In partnership with

Welcome to MarketMaze, the #1 newsletter for staying on top of the latest in Ecommerce & Marketplaces. Get all the insights you need in just 5 minutes!

🧠 Big Story: 
Personal Luxury Makeover 💼

📊 Key Data:
Global Economy Projections🎯

📖 Ecommerce ecosystem news:
🇪🇺 EU Slaps Google with Charges, $35B Fine Looms.
🇪🇺 Google’s Search and Play Store Face EU DMA Heat.
🇮🇱 Wix launches no-code tool to streamline business flows.
🇺🇸 Klarna lands DoorDash deal ahead of IPO.
🇺🇸 DHL bets big on US de minimis rule change.
🇺🇸 UPS tacks on China-US shipping fee.

+ over 15 handpicked hot news from the last week you need to know 🔥

We haven’t finalized the e-commerce drivers database yet.
It needs a shave, a shower, and a little Botox in a few places.
But here's what’s cooking in the MarketMaze kitchen:

👉 Historical e-commerce market drivers — Europe (yes, ~40 countries) & North America
👉 Historical e-com size — pulled from every semi-reliable source we could find
👉 Future market projections — driven by actual inputs, not fairy dust
👉 Financials of listed players — Shopify, Zalando, Amazon, Allegro & more
👉 Marketplace extensions — global players, more sectors (hello service marketplaces)

This isn’t for the faint of heart.
It’s for operators, investors, and strategists who want signal, not noise.

🌀 MarketMaze is a one-person venture.
No VC money. No team of analysts. Just one guy, Excel, and too much curiosity.

If this resonates, share MarketMaze with your crew.
Better yet, subscribe to MarketMaze+ and get access to our growing list of reports/resources.

It helps keep the lights on — and the insights coming.

Let’s make the e-commerce world a little smarter. Together.

Personal Luxury Makeover 💼

The personal luxury market is shifting fast — retail is taking over wholesale, and secondhand is outpacing new sales. This article breaks down the key trends shaping the future of fashion, beauty, and luxury. Lets look at recent Bain and CB commerce studies.

Luxury Holds Steady, Retail Gains 👜

Retail in personal luxury soared from €114B in 2019 to €192B by 2023, then leveled off through 2024. Retail’s slice climbed from 40% to nearly 60% of personal luxury Goods market, overtaking wholesale.

Online Overtakes Specialty Stores 🌐

Online luxury sales climbed from 12% in 2019 to 21% in 2022, stabilizing at 20% by 2024. Specialty stores shrank from 20% to 13% over the same period. Monobrand channels maintained dominance at 36%. Bain & Company’s report highlights this shift as a structural realignment in personal luxury shopping habits.

Secondhand Market Surges 🔄

Secondhand luxury soared 2.2x from 2017 to 2023, while new luxury goods rose just 45% over the same period. By 2023, secondhand hit an index of 225 versus 145 for new items. Think of it as vintage fashion’s revenge — yesterday’s Gucci is today’s gold. Secondhand’s momentum isn’t slowing, reinforcing its role as a fast-growing segment in luxury consumption.

C2C Boom Outpaces Market Growth 📈

The EU’s online Fashion, Beauty & Luxury market hit €213B in 2023, projected to reach €224B by 2025. While the total market edges up 5%, C2C marketplaces surged 25%, expanding from €12B to €15B. Cross-border sales grew 9%, climbing to €89B. With players like Shein and Temu fueling this trend, sustainable resale platforms are riding a wave of consumer demand.

Fashion Dominates EU Online Market 👗

Fashion leads Europe’s online Fashion, Beauty & Luxury market with €125B — 59% of total sales. Beauty follows at €49B (23%), while Luxury holds €39B (18%). Fashion platforms like Amazon, Temu, and Zalando dominate e-commerce. Meanwhile, beauty’s big names include Notino and The Ordinary. In luxury, Skims, Beyoncé’s brand, and Rarebeauty. With 46% of luxury transactions happening online, digital is now fashion’s front row.

Global Economy Projections🎯

The global economy is stepping on the brakes as reported by OECD — and your wallet’s in the passenger seat. As growth cools and inflation overstays its welcome, the next few years could feel like driving with one foot on the gas and the other on a pothole. All of that will impact ecommerce and marketplace landscape.

Worldwide Growth Slows 🌏

Global GDP looks set to ease from 3.2% in 2024 to 3.0% by 2026, as higher trade barriers in several G20 nations and policy uncertainty weigh on investment and household spending. The US may cool from a strong clip to 2.2% in 2025 and 1.6% in 2026. Europe’s growth could hover at 1.0% and then 1.2% over that period, while China moderates from 4.8% this year to 4.4% in 2026

Inflation’s Stubborn Grip 💸

Inflation remains sticky across several economies, with services prices holding firm at a median 3.6% in OECD nations. Despite softening economic growth, inflation is projected to stay higher than earlier forecasts. G20 headline inflation is expected to dip from 3.8% in 2025 to 3.2% in 2026.

Trade Tensions Threaten Growth 📉

Rising tariffs could dent global output by 0.3% per year., with inflation climbing 0.4 percentage points annually over the 3 year period. A 10% increase in US tariffs on non-commodity imports — met with reciprocal tariffs worldwide — would hit Mexico hardest (-1.3% GDP), followed by the US (-0.7%) and Canada (-0.6%). Such uncertainty could further suppress corporate investment and consumer spending globally.

🇪🇺 EU Slaps Google with Charges, $35B Fine Looms. The EU says Google breaks the Digital Markets Act by favoring its own services in search and limiting app developers on Google Play, risking a fine up to 10% of its revenue. Announced in March 2025, Google’s Oliver Bethell claims it hurts users and innovation. 👉 Engadget

🇪🇺 Google’s Search and Play Store Face EU DMA Heat. On March 19, 2025, the EU flagged Google for rigging search results and Play Store rules, potentially facing billions in fines under the Digital Markets Act. Google argues these changes could raise costs for consumers and weaken security. 👉 TechCrunch

🇺🇸 Google Ads Rolls Out Channel Control for Campaigns. Google Ads launched channel control for Demand Gen campaigns in January 2025, letting advertisers pick platforms like YouTube, but performance data stays lumped together. Advertiser Greg Kohler says he won’t tweak until data splits out. 👉 Search Engine Land

🇬🇧 UK’s Social Commerce Set to Hit £16B by 2028. Social commerce in the UK grows 4x faster than ecommerce, jumping from £7.4B in 2024 to £16B by 2028, says a March 2025 report. Rory O’Connor of Scurri notes TikTok Shop drives this, with 86% of retailers seeing it as retail’s future. 👉 ChannelX

🇺🇸 Print Ads Boost Ecommerce with Lasting Impact. Print ads are back for ecommerce, with Amazon’s 2024 catalog leading the way; affiliates earn 15%, publications get 30-50% on QR sales. Polly Wong says brands love print’s reach, with ads lingering in homes for months. 👉 Practical Ecommerce

🇮🇱 Wix launches no-code tool to streamline business flows. Wix rolled out Wix Functions, a free tool with premium upgrades, letting businesses build custom flows like pricing rules without coding. It ties into Wix Stores and Bookings, aiming to make online shops more flexible and trendy. 👉 TechRadar

🇺🇸 Klarna lands DoorDash deal ahead of IPO. Klarna’s new buy now, pay later option with DoorDash boosts its U.S. reach, with 2024 revenue hitting $2.8B (up 24%) and profit at $181M. The Swedish fintech’s 675K merchant partners across 26 countries set the stage for a big IPO splash. 👉 CNBC

🇺🇸 Adobe brings AI agents to Experience Cloud. Adobe added AI agents to its cloud platform, including a new Journey Optimizer module for B2B teams to unify customer experiences. It’s all about smarter web management and personalized touchpoints, no financials shared yet. 👉 Adobe News

🇺🇸 Braze launches Shopify partnership for eCommerce. Braze and Shopify teamed up for 2025 rollouts, delivering real-time insights and no-code tools like Abandoned Cart campaigns. Brands like e.l.f. Beauty get personalized shopping perks, with WhatsApp Commerce coming in Q2. 👉 ChannelX

🇺🇸 Nowutalk AI unveils voice sales agent for Shopify. Nowutalk AI’s new voice agent lets Shopify customers shop hands-free while giving merchants real-time data. A beta with a 3.5M-follower influencer backs it, with 60% of the team as engineers pushing scale. 👉 PR.com

🇮🇳 Knowband launches mobile app builder for eCommerce. Knowband’s new tool for Prestashop and WooCommerce taps into mobile shopping’s 200% growth and 70% traffic share. It’s boosted sales 30% for users like Eddie Sale, with app users spending 201.8 minutes monthly vs. 10.9 on websites. 👉 EIN Presswire

🇺🇸 Mirakl appoints Scott Eckert as Americas CEO. Mirakl tapped Scott Eckert, ex-Walmart exec with 25 years of know-how, to lead its Americas push, including Mirakl Ads. He’s set to grow services for clients like Best Buy, bringing retail chops from scaling firms to $100M+. 👉 ChannelX

🇺🇸 Ulta Beauty to launch Mirakl marketplace in 2025. Ulta Beauty’s 2025 marketplace, powered by Mirakl, will sell curated beauty goods and let customers earn points online. CEO Kecia Steelman says it’s about meeting retail shifts, reaching millions with a slick shopping setup. 👉 Mirakl Blog

🇺🇸 DHL bets big on US de minimis rule change.
DHL’s gearing up for April 1, 2025, when the US de minimis exemption ends, meaning customs will check all packages; they’re slashing 8K jobs but expect growth and will report results soon. 👉 The Loadstar

🇺🇸 UPS tacks on China-US shipping fee. UPS added a $0.29 per pound surcharge for China-to-US shipments, effective now through March 29, 2025; it’s their move to tackle trade shifts as of today, March 21, 2025. 👉 Supply Chain Dive

🇺🇸 DHL bets big on US de minimis rule change. DHL sees a silver lining as the US de minimis rule ends April 1, 2025, with every parcel facing customs; they’re cutting 8K jobs but are optimistic, sharing results this month. 👉 The Loadstar

🇩🇪 DPD rolls out to all myflexbox in Germany. DPD’s now at all 437 myflexbox stations in Germany, with plans to hit 1K by December 2025; it’s all about giving folks more pick-up options outside their front doors. 👉 DPD

🇫🇮 eBrands scores €7.5M for AI growth. eBrands in Helsinki nabbed €7.5M, bringing their total to €50M, to boost Apollo, their AI for global brands; they’re pulling in €35M revenue and dominate 75% of online sales channels. 👉 Silicon Canals

🇺🇸 Flexport ramps up AI and trucking in 2025. Flexport dropped 20+ AI tools and is growing its Convoy marketplace for truckers in 2024; they’re set to release new stuff twice yearly, with the next batch in late summer. 👉 Digital Commerce 360

🇵🇱 CEVA Logistics cuts waste with 100K deliveries. CEVA Logistics moved 100K food parcels in the UK in 4 months with Too Good To Go, saving 51.9M kg of CO₂; their 2023 revenue was $20.2B, proving they’re big on sustainability. 👉 Dla Handlu

🇲🇽 Cainiao spreads fast in Mexico’s e-commerce. Cainiao’s now in 20 Mexican states since early 2024, offering 3-day local and 5-day China deliveries; they’ve built hubs to ride the wave of Mexico’s growing online shopping scene. 👉 Parcel and Postal Technology International

❤️ Your Opinion matters!

Share your thoughts on today’s email with just 1 click in the poll—it’s quick and helps us improve.

For questions or more feedback, reply to this email.

Best,
MarketMaze team