The interview process at Zalando is straightforward but appallingly slow and there are a few aspects to keep in mind if you make it to the final round.
You will work through the following process with representatives of the company.
1. A phone screen,
2. A design deep dive,
3. An on-site interview/s which include a whiteboard exercise (they'll use your work if its good too as I was told during my whiteboard session).
The on-site is where the real challenge starts for applicants.
If you haven't been instructed by the recruiter (as was in my case) you will likely be interviewing for multiple roles. Ensure you clarify what roles you are being interviewed for and prepare accordingly.
You will be offered lunch paid for by the company, I recommend you politely decline so you can use the time to reflect on the interviews so far and to revisit your interview strategy.
You will need to be very careful what you say to anyone and I mean abnormally careful. Everyone you meet, everyone you talk to will be recording their impressions of you. If you say anything that can be misconstrued as negative, even just a little, I guarantee it will be.
Their impressions will most likely be wrong as key details and context of conversations will be conveniently left out of their notes. This is probably due to interviewers have little to no training in organisational behaviour and/or human resource management which renders them incapable of discerning between what is a comment of circumstance and what is criticism.
If you are asked how the interview is going, I suggest you use a generic but positive response such as "It's amazing, I am really enjoying meeting so many wonderful people." This is because the question is more about your response to the process and not about your own experience.
In my opinion, any UX/Product designer worth their weight is a skilled communicator and asks clarifying questions to get to the heart of the matter. However, at Zalando asking questions if your interviewer is doing a splendid job of not explaining themselves or the business model clearly puts you at risk being seen as 'manoeuvring the questions for your benefit' i.e. manipulative. This only reflects the inability of the interviewers to communicate effectively and their arrogance to recognise and accept that perhaps they weren't clear in the first place.
If you're new to the industry, try your hand. There might be an opportunity to grow at the company with many avenues to shape your career, though this could just be a selling point and it would probably be a good brand to have on your CV but as previous reviewers noted, the salaries offered to successful applicants reflects the hiring approach (hires with limited experience) and the office culture sounds and looks messy, so prepare yourself for that.