Could you please introduce yourself and your role at Zalando?
I'm Martin and I joined Zalando about a year and a half ago - at the beginning of 2022. My official title is Director of Digital Solutions. I oversee three growth products: Zalando Shipping Solutions, which helps our partners to keep their or our customer promise, Zalando Return Solutions, which ensures a smooth return experience for our partners and customers, and Zalando Premium Logistics, our in-house carrier.
If I would describe my work to friends, I’d say we are externalizing some of that great customer experience that Zalando is known for. We're helping other companies benefit from that excellent customer experience for the good of all.
As Director of Digital Solutions, I lead my team in a very 'Swedish' way. My leadership style is based on trust and on the basic thought that everyone is equal. I don't very much care for hierarchies, i prefer to focus on trust and a flat organization.
What motivated you to start at Zalando and what keeps you motivated?
What first caught my attention was being able to work for a company I'm already a customer of and have been for five, or ten years. It was a great chance to join the company that I enjoy shopping regularly with due to the good customer experience. So that was the first reason for me. The second reason is where Zalando is going with the suite of products and actually going outside of the Zalando ecosystem.
What motivates me the most is the opportunity to create a great customer experience within Zalando and outside of it. I am driven by the idea of changing the industry and making good customer experience and functions accessible to all, effectively democratizing it. I think it's a good fit for me personally as it is based on transparency. Transparency and caring about people is something that both me and Zalando are aligned on. The founding mindset of defaulting to transparency matches who I am, being open and honest at all times.
So let's talk about B2B Logistics at Zalando. Please tell me what role your team plays in offering our business-to-business (B2B) services to partners.
My team plays two fundamental roles in B2B. First of all, we help existing Zalando partners increase their customer experience on Zalando. Secondly, we also help with this outside of Zalando, by creating good shipping or returns experiences or offering premium logistics and a great delivery experience.
The B2B vision at Zalando allows us to extend the capabilities we have already developed within Zalando and offer them to new and existing partners and merchants beyond the Zalando platform. It's exciting to be able to collaborate with them and create new opportunities in the field of logistics.
What makes your team so special?
Oh, what makes my team so special? Well, they're special to me because I love working with them. It's an old promise I made to myself to never go to work in a job I don't enjoy going to. Each individual brings their unique skills and perspectives, and together, we create a dynamic and supportive team environment. The team's passion, dedication, and expertise make it truly special. Of course also the strategy, but mostly the people.
Joining B2B Logistics is the opportunity to join a startup within a bigger company, Zalando, which could still be considered a startup but is much larger. So you get that spirit of building something new within an established company. As for why you should join Zalando, I think you should look up the Zalando founding mindsets, and see if that appeals to you. I think it's a good idea to work with a company where you already share their vision and values.
What would you recommend for future candidates when they apply for Zalando? Any recommendations, or advice?
Well, just applying is a good start. And secondly, I would say that transparency and honesty is something we’d love to have. We have fun at work, so having a good sense of humor is another thing I’d recommend. Experience with logistics and or B2B products is good to have but not necessarily needed for me. Engagement and excitement is also equally important, not only knowledge.
Learn more about what B2B at Zalando is all about and find your fit!
Discover the engineering side of B2B from Tino and Isabelle's logistics journey in our latest B2B interviews.
