March 13, 2026 — Berlin Zalando SE, Europe’s leading online fashion platform, released its fiscal year 2025 results and 2026 outlook on March 12, forecasting adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of €660-740 million, a 12-25% increase from €591 million in 2025, primarily driven by AI efficiencies in marketing and operations. Shares surged 12% intraday, marking the best single-day gain since March 2024, as reported in the Reuters headline: “Zalando forecasts 2026 profit jump driven by AI boost; shares soar.”>
Zalando’s FY 2025 performance included revenue of €12.3 billion, up 16.8% year-over-year, gross merchandise value (GMV) of €17.6 billion (+14.7%), and adjusted EBIT of €591 million (+15.6%), with a stable margin of 4.8%, according to the company’s FY 2025 factsheet. Active customers grew to 62 million from 51.8 million, with average order value rising to €62.8.
2026 Outlook
For 2026, Zalando projects GMV and revenue growth of 12-17%, targeting GMV of €19.7-20.6 billion and revenue of €13.8-14.4 billion, per the business update. Adjusted EBIT guidance reflects OPEX efficiencies and €40 million in synergies, aiming for margins toward 6-8% by 2028. Capital expenditures are set at €240-300 million.
AI-Powered Efficiencies
AI initiatives underpin the profit outlook, including 90% AI-generated marketing content, boosting content volume by 70% at similar costs. Co-CEO David Schroeder stated:
“We have 70% more content now, basically at the same kind of cost.”
Personalized recommendations increased add-to-basket rates by 13%, while AI-driven size and fit tools prevented 8% of size-related returns in 2025. Other advances include a conversational shopping assistant, multimodal search, and virtual try-on features, as detailed in the financial deep dive.
Zalando also announced a share buyback program of up to €300 million starting March 12.
Market Reaction
The news sparked broad coverage echoing the Zalando forecasts 2026 profit jump driven by AI boost; shares soar narrative. The Wall Street Journal highlighted the buyback and a Levi’s e-commerce deal via B2B arm Scayle. FashionNetwork noted margin expansion to 5.3% standalone.
On X, Reuters Business and analysts amplified the AI productivity theme, with traders praising operational AI integration amid competition from Temu and Shein.