Clearsale Blog | Insights on Ecommerce and fraud

Global E-Commerce Growth: What — and Who — Is Hot

Written by Sarah Elizabeth | Feb 7, 2018

Global retail e-commerce sales are projected to top $2.3 trillion in 2017, with expected sales of more than four trillion dollars by 2020. And retailers are finding that this e-commerce volume is making up a bigger piece of total retail spending — estimated to hit 14.6% in 2020, up from 10% in 2017.

This growth is showing no signs of slowing down, and merchants should prepare to leverage the new opportunities global e-commerce holds. But first, they must understand the latest e-commerce trends, best international markets and most popular products global consumers are buying.

[IMG]

Source: eMarketer

The Top Global E-Commerce Markets

Research suggests that 53% of global internet users made an online purchase in 2016 – or approximately one billion people. Not to mention that 65% of consumers would purchase globally rather than locally if the price is right.

Just look at the top 10 e-commerce markets by country:

  • China: $1 trillion
  • United States: $396 billion
  • United Kingdom: $166 billion
  • Japan: $124 billion
  • Germany: $106.9 billion
  • France: $72 billion
  • South Korea: $38 billion
  • Canada: $20 billion
  • Russia: $15.7 billion
  • Brazil: $14.6 billion

Source: Remarkety, 2016

Asia-Pacific remains the world’s largest retail e-commerce market with sales topping one trillion dollars in 2016, and it’s expected to more than double to $2.725 trillion by 2020. This region also saw the fastest rise in retail e-commerce sales, climbing 31.5% in 2016.

An expanding middle class, greater mobile and internet availability, the growing competition of e-commerce retailers and improved logistics and infrastructure all fueled this dramatic e-commerce growth.

Some markets still emerging onto the e-commerce scene include:

  • India: $14.5 billion in revenue
  • Poland: $6 billion in revenue
  • Middle East: 30 million e-commerce shoppers

Source: Remarkety, 2016

Research shows that slightly more than 64% of the Chinese online population has made an e-commerce purchase, while the United States has just more than 57% of the population shopping online. Japan, in contrast, has a staggering 80% of its population doing online shopping.

What Global Customers are Buying Online

Books, electronics and clothing are among the top purchases for global online shoppers. But what else are consumers buying?

Product

Annual Sales

Market Share

Software, Books, Music, Flowers

$38.05 billion

26%

Computer Hardware, Consumer Electronics, Office Supplies

$24.8 billion

16%

Apparel, Footwear, Jewelry, Linens/Home Decor

$22 billion

13%

Health, Beauty, Food and Beverage

$12.4 billion

8%

Toys, Video Games, Sporting Goods

$10.975 billion

7%

Small Appliances, Furniture, Tools, Garden Equipment

$5.275 billion

3%

Source. Statistic Brain

Rank

Best-Selling Internet Products

1

Women’s Apparel

2

Books

3

Computer Hardware

4

Computer Software

5

Apparel

6

Toys/Video Games

7

Videos/DVDs

8

Health and Beauty

9

Consumer Electronics

10

Music

11

Jewelry

12

Office Supplies

13

Linens/Home Decor

14

Flowers

15

Sporting Goods

16

Footwear

17

Small Appliances

18

Tools and Garden

19

Gifts


Safely Expand into International E-Commerce Markets

Global e-commerce is a huge opportunity for online retailers, but it can pose serious risks to those merchants who aren’t prepared to deal with the potential for fraud, payment issues and cultural nuances.

You can count on the experts at ClearSale to help you navigate the tricky waters of international sales. Talk with a ClearSale expert today to learn how our multilayered approach can provide peace of mind as you grow your global e-commerce business.