Community group buying retail ecommerce sales in China will grow from RMB 120.5 billion ($18.67 billion) in 2021 to RMB 210.0 billion ($32.54 billion) in 2022, surging 74.2% year-over-year (YoY), according to the China e-Business Research Center (CECRC). The research institute’s projection for the number of community group-buying digital buyers in China is similarly strong, up 35.6% to 876.0 million.

Ecommerce transactions on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, tripled to $77.48 billion (RMB 500 billion) in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2020, per a report by Chinese news outlet LatePost. (More recent figures are not available.).

Retail sales in China fell 6.7% MoM in May, per China’s National Bureau of Statistics. That said, China’s May numbers were a marked improvement from an 11.1% MoM decline in April, when millions of residents were confined to their homes due to COVID-19 lockdowns.

With China showing no sign of loosening its strict zero-COVID stance, Chinese shoppers will likely continue to rely on ecommerce platforms to deliver everything from groceries to apparel—but convincing them to spend on bigger-ticket items like electronics will be difficult as consumers remain cautious.

Change is coming to Amazon: Amid slowing ecommerce growth, Amazon split its stock, saw its consumer chief resign, and announced plans to shutter its Chinese ebook store.

China joined 16 other countries when its powerful Personal Information Protection Law came into effect in November 2021. The law gives consumers even more opt-in rights than GDPR, and regulators in China have more leeway in enforcement.

Alibaba’s stranglehold on ecommerce in China is loosening: The company’s earnings disappointed amid weakening consumer demand, robust performances from rivals, and more scrutiny from Beijing.

(US retail ecommerce sales will hit $933.30 billion this year, according to our forecast. And Amazon’s US retail ecommerce sales are projected to reach $386.40 billion this year—accounting for 41.4% of all US retail ecommerce sales.). This has given its buy button wide reach: In 2016, Amazon reported that 33 million people in 170 countries used Amazon Pay to make a purchase.

Shein’s legal maneuvers demonstrate its global ambitions: The fast-fashion retailer is expanding its Singapore presence as it attempts to bypass stricter Chinese rules on offshore IPOs.

It’s hard to imagine US mcommerce approaching 40% penetration of retail sales anytime soon, but China still holds lessons for the US. Some trends in China eventually found their way to the US, including:. Mobile payments. Social commerce. QR codes. Which trends in China are happening now and have a decent chance of similar uptake in US mcommerce? Livestreaming shopping channels.