It’s easier than ever to get onboarded
A significant development for brands is the introduction of the new ABOUT YOU Seller Center, which has dramatically lowered the barrier to entry. The platform has introduced a new "Agent model," allowing sellers to list their products directly.
ABOUT YOU previously focused on larger partners, but as co-founder Tarek Müller explains, brands of all sizes can now go live on the platform more easily.
The Seller Center allows for a quick and independent integration, enabling brands to launch in as little as two to four weeks with no listing or registration fees. Brands can connect via an API, Excel upload, a Shopify plugin and soon Tradebyte.
To support new partners, ABOUT YOU is also running a compelling retail media offer where the platform co-invests with brands on sponsored products. From now until 31 October 2025, ABOUT YOU is doubling your budget for retail media activities on the Marketplace, up to a total sum of €50,000 of your marketing spend.
Tarek Müller says: “We have an offer at the moment, so we co-invest every euro... I think that's a once-in-a-lifetime offer. It will never come back,” providing a powerful incentive for brands to boost visibility from day one.
The key to unlocking Central & Eastern Europe
While growth in some regions stagnates, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is projected to be the fastest-growing online fashion market in Europe between 2024 and 2028, with a projected Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9-10% (Zalando Insights).
Despite this impressive growth, the market remains significantly underserved. CEE consumers have a strong appetite for international brands, yet there is a clear supply gap.
The primary barrier for brands isn't a lack of demand, but the region's operational complexity and fragmentation. Each country has unique consumer behaviours, from payment preferences – like BLIK in Poland and cash-on-delivery in Romania – to high expectations for next-day delivery and localised customer service.
A "copy-paste" strategy from Western Europe inevitably fails in this environment.
This is where a platform like ABOUT YOU becomes a strategic partner. ABOUT YOU operates across nine key markets, covering Central European consumer hubs like Poland and the Baltics, through Southeast Europe in Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia.
This extensive footprint offers a ready-made solution to the region's complexity. Brands can leverage ABOUT YOU’s established infrastructure – already tailored to local payment methods, logistics networks and customer expectations – to reach consumers effectively across multiple CEE markets.
The power of influencer marketing for Gen Z & millennials
ABOUT YOU's success is built on a deep understanding of its core audience: Gen Y and Z women, who make up over 80% of its customer base. For this demographic, shopping is not just transactional; it's driven by discovery, social proof and authenticity.
To address this expectation, the platform has developed a powerful content-to-commerce engine that goes beyond standard social media posts.
While over 1,000 monthly influencer collaborations drive the foundation of this strategy, its true power lies in its large-scale, digitally extended events. In 2022 alone, these campaigns generated over 2.7 billion touchpoints – driving significant spikes in brand visibility.
This hybrid approach provides a unique advantage for partner brands. They benefit from the "always-on" authentic content created by a vast network of individual influencers, combined with the immense reach of participating in ABOUT YOU’s flagship events.
Partnering with ABOUT YOU goes beyond listing products – it places brands within a vibrant, ongoing style conversation that fosters brand connection in ways traditional advertising rarely achieves.
“We all know in fashion and lifestyle... the product counts, the price counts, but also the story that you tell around your brand."
Tackling returns with smart technology
Managing profitability means addressing the costly issue of returns, which in fashion e-commerce is primarily driven by poor fit. Tackling this persistent challenge requires a sophisticated, data-driven approach that leverages the remarkable technology that powers the platform.
The commerce technology used by ABOUT YOU is increasingly infused with AI to enhance the shopping experience. Features that help customers choose the right size or style before purchasing play a critical role in improving conversion.
For example, virtual try-on tools have shown promising results in testing, with users who engaged with the feature showing a 17% higher add-to-basket rate.
By leveraging AI-based product data enrichment and innovative features that help customers visualise products, brands can reduce the uncertainty that leads to returns, protecting their bottom line.
Your strategic takeaways
Unlocking profitability on ABOUT YOU requires a multi-faceted strategy. By leveraging the newly accessible Seller Center, seizing the growth opportunity in CEE, and harnessing the power of influencer marketing, brands can build a resilient presence. Success on this dynamic platform hinges on a brand's ability to adapt to its unique ecosystem and connect authentically with its highly engaged, next-generation audience.
