?Kaufland Expands Online Marketplaces to Poland and Austria

Following the successful launch of its online marketplaces in Slovakia and the Czech Republic last year, Kaufland is expanding its reach to two more European countries: Poland and Austria. The launch is planned for late summer 2024.

The German retail giant is entering the Polish eCommerce market with its online marketplace, Kaufland.pl. This expansion complements their existing network of 245 brick-and-mortar stores. Recognizing the strong growth in Polish online retail, Kaufland has ambitious plans. They aim for it to become a leading platform for online sales in the country.

Kaufland is taking a unique approach in Austria, a market where they don't currently have any physical stores. They see an opportunity in the lack of strong local online marketplaces with a wide range of products. By launching their marketplace in Austria, Kaufland aims to fill this gap and establish themselves as a major player in Austrian online retail.

"Expanding into other countries is the next big and logical step for us this year. We are very pleased that we can now make our marketplace accessible to millions of people in Poland and Austria and that our retailers can further expand their presence in Europe," said Gerald Sch?nbucher, CEO of Kaufland eCommerce.

Amazon's U.S. Plastic Packaging Increased 9.8% Defies Global Phaseout

Online retail giant Amazon is facing criticism for its packaging practices in the United States. Despite actively reducing plastic use globally, a recent report by Oceana indicates a significant increase in plastic waste generated by Amazon’s U.S. in 2022, amid growing pressure for a global treaty to end plastic pollution.

The report estimates that Amazon created 94 million kg of plastic packaging in the US in 2022, equivalent to the weight of nearly 14,000 large African elephants, a 9.8% increase from the amount of plastic packaging it generated in 2021.This is concerning, especially considering that Amazon has reportedly made progress in reducing plastic packaging in other parts of the world, achieving an 11.6% global reduction compared to 2021. In Europe, for instance, the company has switched to paper and cardboard delivery sleeves in response to stricter regulations aimed at eliminating single-use plastics.

Oceana expressed worry about Amazon's continued reliance on plastics in the U.S. They point out the potential environmental damage, with plastic waste often ending up in our oceans, harming marine life, or accumulating in coastal areas. Amazon itself has disputed the accuracy of Oceana's report, calling it misleading. The company emphasizes its global efforts to reduce plastic use but hasn't provided specific data on U.S. plastic packaging to counter the report's findings.

eBay Adds an AI-Powered ‘Shop the Look’ Feature

eBay launched a new generative AI-powered feature to appeal to fashion enthusiasts: a “shop the look” section within its iOS mobile app that will suggest a carousel of images and ideas, based on the customer’s shopping history. The company says its recommendations will be personalized to the end user and will evolve as the customer shops more. The idea is to introduce how other fashion items may complement their current wardrobe.

To do so, “shop the look” will include interactive hotspots that, when tapped, will reveal similar items and outfit inspirations, with the resulting looks including both preowned and luxury items that match the user’s personal style. The feature is powered by eBay.ai, and was developed in collaboration with the company’s Responsible AI team and RAI Principles, eBay notes.

“Shop the look” will appear to any eBay shopper who has viewed at least 10 fashion items over the past 180 days, the company notes. It will display both on the eBay homepage and the fashion landing page. For eBay, the addition offers a way to showcase its wide expanse of inventory available for sale differently than before — and one that could potentially encourage more sales, if successful. eBay says it plans to explore expansions to other categories over time and will continue adding more personalization elements to the feature over the new year.

eBay isn’t the only one exploring how AI can improve the fashion shopping experience. Google last summer introduced a way for consumers to virtually try on clothes using a new AI shopping feature, for example. Amazon has also turned to AI to help customers find clothes that fit when shopping online. In those cases, the AI features were meant to help customers find the right fit or size, whereas eBay’s new feature is more focused on fashion inspiration — meaning finding the right style. That can be harder to do, given that personal style is subjective. “Shop the look” will initially be available on iOS in the U.S. and U.K., with support for Android coming later this year.