Where the World Shops Online: Cross-Border E-Commerce Trends in 2025

Even amid economic headwinds and shifting consumer habits, cross-border e-commerce remains a resilient and transformative force in global trade. In 2025, the industry entered a period of deep restructuring as digital platforms, wider AI adoption, and the continued migration of shoppers online fueled strong growth despite broader trade volatility.

The diversity of global e-commerce markets offers significant opportunities but also requires a nuanced understanding of regional preferences and behaviors. How and where consumers shop online around the world is evolving, and so are the supply chains that power these experiences.

This post maps the global cross-border e-commerce landscape in 2025, from shifting consumer behaviors to structural changes in supply chains driving the $8 trillion e-commerce boom. We examine which regions are fueling growth, how preferences vary across markets, and why logistics infrastructure has become a core competitive advantage.

For founders and operators building global businesses, adapting to these new realities is essential for sustained global growth.

A Resilient $8 Trillion E-Commerce Boom

Worldwide online retail sales are projected to grow from $6.4 trillion in 2025 to $7.8 trillion by 2027, raising e-commerce’s share of total retail from 20.5% to 22.5%. This sustained growth outpaces traditional retail and highlights the strong momentum of digital commerce even as broader economic growth moderates. Simply put, e-commerce stands out as a bright spot in an unpredictable global economy and is steadily capturing a larger slice of the retail pie.

China and the U.S. remain at the forefront with the world’s largest e-commerce markets. A joint Airwallex–Statista report shows that as of 2024, China’s annual e-commerce sales reached $1.47 trillion, and the U.S. hit $1.2 trillion. While China and the U.S. are the most capable and comfortable buyers of products globally, other countries – particularly in emerging markets – are expected to rise in the future, driven by efficiencies in the global supply chain.

Countries such as India, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa have reached meaningful e-commerce scale and are experiencing accelerating growth. These markets offer fertile ground for cross-border sellers, but success hinges on a deep understanding of local purchasing behaviors and infrastructure dynamics. This diversity of global markets means merchants must tailor to where and how consumers prefer to shop in each country.

Where (and How) Global Consumers Shop Online

Cross-border e-commerce may be a worldwide phenomenon, but consumer shopping habits vary widely by region. A closer look at key markets reveals distinct preferences for platforms, payment methods, and purchase drivers:

• United States: American consumers are overwhelmingly enthusiastic about cross-border shopping – 83% of U.S. consumers say they’re willing to buy products from overseas. The vast majority (about 77%) prefer to purchase through major e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Etsy, or Rakuten, rather than directly from foreign brand websites. U.S. buyers gravitate toward the convenience and trust of established marketplaces when shopping internationally.

• Europe: Europe’s e-commerce market is broad and culturally diverse, but one unifying trend is the popularity of digital wallets in cross-border shopping. About 60% of European consumers utilize e-wallets for making international purchases. Similar to the U.S., major platforms dominate, with consumers in the Netherlands (73%), France (83%), and Germany (82%) showing a strong preference for marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy.

• United Kingdom: UK consumers are even more platform-centric. An overwhelming 80%choose e-commerce platforms (Amazon, Etsy, Rakuten, etc.) for cross-border purchases, whereas only 18% buy directly from a brand’s site and a mere 2% show interest in social-media shopping. The UK currently shows the lowest uptake of social commerce among major markets – a sharp contrast to parts of Asia.

• Southeast Asia: In the fast-growing Southeast Asian markets, influencer marketing plays a significant role in driving purchasing decisions. Ninety percent of online shoppers in Indonesia and 75% in Malaysia report that recommendations from KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders, i.e., influencers) influence their purchase decisions. This trend is also prominent among younger demographics in more developed markets, such as Singapore, where 62% of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers heed KOL advice – a rate far higher than in Western markets.

• South Korea: In South Korea, platforms are the primary shopping channel, with 86% of consumers using marketplaces like Coupang, Gmarket, and Amazon. Direct purchases from merchant websites account for 10% of sales, while social commerce is a small but growing channel at 4%. Influencer marketing also carries significant weight; 56% of Korean consumers report that KOL recommendations influence their purchasing behavior.

• Australia & New Zealand: Consumers in Australia and New Zealand are highly open to global e-commerce, with 93% willing to purchase products from other countries. Shopping habits reveal distinct gender splits: 71% of women shop for fashion online, compared to 51% of men, while 59% of men buy electronics, versus 31% of women. Additionally, 59% of consumers in the region plan their shopping around holidays and sales events.

• China: Chinese consumers are among the most avid cross-border shoppers globally – 99% of surveyed consumers in China stated they are willing to make purchases from overseas. The vast majority of China’s cross-border e-commerce transactions (84%) occur on large platforms, such as JD.com and Alibaba’s Tmall. Social media is a significant channel, accounting for 13% of purchases, with live streaming emerging as a crucial sales driver. In contrast, brand websites account for only 3% of sales. In Hong Kong, 92% of consumers shop online at least once a month, and 85% expect product prices to be displayed in Hong Kong dollars (HKD).

Despite these differences, a common thread is that consumers everywhere are raising the bar for online shopping experiences. They want convenience, speed, and trust – often provided by well-known platforms – along with localized touches (from payment methods to currency display) that make cross-border purchases feel seamless.

The dominance of marketplaces in Western markets highlights the value of one-stop shops and buyer protection, whereas the popularity of influencer-driven social commerce in Asia underscores how culture and technology intersect in unique ways.

For global brands and merchants, the takeaway is clear: success in cross-border e-commerce means meeting consumers where they like to shop – whether that’s on Amazon in the US, Shopee in Southeast Asia, Tmall, JD, or Pinduoduo in China, or a burgeoning social app – and adapting to how they like to shop.

From Fulfillment to Competitive Advantage: Rethinking the Supply Chain

The rise of cross-border e-commerce doesn’t just call for localized marketing – it requires world-class logistics and fulfillment. No matter the region, delivery and service expectations have skyrocketed.

According to DHL’s 2025 global shopper survey, 81% of shoppers abandon their carts if their preferred delivery options aren’t available, underscoring just how critical flexible logistics and seamless fulfillment have become in today’s competitive marketplace. In e-commerce, fast, reliable, and affordable fulfillment is a fundamental driver of purchasing behavior and brand loyalty. Success now hinges on supply chains that can deliver quickly, adapt to shifting expectations, and operate cost-effectively across borders.

It’s no surprise, then, that the “back-end” supply chain is being reimagined as a strategic asset. Efficient, tech-enabled logistics networks are turning supply chains from cost centers into value creators in the cross-border arena. Nowhere is this more apparent than in China – one of the most mature e-commerce markets – where the evolution of the cross-border supply chain over the past 15 years highlights how fulfillment capabilities have advanced stage by stage. 

China’s cross-border e-commerce supply chain development can be viewed in four phases:

1. 2008–2014 – The “Transportation” phase: Laying the groundwork with innovations in international shipping and logistics. In this period, companies focused on solving cross-border transport – getting goods from A to B across oceans and borders more efficiently.
2. 2015–2019 – The “Warehousing” phase: Building out international warehousing and inventory management capabilities. As cross-border volumes grew, the emphasis shifted to positioning goods closer to consumers and streamlining storage and fulfillment processes abroad.
3. 2020–2023 – The “Distribution” phase: Improving last-mile delivery and overall fulfillment speed. The pandemic-era e-commerce boom put pressure on delivery networks, spurring innovations in local distribution, express shipping options, and fulfillment centers to handle surging orders quickly.
4. 2024 and beyond – The “Chain Network” phase: Integrating these capabilities into a global resilient supply chain network. The current stage is defined by building a connected international fulfillment ecosystem. This means establishing a dense web of global warehouses, regional hubs, and last-mile partners to cover more markets with faster delivery and leveraging data/AI to coordinate end-to-end operations. In essence, the supply chain itself becomes a smart, adaptive network – as much a platform as the marketplaces it serves.

Under this new paradigm, the goal is for supply chain logistics to proactively create value (enabling growth and customer satisfaction) rather than just reactively cut costs. To do so, leading cross-border logistics providers are investing in four key pillars of a resilient supply chain.

The Four Pillars of the Modern Supply Chain

1. Global Network Coverage

This involves establishing a high-density global warehousing footprint, coordinating worldwide logistics resources, and ensuring compliance with diverse international trade policies, customs regulations, and tax laws. The aim is to position inventory within reach of major customer bases worldwide, and to master the trade policies/taxes of each region, so that expansion into any new country is plug-and-play for merchants.

2. Localized Regional Hubs

This pillar focuses on building a responsive, regional network with a three-tiered structure: an inbound distribution network, regional operations centers, and last-mile delivery networks. By placing fulfillment nodes closer to consumers, this model enables localized order processing and cross-warehouse inventory balancing, reducing transit costs and improving reaction speed. Essentially, the supply chain is broken into agile regional cells that collectively form a global web.

3. End-to-End Digitalization

Cross-border logistics involves long, complex chains with multiple stakeholders, creating risks of information silos and operational inefficiencies. The new mandate is full-stack digital integration. From AI-driven demand forecasting and inventory allocation to real-time tracking systems and automated customs clearance, leading providers are building end-to-end IT platforms that break down data barriers and enable highly efficient, coordinated operations.

4. Value-Added Services (Fast & Flexible)

The ability to offer “next-day” or “same-day” delivery is becoming a game-changer for merchants. Logistics firms are racing to stand up these capabilities (through forward-deployed inventory and express networks) because they directly boost sales and repeat purchases. Other value-added features include hassle-free returns, localized customer service, and even predictive analytics for sellers. In short, the supply chain is stretching to cover every facet of the customer experience, not just moving boxes.

The Next Phase of Global E-Commerce

What comes next? Looking ahead, several interconnected trends suggest a flywheel effect kicking in, where advancements in one area of the supply chain amplify progress in others. Over the next three years, four emerging trends are poised to redefine cross-border e-commerce infrastructure:

• Globalization of Supply Chain Services: Logistics networks will become even more international and interconnected. Leading 3PLs and e-commerce fulfillment providers are rapidly expanding their global warehouse and distribution networks, covering more countries and integrating resources across borders. This paves the way for a true global supply chain service industry – where merchants of any size can tap into a turnkey worldwide logistics grid, almost like a utility.

• “Supply Chain as a Service” (SCaaS): Following the SaaS playbook, supply chain capabilities are being modularized and offered on demand. In the past, only large enterprises could afford bespoke logistics solutions; now, new SCaaS platforms let even small brands plug into end-to-end fulfillment services – including warehousing, shipping, customs clearance, and compliance – via simple APIs or dashboards. By lowering the operational barriers to international expansion, SCaaS models allow merchants to enter new markets without heavy infrastructure investments, essentially “outsourcing” the heavy lifting of global ops.

• Intelligent, Automated Supply Chains: The cross-border supply chain is on the cusp of an AI and automation leap. From robotics in warehouses to algorithmic route optimization and demand prediction, smart tech is driving step-change gains in efficiency. We’re seeing the beginnings of a fully intelligent fulfillment loop, where data flows seamlessly from inventory storage to decision-making systems to last-mile delivery, creating a self-optimizing cycle. In practical terms, this could mean fewer stockouts, faster delivery routes, and real-time adaptive logistics that respond to conditions automatically – a big boost to scalability and customer satisfaction.

• Green and Sustainable Commerce: Finally, sustainability is rising from buzzword to baseline expectation. As global logistics networks expand, there’s a growing emphasis on reducing carbon footprints and packaging waste. In European and American markets, especially, environmental friendliness is a significant factor in consumer purchasing decisions. Brands with transparent and sustainable supply chains are better positioned to win consumer loyalty and build lasting competitive advantages.

What The Flywheel Effect Means for Founders and Operators

The big picture emerging from these insights is that how the world shops online is inseparable from how we move goods behind the scenes. Consumer-facing trends – more people in more countries buying via digital channels – are pushing the behind-the-scenes infrastructure to evolve in tandem. What was once simply about cost efficiency is now about enabling flexibility, speed, and even strategic differentiation. Digital, data-driven supply chains are no longer just operational tools; they are becoming the foundation of value creation in e-commerce.

For global commerce leaders, the mandate is clear. As technology continues to advance and markets worldwide become more accessible, the winners will be those who embrace a more resilient, responsive, and interconnected “chain network.” That means recognizing logistics as core to the customer experience, investing in the right partnerships or platforms to extend your reach, and continuously adapting to new consumer expectations and sustainability standards. In an environment where uncertainty remains the only certainty, building a robust cross-border infrastructure is crucial for companies to find stable ground and unlock new growth amid the evolving global e-commerce landscape.

Ultimately, where the world shops online in 2025 is everywhere – from New York and Beijing to Jakarta and São Paulo – and the most forward-thinking e-commerce players are positioning themselves to serve that worldwide demand with agility and confidence. The map of cross-border e-commerce is being redrawn in real time, and those prepared to navigate it will chart the next decade of opportunity.