services such as Amazon’s same-day delivery.

According to Keller, physical stores are “the best warehouses” for online retailers as they are normally located within a reasonably short distance from local consumers, allowing for swift delivery.