Europe 500 Web Merchants Selling in Three or More Intracontinental Markets Double Online Sales Growth of Europe's 500 Leading E-Retailers As a Whole

CHICAGO, May 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Europe's 500 top e-retailers that sell across national borders within the Continent—maintaining three or more dedicated, localized web sites—are growing nearly twice as fast as the 500 leading web merchants operating in Europe as a whole, according to Internet Retailer's newly published 2014 Europe 500 guide. Now in its fourth edition, the 405-page e-commerce resource provides comprehensive rankings, financial numbers and operating details of Europe's 500 largest web merchants based on their 2013 online sales. Hailing from 36 countries, the 2014 Europe 500 e-retailers collectively amassed €112.45 billion ($155.23 billion USD) in 2013, up 17.05% from €96.08 billion ($132.62 billion) a year earlier.

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One retailer championing cross-border expansionism as its chief business goal is Zalando AG, a German shoe and apparel retailer ranked No. 9 in the 2014 Europe 500. The e-retailer sells more than 150,000 products from 1,500 brands in 15 European countries. Zalando AG reported sales of €1.76 billion (U.S. $2.42 billion) in 2013, up an impressive 53% compared to €1.15 billion (U.S. $1.58 billion) a year earlier, according to the 2014 Europe 500. Equally impressive is the fact that 38% of total traffic to the e-retailer stems from mobile devices.

In addition to detailing web sales, growth rates and rankings, the 2014 Europe 500 contains a wealth of other vital financial and operating metrics—201 in all per ranked e-retailer, up from last year's tally of 177, including web traffic, conversion rates, SKUs online, average tickets, shopper demographics, search and e-mail marketing stats, e-commerce vendors used, web site features and functions and much more.

"If your business competes against any of these European e-retailers, or has its expansionist sights set on the world's second-largest e-commerce market after China—as it should—or is selling e-commerce technology solutions to web merchants already there, then the all-new, completely updated 2014 Europe 500 acts as your passport to the competitive intelligence you need to grow your e-commerce business," says Jack Love, Internet Retailer publisher.

The 405-page guide is now available in a digital version and all of its proprietary data can be accessed and customized by user preference through a subscription to Top500Guide.com, the world's largest online database of competitive e-commerce information.

For research information, contact Mark Brohan, vice president, research and product development, Internet Retailer, at 312.362.9535.

For media inquiries, contact Chaz McCrobie-Quinn, circulation manager, Internet Retailer, at 312.362.0107.

ABOUT INTERNET RETAILER®

The flagship brand of Vertical Web Media, Internet Retailer® provides comprehensive e-commerce business intelligence through print and digital channels, including a monthly magazine, several research guides, web sites, online databases and e-mail newsletters. Internet Retailer, launched in March 1999, is the largest monthly magazine in e-retailing with more than 44,000 subscribers. Launched in 2000 and completely revamped in 2010, InternetRetailer.com is the most visited informational web site in e-commerce. Featuring industry news that is updated daily, the site attracts more than 425,000 unique monthly visitors. IRNewsLink, an e-mail newsletter of daily e-commerce news, is sent out every weekday to more than 49,000 subscribers.

ABOUT VERTICAL WEB MEDIA

Vertical Web Media is a privately held, Chicago-based publisher that focuses on providing business intelligence for the e-commerce industry. Founded and led by journalists, the company aims to be the largest and most credible provider of objective business information on the market trends, technology, competitive practices and people shaping online retailing. Starting with Internet Retailer magazine, launched in 1999, Vertical Web Media has since introduced more than a dozen competitive data products and is now the largest publisher in e-commerce. Through its Internet Retailer® brand, the company operates a monthly magazine, two web sites, a daily e-mail newsletter, and 12 research guides—strategic content designed to equip e-commerce executives with the competitive data they need to help grow their online businesses.

SOURCE Internet Retailer