Introduction: Growth in Global E-Commerce Business

Due to improvement of online payment systems and the rapid growth of the applications market, the global e-commerce business has grown tremendously in the last decade. According to eMarketer’s latest forecasts, global business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sales will reach $1.47 trillion, an increase of 20% from last year.

The Asia-Pacific market contributes most of the growth, and is expected to surpass North America to take the global lead in B2C e-commerce sales next year. This is largely due to the upsurge in mobile phone and Internet users in China, India, and Indonesia. With increased access to the Internet and more secure payment options, E-commerce has thrived in the Asia-Pacific region. Although new online shoppers usually start with less costly purchases, the large population in the region plays an important role in the overall growth of e-commerce.

The growth of e-commerce in North America and Western Europe is steady and will continue to grow at double-digit rates for several more years. In these developed markets, people regularly purchase goods online and tend to buy high-ticket items.

E-commerce sites are now useful tools for companies in targeting international customers because of their convenience and efficiency. For more information on global e-commerce, check out the latest globalEDGE blog series!

Featured Resources

Going Global: A Guide for e-Commerce Expansion
Hosted by The National e-Commerce Extension Initiative, "A Guide for e-Commerce Expansion" is an online module that helps e-commerce business owners learn about issues regarding taxation, customs, and overseas payments. The site also provides users with a tutorial on how to use e-commerce to trade products overseas.
Categories: Trade Tutorials

Retailing Today
Retailing Today provides an ample source of news and statistics concerning different sectors of the retail industry. The site includes news on different product categories, retail news, e-commerce, and supplier news. A registration is required to access all parts of the website.
Categories: Retail , Industries

Featured Academy

International Entrepreneurship
The module on international entrepreneurship is helpful for understanding the forces that make it possible for entrepreneurs to rapidly internationalize. This module will discuss the drivers of international new venture creation, the technology associated with new venture creation, as well as the barriers and incentives.

globalEDGE Business Beat

globalEDGE Business Beat Segment 5 Stefan Selig
Originally aired on October 8th, 2014

Tomas speaks with Stefan Selig, Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, they discuss the Open for Business Agenda, the National Export Initiative NEXT, and expansion of Select USA.