Are Italian companies investing in marketplaces? And what are the main marketplaces in Italy?
The snapshot taken by Casaleggio Associati’s 2024 “E-commerce in Italy” report shows that most companies focus their resources on one or a few channels.
65% of Italian e-commerce companies sell on marketplaces. 46% of these are present on only 2-3 platforms simultaneously.
What are consumers looking for instead?
According to research by Yocabe, “E-commerce: businesses and consumers facing the challenge of e-shopping“, it is interesting to note that as many as 91 percent of consumers who engage in online shopping regularly prefer to use marketplace platforms as their main shopping channel.
In addition, among the main marketplaces in Italy that have been most used to make online purchases in the past year are Amazon (95 percent), eBay (41.6 percent) and Zalando (39 percent).
According to the data reported by the study, the advantages of buying through marketplace platforms are mainly the exactly stated shipping time and the security of buying through a well-known “brand.”
The ranking of the leading marketplaces in Italy
#1 Amazon
When Italian brands enter the world of marketplaces, Amazon Is almost always the natural choice. And with good reason.
Jeff Bezos’ platform is in fact the most popular in our country. In 2024 Amazon generated an average of 188 million monthly sessions with a growth of about 29 million visits compared to 2023.
#2 eBay
The second most visited e-commerce platform by Italians is California-based eBay. Ranked among the 50 most visited sites in the world, eBay sells in nearly 30 countries and hosts 1 billion items in any category, including fashion, furniture and garden, auto parts, technology.In 2024 ebay.co.uk attracted an average of 39 million visits/month.
#3 Temu
In third place is Temu, which, with an average of 19 million monthly visits. It is a Chinese e-commerce platform launched in the United States in 2022. It arrived in Europe in 2023, which has altered the balance in most marketplace rankings.
#4 Zalando
With a growth of about 1.6 million visits/month compared to 2023, Zalando is the fourth most visited marketplace in Italy. Compared to the 2023 ranking, the German site gains one position.
Zalando Privé, the section dedicated to private sales, also achieved a 3.04% year-on-year growth in visits. In the latest period, Zalando Privé recorded 3.1 million visits.
#5 AliExpress
AliExpress is a platform hosting small independent retailers, owned by Alibaba. Created to provide small Chinese companies with global visibility, it is now also open to retailers of other nationalities (including Italy, Spain, Turkey, Russia).
The Italian version of AliExpress is visited on average almost12 million times per month (in 2023 it was about 14 million).
# 6 Leroy Merlin
The famous French chain of stores specializing in DIY, construction, gardening, decorating and bathroom furnishings launched its marketplace in Italy in 2021, which now collects an average of 10.5 million monthly visits.
#7 Shein
Shein is a China-born global e-commerce company known for selling affordable clothing, accessories, footwear and home goods. It first entered the rankings in 2024 with 9.5 million monthly visits.
#8 Decathlon
Decathlon, a French company that brings together more than 1,500 sporting goods stores worldwide under its brand, also launched its marketplace in Italy in 2021. It now earns an average of 7.9 million monthly visits, up 15 percent from the previous year.
# 9 Vinted
Vinted online platform that allows users to buy, sell and trade used clothing, accessories and other items. Founded in 2008 in Lithuania, it is now one of Europe’s leading marketplaces dedicated to second-hand fashion, ranking ninth and now registering an average of 7.8 million monthly visits.
#10 ManoMano
With an average of more than 5.9 million visits per month, the French do-it-yourself, DIY and gardening site ManoMano is the tenth most visited marketplace in Italy. Compared to 2023,it recorded a decrease in visits of about 29.20%, confirming itself as the marketplace with the highest percentage decrease.
