Founded in 2008, Zalando is an online fashion and lifestyle platform based in Berlin, Germany. The company was birthed out of an idea by Robert Gentz and David Schneider after a failed attempt to operate an online flip-flop business in Latin America. They replotted their course and launched Zalando, originally as an online shoe retailer, inspired by US-based Zappos. The company later broadened its offerings to include clothing, accessories, and beauty products as well. In 2014, Zalando became listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol ZAL. At its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on October 1, 2014, the companys market capitalization was approximately 6 billion euros.
Zalando operates in a highly competitive environment, with several key players driving the online fashion and lifestyle sector. Major competitors include traditional brick-and-mortar retailer turned online powerhouse H&M (Wikipedia page, Bloomberg page) and purely online companies such as ASOS (Wikipedia page, Bloomberg) and Boohoo (Wikipedia page, Bloomberg page). Each of these competitors has a different approach to targeting and serving the fashion-conscious consumer.
Web scraping Zalandos website becomes especially useful to keep track of changing prices, discounts, inventory, and competitors strategies. For instance, comparing scraped prices from Zalando with other major players can help to keep a pulse on the market positioning and pricing strategies. Moreover, tracking discounts over time can yield insights into sales strategies and timing for different types of products or brands. This information can be invaluable for manufacturers and retailers alike, providing them with timely data to inform their pricing, inventory, or sales strategy. With a growing number of online retailers, understanding how Zalando operates within this competitive landscape is essential for staying ahead.