China’s Ecommerce Giants Drive Sales Growth Despite a Slowdown in Adoption
Despite a post-Brexit drop in the number of shoppers, Western Europe’s cross-border ecommerce market is booming as consumers spend more on goods from foreign retailers. Much of the momentum is being driven by China’s ecommerce giants and investment by online marketplaces such as Amazon and Zalando. Buyer growth will return in 2025 - which will be both an opportunity and a threat for retailers in Europe.
Key Question: What is the outlook for cross-border ecommerce in Western Europe in 2024 and beyond?
Key Stat: After falling from a pandemic peak, cross-border buyer numbers will rise again in Spain (0.2%) and Italy (0.6%) this year and return to growth in Germany (3.0%), France (2.3%), and the UK (2.6%) in 2025.
Here’s what’s in the full report
- 3 Exportable files for easy reading, analysis and sharing.
- 8 Charts: Reliable data in simple displays for presentations and quick decision making.
Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- For European retailers, cross-border ecommerce is an opportunity - and a threat
- Sales growth has come despite a slowdown in adoption
- The market is poised to accelerate beginning in 2025
- How can retailers attract cross-border buyers?
- Sources
- Media Gallery
Charts in This Report
- Cross-Border Buyers Will Return to Positive Growth in the UK, France and Germany in 2025
- Western Europe is a Relatively Mature Market for Cross-Border Ecommerce (cross-border % of digital buyers, by country, 2024)
- Cross-Border Ecommerce Sales Reached €179.4B Across 16 Countries in Europe in 2022 (billions in European cross-border ecommerce sales, 2022)
- Cross-Border Buyers Have Been Declining in the Former EU-5 Since 2021 (millions of former EU-5 cross-border buyers, % change, and % of digital buyers, 2019-2025)
- The UK Has Seen the Biggest Drop in Cross-Border Buyers Since 2020
- Consumers Shop Cross-Border to Find Lower Prices and a Wider Variety of Products or Brands
- Millennials Are the Most Frequent Cross-Border Shoppers in Europe
- European Consumers Are Most Likely to Shop Cross-Border for Clothing & Footwear
