Back to School 2026: Zalando's Veronika Moles on experiential growth in the Kids category

00:00:00: Inside Fashion Marketing,

00:00:02: a podcast by Zalando Partner Marketing Services.

00:00:05: Shaping love brands and supporting your long-term

00:00:08: growth through customer centric

00:00:09: marketing.

00:00:18: Hi welcome dear listeners glad to have you on the show.

00:00:21: my name is Heike Larry And I'm director partner consultancy at Zalado Marketing Services.

00:00:28: We help to connect fashion beauty in lifestyle brands To our customers all over Europe.

00:00:34: as i just came back to work from my holidays.

00:00:37: Many of you did as well, and we are talking about back-to-school today—as this is on top all the parents' minds—and a super big commercial and cultural moment!

00:00:50: And no one better talk than our leader in the kids category, Director Kids Vyronika.

00:00:57: Big welcome to our podcast today!

00:00:59: Thank You Heiker, really glad to be here

00:01:04: Yes, so maybe we start with you telling everyone what it is that they do at Zalando.

00:01:09: I am leading the kids and family category in Zalandos.

00:01:13: I'm the commercial director for Kids & Family

00:01:16: And You Do This For A Little While Right?

00:01:28: And I

00:01:31: think it's safe to say that you and your team have been driving the rise of this category.

00:01:37: So, well remember we both worked for a long time in Zalandu when kids started more often afterthought right?

00:01:45: One of them later offered us that we added an our assortment so maybe you can take us through journey little bit.

00:01:51: why is kid so important these days?

00:01:55: Kids for us truly hidden champion.

00:01:58: If you look at the category, it really is a KPI mastermind.

00:02:02: so I always say can't look any KPI and its positive.

00:02:05: but that's from very commercial point of view right?

00:02:08: if we looked to customer journey actually quite natural also how our Zalando Customer Group is developing over time and many of them actually have become parents.

00:02:21: And that's what we also see in the numbers, so we actually have a double digit million number customers for kids and they are purchasing quite frequently with them, with Zalando.

00:02:32: So if you think about you are pregnant then you need maternity clothes from having a baby than for more toddler than in kids and teens And all of the sudden your not shopping yourself anymore but you're shopping for yourselves AND your child and maybe also your partner.

00:02:48: so that's what we see In numbers actually have customers who shop for multiple consumers at same time.

00:02:55: I can definitely confirm this firsthand from my side.

00:02:57: And, um...I think all parents know how much fun it is to shop something for their kids and we do even offer mini-me outfits right?

00:03:05: So we see that sometimes whole families are dressed in a theme!

00:03:08: Um..and in fashion We talk about trends.

00:03:11: Are there Trends For Kids as

00:03:12: well?!

00:03:13: They are, you will be actually surprised.

00:03:16: Often in the past we said yeah... ...we do a takedown from adults and it'll work with kids but those times have passed.

00:03:21: they're very opinionated that know what their want to know the colourways or style.

00:03:26: if they wanted polka dots so right?

00:03:29: So there's an opinionated way of defining the assortment for them now dedicated to kids' families in order really capture this moment

00:03:39: Okay.

00:03:40: And before we dive deep into back to school, what is it Veronica that you think kids will be wearing for Back To School this year?

00:03:48: We can actually see some patterns in the numbers which are really funny and great.

00:03:54: It's a sweat hoodie which is normally gray or black, then we do see the cargo pants.

00:04:03: We actually also see flat shoes for girls ballerinas of course these sneakers and there's a bag that they are putting on their back to school.

00:04:13: Fantastic!

00:04:15: Apart from, of course the big commercial importance in this category and the rise there is also a very interesting layer around marketing that we're going to focus on today.

00:04:26: And maybe you can share.

00:04:28: why do think it's worse for brands to invest into branding for kids while they as explained are not shoppers themselves but consumers ultimately?

00:04:40: It's actually, we are focusing on the families as such.

00:04:43: Right?

00:04:44: So often a family moment.

00:04:45: but you know that they kids do want to be engaged with where we have to stay in an legally viable framework within them.

00:04:53: and it is about telling this story of dead resonate with them right at its history.

00:04:58: then how did I actually discover The World?

00:05:00: How they see the world And what does the brand also mean for them?

00:05:03: We know their band affinity starts at eight o'clock nine.

00:05:06: That when actually children one two connect brand and see themselves in a brand, how to define their identity.

00:05:13: And that's when brands need to show up and say are you more the rebel brand?

00:05:19: Are you the one who is in discovery of genes then connect with their customer

00:05:24: group?".

00:05:25: So back to school – what does this category moment mean for brands?

00:05:30: So back to school is an emotional and high energetic moment.

00:05:35: It's this moment when the routine kicks back in for families all across Europe, it means something else And we at Zalando really know the nuances of the different households and the different markets.

00:05:47: so while you say oh Back-to-school everyone like yeah I agree its important moment.

00:05:51: Its truly about When The Demand Curves Hit What Customer Base Plus?

00:05:57: When Do You Show Up How In The Different Markets?

00:06:00: So I'll give you an example.

00:06:01: The demand actually starts in calendar week thirty, the Nordics and then goes through different markets that we serve... ...through Dachh and ends with Spain & France.

00:06:12: And they have important moments within each one of countries.. ..and there are different demands patterns our brands need to know….

00:06:19: …in order be present at a right moment in time.

00:06:24: Yes well understood I observe as well that this moment is becoming bigger and bigger every year.

00:06:31: And, in Germany for instance parents spend more for back-to-school than their kids' birthday or Christmas presents.

00:06:41: so we all see there's a lot of attention to focus on it.

00:06:46: How do we in Zalando own these moments?

00:06:49: So we know the different demand patterns in the different markets.

00:06:54: And what do?

00:06:54: We do a localized approach now, so this year we started with a three hundred sixty degree activation across our different market.

00:07:03: Let's take Nordics and Norway for example.

00:07:06: What does that three hundred fifty degrees activation mean?

00:07:09: it goes from of course ZMS to the splash screen which is live.

00:07:14: Then we have the back to school hub.

00:07:16: We have local creators and for the first time ever, we had also digital out of home so essentially were truly owning that moment in the marketplace.

00:07:25: And you may wonder as well are they consumer?

00:07:28: what actually buying at their period do all the customers across all the markets by the same commodity groups.

00:07:36: We do see different patterns in a different market, so if we look at Norway there were lots of bags and luggage you would assume but then was also sweat and fleece and they are also sneakers that come up right?

00:07:50: So this is how we show-up on each one really localized with customer base.

00:07:58: Yeah, I can only agree.

00:07:59: I think especially this year you could not miss these moments.

00:08:02: so i saw also yeah just being shown everywhere and You mentioned three sixty approach.

00:08:11: There is a really fun part that we started last year around This And something I would love to talk about because it's very special Very unique and something you wouldn't expect Namely, the kids playground.

00:08:27: So yeah maybe you can explain first what is the kid's play ground?

00:08:31: What do we do there?

00:08:32: and how did it start last year?

00:08:34: so the playground Is really a unique concept that we have started as salando And we wanted to show up what we are as a multi-brand destination.

00:08:44: We wanted to engage with our customer base mainly focused on the preteens and teens, why?

00:08:49: As we highlighted is at that age.

00:08:52: actually brands resonate with their consumer based.

00:08:55: so thats when your child really tells you as parent I want that brand because of the branch shows my identity or its for peers in school they also see it.

00:09:07: And we wanted to give our consumers a unique opportunity, To engage hands-on tangibly with the brands that they love.

00:09:14: That doesn't exist in Europe.

00:09:16: It's their first ever time something like this has been initiated and together With you We actually brought it to life.

00:09:24: The ZMS team First time last year In Berlin was huge success.

00:09:29: Then This year we bought it to Paris

00:09:32: Maybe start but Last years I have to say, i was really surprised and that's maybe a little view behind the curtain we can grant.

00:09:42: As everyone organising an event, you always have to think what is the maximum capacity.

00:09:47: We set our target a bit as a moonshot one and said we're going limit tickets to ten thousand.

00:09:55: I remember us being all very surprised that week before this event.

00:10:00: actually these ten-thousand tickets were gone!

00:10:02: That was i think the first sign of something people in Berlin are super excited about but then also that from us opening the doors on a Saturday morning until closing Sunday night, we were at full capacity with this event.

00:10:17: And I was surprised myself to see on a Sunday morning the queue half an hour before we opened doors already and to see how much fun the kids really had!

00:10:27: It's so interesting you spend many weeks with creative briefs... ...and think oh it looks fantastic and hope will work….

00:10:35: But i think level of engagement The visitors, and especially the kids had with all their activities we had was beyond our wildest dreams.

00:10:45: And what we want to bring to life is that children move right?

00:10:48: Children love to move... ...and they love to play!

00:10:51: That's how we want them to engage in the brands which have an assortment of their love because at the end.. ..they should feel at ease as well about what they do.

00:11:00: They should discover the brand or stand for it.

00:11:03: What does this mean also for the kids?

00:11:06: and kudos to our brand partners who went on this journey

00:11:10: with us

00:11:11: completely.

00:11:12: And there were so many fun activities from brands that activated a race car theme or the

00:11:19: basketball jumping,

00:11:21: the dunk camera where you jump on a trampoline So anyone can be a dunk master.

00:11:25: love that.

00:11:26: but then of course also really creative crafting around shoes, around t-shirts.

00:11:35: I took my first graffiti at a wall very legally so there were many nice opportunities to be engaged.

00:11:42: for me it was the other car bumper because that brought me back as well when you are thirteen or fourteen and discovered your freedom.

00:11:52: Fashion meant much more to you than just a piece of jeans or a sneaker.

00:11:56: that meant belonging to community, it was like this really.

00:12:01: what does fashion mean for the age group?

00:12:04: But seeing some adults getting back into their teenage years with their children together showed how impactful that event is

00:12:13: a hundred percent.

00:12:14: This were definitely two minutes where I was a bit scared, so having my younger daughter steered the bumper car!

00:12:22: That was so much fun and i remember Veronica that it was very hot during these two days in Berlin And this is a pattern we catch.

00:12:31: So also this year in Paris We grabbed one of the hottest weekends.

00:12:36: Oh my god, I tell you that was really a moment where i got some of the how do you say in german schnappartmen?

00:12:44: You know?

00:12:45: because essentially the government stopped events to happen.

00:12:50: They said the heat is too dangerous and needed to really cancel Some Of The Most Important Events In Paris.

00:12:58: That We Can't.

00:12:59: Luckily ours wasn't cancelled Because we had ceiling over the event so that sun didn't hit as hard in an open air for example.

00:13:11: So we actually excelled, it all executed and was fantastically done.

00:13:17: We managed to heat while our team were flexible on-site with getting a little bit of water sprinkles in them.

00:13:23: It's really best if they could be at highest heat weekend in Paris ever.

00:13:30: really great done to the teams and also brand partners who were there, engaging with our customers.

00:13:38: I think what is incredible that we had a high number of visitors despite heat or warnings.

00:13:46: People also in Paris were really curious around, yeah this event we did and when you hear it's a Lando kids playground.

00:13:55: You might get an idea from the ads that show.

00:13:59: but I think everyone is really curious.

00:14:02: what is behind us?

00:14:03: And as you said at the beginning That is new format.

00:14:07: right now nobody does like this.

00:14:08: so i think It's fantastic to see people came out even under these difficult conditions.

00:14:15: What I saw in Paris, I was impressed of the locally relevant activations we did.

00:14:20: You had really local jumper children... I don't know how to call them but spring rope and then you have local dancers coming.

00:14:31: it were so French and so hyped and so Paris that they spoke with our French consumer group.

00:14:39: The activations are also done in France which is great.

00:14:42: But I think what is important for us at Zalando, it's that we don't only activate an event on a weekend but create the bridge to digital world which stands as our company.

00:14:53: So now we really took and the content delivered by that weekend brought into life in a digital environment not just France but across all of our markets.

00:15:05: For me, the clear success story was execution of events within market.

00:15:10: yes reaching really the edge to activating it on site in a digital world.

00:15:17: Yeah, couldn't agree more.

00:15:19: Activating off-site but scaling onsite is I think what we really master with this series and We see that of course AI content plays a big role also when it comes to kids watch outs around shooting kids models, for instance.

00:15:36: But what I think was so fantastic to see is that with all of the KPIs and learnings from last year we could see that consumers engaged much more in this authentic content because they really can feel it's a real experience not maybe a more sterile or artificial setup you would see elsewhere.

00:16:03: and for us this year, of course the campaign is still running but indicators are super strong as well.

00:16:08: So I think it's so cool to see that even consumers who did not have a chance be there personally can feel that.

00:16:17: And discover the assortment right?

00:16:19: Because thats important Brands that we actually had executing this event with us and participating in the event.

00:16:30: So be it now, Adidas was our headliner brand at this event where were also activated around football because there is a World Cup this year so... That's why you see demand pattern as well right?

00:16:44: Now going back to school its' also gone into your sports routine And thats what we are seeing demand hitting especially across market.

00:16:53: Exactly So, and we are secretly debating internally where could playground happen next year.

00:17:00: Maybe if people have wishes for our next destination?

00:17:11: How would you activate in Amsterdam?

00:17:13: or how do you activate?

00:17:15: I mean in Greece?

00:17:16: that will be also interesting.

00:17:18: so we're open to any proposal.

00:17:20: We had some of the markets team already came up and showed the interest, you know that how they would want to do it.

00:17:27: But of course we have a commercial mindset also

00:17:38: Fantastic.

00:17:39: So last question for you Veronica, if with all your experience and our close collaboration there is one advice you could give to brand partners maybe being hesitant so far or also best practice from marketing around kids what would that be?

00:17:57: Focus on the right target group within our kids audience.

00:18:02: We eat now baby toddler, kids and preteens and teens.

00:18:06: you tell a different story On what age group?

00:18:08: You actually focus on And who is that customer?

00:18:11: Who's the consumer?

00:18:13: so these insights we give to our partners in order To know where are you the best positioned and where do you make also The highest commercial return on investment.

00:18:22: Fantastic.

00:18:23: Thank you so much for being here with me today.

00:18:26: For

00:18:26: having me was exciting and interesting, a great exchange!

00:18:32: Oh thank you also all for listening.

00:18:35: if you are looking for more we have dropped some useful links in the show notes of this episode.

00:18:40: make sure to check them out.

00:18:42: And If You Are Interested In More Wisdom From Top Marketeers from Zalando from our partner base then please tune-in for next episode and hit subscribe.

00:18:52: I say ciao now.