About etailment

etailment

etailment is the digital commerce magazine of the dfv Mediengruppe in Frankfurt am Main, published as the online magazine etailment.de. Launched in 2012 as an e-commerce blog and trend radar, it has grown into one of Germany's leading B2B media for digital commerce, addressing e-commerce managers in retail and industry with daily news, background analyses and practical guidance. Awarded "Fachmedium des Jahres" as the best trade-media startup by the Deutsche Fachpresse, etailment combines the journalistic depth of the dfv's trade titles – including Der Handel, Lebensmittel Zeitung and TextilWirtschaft – with the speed of a digital-native platform, supported by a morning newsletter and the etailment congress business.

Overview

etailment.de is published by the dfv Mediengruppe (Deutscher Fachverlag), headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The platform describes itself as the digital commerce magazine of "Der Handel", the dfv's retail trade magazine, and as the right address for e-commerce entrepreneurs and everyone who wants to become one. Its stated mission is to reliably support and strengthen particularly medium-sized companies in their operational and strategic actions with industry-relevant facts, tips, trends and analyses.

The readership consists of e-commerce decision-makers in retail and industry, managers of digital processes, service providers and newcomers to online retail. The platform delivers daily contributions precisely tailored to their needs around the topic of digital commerce: news on market developments, background analyses, trend reports and practical guides. A morning newsletter, the "Morning Briefing", supplies the industry with concentrated relevant news every morning. According to the LAE readership analysis, etailment reaches around 85,000 decision-makers monthly, and its cross-media reach together with Der Handel covers more than 170,000 readers in the retail decision-maker target group.

The editorial concept is digital-first: etailment offers trends and analyses on different channels, functioning as an inspiring trend radar for the multichannel business. Its content benefits from the bundled expertise of the dfv's e-commerce specialists – editors from titles such as Lebensmittel Zeitung, TextilWirtschaft and Der Handel – as well as external bloggers and guest authors who report knowledgeably and critically on industry-relevant developments. This cross-title model was precisely what the Deutsche Fachpresse jury honored: a trade-media house using its existing market and topic competence to create an innovative product and expand its customer base beyond the traditional readerships of its print titles.

History

etailment.de was launched in 2012, when the dfv Mediengruppe expanded its digital offering with a new specialist blog. The launch announcement framed the platform as an inspiring trend radar offering orientation around e-commerce, with authors focusing on new solutions for the multichannel business. Projects of large players were to be presented and commented on alongside those of promising newcomers, targeting decision-makers from retail, industry and the communications sector. The editorial leadership was given to Olaf Kolbrück, for many years a reporter for internet and e-business at HORIZONT, the dfv's marketing and media title.

Within two years of its launch, etailment had established itself as an inspiring trend radar for the multichannel business. In 2014 the Deutsche Fachpresse named it "Fachmedium des Jahres" in the category of best startup, with an expert jury praising how the dfv had succeeded in occupying the future topic of e-commerce across titles and industries – a superb example, in the jury's words, of how trade-media houses can create innovative products from existing market and topic competence and expand their customer base. At the time of the award, the online magazine counted around 139,700 unique users per month, with a newsletter going out twice daily to some 4,300 subscribers.

The platform grew alongside its event business: the etailment congress, organized by the dfv Mediengruppe and its conference subsidiary The Conference Group, became a strategy conference for the future of retail, covering topics from procurement and marketing to sales, fulfillment, logistics and returns. The e-Stars industry award, presented on the congress's first evening, honors companies that actively shape and expand the rules and possibilities of online and multichannel retail. A printed e-commerce trend book was planned early on to complement the digital platform, connecting the online brand to the dfv's event business.

Content and Sections

The content of etailment follows the full spectrum of digital commerce. News coverage tracks the developments that move the industry: platform strategies, marketplace dynamics, payment innovations, logistics and fulfillment, and the regulatory changes affecting online retail. Background analyses put these developments in context, examining, for example, how Bundesliga clubs' online fan shops perform in usability studies conducted jointly with the Stadionwelt magazine, or how the rules of multichannel retail are being rewritten by trendsetters.

Practical guidance is a cornerstone: the platform's media data emphasize facts, tips, trends and analyses that support companies in their operational and strategic actions. Topics range from shop optimization and conversion to mobile commerce, online marketing, payment, logistics and returns management. The multichannel perspective – the integration of online and stationary retail – runs through the coverage, reflecting the platform's origins as a trend radar for the multichannel business.

The morning newsletter condenses the day's most relevant news into a briefing format, while the website offers deeper dives. Guest authors and external bloggers broaden the perspective beyond the dfv's own editorial teams, and studies conducted with partners – such as the Bundesliga online-shop usability study – give the platform proprietary research to report on. The annual etailment congress extends the content into live formats, with practice lectures, interactive talks and expert lunches.

Publisher and Organization

The publisher is the dfv Mediengruppe (Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH), one of Europe's largest trade-media companies, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main and founded in 1946. The group's managing director Holger Knapp has described etailment as hitting the nerve of the times, arguing that orientation through a competently researched, professionally prepared medium is urgently needed in an e-commerce sector still full of experiments.

The editorial leadership of etailment was entrusted to Olaf Kolbrück, previously a reporter for internet and e-business at HORIZONT. The platform draws on the e-commerce experts of the dfv Mediengruppe – editors from Lebensmittel Zeitung, TextilWirtschaft, Der Handel and HORIZONT – as well as a network of guest authors and external bloggers. Advertising sales are handled through the dfv's sales organization. The platform's LinkedIn profile lists it under newspaper publishing with specialties spanning e-commerce, omnichannel, mobile, marketing, logistics, retail, payment, online marketing, fulfillment and mobility.

Digital Presence

The digital presence of etailment is the platform itself: etailment.de is a digital-native magazine with no print edition, designed for daily use by e-commerce professionals. The site's media data describe a digital editorial concept built around the morning newsletter, daily articles and the integration with the dfv's trade titles. The "Morning Briefing" newsletter delivers concentrated industry news every morning, while the website provides the full depth of background analyses and trend reports.

The etailment congress, organized with The Conference Group, extends the brand into live events, and the e-Stars award gives the platform a role in recognizing industry innovation. Social media channels, including LinkedIn, distribute the platform's content and foster community among e-commerce professionals, extending the morning briefing's reach into the working day. As the digital commerce magazine of "Der Handel" within one of Germany's largest trade-media houses, etailment combines startup agility with the resources of an established publisher: a daily digital magazine, a morning briefing, and a congress business that together serve the decision-makers of German digital commerce, from ambitious newcomers to the strategists of major retail groups.