Here are the latest global top selling online marketplaces statistics that can help you manage your online business better and choose the online marketplace that suits your business
The global ecommerce sector and online retail industry is growing at a rapid pace. The industry is set to cross 5 trillion USD in market value by the end of 2022, making it one of the most lucrative business sectors in the world. When you are looking for an online marketplace for your own ecommerce business, being familiar with the latest sales and performance statistics for all the top marketplaces can be helpful.
This is why we are here with a detailed breakdown of all the top selling online marketplaces statistics. You can find out which ecommerce marketplace is at the top according to sales, visits, regions, age demographic, and much more. Being up to date with all of this data and information can help you decide which online marketplace is best suited for your business.
But before we get into the statistics, it is essential to understand what an online marketplace is.
An online marketplace is where buyers and sellers are making transactions and trading through the same online platform. With an online marketplace, you don’t have to leave the website you are on to make a purchase and all the purchases are made on the platform. It is also important to note that an ecommerce marketplace is not a website through which you are directly selling products to the website itself, instead, you have other consumers.
With an online marketplace, most of the buyers are consumers and not businesses. On an online marketplace, you sell physical goods. If you want a clearer idea of what an ecommerce marketplace is, eBay, Amazon, and Etsy are great examples. You can use an ecommerce marketplace as a sales channel for your business and sell your goods to your target audience and consumers.
Now that we have an idea of what an online marketplace is, let’s get into the top selling online marketplaces statistics!
Ecommerce marketplaces have become huge and play a significant role when it comes to online shopping. By next year, it is predicted that 17% off all transactions will happen through online marketplaces. This is a huge percentage of all transactions and it shows how everyone all over the world is now using various online marketplaces for shopping. People understand how convenient online shopping is and use the ecommerce platforms available for them.
Everyone that browses through an online marketplace is often looking to buy something, even if it is something small. People also use these ecommerce marketplaces that sell general items to order any household item they need, no matter how small. According to the data recorded, the average amount someone spent on an ecommerce marketplace visit was 3 USD.
Business-to-consumer, or B2C ecommerce marketplaces are some of the most visited and top selling online marketplaces in the world. B2C businesses use these ecommerce platforms to set up a store for their business and have another sales channel for their company. These B2C online marketplaces are estimated to reach 3.5 trillion USD in sales revenue by 2024, which is huge.
There are many businesses and brands that have their online websites instead of selling through just an online marketplace. However, it is always beneficial for businesses to use an online marketplace as a sales channel. Based on the statistics, almost 50% of all online purchases that happened were through the online marketplaces and ecommerce platforms. It is crucial that businesses recognize the importance of the ecommerce marketplaces and start using these platforms as a sales channel for their brands and products.
Ecommerce has become an important part of our shopping experience. If you run a business, you know how crucial it is to build your online presence and start selling your products online through ecommerce channels. If we look at the businesses in the United States, one-third of all the business happens through ecommerce and more than 60% of the transactions happen on online marketplaces. As a business, anywhere in the world, having your digital presence especially on an ecommerce marketplace, has become more important than ever.
The top ecommerce marketplaces in the U.S. have been growing steadily over the years. People are becoming more comfortable shopping online, especially through online marketplaces. In 2020, when the world was dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, relying on online marketplaces became even more common for people. In the U.S. alone, the sales revenue of the online marketplaces grew by 40%. And this did not slow down. Online purchases and the importance of online marketplaces all over the world has only grown since the pandemic.
Online marketplaces have established their place in the ecommerce retail sector. More people feel comfortable shopping from a marketplace, in fact, 14% of people would choose an online marketplace for their first-time purchase. Platforms like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and many others have become household names all over the globe. People feel confident making their first purchase from a trusted online marketplace such as Amazon compared to a store on a social media platform.
Once you start using an online marketplace for your purchases, there is really no going back. There are ecommerce marketplaces that hold all types of products and you can practically purchase anything you need from these marketplaces. This is why almost 40% of people who shop through an ecommerce marketplace feel comfortable making a repeat purchase. The top online marketplaces also make sure the quality of the products is top-notch and create an excellent shopping experience for their customers, which is also why people don’t mind coming back to shop from these platforms for repeat purchases.
There is no doubt that the fashion industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the ecommerce sector. When it comes to online shopping, there are countless online platforms and marketplaces that are dedicated to fashion and apparel because people are getting more interested in purchasing these items online. When it comes to the online fashion sector, it is estimated to grow and make up 11.4% of the total global compound annual growth rate. This shows that the online fashion industry is not slowing down any time soon, and the sales for online marketplaces for fashion will continue to skyrocket in the coming years.
Apparel and footwear have become more popular than ever for the ecommerce sector. There are numerous online brands selling apparel and footwear and the number of online marketplaces dedicated to apparel and footwear has also grown over the years. In 2020, apparel and footwear sales made online amounted to over 121 billion USD. This means that more than 27% of all sales made online in that year were apparel and footwear. 2020 was a pivotal year for ecommerce and every industry. People finally realized that shopping from online marketplaces for things such as footwear and apparel is also possible and convenient, which has led to a huge boost in the online fashion industry, with more ecommerce marketplaces for fashion and footwear becoming popular and growing.
There are countless online marketplaces all over the world. Knowing which marketplaces are getting the most visits and have a place in the top 60 global online marketplaces can be helpful for you, especially if you are looking to start your online store on an ecommerce marketplace. Once you get to know which online marketplaces are at the top of the ranks, you can make a better decision for yourself.
As it stands, Amazon is the top global online marketplace, with 5.69 billion visits per month. This does not come as a surprise, as Amazon has gradually cemented its place as an ecommerce giant by providing excellent services and efficient order deliveries, especially through Amazon Prime. (webretailer, 2022)
Amazon is followed by eBay as the second top selling global online marketplace, with 2.98 billion visits per month. You can go through the list below to find out which other online marketplaces are leading the ranks and have established their place as the top ecommerce platforms in the world.
There are many ecommerce marketplaces from Asia and Europe that have also cemented their place as giants in the industry. In fact, Shopee, AliExpress, and Rakuten are amongst the top five highest selling and most visited online marketplaces in the world. If you look at the breakdown based on how many visits each online marketplace gets per month, you can see that other marketplaces from different continents are also bringing in hundreds of millions of visits every month.
(webretailer, 2022)
It is important to note that the top selling online marketplaces often vary from region to region. There are numerous options available for different countries and locations. There are some online marketplaces that are global, like Amazon, and are often part of the highest selling online marketplaces globally. However, there are also ecommerce marketplaces that are for their own specific region or country, and are more popular there than the other competitors in the sector.
Going through the statistics for the top selling online marketplaces region by region can give you a clearer idea of which marketplaces are preferred in which regions. If you are setting up your store on an online marketplace, it can be helpful to know and understand which marketplace will be the best option for you based on how many visits it gets each month and how popular it is in the country or region your target customers are from.
Amazon has been the biggest online marketplace in the United States for a long time and it is only going on to cement its place as the industry leader each year. Some other big names in the ecommerce sector in America are eBay, Walmart, Etsy, and Target. There are a lot of people that are interested in the vast range of products and categories offered by these online marketplaces, making them some of the top selling platforms in the region.
When it comes to online marketplaces in the United States, it is important to note that a platform for music, like Discogs, is higher than any online marketplace for fashion. However, ecommerce platforms like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, etc., also offer categories like Fashion along with many other categories, which can be a reason why most people in the U.S. are not visiting that many fashion marketplaces separately each month.
When you look at the top 10 UK online marketplaces, you can see that Amazon is leading the charts in this region as well, with eBay coming in second. ASOS is an online marketplace for fashion and it ranks incredibly high as one of the top three highest selling and most visited ecommerce platforms for the UK. There are also many European ecommerce marketplaces that rank high in the list for the top selling online platforms in the UK.
If you are a business in the UK looking to set up a sales channel on an ecommerce platform, you can also get in touch with Meteor Space for your ecommerce fulfillment needs. We understand that setting up your online store is just the first step, and the real challenge starts with order fulfillment, which is why we offer end-to-end ecommerce fulfillment solutions for UK businesses. You can talk to our experts today!
When it comes to the top selling online marketplaces in India, although the number one spot is taken by Amazon, the rest of the top ranks are occupied by online marketplaces that are based in India. There is no doubt that there are many successful and top selling ecommerce platforms that are Indian and you can see through these statistics that they are some of the highest selling in India. When you look at the biggest online marketplaces globally, it can be noticed that other than Amazon and eBay there is no other ecommerce platform that has established itself as a leader globally.
The Chinese ecommerce sector is interesting. The highest selling online marketplaces in China are all Chinese. These platforms are massive and sell products from numerous categories and brands. The Chinese online marketplaces are also mostly owned by one large enterprise. Just because the international ecommerce marketplaces are not leading in China does not mean you cannot get access to international brands in China. There are many international brands that use the Chinese online marketplaces to set up their stores and cater to their audience in China.
Amazon and Rakuten are the top selling online marketplaces in Japan. The Japanese ecommerce sector is booming and people are more willing to buy products online from the various platforms available. One of the important factors to note from these statistics is that some of the top selling online marketplaces in Japan are Asian or Japanese.
The ecommerce sector in Latin America is split between online marketplaces from all over the globe. However, the top selling online marketplace in Latin America is Mercado Libre, which is a Latin platform. Amazon is the third highest selling ecommerce marketplace in Latin America, ranking one place below AliExpress.
Looking at the European ecommerce sector, you can see a lot of European online marketplaces that are on the list for the top selling platforms in the region. However, Europe is another region where Amazon has the strongest hold and the highest number of visits per month. eBay is the second most visited ecommerce platform per month in Europe, making it the second highest selling online marketplace in the region.
The ecommerce sector in Southeast Asia is ruled by online marketplaces from countries like Indonesia, China, and more. Shopee is the highest selling online marketplace in Southeast Asia, with Tokopedia taking the second spot in the ranking. Amazon comes in as number eight as one of the highest selling online marketplaces in Southeast Asia, below the likes of Lazada and Zalora.
When you look at the top selling online marketplaces in Africa, you can see a lot of names and platforms that are not that well-known all over the globe, however, they are the top selling platforms in Africa, like Jumia and Konga. Amazon also makes the list as one of the highest selling and most visited ecommerce platforms in Africa.
The Middle Eastern ecommerce sector is mostly ruled by Turkish online marketplaces, such as Trendyol and Hepsiburada. Amazon is the third most visited and highest selling online marketplace in the Middle East as well, showing us how it is one of the biggest global online shopping platforms in the world.
When you look at the ecommerce sector in Australasia, you can see that eBay overtakes Amazon as the top selling online marketplace in the region. These are both global ecommerce platforms that are ruling the current ecommerce sector all across the world. The other ecommerce marketplaces that make the top selling list in Australasia are mostly from the region.
(webretailer, 2022)
There are many product categories that are sold online on the various online marketplaces. When you look at the ecommerce platforms, such as Amazon or eBay, you can see that these platforms sell more than one category and you can find numerous stores and businesses on the platforms. However, there are also online marketplaces that focus on one category only, for example ASOS is an ecommerce platform for fashion and Discog is an ecommerce marketplace that is for music. Let’s take a look at some of the product categories that get the most visits each month, making them the top selling product categories.
(webretailer, 2022)
The fashion sector in ecommerce is growing with each passing day and the high number of top selling online marketplaces for fashion is proof of that. There are ecommerce platforms from various regions and countries that have grown to a global level. Zalando is the highest selling and most visited online marketplace for fashion. It is a European platform that has become a giant in the fashion world.
Electronics is another category that has grown and become popular in the ecommerce sector over the years. There are many online marketplaces for electronics, with Newegg being the highest selling ecommerce platform for electronics. Other marketplaces such as Best Buy Canada and Morele from Poland are also some of the most visited and top selling online marketplaces for electronics.
Homewares is a category that is often browsed online. People shop for various homeware products online and it is a product category that has become popular in recent times. There are many online marketplaces for homeware products, with Wayfair being the most visited and highest selling platform for homeware products. European homeware ecommerce platforms such as ManoMano and Conforama are also in the list for the top selling online marketplaces for homeware products.
Books is a category that is also popular when it comes to ecommerce and there are many online marketplaces and platforms for books. When it comes to the top selling and most visited ecommerce platforms for books, Barnes and Noble takes the number one spot. There are also many international online marketplaces for books, such as AbeBooks and Biblio, that have solidified their place as some of the highest selling ecommerce marketplaces for books.
(webretailer, 2022)
Shopify was offering the businesses using the platform for their ecommerce needs Oberlo, a drop shipping extension. However, in 2022, Shopify has decided to discontinue Oberlo. There is no need for drop shipping businesses on Shopify to worry as the ecommerce giants will be teaming up with other drop shipping extensions and making sure their clients can have a smooth experience running their business on the platform. Shopify is one of the leading ecommerce platforms in the world and there are countless businesses using Shopify for their companies, which goes to show that it is a reliable platform for all.
2022 has brought some big changes to the ecommerce marketplace sector over the span of the year. Eachnet.com was a Chinese ecommerce platform that was running for the past twenty three years and in 2022, it was finally shut down. Eachnet.com was once owned by eBay, one of the biggest online marketplaces in the world. Eachnet.com was also one of China’s first and top online marketplaces at one point. It is important to note that the online marketplace sector is always changing and new platforms are on the rise, which can lead to old ones shutting down.
Shopee entered the Indian e-commerce market but soon, it is set to make an exit. The reason for the sudden exit from the Indian online market sector is “global market uncertainty”. It is important to note that even though Shopee is one of the biggest selling online marketplaces in the world, India already has a saturated online market and there are numerous ecommerce platforms in India that have already cemented their place. It can be difficult to enter and stand apart from the crowd when the competition is extremely high, like it is in India.
Reels is a phenomenon that has taken over Instagram and Facebook in 2022. It is an option for people to post short videos like they do on TikTok. Reels are now being used for online marketing and creating a social media presence through Instagram and Facebook by many brands in 2022. Facebook announced that they will be shutting down their live shopping feature from their online marketplace to make space for Reels for their users. Facebook marketplace is also a huge ecommerce platform and there are many people buying and selling products on the platform.
Although a lot of people might not have heard about iRobot the company, almost everyone is familiar with their product, the Roomba vacuum cleaner. It is one of the most popular electronics and gadgets and also went viral a while ago. The company was acquired by ecommerce marketplace giant Amazon in 2022 for 1.65 billion USD. It shows how Amazon keeps a lookout for the products that are doing well and tries to get companies that can be beneficial for their own platform as well. Even in 2022, Amazon was an online marketplace that continued to grow in sales at record speed.
2021 saw a lot of brands and companies leaving China and Chinese marketplaces over forced labor issues and other reasons. One of these brands was the fashion brand H&M. In 2022, H&M was the fashion brand that made a return to the Chinese marketplace and was back to selling their products in China. Over the years, China has established itself as an ecommerce giant and not selling your products on Chinese online marketplaces can lead to your business missing out on various opportunities. Brands returning to the Chinese market shows how essential China is for business and sales.
Last year, Amazon acquired Selz, which was an ecommerce startup that enabled people to sell products online. It was a refreshing platform and Amazon took over in 2021. However, due to reasons, Amazon has decided in 2022 to shut down Selz. It is a big step in the ecommerce marketplace sector and shows how big online marketplaces like Amazon are currently ruling the industry and taking decisions that are favorable for them.
Once you set up your online store on an ecommerce marketplace, that is when the real work begins. You start receiving orders and need to make sure all your customers receive their orders on time. Your order fulfillment is what makes or breaks your online business. If you cannot provide accurate and efficient order fulfillment to your customers, you can hinder the growth of your business.
This is where a leading 3PL, like Meteor Space, comes in! We do all the heavy lifting for you, making sure you can focus on your marketing and accelerate the growth of your business. Meteor Space can store your inventory in our state of the art warehousing facility that spreads across 200,000 square feet. We Manage all your inventory and can handle omnichannel sales for your business seamlessly.
With our help, you can forget about the worries of order fulfillment for your online business, and use your time and resources to expand your reach and business. We provide international fulfillment, making sure you never miss out on any opportunities. With our help, you can efficiently deliver all orders you receive from online marketplaces and build your brand.
Sounds like the perfect match for your ecommerce business?