BRAVE COMMERCE – Beko Europe’s Marco Brucato on Scaling eCommerce Without Losing Local Relevance
Podcast by Adweek | Hosts: Rachel Tipograph & Sarah Hofstetter
Guest: Marco Brucato, Head of E-Commerce for Europe (DTC Transformation), BEKO Europe
Release Date: January 6, 2026
Episode Overview
This episode features Marco Brucato, who leads e-commerce and digital transformation for Beko Europe, one of the continent's top home appliance brands. Brucato joins hosts Rachel Tipograph (Founder & CEO, MikMak) and Sarah Hofstetter (Chairwoman, Profitero) to discuss the challenges and strategies of scaling e-commerce across Europe while maintaining critical local relevance. The conversation explores operational frameworks, change management, the realities of “omnichannel”, and lessons learned from both digital giants like Amazon and traditional sectors like grocery and appliances.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Fragmented Reality of European eCommerce
- Regional Complexity and Cultural Nuance
- Unlike the U.S., European e-commerce is deeply fragmented: each nation has distinct consumer behavior, legal standards, and service expectations.
- Quote [01:38, Sarah Hofstetter]:
“I think a lot of that came because of tremendous fragmentation, country by country, in how their approach to commerce was done. Even before the COVID explosion...”
- No One-Size-Fits-All Approach
- Operators must balance market opportunities against the extra cost to serve—localization is often expensive but necessary for relevance.
- Quote [03:48, Rachel Tipograph]:
“There is a tension which is what the customer wants, whether it’s B2B or B2C...can put you...in a position as a business operator of having an unprofitable business in those markets.”
2. Framework: “Freedom Within a Frame”
- Marco’s Balancing Act for Regional Consistency & Local Relevance
- Advocates for centralized principles and standards (KPIs, strategy, governance) with substantial local freedom—not mere translation, but real adaptation to cultural and behavioral differences.
- Quote [06:09, Marco Brucato]:
“I believe in a concept that is the freedom within a frame... Everything has to be central and has to be the same for everyone. Then you need to allow a lot of local freedom... Even in Europe, the cultural differences between all the markets are so many... You need to adapt probably the UX, you need probably to adapt all the message, all the contents.”
3. Change Management & Internal Culture Shift
- Building Appetite for Change
- Leaders must create the preconditions for transformation: shared understanding and a visible, tangible gap to overcome.
- The “cost of doing nothing” in digital is high; making that visible is more powerful than pitching solutions directly.
- Quote [08:26, Marco Brucato]:
“You need to make sure that what I always, let's say, try to show in a very clear way—the cost of doing nothing... In digital, there is a cost of inaction.”
- Leadership Buy-In is Non-Negotiable
- No transformation happens without it.
- Use analogies (“parallel examples”) to help non-digital natives understand.
4. Proving the Value—Test, Then Scale
- Pilot Mindset Over Perfectionism
- “Selling the concept” and deploying small, testable pilots are more effective than perfecting details upfront.
- Quote [12:38, Marco Brucato]:
“Simplifying in digital is something that pays off...I always tend to go for a test, small scale, fast environment...if it works, then you do it at scale.”
5. Navigating the Power of Marketplaces—Learning from Amazon
- Complexity and Discipline
- Amazon is the most complex customer; it enforces discipline and demands robust, automated backend infrastructure to efficiently scale.
- Combining D2C and marketplace approaches yields the best insights and consumer data, but requires merging learnings across platforms.
- Quote [14:34, Marco Brucato]:
“What I always say about Amazon are three things...First, that complexity, it’s a word that has a meaning before you start working with Amazon and after... Discipline is something that Amazon is forcing you to learn... And then the third part is...to get the benefits of having scale.”
6. Sector-Specific Penetration: Groceries vs. Appliances
- E-commerce Penetration is Product-Dependent
- Appliances have far higher online sales than groceries; in the UK, about 60% of appliances are sold online versus 15% of groceries.
- Quote [17:53, Marco Brucato]:
“If you think about econ Penetration in the UK for groceries, it's around 15%...for appliances it's almost 60%. So six appliances out of ten are sold online in UK...”
- Despite this, switching sectors is a learning opportunity and not as daunting as it may appear.
7. Media Investment & The Illusion of “Omnichannel”
- Omnichannel Shouldn’t Be a Buzzword
- True omnichannel is when it’s embedded in processes and not a label companies apply for show. If you’re labeling it, “you don’t have it”.
- Quote [20:06, Marco Brucato]:
“What I don't like is to hear one word in this world and it's omnichannel. Because when I hear talking about omnichannel from companies, it means that they didn't understand what is real omnichannel.”
- The Real Barrier: Digital Leadership
- Many companies lag because they lack genuine digital leaders who embrace and understand the channel—not just structures, but mindset.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Freedom Within a Frame:
"Having local freedom, it's super important... You shouldn't be standardizing the outcome, you should be standardizing the principle. And so it's about trusting your local teams or not."
— Marco Brucato [06:09] -
On the Cost of Inaction:
“There is a cost of inaction. And all of this is about selling the problem rather than the solution.”
— Marco Brucato [08:26] -
On Omnichannel as a Dogma:
“Omnichannel shouldn’t be a buzzword... It should be just part of your corporate structure. Because it’s not about how we decide to label ourselves. It’s where our consumer is. Consumers are everywhere.”
— Marco Brucato [20:06] -
On Bravery and Professional Growth:
“Being brave for me is not being afraid of saying yes to whatever new opportunity that pops out, is forcing yourself into a discomfort area...embraced changes, saying yes to challenges that I had no idea of how to complete.”
— Marco Brucato [22:31]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- European eCommerce Fragmentation & COVID Era Learnings | 01:32 – 04:32
- Marco Brucato's Perspective: Freedom Within a Frame | 06:09 – 08:04
- Change Management & Culture-Building for Digital Transformation | 08:26 – 10:12
- Testing, Pilots, and Measuring the Cost of Inaction | 12:38 – 13:59
- Lessons from Amazon and Handling Complexity at Scale | 14:34 – 16:50
- Sector Differences (Groceries vs. Appliances) in eCommerce | 17:53 – 19:33
- The Myth and Reality of Omnichannel | 20:06 – 22:21
- The Bravest Thing Marco Has Done | 22:31 – 23:32
Conclusion
The conversation highlights that winning in European e-commerce demands a delicate balance: standardize principles and infrastructure, but maximize local adaptation and autonomy. True transformation is less about digital tools, and more about cultural change, selling the problem effectively, and ensuring fearless, principle-driven leadership. Omnichannel is not a label—it’s a lived strategy. Marco Brucato’s test-and-scale methodology, pragmatic insights about market differences, and personal approach to professional bravery offer a compelling blueprint for anyone tackling multinational digital commerce today.