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.

With the impact of the coronavirus still ricocheting throughout the economy, it can be difficult to envision retail one day returning to normal. And yet, somehow it will—and much of it will look virtually indistinguishable from the pre-crisis reality. But certain changes in consumer behavior will be lasting.

eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman discusses Amazon Prime competitor Walmart+, and Amazon's first cashierless supermarket. He also talks about why Shopify joined Facebook's cryptocurrency efforts, and Etsy's automatic advertising idea.

Since rolling out one-day shipping last year, Amazon has seen an acceleration in growth. We expect Amazon’s worldwide ecommerce sales to reach $404 billion by the end of this year.

At a life stage that entails lots of buying, millennials are combining digital and in-store shopping in ways that work best for them.

Most consumers want a product delivered the second they order it, and Amazon is betting on that behavior to drive more sales by offering free one-day shipping on Prime-eligible products. An October 2019 CivicScience survey found that a plurality of US internet users would rather order a low-cost item (less than $5) via Amazon than buy it in-store.

Though social commerce conversions will remain a challenge, the mid-funnel opportunity is growing. Instagram’s continued rollout of shoppable content features is helping brands and influencers spotlight product content and forge a better path to purchase. Pinterest has also introduced features to make it easier for retailers to upload and promote product content. And video-first platforms Snapchat and TikTok are both testing shoppable content features.

For brands and retailers in some categories, Amazon is a significant channel for ecommerce sales. And that often means paying for prime placement on Amazon properties, including in search results. We estimate Amazon will have earned 72% of its $9.85 billion in net US digital ad revenues from search ads in 2019.

eMarketer forecasting director Shelleen Shum explores our viewership numbers for subscription OTT in the UK and reasons behind Netflix’s lead.

Amazon Prime Day serves as the unofficial kickoff to the back-to-school shopping season, and spending on back-to-school items is expected to reach $26.2 billion in 2019, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Facebook, Google and Amazon are engaged in a game of thrones—an epic battle for digital supremacy. The anointed one will be whichever company stakes its claim to all three coins of the digital realm: media, advertising and commerce.

Americans are poised to spend $586.92 billion in retail ecommerce in 2019, with a year-over-year growth rate of 14.0%.

In a significant move for the company's larger advertising goals, Amazon is rebranding its barely six-month-old streaming service to further ramp up its ad-supported video strategy.

UK adults have reached peak media consumption, spending an average of 9 hours, 38 minutes each day with media. Time spent is shifting to digital channels, particularly to smartphones.

Time spent with media by US adults has nearly stopped growing as the gains in digital usage do little more than offset the declines in time spent with TV and other old media.

eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman discusses Amazon's new one-day delivery promise to US Prime members. How much will this move the needle? How are the company's financials? And what's the most significant move Amazon has made in the past six months?

Last week, Amazon announced its latest ploy to attract and retain Prime members: An $800 million investment in one-day delivery. This expansion initiative comes when growth among its most lucrative shoppers is waning. We estimate that US Prime user growth will be less than 9% this year, vs. 12.5% in 2018.

Pressed for time and money more than in their childless days, today’s parents are increasingly using digital tools to supplement their in-store shopping.

In 2019, 51.3% of US households will be Amazon Prime members, according to our latest forecast—that’s about 5.2 million more households than last year.

Amazon and Alibaba continue to expand into Western Europe—Amazon with hopes of capturing a greater European consumer base, and Alibaba selling luxury European goods to its tens of millions of consumers in China.