Global B2C E-Commerce Market Report 2013

On a global basis, B2C E-Commerce sales increased by more than +20% per year recently. In 2013, North America will be taken over by the Asia-Pacific region as global leader in B2C E-Commerce sales. Western Europe is expected to remain the third largest region in terms of the share on global B2C E-Commerce sales. The largest countries in terms of B2C E-Commerce sales in 2012 were USA, China, UK, Germany and Japan.
More than one third of the global population used the Internet in 2012. Asia accounted for almost half of the world’s Internet users in 2012. In terms of Internet penetration, however, North America reached the highest rate.
The number of Internet shoppers worldwide is expected to top 1 billion in 2013.
On a global basis, apparel and accessories, books and newspapers, as well as travel service reservation are among the leading B2C E-Commerce product categories in 2012.
North America:
In the United States, M-Commerce is among the major trends on the market.
Books, movies/music, fashion and apparel are among the leading online product categories.
Canada’s B2C E-Commerce market is growing strongly, with online coupons and discounts are increasingly popular. Within the next years, double-digit growth rates for the market are expected.

B2C E-Commerce sales in Brazil are expected to experience decreasing growth rates until 2015. Furthermore, the share of Internet shoppers on Internet users is expected to reach almost 40% then.
CompraFacil, B2W and Nova Pontocom are leading B2C E-Commerce players in Brazil.
Argentina, another important Latin American B2C E-Commerce market, is also expected to see decreasing growth rates in B2C E-Commerce in the coming years.
Chile is the regional leader in Latin America in terms of per capita online spending. Online travel and coupon sites are important trends on the market.
The Colombian B2C E-Commerce market is also growing. Moreover, the number of Internet users, as well as per capita online expenditure experience fast growth. Mass merchants such as Melocompro and Megastore were among the leading players in B2C E-Commerce as of 2012.
In Mexico, low credit card penetration rate has been a challenge for B2C E-Commerce. However, new payment options are helping consumers to buy online, so double-digit growth rates are expected for the future.

The B2C E-Commerce market in Germany increased by double-digit growth rates in recent years, with apparel/clothing and media/picture/sound among the leading product categories.
Amazon.de and Otto.de are among the leading online retailers in Germany.

Western Europe:
From 2013 on, the B2C E-Commerce market in the UK is expected to see decreasing growth rates. Moreover, the share of B2C E-Commerce on total retail sales reaches more than 10%.
Amazon.co.uk, Argos.co.uk and Tesco.com are leading B2C E-Commerce players in the UK.
Similar to other major markets, B2C E-Commerce sales in France are expected to face decreasing growth rates from 2013 on. “Travel/Tourism” and “Services” are leading product categories there. More than three quarters of Internet users also shopped online in 2012.
In Italy, B2C E-Commerce sales increased by more than +20% in 2012. For the coming years, decreasing growth rates are projected. “Recreation” is the leading B2C E-Commerce product category in Italy.
B2C E-Commerce sales in Spain are expected to reach more than EUR 20 billion in 2016. Holiday accommodation and other travel services are among the most popular product categories.

In Russia, one of the main driving forces behind B2C E-Commerce is the increasing number of Internet users. Russia is the largest online population in Europe.
The share of B2C E-Commerce on total retail sales in Russia only reached a low single-digit percentage.
Many foreign players and investors entered the Russian B2C E-Commerce market in recent years.
Food and drugs online retailer Utkonos.ru and mass merchant Ozon.ru were the leading players in B2C E-Commerce in Russia in terms of online sales in 2011.
In the Czech Republic, “Clothes and Footwear” and “Tickets” were leading online product categories. The market is dominated by mass merchants such as Alza.cz, Mall.cz and Kasa.cz.
In Poland, price comparison sites, websites showing user opinions and group-buying sites are major trends among online shoppers. “Clothing and Footwear” was the most purchased online product category in Poland in 2012.
In Turkey, almost half of the population accessed the Internet in 2012. Mass merchant Hepsiburada.com, private shopping website Markafoni.com and consumer electronics online shop Teknosa.com are among the leading B2C E-Commerce players.

B2C E-Commerce sales in Sweden increased by double-digit growth rates in recent years. Furniture online shop Ikea.com and mass merchant Ellos.se are among the leading players.

Asia:
In Japan, consumers increasingly use their smartphones for online purchases. Until 2016, decreasing growth rates are projected for B2C E-Commerce sales.
Mass merchants Rakuten.co.jp, Amazon.co.jp and Nissen.co.jp are leading online shops in Japan.
In South Korea, the share of B2C E-Commerce on total retail sales reaches more than 6%. “Travel Arrangements and Reservation Services” and “Clothes, Fashion-related Goods” are leading product categories.
The B2C E-Commerce market in South Korea is dominated by mass merchants such as Gmarket.co.kr and 11st.co.kr.
In 2012, foreign online retailers continued to enter the Chinese B2C E-Commerce market, but local companies remained in the lead.
By 2016, it is expected that more than 700 million people in China will access the Internet, accounting for more than half of the total population. Also, the number of Internet shoppers is expected to grow rapidly.
In India, B2C E-Commerce sales are expected to grow by more than +20% annually within the next years. However, B2C E-Commerce still accounts for less than 1% of total retail sales.

More than 50% of consumers in Australia shopped online in 2012. Until 2016, double-digit annual growth rates are forecasted.More than 80% of the Australian population used the Internet in 2012.

Middle East:
In February 2012, more than 20% of Internet users in Egypt also shopped online or used the Internet to pay their bills.
In 2012, B2C E-Commerce in Saudi Arabia was growing as Internet penetration rises and confidence in online shopping increases.
Online shoppers in the UAE increasingly purchase from regional websites, while preferring to pay via credit and debit cards.

Direct Internet access in Nigeria is forecasted to grow to one third of inhabitants in 2013, with wireless broadband to follow in 2015.
In 2012, more than half of the population in Morocco used the Internet.
B2C E-Commerce in South Africa is on the rise, with coupon websites and travel being especially popular.