Zalando – Online fashion

What it does

Zalando is a massive online fashion and lifestyle marketplace. The app serves as a portal to a vast catalog of clothing, shoes, and accessories from thousands of brands, ranging from high-street to high-end designers. Its core job is to help users discover, save, and purchase fashion items in a personalized and engaging way.

Where it shines

Zalando excels by blending commerce with content and technology. The AI fashion assistant (02:07) offers a genuinely useful conversational search, turning vague ideas into concrete, shoppable suggestions. The app's 'Stories' section (06:45) is another highlight, transforming the shopping experience into something more akin to a digital magazine, filled with creator profiles and curated looks. Finally, the app handles the complexity of its marketplace model with grace, for example by clearly communicating multi-parcel shipping in the cart (15:28), which sets realistic delivery expectations.

UX highlights

Conversational Commerce: The AI assistant provides a guided discovery path, asking clarifying questions before showing a carousel of relevant products directly in the chat (02:25).
Integrated Social Following: The app encourages users to follow brands (01:25) and creators (07:38), using a familiar social media mechanic to personalize the shopping feed.
Robust Filtering: Users can navigate the enormous catalog with a comprehensive set of filters, including specific criteria like material and sport type (04:00).
Transparent Logistics: The shopping cart clearly separates items from different sellers into distinct parcels with individual delivery estimates, preventing confusion (15:28).
Content-Driven Discovery: 'Stories' and 'New In' sections provide editorial context and inspiration, helping users discover products outside of traditional search.
Seamless Wishlisting: Adding an item to a wishlist is confirmed with a satisfying and quick animation (05:15), encouraging users to save items for later.

Monetization & growth

As a retail app, Zalando's monetization is straightforward: it makes money from the sale of goods on its platform. The video does not show any subscription models or in-app purchases beyond the products themselves.

Growth mechanics are built around personalization and engagement. The mandatory sign-up during onboarding captures user emails for marketing. The app heavily promotes following brands and creators, which fuels its recommendation engine and provides a reason for users to return. Finally, it uses a notification warmup (01:50) to encourage push notification opt-ins for sale alerts and new arrivals.

Who it’s for

Zalando is for the modern fashion shopper who values variety, discovery, and personalization. It caters to a broad audience, from those seeking affordable basics to those hunting for designer pieces. The app is particularly well-suited for users who enjoy drawing inspiration from trends and creators and appreciate a shopping experience that feels curated to their specific tastes.

Notes & opportunities

The mandatory sign-up flow (00:28) creates significant initial friction. While it guarantees a personalized experience, allowing guest browsing could lower the barrier to entry and let the product catalog speak for itself sooner. The AI assistant is a powerful tool but is somewhat hidden behind a small tooltip; making it a more prominent part of the search or home experience could boost its usage. The distinction between 'wishlist' and 'saved outfits' could also be clarified, as they serve similar but separate functions.