During the pandemic-induced lockdowns in 2020, many UK-based shoppers confined to their homes saw little need to shop for apparel, and even now, as restrictions ease, apparel will still not be a consumer focus.

As retailers explore new strategies in H2 2021 and beyond, they will need to gain greater understanding of which consumer behaviors have shifted permanently, which will revert to those of pre-pandemic times, and which will settle somewhere in the middle.

Three of the four largest ecommerce companies in the world are based in China—Alibaba, JD.com, and Pinduoduo (PDD)—and they are all still delivering impressive annual sales increases.

Amazon’s Q2 earnings are tomorrow: Due in part to the coronavirus pandemic, we expect Amazon’s retail sales to best last year’s.

The top 15 livestream shopping categories in China

Nonstore retailers like Amazon and Wayfair, which operate solely online, are dominating the US ecommerce market.

The pandemic supercharged ecommerce sales in the US, accelerating the digital market about two years into the future in terms of its penetration of total retail sales.

Aussies love their social commerce! Or so it would seem, based on eMarketer’s inaugural forecast for social buying in Australia.

Where are people buying into social buying?

Amazon is maneuvering to become a dominant player in direct-to-consumer healthcare services, beginning with its online pharmacy and telehealth services for its employees. It may acquire more healthcare delivery outlets, such as primary care and urgent care clinics. Entrenched industry players are watching carefully.

We expect US social commerce sales to rise by 35.8% in 2021 to $36.62 billion. That’s only a slight deceleration in growth from 2020, when sales surged by 38.9% thanks to the pandemic-driven boom in ecommerce, increased social media consumption, and brands continuing to leverage these platforms to sell directly to consumers.

US ecommerce sales are projected to continue double digit growth.

As brick-and-mortar stores remained shuttered, ecommerce quickly became the channel of choice for many consumers in Latin America. In turn, retailers quickly shifted their attention toward online sales channels to keep pace with consumers’ growing appetite for online shopping.

China’s second-largest annual shopping festival broke records last month, generating more sales and attracting more brands than ever before. Held each year around June 18, the 618 promotional event is still smaller than Singles’ Day, but its rising scale reflects a growing appetite for a midyear alternative to the November ecommerce extravaganza.

Back to class: US back-to-school ecommerce sales will grow more than 13% this year, even after last year’s spike, increasing their share of total back-to-school sales this season.

Top 10 countries for ecommerce growth

Our forecast for Instagram shoppers

Sticky consumer shopping habits and Thanksgiving store closures will likely set the stage for ecommerce this holiday season.

Amazon’s $300 billion lead over Walmart