European ecom booms and local supplier hacks

Author

Ada at Sellify
March 24, 2025

In partnership with

Welcome back, Savvy Seller!

Hope you’ve had a restful weekend and are ready for the last week of Q1.

As Q1 2025 comes to a close, we’re paying attention to how the state of ecommerce changes daily. Today, we’re covering:

  • Europe’s hotspots dominating e-commerce

  • A simple supply chain hack to cut costs and boost margins

  • Weekly challenge

  • Ecom trend: Body gua sha

Let’s dive in:

Industry: E-Commerce sales in Europe will reach €565B by 2029

Forrester recently released a major report: E-commerce across five European markets (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain) is predicted to grow at 7.8% annually, reaching €565 billion by 2029.

This tells us people in these countries are shopping more online and less in-store. According to the report,

  • E-commerce sales will grow from 16% of total retail in 2024 to 21% in 2029

  • The UK leads this trend with projected online sales of £176B (€207B) in 2029

  • Germany follows at €146B and France at €106B

This is happening thanks to stronger economies, more cross-border e-commerce (e.g AliExpress, SHEIN, and Temu expanding in Europe), better price transparency, etc

What this means for you as a Shopify seller

It’s time to get serious about cross-border selling. Consider using fulfillment centres in Europe to test your products in Europe’s “big 5”.

Growth Hack: Switch to local suppliers

If you’re ready to make the move to test the European market, the best place to start is by exploring local suppliers. This will save you money, reduce lead times, and keep customers coming back to buy from you.

And you can source suppliers from several places:

  • Use Printify’s built-in network of local print-on-demand partners. Use their supplier directory to find nearby options. (for some reason, many people don’t realise this information is public!)

  • Use 3PL solutions with fulfillment centers in Europe  to get your orders picked and packed closer to your customers

  • Visit trade shows & industry events as these are great for meeting suppliers in person.

  • Test online B2B marketplaces (like Faire, Tundra, or Abound) connect you with independent manufacturers.

Tip: As you start testing other markets, remember to stop “fraudstomers” from finding your coupon codes online and killing your profit margins with KeepCart.

Safeguard your margins from coupon leaks

Guess what Honey, CapitalOne Shopping, and RetailMeNot do to your margins? They crush them by leaking coupons and often claiming unwarranted affiliate commissions.

That’s why brands like Quince, Blueland, and Vessi use KeepCart to stop coupon abuse and reclaim lost revenue.

With KeepCart, you can:

  • Protect your checkout from more extensions than any other tool.

  • Get instant alerts when your code leaks—and identify the source.

  • Block customers from creating multiple accounts to exploit referral programs, discounts, and more.

It’s easy to install and saves your team time by automating coupon monitoring.

After months of using KeepCart, Mando says “It has paid for itself multiple times over.”

Now it’s your turn to see how much more profit you can keep.

Challenge

Take 5 minutes this week to create a list of at least 3 local suppliers and test their services. You might find faster shipping and better margins overnight.

Trend Watch: Body Gua Sha

Gua sha isn’t just for the face anymore…body gua sha is trending as the next must-have self-care craze.

If you’ve never heard of this, Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese massage technique that uses smooth stones to stimulate circulation, drain lymphatic fluid, and relieve muscle tension. Now, full-body versions are gaining momentum.

Social media is fueling the trend and gua sha tutorials on TikTok are racking up millions of views. Top-selling body gua sha tools are seeing explosive growth on Amazon and DTC beauty sites.

How you can cash in:

  • If you’re in beauty, wellness, or fitness, body gua sha tools could be a high-margin product to add.

  • Bundle subscription-based self-care kits such as gua sha tools + body oils in premium packages

  • Leverage influencers & TikTok marketing as video tutorials drive conversions.

Not for you? Why not try finding other ways to make money using AI.

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Want more insights like this? Let us know what you want to see next! 🚀

Till next time, Sellify Club

Ada