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IFA had big news this year with the European Retail Alliance, or ERA. The alliance was put together by MediaMarktSaturn of Germany and the French e-commerce group Fnac Darty, who announced their partnership last May. At that time, it was made known that the alliance would immediately be open to other retailers. The European Retail Alliance is said to be the European answer to e-commerce giants such as Amazon and Alibaba.

Posting a meme which includes characters from Futurama may very well be a thing of the past now that the European Union Parliament has voted YES on Articles 11 (link tax) and 13 (upload filter) – sweeping copyright infringement laws that will block any content one tries to upload that includes copyrighted material. Those that support the articles feel they will clean up the Internet a bit, making it more possible to control what is shared. However, those that oppose them see it as the end of a free Internet, an Internet that has kept our lives vibrant and interesting. They feel this falls very much into line with the United States’ decision to end net neutrality.

Have you ever wanted to buy something and didn’t know where to find it? E-commerce opens up a lot of opportunities, but on the domestic e-commerce market, it can be hard to find what we’re looking for. The same is true if we look at digital retail from the perspective of the seller. It can be hard to find those sales we’re looking for. That’s why cross-border e-commerce is an important and lucrative area for everyone involved in online trade to pay attention to. Cross-Border Commerce Europe is a new initiative from Carine Moitier, who co-founded Belgian e-commerce association BeCommerce in 2005.

The computer is all the way across the room, and whilst relaxing on the sofa, you want to browse for some new drapes, foreign sweets and a new frisbee. Luckily, your mobile is right next to the remote control to the television, which happens to be just a few inches from your hands. With just a few clicks, you can unlock the power of your smart phone in the retail world.

Amazon has launched its online print-on-demand service, Merch by Amazon. It’s been 3 years since Merch by Amazon debuted in the US. The service allows customers to design and print their own shirts, hoodies and other apparel. The thing is, this idea is nothing new in Germany and Europe, with Leipzig-based Spreadshirt having been in the business since 2002.

With a population of around 83 million inhabitants, German e-commerce was worth €85 billion in 2017. Stationary trade will always be a lucrative channel in Germany, but more and more people are buying online, not to mention using their smartphones, showing that m-commerce is no laughing matter in the central European country.

As of January 1, 2018, Birkenstock pulled their goods from Amazon. So why were they available 6 months after Birkenstock made that move? Amazon says it’s up to the brand to police its own distribution channels, thusly washing their hands of the responsibility. It seems hard to protect one's brand with Amazon around. Here's some information to help with that.