European brands shift eCommerce strategies beyond Amazon in 2025
A recent survey highlights a shift among European brands towards expanding their presence on multiple eCommerce marketplaces and adopting hybrid selling models as they seek to address challenges associated with reliance on Amazon.
The European eCommerce Industry Research Report 2025, published by Luzern eCommerce, gathered insights from 300 leading brands across the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, and Italy. Respondents included Chief Marketing Officers, Brand Managers, and Digital Transformation Managers from companies with more than 50 employees and experience working with Amazon.
According to the research, 79% of surveyed brands are prioritising expansion into marketplaces beyond Amazon in 2025. This shift reflects a broader move away from dependency on a single platform, driven by growing concerns regarding pricing pressures, operational challenges, and the complexities involved in managing large-scale eCommerce strategies.
The same proportion of brands—79%—are actively exploring either hybrid (first-party and third-party) selling models on Amazon or fully externally managed third-party solutions. These approaches are seen as ways to mitigate frustrations including margin erosion, unpredictable purchase orders, and diminished control over pricing, which are frequently cited as drawbacks of pursuing only first-party sales through Amazon.
The report identifies the increasing costs of operating on Amazon as a significant factor in brands' decisions to diversify. While Amazon remains a valuable channel, surveyed brands are increasingly looking to alternative platforms such as Zalando, eBay, Allegro, Otto, and regional sites like Bol. These marketplaces are considered vital for maintaining growth momentum and tapping into previously untapped revenue streams.
However, the study notes that entering new marketplaces—particularly those in other regions—requires significant expertise. Brands must address challenges relating to logistics, compliance, localisation, and platform-specific marketing. Many organisations, despite their intentions to expand, hesitate due to a lack of in-house skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in these environments.
Ken Doyle, Co-Founder of Luzern eCommerce, commented on the research findings: "eCommerce success will go to those brands who control their own online activity – who embrace a wider range of marketplaces, leverage hybrid models, address operational and skills gaps and invest in strategic partnerships. Online presence has to be properly managed to exploit all the potential of the platforms. Brands need to act boldly, move quickly, and think tactically. Complacency is costly."
Surveyed brands outlined several key challenges they encounter. These include feeling compelled to participate in Amazon's 'race to the bottom' pricing strategies, where deep discounting pressures cut into margins; struggles associated with under-resourced internal eCommerce teams; and the constant battle to avoid CRaP (can't realise a profit) status, Amazon's term for delisting unprofitable products. The impact of product returns on profitability and the challenge of managing rising advertising costs while sustaining marketing effectiveness were also mentioned as ongoing concerns.
The Luzern report outlines routes to success for brands on Amazon and beyond, focusing on practical strategies that can be deployed immediately. The report observes that the brands outperforming their peers are those proactively adapting to market changes, rather than simply reacting to them. Approaches such as smarter pricing, operational flexibility, and strategic multi-channel growth are cited as contributing factors for ongoing success in the current eCommerce landscape.
The research was conducted by Censuswide, targeting decision-makers with direct experience of Amazon across five major European markets. The fieldwork was carried out between mid and late October 2024 and adhered to the standards of the Market Research Society and ESOMAR principles.
