How Turkish brand Koton built its European e-commerce presence from scratch with ZEOS

Founded in Istanbul, Koton is one of Türkiye’s best-known fashion brands, recognised for its contemporary style, accessible prices, and wide appeal. With over 30 years of retail experience and stores across 20+ countries, the company is now entering a new phase of international growth.

While the brand has long been a household name in Türkiye, its European e-commerce journey began with a blank page. Without existing logistics infrastructure in the EU, Koton chose to expand to European markets with ZEOS as its strategic logistics partner.

Before working with ZEOS, Koton had no established e-commerce logistics setup in Europe. The goal was to create a robust, scalable system that could power competitive cross-border operations from day one.

The main challenge lay in balancing speed, cost-efficiency, and customer satisfaction while operating in unfamiliar markets. Without a European network, there was a risk of long delivery times, fragmented stock, and slow returns.

At the same time, Koton needed to prove itself to new customers, many of whom had never heard of the brand before. Fast delivery, reliable service, and consistent product availability were critical to building trust and loyalty in these early stages.

Koton partnered with ZEOS Fulfilment to create a pan-European logistics system that combined scalability with speed. By integrating multiple ZEOS services – ZEOS Fulfilment for Zalando, ZEOS Shipping, and ZEOS Returns – Koton built a modular, data-driven operation that could adapt dynamically to market demand.

• ZEOS Fulfilment for Zalando became the foundation for high-performing core assortment, ensuring fast delivery and customer satisfaction across 12 markets (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland).

• ZEOS Shipping allowed Koton to decentralise its long-tail assortment and reduce warehousing costs by leveraging its 3PL partner in Romania.

• ZEOS Returns provided a seamless link between returns and stock availability, enabling the brand to resell 80% of returns within one week through ZEOS’s intelligent reinjection model.

In mid-2024, Koton extended its partnership through ZEOS Fulfilment to reach new marketplaces, Otto and Bol. By connecting its existing Zalando stock pool to these additional channels, the brand increased outbound volumes by 10% and reduced overstock risk.

This one stock pool architecture meant that Koton could manage inventory centrally while offering consistent availability across every sales channel – including its own webstore, marketplace listings, and future integrations.

Since implementing ZEOS’s hybrid model, Koton has transformed its European operations and achieved measurable impact across key business metrics:

• x2 YoY growth in net merchandise value (NMV)

• 15% improvement in stock turnover efficiency

• 90% size availability in top-selling products during peak seasons

• 2–3 day delivery times across European markets from day one

• 80% return resale rate, driving stronger sell-through and reduced waste

The integration of ZEOS products has also improved cost control by aligning inventory management with demand and allowing returns to be reinjected faster, creating both financial and operational gains.

Following its successful first year with ZEOS, Koton plans to continue scaling its European e-commerce business through additional marketplaces and deeper localisation. The brand is exploring further integrations with major European marketplaces, while optimising its assortment strategy through ZEOS’s analytics tools.

As Koton continues to invest in customer experience and operational efficiency, the partnership with ZEOS remains at the core of its vision: to build a truly connected, agile, and sustainable European fashion ecosystem.