Zalando has released its results for the second quarter of the year, continuing the positive trend seen in the previous period. The popular German marketplace saw its GMV (gross merchandise sales) increase by 20.7% year-on-year to €4.915 billion. Revenue rose to €3.424 billion (+20.8%). 90.4% of this revenue came from its B2C channel (which grew by 20.3%), while Zalando's B2B channel grew by 27.6% year-on-year to €334.7 million. In the B2B sector, the company emphasizes that it is "opening up its logistics infrastructure, software, and service capabilities to become a key facilitator for e-commerce transactions for brands and retailers using its ZEOS operating system, regardless of whether these transactions take place on or off its platform." It's worth remembering that ZEOS Fulfillment already operates in a dozen markets, including Spain, and allows sellers to connect with 10 different sales channels, including their own online stores and marketplaces, thus covering 85% of the main marketplaces in Europe. However, not all the figures in these quarterly results are so positive. Net profit (€73.8 million) fell by 23.6% compared to the same period last year, something the company attributes mainly to the complete consolidation of the About You business (acquired in mid-2025). What is undeniable is the positive performance of its business indicators: the number of active customers in the last twelve months has grown by 18.14% to 62.5 million, while the number of orders registered during the quarter reached 77.5 million (+19%). Meanwhile, the average order value at Zalando also increased to €63.4 (+2.9%). Scayle Studios' Bet to Reinvent Creative Processes in Fashion In its earnings report, Zalando highlights the importance it places on Scayle Studios, an AI-powered fashion and lifestyle content studio that Zalando claims reduces content production time "from weeks to minutes." Zalando cites it as an example of AI application in generating scalable revenue for both B2C and B2B. Launched in the last quarter, the company asserts that it significantly streamlines the image creation process, from samples to production-ready images, reduces time to market by over 95%, and decreases content creation costs by approximately 90%. A visit to their website provides a more detailed look at how it works. Scayle allows you to manage the entire workflow of a fashion photoshoot: defining the collection, uploading products, optimizing images, selecting models, creating outfits, setting the scene, recording footage, and extending the production to video and social media formats. The final result includes still images for e-commerce, campaign variations, native social media formats, and short videos. All of this is generated in 4K from a single product upload. As for video, it's produced as part of the standard workflow, not as a separate project with its own budget.

“Instead of booking studio time, models, and equipment, you simply upload the product image (front and back views) and set up the shoot digitally. Scayle Studios takes care of model selection, styling, set design, and asset generation, delivering production-ready images in minutes, not weeks,” they explain. In fact, the company states that today, “the difference between AI-generated content and traditionally filmed content is no longer noticeable to buyers in their daily use.” Reduced time… and costs As we mentioned, the savings generated by Scayle aren't limited to time. On their website, they explain that generating audiovisual content with Scayle achieves cost reductions that typically reach around 90%. “Traditional studio photoshoots cost approximately €80 per product. Scayle reduces that cost to around €4 or €5 per product with standard self-service plans. At the enterprise level, costs are around €10 per SKU, not because the base price is higher, but because brands like About You generate significantly more content per product: 7 to 8 images and 2 videos instead of the traditional 3 or 4 photos,” they explain. This service uses a credit-based pricing model, which clients spend as they generate content: one credit per image created. To incentivize usage, new accounts receive 50 free credits upon registration to try the platform before making a purchase. AI is fully integrated into one of the key processes of fashion eCommerce. Until now, launching a new collection involved coordinating studios, models, photographers, stylists, makeup artists, locations, editing, and adapting formats for websites, campaigns, and social media. In sectors like fashion, where a single season can include thousands of items, content production becomes one of the main operational bottlenecks. Scayle Studios' proposal consists precisely of replacing a large part of that process with AI-powered generation. Instead of organizing a photoshoot, simply uploading product images generates photos, videos, and creative assets adapted to different channels. Now brands can launch their products sooner, test campaigns more quickly, and adapt content to different markets without repeating the entire production process. In any case, brands will have to assess to what extent they want to completely replace traditional photoshoots, especially in image campaigns where creative differentiation remains important. And well, it's clear that the use of AI-generated models raises questions related to the authenticity of the content or the representation of the garments, which will likely continue to generate debate in the sector. Towards a Positive 2026 Regarding the year-end forecast for 2026, Zalando anticipates GMV and revenue growth at the lower end of its previous range of 12% to 17%, "in line with market expectations," they point out. However, the adjusted EBIT forecast for the full year has been reduced to between €680 million and €720 million, compared to the previously projected €660 million to €740 million. "The strength of our profitability reflects the quality and diversification of our revenue streams, including the shift towards our higher-margin partner and media retail business, B2B expansion, and disciplined cost management supported by AI," explained Anna Dimitrova, CFO of Zalando.