Zalando reports higher adjusted operating profit and expands AI services
The German fashion platform increased adjusted operating profit in the third quarter and says it is focusing more strongly on business software.
Listen to this article
There is no audio version yet. Request one and an AI voice will read the article aloud.
Read by an AI voice.
Zalando posted higher adjusted operating profit in the third quarter and says it expanded its activities for business customers. The German fashion platform links that growth to software services, the integration of ABOUT YOU and new applications of artificial intelligence.
Adjusted operating profit, or adjusted EBIT, rose 10.6 per cent year on year to €107 million. The adjusted profit margin was 3.4 per cent, 0.2 percentage points higher than a year earlier, Zalando said in its financial report for the quarter ending 30 September.
Gross merchandise value, the value of goods sold before returns and certain other adjustments are processed, grew by 7.5 per cent on a reported basis. Revenue increased by 5.1 per cent. According to Zalando, ABOUT YOU has been consolidated since the third quarter of 2025.
The strongest performance, according to the company, came from its business activities. Adjusted EBIT in the B2B division more than doubled to €42 million. The division’s margin rose to 11.9 per cent, compared with 7.1 per cent a year earlier. Software company SCAYLE and fulfilment platform ZEOS attracted new business customers.
Zalando also highlights Zalando Extended as a new AI-related development. According to Zalando, the service allows products from other online retailers to be offered on the platform, even if Zalando does not sell them itself. The quarterly report does not provide a separate revenue or profit figure for this AI application.
The company is maintaining its outlook for the whole of 2026. Zalando expects gross merchandise value and revenue growth to come in at the lower end of its 12 to 17 per cent range. Adjusted EBIT is expected to be between €680 million and €720 million; projected investments amount to €240 million to €300 million.
The figures therefore show two sides. Zalando is growing and improving adjusted operating profitability, with strong performance in its business activities. For the full year, the company expects growth at the lower end of its own range. In addition, it is not possible to establish what share of the results comes directly from AI. According to the company, profit growth is also being helped by lower fulfilment costs and synergies from the integration of ABOUT YOU.
For Dutch online retailers and brands, the expansion into software and fulfilment could be relevant. According to Zalando, the company is also offering infrastructure to other sellers. Whether the strategy will become sustainably profitable depends on further growth in business customers and the cost of the technology; the quarterly figures do not yet provide a complete picture of this.
Also show where in Europe and in the world
Both sides of the figures
▲ Bright spots
- Adjusted operating profit rose by 10.6 per cent to €107 million.
- The B2B margin rose from 7.1 to 11.9 per cent, according to Zalando.
- The company is maintaining projected adjusted EBIT of €680 million to €720 million for 2026.
▼ Concerns
- Revenue growth was 5.1 per cent year on year in the third quarter. For the whole of 2026, Zalando expects growth at the lower end of its own 12 to 17 per cent range.
- The available figures do not quantify what share of profit growth comes directly from AI.
- The company expects investments of €240 million to €300 million in 2026.
Critical note
The figures are nominal company amounts and not a measure of real purchasing power or the health of the Dutch economy. The comparison is also affected by the consolidation of ABOUT YOU since the third quarter of 2025.
Who notices what
- Businesses
- Brands and online retailers gain a broader platform offering for sales, software and fulfilment, but also face a stronger competitor.
- Workers
- The figures show growth and higher adjusted operating profit, but do not say how many jobs or working hours are being changed by AI.
- Investors
- Profit growth and the maintained outlook support the company’s position, while limited revenue growth and integration effects warrant attention.
Every point comes from the article’s sources and was included in the fact check.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The stated quarterly figures, margins, outlook and AI service were checked against Zalando’s financial publication and an independent account of it. Unquantified effects of AI are presented as uncertain or unknown.
- confirmed Adjusted operating profit rose by 10.6 per cent to €107 million. — Zalando’s quarterly publication. source
- confirmed Gross merchandise value grew by 7.5 per cent and revenue by 5.1 per cent. — The published quarterly figures. source
- confirmed B2B EBIT rose to €42 million and the margin to 11.9 per cent. — Zalando’s results as presented in the company publication. source
Editor's note
The financial figures come from the company’s publication. AI’s role has not yet been quantified separately; the text therefore distinguishes between measured results and Zalando’s strategic announcement.Sources
- Q3 2026 financial results — Zalando Corporate
- Zalando grows profitably in Q3, driven by very strong B2B expansion — Ad-hoc-news, op basis van Zalando-publicatie
More on this in Dutch media
- Trouw — „zalando e-commerce”
- RTL Nieuws — „zalando e-commerce”
- FD — „zalando e-commerce”