1 - Collaborating with Operational teams

Once you complete your initial onboarding, you will be in touch with Zalando's operational teams (Ops teams).

They are your main point of contact to manage, amongst others:

purchase orders
article data / EANs
samples
deliveries

What?	Why?	Where / How?
Track Deliveries	Track open, closing and late orders to achieve efficient planning and capacity forecast	Weekly Excel spreadsheet, varies according to open / late values and seasonality
Manage Samples	Send reminders to ensure early production, to optimise articles' sales	Monthly / Biweekly Excel spreadsheet
Ensure Data Quality	Clarify any discrepancies (EANs, material information, sizing) to enable article creation.	Individual emails

2 - Collaborating on the Retail Center

Suppliers and operational teams can also collaborate on the Retail Center, our online platform helping you every step of the procure-to-pay process.

Increase your efficiency on the Retail Center by:

viewing all your Zalando orders
having transparency on your order status
planning accurately your production resources
being notified automatically of missing information and next deadlines
reducing your emails exchanges
speeding up the shipping & delivery process
creating easily a Web invoice

You should remember that the faster an order is confirmed and an article master data is complete, the faster the notification process can start, leading to a higher sales potential, due to faster online stock implementation. Therefore, we'll ask you to follow these processes:

Retail Center Process	Details
Articles' Enrichment Timeline: latest 8 weeks prior to first delivery (as indicated by Zalando)	Ordered articles' list can be downloaded and enriched with article data to trigger article creation. Mandatory information: please check the section below.
Order Confirmation Timeline: latest 8 weeks prior to first delivery (as indicated by Zalando)	Confirmation template can be downloaded after completed order is sent. Mandatory information: delivery window, warehouse, quantities, purchase prices, discounts
Order Shipping Timeline: during delivery window	Goods can be notified by simply uploading basic shipping information. Mandatory information: target warehouse, supplier name, contacts, earliest delivery date, delays

3. Article Data

To create articles in our systems and trigger a smooth delivery notification process, our Operational teams (COps) need you to upload Article Master Data (AMD) on the Retail Center, 6-8 weeks before delivery.

Data	Supplier Requirement	Impact / Risks
EANs	Mandatory, 1 unique EAN code per article & size.	If EAN changes, failure to communicate will lead to internal rebookings / stock relabeling with lead time of 2-4 weeks + potential fees.
RRPs (Retail Recommended Price)	To be uploaded as early as possible.	Mandatory for German Market. If RRP is missing, article may not be activated in certain countries, leading to lower market share and sales loss.
Material Information	To be uploaded as early as possible.	1 week delay for clarification if material information is missing.
Country of Origin	To be uploaded as early as possible.	If country of origin is missing, automatic deactivation for specific markets, leading to lower market share and sales loss.
Sustainability (if relevant)	Information must comply with Zalando's sustainability criteria. Documentation must prove product claims on request.	If information is missing, articles will go live without sustainability label / flag, losing unique selling points and potential customers.

4. Main Operational Processes

Process & Supplier Requirement	Impact / Risks
Order Confirmation Article changes / cancellations need to be communicated before upload on the Retail Center, latest 4 weeks prior to delivery. Mandatory information: delivery window, warehouse splits, PO numbers, quantities, purchase price before and after discount	Wrong, missed or incorrect information will lead to Shipping Notice errors and delays in TTO*. Deliveries to wrong warehouses, wrong warehouse splits will lead to delivery refusal at Zalando warehouse + potential fees.
Size Changes Mandatory information: New / changed sizes / size chart Proper size conversion, correct hangtag, info on Excel template	Two weeks of resolution time due to several teams' involvement, leading to delays in purchase order creation and delivery
Tagging & Labelling Mandatory information: Sustainability (if relevant) for correct tagging CE Labels (for specific commodity groups) for customs clearance and sales	Stock without CE label will be deactivated by Quality Team, leading to relabelling costs (removal of UPV claim) or stock will be returned and shipping costs will be invoiced.
Sample Management Samples need to be sent after article creation and 6-8 weeks prior to delivery. Samples' type and quality need to be identical to delivered goods. Samples need to be labelled correctly and sent to Brieselang (Germany).	Samples' production allows for a longer sales period. Samples avoid delays in the TTO (in case of missing article information).
Product Quality All suppliers are bound to meet legally required physical standards outlined by EU / International Law and in the Quality Manual.	Physical non-compliance or quality issues will lead to delays in the TTO (up to 2-3 weeks) and may lead to additional fees or returns.
Shipping Notice Suppliers are required to verify all data and complete missing data.	Missing / incorrect data needs to be manually added by Ops team, leading to delays. Missed delivery dates due to incorrect data will lead to late delivery fees, listed in our Delivery Terms.
Exclusivity Exclusive styles need to be communicated to Buyers during the Order Appointment.	If articles are not labelled exclusive, they lose their unique selling points and therefore customers.

*TTO - time to online

💡Need more help? Chat with our AI-powered support chatbot! If needed, you can escalate your request to Supplier Support. Click the chat icon to start!