Sellers on MediaMarkt‘s digital marketplace can now also rent space in one of their physical shops. The electronics retailer is testing a “Space-as-a-Service” concept in Germany, with the intention of rolling it out elsewhere as well.
New platform
In a Mediamarkt store in Berlin, a fitness equipment provider is renting 22 sqm to showcase its products. Using tablets, customers can look up information, view the full range and place orders in the marketplace. A fitness expert is on site to answer questions, help with the online ordering process and provide customers with a personal fitness analysis and advice.
The test illustrates how MediaMarkt intends to offer sellers in its marketplace a new platform with a Space-as-a-Service concept. “We are combining offline and online perfectly by taking advantage of our omnichannel strategy and presenting the products in the best possible way both online and in-store”, Director Marketplace International Christian Kollesch explained in a press release.
High expectations
The retailer is starting this test in Germany, but plans to implement the concept in other countries and expand it to other categories that complement its core range. With an expanded range, the company hopes to become more attractive to consumers.
More than a thousand sellers offer more than a million items on MediaMarkt’s online marketplace, which is already active in Austria, Germany and Spain. Italy and the Netherlands will follow in the coming months. With the marketplace, the retailer aims to accelerate growth and improve profitability. Expectations are high: in financial year 2025-26, gross sales should reach 750 million euros.
