The global retail market will reach $25.038 trillion in 2019, an increase of 4.5% and a slight acceleration in growth vs. the prior year, per our estimates. At the same time, it represents a marked decline from the five years preceding that, when global retail sales grew at rates between 5.7% and 7.5% each year.

Growth of retail sales in China is declining, due to economic and geopolitical challenges, and will not overtake the US until 2021. But retail ecommerce has continued to flourish in some surprising ways under these current circumstances.

The global ecommerce market will rise more than 20% in 2019, despite mounting economic uncertainty and declining consumer spending growth around the world.

In April, Wayfair celebrated its second annual Way Day, a “holiday” dedicated to better-than-Black-Friday deals. The retailer saw double-digit sales growth over the first Way Day, as well as an increased number of orders and unique customers, according to an April 2019 report from Edison Trends. Better timing, an extended sales period and greater consumer offerings helped the retailer achieve these metrics.

China’s fast-paced retail ecommerce growth hasn’t spelled doom for physical stores. Rather, brick-and-mortar is undergoing a transformation of its own, underlined by an infusion of technology and the growing integration between online and offline.

Alibaba's Singles' Day is expected to be the biggest selling day for smart speakers in China, and a key driver to adoption in the market.

Luxury spending in China accounts for a third of global spending. China’s growing wealth, style-conscious millennials, and policies and regulations designed to boost spending within the border pushed luxury spending higher in 2017. This report looks at where China’s consumers seek out information on luxury brands and what shopping channels they use.

There is little doubt that Amazon dominates online marketplace sales in the US, but is this the case worldwide? Where does Alibaba fit in, and do these major retail players have competition?

Retail ecommerce platforms in China will total $1.53 billion in sales this year. Over 58% of these sales will take place through Alibaba’s digital storefronts.