All about working at Kaufland e-commerce by Kristina Heymann

Automatic Summary

Discovering a Fast-Growing E-commerce Company: Kaufland Ecommerce

Welcome to our corporate overview, where we intend to provide you with a first-hand look into who we are, what we do, and how we stand out as a leading e-commerce company in Germany. Whether you're exploring new possibilities for partnerships, considering a career change, or simply getting curious about the world of e-commerce, continue reading for in-depth insights about Kaufland Ecommerce.

All About Kaufland Ecommerce: An Overview

Kaufland Ecommerce runs an online marketplace known as kaufland.de, one of the fastest-growing marketplaces in Germany. Accessible from both a browser and an app on either Android or iOS, our marketplace offers a wide range of products, standing out as a one-stop-shop for all your online shopping needs, barring perishable goods.

Our company is headquartered in Germany with three office locations in Dusseldorf, K, and Darmstadt and three warehouse locations, two in Germany and one straddling the border of Germany and the Czech Republic. As a rapidly growing company, we take pride in our ever-increasing number of employees, with currently 600 employees from 46 different nations.

To give you an idea of our reach, our platform received about 32 million visitors per month, listing approximately 40 million products sold by 8000 trusted sellers. These interesting facts only begin to scratch the surface of who we are as a company.

Our Story: From a Startup to a Recognized Leader

Our journey began in 2007 as a small startup company named H Meister. Though we started small, we remained focused and committed to growth. After being acquired by the Real Digital company in 2016, we took strides to improve our capabilities and services.

In 2020, we were acquired by the Schwarz Group and renamed Kaufland Ecommerce. Our marketplace consequently became kaufland.de. Our impressive growth coupled with the support of larger corporations propels us towards a promising future.

Our Principles: The Core of Our Identity

Our principles guide how we view ourselves, our tasks, and relationships within our company. We are:

  • Humble: We are grounded in our responses and actions.
  • Hungry: We strive constantly to learn and improve.
  • Smart: We are data-driven and focused on the use of the best tech to enhance our customer's experience.
  • Pragmatic: We value practical solutions and direct results.

In addition to this, at Kaufland, everyone can make a difference, and diversity is an essential part of our work culture. We uphold equality, open-mindedness, and cooperation within the teams and departments.

Working at Kaufland Ecommerce: Opportunities, Flexibility and Growth

At Kaufland, we believe in maintaining a start-up mentality with the power of a big corporation behind us, offering a flexible, secure, and enabling working environment for our employees. We offer various roles for any professional level from student to professional. Regardless of where you're based in Germany, we provide the flexibility to work remotely or from any of our three office locations.

Our Tech & Product Department: Building the Future of E-commerce

Our tech and product department is divided into different teams based on the customer journey on our marketplace. The teams, made up of professionals with a range of skills, work together to manage each section of the customer journey. We value self-reliance and responsibility highly, with every individual owning their task from day one.

Wrapping Up: Join the Kaufland Ecommerce Family

With its forward-looking strategies, an inclusive work culture, and a wide array of benefits and opportunities, Kaufland Ecommerce is the perfect place to grow your career in the e-commerce industry. If you're looking to join this dynamic team, you can check out our current openings by scanning the QR code or visiting our website.

Thank you for taking the time to explore Kaufland Ecommerce with us. Feel free to connect with Christina, our tech recruiter, on LinkedIn for any further inquiries. Remember, at Kaufland Ecommerce, we value everyone's contributions and believe that everyone can make an impact. Come be a part of our journey, we would love to have you on board!


Video Transcription

Thank you so much for joining me. Welcome to this presentation. My name is Christina. I work as a tech recruiter at Kund E Commerce, which is a company.I would like to talk to you about today and tell you all about how we work and how we do things um quickly to get started. You can see what I'll be talking about today. Um If you have any questions, feel free, don't put them in the car uh in the chat section anytime during the presentation. Um And I will get back to that at the end. Um First of all, Kaufland Ecommerce, what do we do? We run a online marketplace called kaufland.de, which is one of the fastest growing marketplaces here in Germany. Um You can access our marketplace both from the browser um as well as from our app. Um Of course, both for Android and I OS and um that's just how you can shop there. You can find um pretty much anything you could ever want to shop or order online um on our marketplace. Um Anything except for perishable goods, but before we dive deeper into um who we are and what we do um a quick overview about us as a company.

Um We are a German based company which you can see as there is the German map on this um beautiful slide which has our office locations in it. Uh We have three offices within Germany, one in Dusseldorf, one in K and one in Darmstadt. And the other three locations that are visible on the map are all warehouse locations. Two of them are in Germany and one is on the border of uh Germany and the Czech Republic on the tech site. So we have three of them as well. Um Just to kind of give you a quick overview, we have currently have 600 employees um as a recruiter, it makes me very proud to say that this number is constantly growing um because we are growing as a company really fast and therefore, also need um all the time, new talents to join us and um to drive our mission forward.

Um overall, our platform to give you an idea how big it is. Um So we have 3 32 million visitors per month. We sell around 40 million products. Um Currently, we offer them on the marketplace right now and uh we have at this 0.8000 sellers who trust us to um sell their products on our uh marketplace. Um Just to give you an idea, we are rather young company and on average. So uh 32 years of age is the average um of our um teams. And um we have um around relatively balanced, I would say uh 40% female employees and 60% male employees. Um which is also a number I like very much makes me also proud is that we have um colleagues from 46 nations from all around the world um for a German based company. I think that's pretty awesome that we have so many people who enjoy coming uh to join us here and to work for us now to give you an idea how we became ce commerce and how our marketplace uh grew. Uh We started out as a start up company in 2007 and we were founded as the company known as H Meister. Um It was like an online marketplace already but uh it starts out uh rather small in comparison to uh what and who we are today.

So you can see just 17 employees um with 500,000 products and just around 100 and 50 sellers. Um This grew over time. Um quite a bit and quite a lot actually. And so um in 2016, uh we were acquired by real, which is um a German uh retail uh company or retail chain here in Germany. Um they acquired us in 2016 and uh we then changed our name uh to real digital as a company and the marketplace uh became real.de. Um we continued to grow under this brand and very proud of the journey we took with them. But then in 2020 we were once again acquired by um the Schwarz Group. Um that was a obviously rather recent uh change. So we recently uh were renamed as a company to C and Ecommerce and our marketplace is now clan.de. Um Yeah, the numbers you already know. Um I just shared them with you on the previous side that um we continue to grow and we are very much looking forward how we, how we will continue to grow um as part of the charts group since I already mentioned them. I just like to quickly give you an overview of uh what it means for us to be part of the Shortz Group. So it's K for Ecommerce with our online marketplace, kaufland.de. We want, we are one component of the Schwartz Groups, um Digital Strategy.

The Schwartz Group is divided into two retail divisions, um Lidl and Kaufland. Um these names might mean something to you. And um yeah, we are uh Kaufland uh the e so the digital version of Kaufland. But um obviously, um it is much more interesting to you to see um who we are as a company, uh what it needs to work for us. And so um just to kind of give you an opportunity to see uh who we believe we are. Um We are obviously uh developing um a marketplace. So we are very much looking forward to developing also the ecommerce of the future. Um We are an agile and forward looking company, which means for us that um our teams are all driven by innovation. Uh We have huge ambitions uh for the e commerce industry and for us as a company and so constant development work both on an individual level but obviously also on a company level um are very important to us. And um we are data driven and focused on the technology because the best technology provides the best customer experience for the people shopping on our marketplace. Um We absolutely um believe that it's important um to make a difference no matter who we are as a person within the company, which means no matter who we are on a level of whether we are the CTO or an intern.

Um for I suggest uh we just believe that um um everybody can make an impact no matter. Um Yeah, how long they've been with us. So everybody takes responsibility from day one or maybe day two since day one is usually um just for uh on boarding and um orientation. But then, and then on day two, when you start actually working, um you're definitely um asked to take responsibility right away and this is also what our employees appreciate because uh we hire people who want to make an impact and who want to take responsible uh responsibility for their task, their um own ways.

Um If you work for us, then you will find that uh diversity is something that is very um present for us in all areas because we believe that only um different perspectives and different points of views um can lead us to be the most innovative and creative company that we could possibly be.

Um It's very important for us that the people who work together on the teams, but also between um departments um that they work together based on trust and um cooper operation. Um It's important for us to um strengthen equality on the teams and obviously open mindedness for everyone's um contributions and ideas. And what we also uh very much stand for is that we absolutely love flexibility. Um As I showed you already on AAA couple of flights before we have three different offices in Germany. So wherever you are in Germany, when, if, if you're close to one of these office offices, you're free to make your workplace in one of them or if you're just living somewhere other within the country, then you also free to work for us 100% remotely. Uh It's something I really love about the company. I've actually never been to one of the offices in a year that I've been working here and I still feel so much part of the team and part of the company because we are just designed um to work perfectly this way and um therefore, it makes no difference whether you can come to one of the locations or work from home all the time.

Um In general, we always kind of sum up our culture uh in the sense that we have a start up mentality that has grown or that we have basically maintained over the years. Um But now we also have the power of a big corporation behind us which offers us this opportunity to both provide an edge out but also very secure working environment for our employees, which um I believe is very enabling and uh makes working for us. Um Quite the great experience principles is something that um I think a lot of companies have on their website. And um so do we, and when I, I remember just like to give you a um quick uh detour into my personal experience um applying as a for a position here at uh conference ecommerce. Um uh When I decided to apply for this company, I obviously checked out the website as well like everybody does and I saw the principles and um I read through the, the description of the principles and I very much liked what I saw and what I read and I was like, OK, this sounds great.

This is something I can identify with. But um obviously, in the back of my mind, I had this nagging thought well, is that actually lived out in, in real life? And so um during the recruitment process, I was actually asked questions and it was kind of geared towards figuring out if I have internalized these principles or if I live by them. And so I was like, OK, this is already a good sign. And then when I um joined the company during my first week, I already noticed that um like on Slack, when we were talking either individually with one or another or in some of the um Slack channels, it was just so fun to see that when people uh made a suggestion or a statement or something or just commented on, on something, um they like ended their sentences with um the emoji print uh like the principle in an emoji form.

And so um to just kind of like underline uh what they were saying and to like connect it to one of our principles. And that was for me like a sign. OK. This company is not just um presenting outwardly that this is what they stand for, but the employees individually actually understand these principles and have internalized them and live by them on a daily basis or at least strive to live by them on a daily basis. And that was something that was very convicting to me because um yeah, like all people who apply to uh companies for a new job. Um I was a little cynical in the beginning, I was like, oh, this is just something that's on the website, but um I was proved wrong and um I'm very proud to say that I love to live out these principles on a daily basis myself. And I love to be part of um a team in a company that um does the same. So what we stand for in like summary of our principles is that we are humble, hungry, smart pragmatic. Um and we are team players who just want to make an impact on a daily basis. I already mentioned this before uh before a couple of times. Um So where do we work?

Um We have these three offices within Germany, but we also offer remote work from anywhere within Germany. So um our setup is completely to do uh work from anywhere in the world uh or anywhere in Germany actually. And then um people can just um work from home if they prefer to do that or don't wanna move just because they have um started a new job. Um However, if somebody lives outside of Germany and wants to join us, then uh we do require relocation to Germany. Uh But we are very happy to help with relocation from anywhere in the world. So whether you are from Brazil, India, um Sri Lanka, Australia, the United States, anywhere you can think of or actually close to just in France or Poland. Um We would be happy to help you relocate um to Germany to join us. Um We provide support with the visa process and other bureaucratic processes once you're in Germany um through a partner organization who are very well versed in um doing these uh relocation uh processes. Um And we also provide for the first month in Germany um housing like a furnished apartment just to make the transition easier because obviously, it's a big deal um to move half across the world. Um And uh so we really want to make it as easy as possible to people, for people to join us. Um Obviously, overall, it makes sense that our main language in our company is English.

We have many um colleagues um who enjoy learning German once they uh once they move here. Um because obviously, it makes life within Germany easier. However, it's no requirement um at all for us um to like that you work for us. It's no requirement um to learn German or no German. We do help with um some language courses if somebody um is eager to do so, but it's no requirement now that you've kind of gotten an overall view about us as a company. Um I wanna present to you a little bit more about how our tech and product team or how our tech and product department is set up just so you can get an even better idea of how we work together. Um On the left side, you can see um our tech deck. It's also on our website. I'm not gonna go into much detail there because you might be from so many different backgrounds that, that makes not much sense, but you can check it out on, on our website if you're interested. Um in the middle, you can see our CTO and uh managing director Fabian K um who is like presenting one of our main goals, um say that we are innovative and fast uh as innovative and, and as fast as possible.

And we would just like everybody who wants to do the same to join us on our journey um to get a bit more into detail on how our tech and product department is set up. So um we have set it up in different areas. I think that's a business or a model that is rather um known uh for us, the different areas are set up so that they kind of represent the customer journey of somebody shopping on our marketplace. So uh you can basically imagine we have one area, for example, that is called explore and discover and so on this area, we have the teams working on, for example, like the search experience um or product data or just things that somebody who would um um enter our marketplace to go shopping there, um interact with on like first glance or the first couple of seconds.

Basically. Um The teams on uh on the in the area are cross functional teams. So depending on what is needed for the product that they work on um you have uh backend engineers, front end engineers, data scientists, data analysts, product managers, um product designers, your ex researchers, anything you can, you can imagine um is who's needed um to make that product um better and to design it the best possible way.

Um Obviously, this all depends on which area you work in and what team you will work in. But overall, the idea is that cross functional agile teams um that are very self reliant, very self um responsible for their, their own product. Um Like we said, or like I said, in the beginning, taking ownership of the task that you have is uh very important for us. And so the teams can kind of decide for themselves as well, how they um create their, their work environment, their workflow. So most of them choose Scrum and uh work in like two weeks sprints. But um for other teams makes more sense to more work in like a combine way. And so they are also free to do that. It's basically just depends on what they prefer in doing. Now, I also brought with you me, um a couple of testimonials of some of our women who work in our tech department. Um I would have loved to like introduce all of them to you, but um obviously, that's not possible. So we picked out um three women who worked for us and asked them a couple of questions um for example, this is Chena. She works as a senior front end engineer in our company. And um yeah, I just, I love your ans uh That's there her answers on these questions. Um I love that.

She says that um it's so important to have more and more women in tech um because the diversity just matters and the wide range of skills and obviously also um knowledge that women bring to the table is so important. And so, um she always encourages uh the women in our company um to like move forward um to grow in their uh in their abilities and in their skills. And obviously, she would also like to share that with others um outside of our company. And I just very much appreciate her viewpoint on um how it is like how to work uh for us in the company. Um We also asked um Kathleen, one of our senior managers about what she likes best about working in our company. And um yeah, I just love how she says that um she enjoys the opportunity to try things out. Um And to like take responsibility. Um You've probably heard me now say that word responsibility so many times throughout this conversation or this uh presentation. But it's really one of our key factors that we, we as a company believe it's important to take ownership and take responsibility. And um like she basically presents in her statement, it's also something that all of our employees value that they can take responsibility um that they can learn a lot and that they just work in like an environment um where it's easy to take responsibility for your task because you know that we uh believe in failing forward, we believe in uh trying things out and moving fast and, and also making mistakes if they happen.

Um As long as you learn from them, that is totally fine. And so, um yeah, I think she describes this uh very well in her statement that she says um that she likes the open and friendly atmosphere um that people support each other. We work together to find solutions and obviously, we try to have fun while doing that. Lastly, we have Leslie who works as a product designer for us. Um Yeah, I just also love her statement um so much and that she says that um she enjoys working with uh with her male colleagues. Um and that everybody is very respectful with one or another and that it really um it doesn't matter what gender one has and it just matters um that everybody brings their skills um to the table that everybody contributes to the team in their valuable way. Everybody does bring um their own um personal experience and their own expertise. And um yeah, gender praise, no role whatsoever in um how one is perceived and um how valuable their input is. And so, um I, yeah, like that statement. That she, um, set it up by lastly, now that you've heard quite a lot about, um, the company in general. Um, I just as a recruiter, obviously, I want to do that. I just want to find out that you can join us.

Um, basically in any possible way from student um to professional, we have opportunity for everyone. Um, like I said, we are a fast growing company and therefore we need to, um hire and uh have people join us um basically constantly. Um which is so fun because the teams are growing so fast and we could just learn so much from um each other. Um These are a couple of our benefits that we offer. Um You can find everything else on our website. Um I know for people working in the tech uh world, it's always important to know that they have free choice of heartware. So you would be free to choose whether you wanna work with uh a Macbook or um uh a Lenovo think pets and choose whether you wanna work with windows oven. Um And then that, like I said, flexibility is super important to us. We really want to make sure that everybody who decides to work for us and decides to bring their time and their valuable skills to our company and our table, basically that they have the best possible working environment. And so you can really kind of create it in the best possible way for you. Um in terms of um how many hours if you want to work, obviously, like, we have regular working hours from like uh usually 40 hours per week.

But um if for whatever reason you choose to wear glass, then that's usually also fine to figure out. And in terms of location, it's definitely flexible and you can just choose the best possible environment for you. Um This, I know you probably don't have time to like get off your smartphone and um scan the um the QR code here, but the com um my presentation will be up later on on our um little um expo booth. And so if you are interested, feel free to go back there and um maybe read over the statements again or just um scan the QR code if you're interested to see what openings we currently have. Um I will also have um a couple of my colleagues will be there in the next couple of days um from time to time to um answer questions um that might have come up through uh my presentation or through anything you might have. Um Yeah, heard um when you have questions, feel free to ask them and um also feel free to talk to them just in general. Um They would love to have you as well. Now, last thing I can do is say thank you for being here. Thank you for um listening to me and uh for joining this um um short session about C fund and how to work for us.

Um You can find um on this site and like I said, also later on the um um on the um Expo booth, um my linkedin contact, I would love to connect with you and answer all your questions there as well. Also, all of our other um uh social media platforms are on here, so feel free to connect to us and um ask questions other than that again. Thank you for your attention. Thank you for being here and um have a great rest of your day.