A look into our partnerships in commerce at DMEXCO

We’re a growing organisation here at Mollie, and as a payments services provider (PSP) we’re seeking to further expand into Germany, Europe’s largest economy. And that’s a big challenge that we’re more than up for. One of the key ways we’re doing this is linking up with good partners. This is why we recently hit the Autobahn and headed to Cologne, Germany to attend DMEXCO, one of Europe’s biggest digital marketing expos and conferences, where a lot of players in e-commerce and payments gather. Amongst competitors and a variety of partners over a lively two days, a couple of the latter came by our booth and caught up with us and were keen on sharing why they ended up with Mollie.

The new kid on the block

“Mollie isn’t your standard PSP,” said Anna Lorenz, senior product owner at HB Marketplace, “and I would know because I’ve spent over ten years in the payments biz.” “Everything with Mollie is so easy,” she said.

Anna’s company, HB Marketplace, is a part of an organisation called Händlerbund, which is one of Europe’s largest e-commerce trade associations and networks. It lends businesses legal advice and assists them with anything e-commerce related via a network of partnerships, which means the Leipzig-based company founded in 2008 is pretty dialled-into what’s going on with merchants in Europe and in Germany.

“We really identify with the people at Mollie and Mollie’s story, and because of that we wanted to team up with the new kid on the block,” she said when recounting her company’s motivation for entering into a partnership with Mollie.

But that’s not the only reason Händlerbund joined forces with Mollie. “Our network is good for your business,” Anna remarks. And indeed, a large network full of merchants who need payments services certainly gives Mollie a good space to get a foothold on the German payments market.

Where merchants are

“Mollie and Shopware have a lot in common,” said Lena Dietrich, key account manager at Shopware, a Germany-based online e-commerce platform boasting over 100,000 merchants as customers. “We have the same ambitious goals,” she said, citing internalisation. Here, they’re looking to move into the BENELUX, where Mollie can add value, and we’re diving into Germany, their home turf.

Lena also noted developer-friendliness, a bottom-up strategy, and a shared culture and strategy as points of congruence between the two companies that made partnership possible.

What does this partnership look like, exactly?

Mollie has created plugins for Shopware 5 and is currently building another one for Shopware 6. “We’re very keen on our ecosystem,” Lena said, “and after a successful cooperation with Shopware 5, we have further expanded and focused the partnership with the release of Shopware 6.” Shopware 6 will be released in the coming months.

Along with cooking up the above collaborations with the Schöppingen, Germany headquartered company, Mollie is also working this very moment on deepening the relationship. “We believe in Mollie’s solution,” Lena says, concerning the ongoing partnership, one where Shopware has, “found a partner with whom we can continue to grow together into the future.”

The way forward

After two days and lots of conversations, we were energised because we very much thrive on our partnerships. From e-commerce companies like Shopware to trade associations like Händlerbund, or to e-commerce oriented digital agencies, our partners add invaluable insights into online commerce and, of course, they also bring us more customers and grow the Mollie brand!

Check out what types of integrations we have with our partners, and if you’re interested in partnering up with us, start your journey.