Despite a challenging year for retail in 2020, we estimate that worldwide retail ecommerce sales posted a 27.6% growth rate for the year, with sales reaching well over $4 trillion. This represents a substantial uptick from our mid-pandemic assessment that global ecommerce would decelerate to 16.5% growth and demonstrates the remarkable extent to which consumers transitioned to ecommerce last year.

The UK is something of a global leader when it comes to retail ecommerce. As a proportion of total retail sales, only China will trump the UK in ecommerce sales penetration this year (41.2% versus 30.9%, respectively). The UK’s fulfillment and delivery infrastructure is, as one would expect, quite mature.

Even as total worldwide retail sales declined by 3.0% in 2020, retail ecommerce growth boomed to 27.6%. Ecommerce growth will decelerate substantially in 2021 to 14.3% as brick-and-mortar sales recover.

Global retail ecommerce sales will decelerate to a 16.5% growth rate in 2020. Even as consumers transitioned en masse to ecommerce during the pandemic, the drag caused by multiple recessions internationally has reduced the overall outlook.

In November 2020, the European Commission filed a formal complaint against Amazon for the same allegations, the first of such antitrust charges worldwide. DC’s new suit addresses the same segment of Amazon’s business, though the complaint focuses on anti-competitive pricing policies rather than use of third-party merchants’ data.

On today's episode, we discuss how advertisers are adjusting as the pandemic eases in the US, whether Facebook Live Shopping can get off the ground, online shopping's deceleration, if faster delivery can really help retailers compete with Amazon, what to make of Snapchat's fourth-generation augmented reality glasses, and how much time we really have to enjoy life. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior analyst Sara M. Watson, analyst Daniel Keyes, and analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch.

Snapchat goes all in on AR ecommerce: The platform's long history with augmented reality innovation gives it a boost over competitors like Amazon or Pinterest looking to leverage AR for shopping.

Amazon has siphoned a decent share of revenues from digital ad markets at home and worldwide in recent years. The ecommerce giant netted 10.3% of total digital ad spending in the US in 2020, and 5.2% of worldwide total digital ad spend, per our estimates, up from 7.8% and 3.8% respectively in 2019.

The buy now, pay later firm saw record-breaking volume driven by significant US growth and is positioning itself to keep up this momentum through international expansion and new retail partnerships.

Amazon’s 48-hour Prime Day event kicks off on June 21 this year, and sales from the promotion will approach $12 billion worldwide. While growth will be slower again this year, Prime Day 2021 will still smash last year’s sales record by nearly $2 billion. More like this:. Audio: The Weekly Listen: Ads' cautious optimism, Facebook shopping, and Snapchat AR glasses No. 4.

On today's episode, we discuss the pandemic challenges that fashion brands are facing, how female digital buyers have changed, and how social media strategies are evolving. We then talk about how engagement with brick-and-mortar retail is changing, how Walmart+ stacks up against Amazon Prime, how significant a problem porch piracy is, and whether in-garage delivery is the solution. Tune in to the discussion with director of marketing and ecommerce at Cloe Raquel Garduño Arroyo, eMarketer director of research Matteo Ceurvels, and analyst at Insider Intelligence Daniel Keyes.

On today's episode, we discuss the most interesting aspects of Amazon's Q1 results, including whether it's losing in groceries, shoppers who may never go back into stores, and how local businesses are fighting back against Amazon in Canada. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer director of forecasting Cindy Liu and analyst at Insider Intelligence Daniel Keyes.

From hand sanitizer and kid-sized masks to DIY craft ideas and an inclusive range of skin-tone crayons, Crayola thinks about its marketing in the context of products, experiences, and content. Watch Industry Voices Spotlight on CPGs with Victoria Lozano, executive vice president and general manager of Crayola, to learn how social media has amplified its mission.