Elkjøp’s curated marketplace helps the retailer expand customer choice, respond faster to demand and make smarter decisions about inventory.
Retailers have long faced a difficult trade-off: customers want more choice, but carrying more inventory creates more cost, risk and operational complexity.
Elkjøp, one of the leading consumer electronics and home-appliance retailers in the Nordic region, operating nearly 400 physical stores under the Elkjøp, Elgiganten and Gigantti brands, is taking a different approach. Through a curated stockless marketplace powered by Mirakl, the retailer can expand its assortment without owning every product upfront. That creates room to test emerging categories, respond to changing customer preferences and make more informed decisions about what belongs in stores, warehouses or the online marketplace.
The result is not simply a bigger assortment. It is a more flexible way to grow. Learn more about Elkjøp’s Nordic marketplace strategy. (opens in a new tab)
The model was already operating at a meaningful scale. By its 10-year marketplace anniversary, Elkjøp had grown to 240 sellers and 1 million offers across four Nordic markets.
“So, yes, it's about cash and cost, but it's also about being agile and constantly shifting. That is the biggest thing we need to solve.” – Trond Samuelsen, Head of Marketplace and Pricing, Elkjøp
Turning speed into a commercial advantage
For Elkjøp, the marketplace helps the business respond to demand at the pace customers expect.
Phone cases are one example. As Trond explained, a customer may want a different color or style for a family member’s phone, raising a practical merchandising question: How many variations should a retailer stock?
Wine coolers present another opportunity. Many are too large to fit in an ordinary kitchen, but the marketplace allows Elkjøp to extend the range online and give customers access to more options than a physical store could reasonably display.
Makeup mirrors show the value of speed. The category grew rapidly from zero to hero, with products ranging from low-cost options to more expensive models. Bringing a new product into Elkjøp’s own warehouse and presenting it across hundreds of stores could take six to eight months. Through the marketplace, the product could be available online almost immediately, right at the beginning of its growth cycle.
That speed gives the retailer a way to participate early in a category’s growth, learn from customer demand and decide what should happen next.
More choice, with a clear point of view
Marketplace flexibility does not mean adding every possible product. Elkjøp has built its approach around curation and uses its marketplace to complement its stores and first-party inventory.
Products can move into the owned assortment when demand and commercial performance justify the investment. Other products may remain online because they are too niche, bulky or unpredictable to stock more broadly.
This creates a more deliberate relationship between the marketplace and the rest of the business. The question is not simply “Can we add this product?” It is, “Where can this product create the most value for the customer and the business?”
That distinction helps Elkjøp expand its offer while protecting the qualities customers already associate with the brand. It also shows how a marketplace can become more than a sales channel. It can serve as a commercial engine for testing demand, extending reach and guiding investment decisions.
Make trust part of the operating model
A wider assortment only creates value when customers can rely on the experience behind it.
Elkjøp has established clear expectations for marketplace sellers, including requirements around fulfillment, delivery, returns and repairs. Sellers need to be close enough to the customer to provide a reliable service experience, not simply offer a product at a competitive price.
The business also uses delivery data to improve the promises shown to customers. Sellers may begin with conservative delivery estimates, but actual performance can help Elkjøp provide a more accurate window over time. A shorter, reliable delivery promise can make a meaningful difference to conversion.
In this model, curation is not only about which products appear on the site. It is also about which sellers can meet the standards customers expect from Elkjøp. That starts with a strong supplier onboarding process. (opens in a new tab)
Preparing for the next phase of digital commerce
The same practical mindset shapes Elkjøp’s approach to peak season and AI-powered product discovery.
For peak periods, the priority is early planning, clear seller communication and campaigns that offer genuine value. By sharing timelines and requirements well in advance, Elkjøp gives sellers the information they need to prepare and helps the business avoid last-minute compromises.
When it comes to agentic commerce, the company is focused first on the fundamentals. Product pages need accurate, complete content and need to be discoverable by the AI tools customers increasingly use to research products.
“I want to bring it down to something quite simple. Even if people are searching through ChatGPT, Gemini or another tool, it still comes down to having the right content on your product pages.” – Trond, Head of Marketplace and Pricing, Elkjøp
Rather than rushing into fully transactional experiences inside AI tools, Elkjøp is focused on building the foundation for discoverability first. That means making sure customers, search engines and AI tools can find and understand its products. That is the foundation of an agent-ready marketplace. (opens in a new tab)
This practical approach reflects the broader strategy. Elkjøp is using marketplace flexibility to make better decisions, reach customers sooner and build an assortment that reflects real demand.
Ready to make marketplace flexibility your next growth advantage?
Discover how Mirakl helps retailers expand their assortment, connect with trusted sellers and build a more responsive path to growth.
