Retail e-commerce continued to sustain strong value growth in 2025. Sales reached CNY10,306.5 billion, reflecting a current value growth rate of 11%. This robust performance was underpinned by the dominance of traditional platforms such as Tmall, JD, and Pinduoduo, but the most notable development was the rapid expansion of content-driven e-commerce players like Douyin and Xiaohongshu. These platforms have successfully integrated shopping functions directly into social content, converting user e

Retail e-commerce in Brazil continues its robust trajectory, recording another year of double-digit current value growth in 2025, with sales reaching BRL 394.6 billion, up 18% from the previous year. This performance is particularly notable against a backdrop of more moderate economic expansion, with real GDP growth at 2% and inflation at 5%. The resilience of retail e-commerce is supported by sustained consumer demand for convenience, increasing confidence in online platforms, and the operation

Retail e-commerce in Mexico demonstrated robust growth in 2025, with value sales reaching MXN1,025.8 billion, a 23% increase in current terms over the previous year. This expansion significantly outpaced the country's real GDP growth, which was limited to 0.6% in 2025, indicating that digital commerce continues to outperform broader economic trends. This growth was underpinned by greater internet access, wider smartphone adoption, and heightened consumer preference for online shopping, alongside

Retail e-commerce in the Philippines posted robust double-digit growth in 2025, with value sales reaching PHP1.19 trillion, up 13% from the previous year. This expansion outpaced both regional and global benchmarks, supported by improved household incomes, solid GDP growth of 5%, and inflation easing to 2%. Rising internet and smartphone penetration, alongside stronger logistics infrastructure, enabled platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop to broaden their reach and deliver more cons

Retail e-commerce in the US recorded a healthy performance in 2025, reaching USD1,351.5 billion, up 6% from USD1,275.9 billion in 2024. This expansion marked a moderation in pace compared to the previous year, which saw growth of 8%. The final retirement of the de minimis exemption in August 2025, particularly for exports from China and Hong Kong, brought an unexpected shift in the operational environment for overseas marketplace operators, leading to higher prices for US consumers and dampening

Best known for its wildly popular, creator-driven, algorithm-powered social media platforms TikTok and Douyin, ByteDance also stands as the fourth largest retailer and third largest online retailer in the world. This report explores ByteDance’s online marketplace success, which derives directly from its social media popularity. Operating an asset-light retail model, ByteDance leverages its strengths in AI, content discovery, and social commerce to drive innovation and outfox the competition.

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA stands as the world’s leading luxury conglomerate. This briefing offers a comprehensive analysis of LVMH’s global retail operations, highlighting how the group maintains its market leadership through a balance of heritage, innovation and localised execution. Key themes include LVMH’s experiential retail strategies, omnichannel integration and sustainability. The report also features an in-depth examination of LVMH’s core retail brands, such as Sephora.

Costco remains the global leader in warehouse clubs, driven by its efficient business model, strong member loyalty and the growing cultural relevance of its beloved private label, Kirkland Signature. While its digital transformation and international expansion have been cautious, recent investments signal a strategic shift. With rising global demand and evolving consumer expectations, Costco’s ability to balance scale, simplicity and value will define its next phase of growth.

Retail e-commerce registered dynamic current value growth in South Africa in 2024. The channel’s continued expansion was supported by improvements in internet penetration in the country, a rise in the number of digital-native shoppers, enhanced safety features, and the diversification of payment options. Grocery retail e-commerce remained one of the most dynamic categories, with players such as Spar significantly expanding the range of their on-demand delivery services during the review period.

In 2024, e-commerce in Germany witnessed a modest rebound following two years of low sales declines, although the growth was not as robust as initially anticipated by channel players. One of the key contributing factors to this rebound was the continued emphasis on enhancing the customer experience, both within physical stores and through online channels. Players are leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and personalised shopping experiences

Retail e-commerce in Morocco continued to post double-digit growth in 2024. This strong performance was underpinned by a favourable macroeconomic context, including easing inflation, rising urbanisation and improved household spending power. Additionally, increased internet penetration and a growing share of banked individuals supported the shift towards digital shopping. As more consumers gained access to secure online payment methods, reliance on cash-on-delivery diminished, reducing operation

Retail e-commerce continued to grow in terms of sales, acceptance, and popularity in 2024 albeit at a much more moderate level than during the pandemic. Consumers are learning to value the benefits of e-commerce, which is partly due to word-of-mouth and the positive experiences of others, but also due to their own positive experiences, which is encouraging them to do more of their shopping online. Nonetheless, many people still remain sceptical when it comes to larger or higher priced items. For

Retail e-commerce in Nigeria recorded robust current value growth in 2024, despite significant challenges. Rising inflation, currency depreciation and high fuel costs affected logistics and reduced consumer purchasing power. However, increased internet penetration, greater smartphone accessibility, and the emergence of on-demand delivery platforms such as Glovo have supported the channel’s expansion. Fintech-led innovations in mobile payments further boosted consumer trust in online transactions

Retail e-commerce in India maintained dynamic but slowing double-digit current value growth in 2024, with increases in sales seen across all categories. One important factor in such a strong performance is that the popularity of quick-commerce continues to grow in India, thanks to players such as Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart, driven by convenience, longer operational hours, and short delivery times, typically ranging from 15 to 30 minutes, especially for essential items such as packaged food an

In 2024, retail e-commerce in the United Arab Emirates continued to benefit from the growing number of affluent and tech-savvy consumers showing a preference for online shopping and advanced supporting infrastructures that facilitate higher internet penetration and faster delivery services. The channel’s strong performance was also supported by the influx of new operators, leading to more innovative and diversified offerings across price spectrums. For example, eJaby introduced a new platform fo

Egypt’s e-commerce sector experienced continued growth in 2024, supported by the increasing availability of affordable smartphones, greater internet penetration in urban and rural areas, and the growing diversity of product offerings. Improved payment infrastructure also played a key role, with consumers showing greater trust in digital transactions thanks to the expansion of secure and flexible payment solutions. Logistics innovation further strengthened the sector, with South Africa-based Parg

In 2024, retail e-commerce in the UK continued on its growth trajectory, with value sales reaching a high of GBP137 billion. The channel's resilience highlights consumers’ increasing reliance on digital shopping, further cementing e-commerce as a critical component of the UK’s retail industry. Online sales penetration continued to grow during the year to account for 29% share of total retail sales in the local market, highlighting that it has maintained its strong presence following the pandemic

After a negative performance in 2022, retail e-commerce returned to growth in current value terms in 2023 and 2024. This was driven by the consumer desire for convenience, greater product variety, and the ease at which they could search for the best prices. The rise of mobile shopping continues to shape e-commerce, with mobile purchases steadily increasing. This is in part due to the fact consumers are increasingly browsing and shopping for goods while on-the-go and while away from the home, but

Retail e-commerce saw current value growth in 2024, driven by increased internet accessibility and the adoption of digital technologies amongst retailers. A notable trend towards the end of the review period was the shift towards mobile commerce, as consumers increasingly used smartphones for online shopping. In addition, businesses invested in enhancing their online platforms, focusing on user-friendly interfaces and efficient logistics to meet rising consumer expectations. The integration of a

As social media becomes an integral part of daily life for both businesses and consumers, it continues to evolve quickly. This briefing explores how changing consumer preferences, emerging technologies and generative AI are reshaping the social media landscape, creating new trends and opportunities. It also profiles key platforms, including Discord, Douyin, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Telegram, Threads, TikTok, WeChat, WhatsApp, X and YouTube.

Retail e-commerce in the Czech Republic registered stronger retail current value growth in 2024, compared with 2023; albeit much slower than in the early review period. While the COVID-19 pandemic initially brought a surge in online shopping, the aftermath has revealed complex new challenges. Macroeconomic factors, including high inflation, rising funding costs, the ongoing war in Ukraine and uncertainty in retail in general have affected e-commerce, leading to downturns in demand. These conditi

After reaching its peak in 2020, the growth of retail e-commerce has shown signs of slowing down. Nevertheless, the demand for convenience amongst consumers continues to drive the need for and current value growth of retail e-commerce, which continued in 2024. Recently, sales events led by major players such as Amazon and Rakuten have gained traction, alongside the adoption of shopping cultures from abroad, particularly the US, such as Black Friday. The trend of waiting for lower prices to make

Retail e-commerce in Slovakia experienced a positive growth of 4% in 2024, recovering from a sales decline in 2023. The increase in unit prices, driven by rising operational and production costs, contributed to this growth in value sales. However, overall consumer sentiment in Slovakia remained weak in 2024, leading to cautious spending habits and an inclination among consumers to shop more frugally. This shift continued to hinder the overall growth of e-commerce, even as higher prices and stabl

Although slowing slightly, retail e-commerce in South Korea continued to see dynamic current value growth in 2024, with its penetration of overall retail sales continuing to rise strongly, approaching 50%. The shift towards online consumption continues. Competitive pricing, aggressive discount strategies, and flexible returns policies are encouraging more consumers to shop online instead of offline. Promotional events such as major online sales festivals and exclusive membership benefits are als