Are you a successful small business and looking for eCommerce statistics to use to help grow your business online? E-commerce is becoming present in every industry and country.
Understanding market trends and statistics is crucial for successfully launching and navigating an ecommerce business. In 2024 alone, ecommerce sales are expected to cross the $6 Trillion mark according to EMarketer.
Maybe you are selling products online and would like to know which country is the fastest-growing e-commerce market. It’s important to know the e-commerce facts and trends, so you can make the necessary changes to your website and target markets that have the most e-commerce activity.
As eCommerce grows, there are markets and companies across the world that are pioneers and fast adapting to consumer online shopping habits. These e-commerce facts will help us learn why they are succeeding, and then help us adjust our e-commerce strategies accordingly.
This article covers the list the countries that have the most eCommerce opportunity, and what the ecommerce statistics say in these markets.
What is eCommerce?
eCommerce, or electronic commerce, is the buying and selling of goods and services online, and it plays a significant role in the ecommerce market, which is characterized by its size, growth projections, and market share statistics.
This includes the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions. eCommerce is also known as social commerce or online shopping.
Global eCommerce Market
Overview of the global e-commerce market size and growth projections
The global e-commerce market is on a meteoric rise, with projections indicating it will reach a staggering $8.5 trillion by 2027.
This impressive growth in ecommerce statistics, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4%, is fueled by several key factors.
Increasing internet penetration worldwide is making it easier for people to shop online, while the convenience of mobile shopping is drawing more consumers to digital platforms.
Additionally, the rise of social media platforms is playing a crucial role in driving e-commerce sales, as these platforms become powerful tools for marketing and direct sales.
The Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the global e-commerce landscape, with China and India leading the charge.
These countries are not only home to a vast number of online consumers but are also seeing rapid advancements in digital infrastructure and payment systems, making online shopping more accessible and appealing.
Key statistics on global online shoppers
As of 2024, the global community of online shoppers has reached an impressive 2.71 billion, accounting for 34% of the world’s population.
This number is set to soar to 3.9 billion by 2027, reflecting the growing trend of shopping online. The majority of these online shoppers hail from the Asia-Pacific region, underscoring the region’s dominance in the e-commerce market.
On average, an online shopper spends around $3.95 per visit, with consumer electronics emerging as one of the most popular product categories.
This trend highlights the increasing demand for gadgets and tech products, driven by the rapid pace of technological advancements and the growing reliance on digital devices in everyday life.
Online Shoppers and Behavior
Frequency and habits of online shoppers
The habits of online shoppers are evolving, with a significant shift towards mobile shopping.
In fact, 60% of U.S. adults now consider mobile shopping a necessity, underscoring the importance of mobile devices in the e-commerce landscape.
This trend in mobile commerce sales is not limited to the U.S.; globally, more consumers are turning to their smartphones and tablets to make online purchases, thanks to the convenience and accessibility these devices offer.
The frequency of online shopping varies across different age groups.
Among the 18-24 age group, a remarkable 46.9% of shoppers shop online at least once a week, making them the most frequent online shoppers.
This demographic is particularly tech-savvy and comfortable with digital transactions, driving a significant portion of e-commerce sales.
Gender also plays a role in online shopping habits. Women tend to shop online more frequently than men, averaging seven online purchases per year compared to five for men.
This difference highlights the importance of understanding gender-specific preferences and behaviors in the e-commerce market to tailor marketing strategies effectively.
In conclusion, the global e-commerce market is experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by increasing internet penetration, mobile shopping, and the influence of social media platforms.
Understanding the frequency and habits of online shoppers is crucial for businesses looking to capitalize on this booming market.
1. Retail Ecommerce Sales in China
China is by far the fastest-growing and leading e-commerce market in the world.
China’s e-commerce market makes up 52% of the world’s e-commerce value, and in 2021 was the fastest growing at 17%.2. Although it is not a surprise, what is interesting is that 97% of online retail purchases now are domestic (within China).
The Chinese e-commerce consumer market of 780 million users is still growing and is forecasted to reach 1,223.9 million users by 2025. This rapid growth highlights the significance of e-commerce statistics for online retailers in China.
Most of these transactions are made with E-Wallet systems.
Given that the use of smartphones is also on the rise, local payment companies like Alipay, and Union Pay use a mobile-first approach. The convenience of credit cards comes second as a popular payment method.
JD.com (previously 360buy) is China’s largest online retailer and its biggest overall retailer, as well as the country’s biggest Internet company by revenue.
Since its launch in 1998, has evolved from a brick-and-mortar business to an online business. It has now grown to a $114.3 billion revenue giant.
JD.com is a player among well-known successful E-commerce companies such as:
Alibaba: USD 109.480 billion
Tencent: USD 73.56 billion
Baidu: USD 16.4 billion
Vipshop: USD 15.61 billion
The China e-commerce market has produced creative ways such as live shopping and social media e-commerce. The live shopping strategy comes from the Chinese market, which allows us to create strong links between brands, influencers, and consumers.
Social media e-commerce is growing thanks to the most popular social network in the country, Wechat. Wechat also known as ‘the Super App’, is owned by Tencent and has more than 1 billion users per month. The network offers an all-in-one instant messaging system.
Singles Day takes place on the 11th of November (11/11 representing 4 single people), is a valuable opportunity to drive major e-commerce sales and revenue for Chinese brands and western retailers.
Here are the Statista highlights to know about the China e-commerce market:
Revenue in the e-commerce market is projected to reach US$1,412.00bn in 2022.
Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2025) of 4.82%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$1,626.00bn by 2025.
With a projected market volume of US$1,412.00bn in 2022, most revenue is generated in China.
In the e-commerce market, the number of users is expected to amount to 1,230.4m users by 2025.
User penetration will be 71.9% in 2022 and is expected to hit 83.9% by 2025.
The average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to amount to US$1.35k.
2. Online Shoppers in the United States of America
The United States’ revenue in the e-commerce market is projected to reach US$907.80bn in 2022.
Similar to the Chinese market, trends suggest that online shopping is on the rise in the USA market.
Online retail sales have shown significant financial growth, especially during the holiday season. Statista research predicts that the number of users will reach 291.2 million users by 2025.
About 97% of the online shopping transactions are domestic.
The credit card is the most popular payment method, both online and in-store. Though credit cards are in the lead, alternative online payment solutions such as PayPal, stripe, and others are on the rise.
Similar to the Chinese market, the biggest contributor to online purchase in the USA market is the major e-commerce player Amazon. American companies like Amazon are popular locally and internationally as well.
Jeff Bezos’ company (Amazon) is a global player and a leader in business-to-consumer e-commerce worldwide.
Amazon has a presence in a variety of industries and verticals, such as Prime Video, AWS Data centers, and its in-house microwave brand.
This business model has turned Amazon into a behemoth that generates USD 367.19 billion and with a market cap value of $1.468 Trillion in April 2022.
Amazon is not the only American e-commerce player serving many consumers. Other big players are:
Walmart: USD 64.62 billion
eBay: USD 38.67 billion
Apple: USD 33.62 billion
Best Buy: USD 20.34 billion
In addition, the USA has launched social media companies that are used by the world daily, which presents opportunities for both social commerce statistics and media e-commerce growth.
These include Snapchat, Twitter, and Facebook, now known as Meta, encompassing Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
The USA e-commerce market is particularly marked by Black Friday, which takes place on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
It traditionally marks the start of the Christmas shopping season in the United States but was established to help brick-and-mortar businesses turn a profit.
Many stores offer highly promoted sales at discounted prices and often open early, sometimes as early as midnight, or even on Thanksgiving.
This is followed by Cyber Monday, created by retailers to encourage people to shop online.
Here are the Statista highlights to know about the USA e-commerce market:
Revenue in the e-commerce market is projected to reach US$907.80bn in 2022.
Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2025) of 14.56%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$1,365.00bn by 2025.
With a projected market volume of US$1,412.00bn in 2022, most revenue is generated in China.
In the e-commerce market, the number of users is expected to amount to 273.7m users by 2025.
User penetration will be 74.9% in 2022 and is expected to hit 80.4% by 2025.
The average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to amount to US$3.62k.
3. Mobile Shopping in Japan
Japan is Asia’s second-fastest-growing e-commerce market, after China. Japan’s B2C market has more than doubled within the last decade.
Japan’s revenue in the e-commerce market is projected to reach US$215.10bn in 2022, which is a 14.7% growth. The number of e-commerce users in Japan is expected to reach 106.3 million by 2025.
The online store market is growing and closing in on in-store retailers’ sales, and businesses are shifting to a multi-channel approach to defend their market positions.
Like in the USA market, the credit cards method of payment is the most popular. Consumers also prefer to use cash and Konbini payments in this market.
Cross-border e-commerce in the Japanese e-commerce market is significantly low. This is because the e-commerce landscape maintains a highly sophisticated shopping environment and highly trusts the domestic online retail sites.
The dominant player in the Japanese B2C e-commerce market is Rakuten. This is also significant because this market is dominated by domestic online marketplaces over international players like Amazon and Yahoo.
Rakuten’s growth has seen it acquire many e-commerce sites across the world, over the years, including the U.K.’s Play.com.
The local branches of major international e-commerce companies play an important role in the growth of consumer e-commerce. These companies contribute to the rising popularity of online shopping among Japanese consumers, which reduces the hesitation of locals to transact online.
Though the Japanese market is atypical, the most popular international e-commerce platform is Amazon with a business volume of 12,295 billion dollars in 2020.
Other popular e-commerce platforms are:
Apple: $2,731 billion
Yodobashi: $2.581 billion
Monotaro: $1.356 billion
Zozotown: $1.136 billion
Similar to the Chinese market, the Japanese have a vibrant social media marketplace. LINE is the leading instant messaging application for social media users across platforms in the country. YouTube is second in the rankings.
Sellers use LINE to reach consumers in Japan and improve customer service and run promotions. Next are the global platforms Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as in most parts of the world.
Revenue in the e-commerce market is projected to reach US$215.10bn in 2022.
Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2025) of 14.70%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$324.60bn by 2025.
With a projected market volume of US$1,412.00bn in 2022, most revenue is generated in China.
In the e-commerce market, the number of users is expected to amount to 106.3m users by 2025.
User penetration will be 76.7% in 2022 and is expected to hit 85.7% by 2025.
The average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to amount to US$2.23k.
4. Ecommerce Market in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is the fourth-largest market in the world for retail e commerce i-commerce and the most advanced in Europe. In 2021, the UK e-commerce market revenue was US$118 billion which contributed to the worldwide growth rate of 29%, placing it ahead of Germany.
The substantial retail eCommerce sales in the UK highlight the significant dollar amounts associated with these transactions.
The United Kingdom’s revenue in the commerce market is projected to keep growing and reach US$199 billion u.s dollars90bn in 2022.
By 2025, consumers in the UK e-commerce market are projected to be 62.1 million.
Brexit has influenced consumers purchasing patterns. One that stands out is the domestic consumption rate, which is at 96% (customers buy “locally” more sales 96% of the time).
Similar to the USA, customers prefer to use PayPal and bank card as methods in the market. Another form of payment that is on the rise in mobile payments, companies such as Google Pay and Apple Pay are the popular service providers.
Amazon is the marketplace that is dominating the UK e-commerce world. Amazon’s United Kingdom website has a turnover of USD 14.67 billion in 2020. The other players in the marketplace are:
Tesco: USD 7.59 billion
Argos: USD 5.41 billion
Sainsbury’s: USD 4.55 billion
Currys: USD 4.14 billion
Tesco and Argos are the main players in the online shopping space. Like in China, the social media marketplace commerce is a notable contributor to the market’s revenue. Meta (formerly the Facebook marketplace) is the favored platform.
Despite its small geography compared to China and America, the United Kingdom is an enormous e-commerce player.
Revenue in the e-commerce market is projected to reach US$199.90bn in 2022.
Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2025) of 12.63%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$285.60bn by 2025.
With a projected market volume of US$1,412.00bn in 2022, most revenue is generated in China.
In the e-commerce market, the number of users is expected to amount to 58.4m users by 2025.
User penetration will be 81.5% in 2022 and is expected to hit 84.2% by 2025.
The average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to amount to US$3.58k
5. Germany
This new position is due to the 14% growth of the German e-commerce market in 2021, significantly boosting global ecommerce sales and contributing to the overall 29% growth rate worldwide.
The number of digital commerce users in Germany is expected to grow to 68.2 million in 2024.
Amazon.de is undoubtedly the biggest player in the German e-commerce market. In 2021, Amazon.de generated a whole ecommerce revenue of US$18.1 billion.
Otto.de follows with a revenue of US$5.1 billion revenue and the third contributor is zalando.de with a US$2.7 billion revenue.
These three firms make up 25% of the German e-commerce online revenue.
PayPal is the most preferred method of payment in the German e-commerce market, with a 24.9% market share.
Germany is expected to keep growing with the significant growth of online shopping in the years to come. The evidence is clear with a company like korodrogerie.de, which has grown by 148% in 2020 and it has achieved sales of about US$57.4 million in 2021.
Here are the Statista highlights to know about the German e-commerce market:
Revenue in the e-commerce market is projected to reach US$141.20bn in 2022.
Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2025) of 11.46%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$195.50bn by 2025.
With a projected market volume of US$1,412.00bn in 2022, most revenue is generated in China.
In the e-commerce market, the number of users is expected to amount to 68.4m users by 2025.
User penetration will be 80.1% in 2022 and is expected to hit 81.9% by 2025.
The average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to amount to US$2.10k.
Mobile Ecommerce and Social Commerce
Smartphone usage for shopping
Smartphones have become an indispensable tool for online shopping, revolutionizing the way consumers interact with online stores.
In the United States, a staggering 73% of respondents report using their smartphones for shopping, highlighting the growing trend of mobile commerce.
This shift is not just a passing phase; mobile commerce sales are projected to account for 62% of all retail sales by 2027.
Interestingly, women are leading the charge in mobile shopping, with 65% of female shoppers indicating that they use their mobile devices to compare prices while shopping in physical stores.
This behavior underscores the importance of mobile devices in the decision-making process, as consumers seek the best deals and product information on the go.
For online retailers, optimizing their websites and mobile applications for a seamless mobile shopping experience is no longer optional—it’s a necessity.
Social commerce value in 2023
The rise of social media platforms has given birth to a new frontier in e-commerce: social commerce.
In 2024, the global social commerce market will reach an impressive $1.2 trillion, driven by a robust annual growth rate of 30.7%.
Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are at the forefront of this trend, with 23% of global consumers considering Facebook the leading platform for social shopping.
In the United States, the social commerce market is poised for significant growth, with projections suggesting it could surpass $149 billion by 2028, growing at an 18.2% rate. This surge is fueled by the increasing integration of shopping features within social media platforms, allowing users to discover, review, and purchase products without leaving the app. For businesses, leveraging social media platforms for direct sales and marketing is becoming an essential strategy to tap into this burgeoning market.
Consumer Behavior and Decision-Making
Gen Z shopping habits and last-minute purchases
Gen Z shoppers are redefining consumer behavior with their unique shopping habits, particularly their propensity for last-minute purchases.
Nearly half of Gen Z shoppers admit to making impulse buys, driven by the convenience and immediacy of online shopping. Personal care products top their list of consumer purchases, with 66% of Gen Z shoppers prioritizing these items.
Online reviews play a crucial role in their decision-making process. A significant 91% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, with Google being the go-to platform for these reviews.
This reliance on digital feedback highlights the importance for businesses to maintain a positive online presence and encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews.
Sustainability is another key factor influencing consumer behavior. One in three online shoppers now prioritize sustainable brands, reflecting a growing awareness and demand for eco-friendly products.
Additionally, the preference for online shopping over in-store shopping continues to rise, driven by the convenience, variety, and competitive pricing offered by online stores.
For businesses, understanding these trends and adapting their strategies to meet the evolving preferences of online consumers is crucial for sustained success in the e-commerce market.
Key Takeaways
The top five e-commerce markets are an interesting opportunity. If you are looking to enter them, you will have to consider consumer habits and online shopping patterns. China is ahead of the pack, but 97% of its transaction are domestic.
This is completely different compared to a market like Germany which does cross-border online transactions at a 35% rate.
Mobile commerce is rapidly growing, driven by billions of smartphone users who prefer online shopping through their mobile devices. Optimizing websites and mobile applications is crucial to cater to this increasing number of mobile shoppers.
If you are trying to start an online business, you should take a look at our best online shopping platforms for more options.
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